so I relied on my iPhone camera. 
I probably should have gone back for the camera since the wildflowers farther up the trail were quite spectacular, but at the time I really didn't want to cross the talus fields again and again. When I made the decision not to retrieve the camera, I was thinking only about whether I'd be satisfied with iPhone photos for this hike. It was only later in the hike that I realized I had also violated one of my fundamental rules of never leaving valuables in the car...thereafter car-clout anxiety hovered over me for the rest of the hike.
There are beautiful views as you climb across the meadows. The trail appears to have been re-routed since I was last there--maybe not quite as steep in some places but still plenty steep in a few stretches. Part way up, I spotted a BNSF train with a mile-long line of oil tankers:
BNSF has been doing a lot of track maintenance for the past couple years, but I really hope that it is enough since a spill anywhere in the Gorge would be a tragedy.
The wooded area at the top of the cliffs was the real highlight of the hike. Previously when I have done the cherry orchard hike, the section through the oak woods above the cliffs has been pleasant but unremarkable. This time, there was lupine everywhere through the woods, with lovely morning sunshine filtering through the trees--truly magical.
After a visit to the meadow at the end of the hike, we returned the way we came and found our car thankfully intact at the trailhead. We saw nobody else on the trail all morning.