August 22 - Bears and Lions, Oh My!
Brad's sighting of small black bear was confirmed this morning on the trail by our camp. Small prints were seen all over the trail, with some turned toward the campsite as if the bear was looking in our direction last night. As I continued down the trail I continued to see tracks for several miles until they suddenly changed to larger bear tracks with very small tracks. I decided I'd better be a bit more alert if momma bear had some baby bears around. About that time I also saw a few cougar tracks along with lots of deer and elk tracks. The canyon I was walking in was very narrow with steep cliffs high above and a large creek running down it. It looked like the perfect corridor to observe wildlife movement. And, in fact, I noticed several wildlife cameras attached to trees and posts in the fifteen miles that the PCT traveled through the canyon.
Once close the highway 120 and Rainy Pass the animal tracks disappeared. NoEnglish and I stopped at a trailhead to eat and use the pit toilets. The trail paralleled the highway for a couple of miles before it crossed over to the other side. At that point we caught up with Brad and Sun as they were trying to get a ride into the town of Mazama. They were just getting a ride. Their plan was to go to town and get resupplied, do a little business, and then join us at mile 2598 to camp. They showed up at 6:45 pm. Sun went on to climb to the top of Mathew Pass while Brad chose to hang out with NoEnglish and me.
This part of the Cascades looks a little different from the area to the south. Fewer trees, more exposed rock, higher elevations and drier. The fire ban is a serious need here. There are almost no berries unless you walk in a very wet area, like in the canyon with the creek.
Washington has done a great job with the trails here. It's almost like they want you to leave with a great impression. That's not hard to do. It's a beautiful state.
A log crossing in place of a wooden bridge that broke and fell into the stream.
Beautiful view of far peaks.
NoEnglish glad for a moderate pace today.
More peaks.
Our campsite.
Hikingsolo (aka Allen)
No comments:
Post a Comment