PCT Day 122: Mt Adams Wilderness

Daily Miles: 28.3, Total Miles: 2266.0

Hard to take off the dry sleeping clothes and put on the damp, cold hiking clothes this morning – can’t dry anything in this weather and humidity.

I started climbing quickly to the east, entering the Mt Adams Wilderness and seeing my first elk on the PCT. Three cows were standing on the trail ahead of me wondering where the noise was coming from – they were gone in a flash.

Once Mt Adams came into view, the trail turned north, skirting the west side of the mountain. Although the top was cloud covered, I could clearly see the glaciers on the sides.

I stopped at Sheep Lake for a snack and continued traversing the west side, crossing silty glacial streams. The sun poked out for awhile but the peak never became visible. Nice wildflowers were on display.

I stopped at Lava Spring where water gushed out from the foot of an old lava flow – cold and crystal clear. The trail north was loaded with huckleberries so I did some grazing.

I passed several scummy ponds and wanted to stop but too many skeeters. I hiked past the Goat Rocks Wilderness boundary and finally found a flat spot in the forest.