Divide Camp — Friday, Aug. 8, 2008

South Cascades > Mount Adams Area

The day was cool and overcast, with some sun peeks, - great for a hike such as this. Don’t let the numerous, and I mean swarms, of mosquitoes at the trailhead parking area discourage you from the hike. It doesn’t take long into it before they seem to disappear. (Hint: Bounty dryer sheets work wonders to deter the little buggers!) The trail winds through the woods with gradual elevation gains and over several snow spots, nothing you can’t easily maneuver. A few of the gains will make you stop at the top in order to catch up with your heartbeat. There’s a really pretty meadow you cross just before the junction to the Pacific Crest Trail. We continued on up the PCT, but couldn’t really cross the water with the dogs so we decided to stay to the left of it, hiking over the rocks towards a larger snow pack, only to come upon lots of wild flowers, allowing some really great shots of Lupine, paintbrush, buttercups, etc. It was fantastic! As we decided to make our way back down, a through hiker came upon us by the name of Kentucky Greybeard - quite an interesting fellow hiking the PCT from Mexico to Canada. It was a treat meeting him along the trail. We took his picture in hopes to post on his website, www.kygreybeard.blogspot.com. You should take a look at his site. The trip down was just as enjoyable as going up, with the addition of spotting an elk dining on the meadow grasses. All in all, it was probably a bit over 8 miles round trip with elevation gain of less than 2,000 feet. This is a good one folks, and one I highly recommend.