"I would probably recommend this trip to a friend."
This is from August of 1999 and is my first item in Cool Trails. My dog and I took off from the empty parking lot of the Berry Patch trailhead early on a Wednesday morning. It was a bright, clear morning with plenty of mosquitoes buzzing around. The prior winter had brought record snowfalls so I decided to drag along my snowshoes and too many other things.
Photo: Mt. Adams at sunset, from Goat Rocks.
We ran into snow after a few miles, but it was quite solid. We dry camped in the woods on a ridge overlooking a nice valley with a view of Mt. Adams. I was not in great shape and needed the rest. There had been a lot of blowdown on the trail.
The next day we went up through beautiful Lily Basin to a ridge overlooking the basin and camped at the edge of a small snowfield. There were tons of wildflowers, no mosquitoes above timberline, and 360 degree views of Mounts Adams, St. Helens and Ranier. Still no people. There were plenty of mountain goats around and the timberline trees and shrubs where hung with chunks and wisps of soft white hair.
That afternoon late clouds began to creep in from the west. I caught an excellent photo of Mt. Adams that evening. The following morning it was windy and the scent of the ocean was in the air. The valleys were thick with fog and as the sun came up the wind began to kick fingers of fog up over the ridges and soon we were buried in a blowing, raining whiteout.
The temperature dropped to 36 degrees and I got a lot of reading time in. Every so often I'd get up and go outside and toss a stick for my dog, stretch, and fix a cup of tea or something.
The next morning was much the same, though I could now see maybe 40 or 50 yards. I decided that this wasn't fun any more so I packed up and headed down over a loose, muddy, rocky trail. After we had lost a few hundred feet we were below the clouds, but it was still damp and windy. Typical Northwest weather really. At least there were no bugs!
We crossed the ridge and hit the main trail and soon ran into a trail crew clearing blowdown. This was very welcome I must say. It made the last 3 miles much easier.
I would recommend this trail to others, but I'd go during the week. Weekends are supposed to be a mess.
Mike Little's web site is listed on the Bearings page.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions.
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