(Mile 2210 to 2235 = 25 miles; Mile 2235 to
2260, Potato Hill = 25 miles)
Hello, Washington!
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| Elk tracks, Carl! |
Today, we officially arrived in
Washington. We've been plodding through a tunnel of green; and today, Mt.
Adams appeared, up close and personal! Finally. We have a sense of
the real Washington. And I have to say, it is quite a bit more wild and
remote than Oregon.
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| Bear tracks. |
It could just be that I am familiar with enough
of Oregon that it doesn't seem as remote or wild as Washington. Or it
could be that this evergreen state really is wilder and less traveled. By
humans, that is. Yesterday, we saw our first porcupine. Black and
about the size of a giant beaver. Skunk? I wondered as it waddled
up the trail, black with a white stripe on its tail. Bear cub?
Badger? Nope. Black porcupine, quills flared. We had a Mexican
stand-off for about four minutes. It would not leave the trail and, in
fact, headed towards us rather than away from us for a minute or two.
Gumby caught it on video. My phone camera died again, so I missed
it. Sigh. Finally, it waddled up the trail and took off along a
downed tree. Lucky us!
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| Mt. Adams. It's huge! And I want to go up... |
This morning, it was more wildlife. We
found heaps of elk tracks on trail -- deer-like but larger and with a more
defined outer line. Followed by bear tracks. Probably a young one
from the size of the feet. These finds were thrills. But if they
were not enough, we had two elk run across the trail just a little before
camp! Tan with dark legs, huge racks, and a run of thunder. They
were the size of small horses. One doesn't forget the first time one sees
an elk. Gumby was pretty excited. :)
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| St. Helens and Rainier from Adams. Hello, Washington! |
The views today were fantastic. Not only
did we circle around the west side of Adams, but we could also see Rainier and
St. Helens on and off throughout the day. And a more rugged Cascades in
between. THIS is the Washington we imagined. And we like it.
Tomorrow, we start into Goat Rocks.
Checking the maps, I am both excited and a bit nervous. Climbs, steep
edges, exposed rock, and glaciers. Eeeek and yippee!
More beautiful photos! You are going to have a lovely portfolio of your hike! :) Lou
ReplyDeleteHaven't been keeping up on your blog for a while so I was surprised to see how far you have traveled! Bummer about the feet. Hope they get better soon. Well, at least the weather is staying pretty nice up here in the NW for you. Hope that continues. Dean - NS45
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dean! It is gorgeous up here so far!
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