July 27th Near Killen Creek to Steamboat Lake

The greater part of the day was spent on the western shoulder of Mt. Adams not following footprints in the snow but the hoofprints of a horse and rider who certainly must have been familiar with the trail as the path they blazed connected perfectly with those parts of the PCT already exposed by the brilliant sun. The views here were especially striking---cascading streams, alpine meadows, old lava flows, reflecting pools, glaciers, etc. We had to be extremely careful while crossing some of the streams as the snow conditions made it treacherous. Some streams that were still partially covered with snow were crossed using snow bridges that could support the weight of a hiker and his/her pack. Steve tested the thickness of the snow with his ice axe to gain a better idea of the best place to cross. A few times we boulder hopped to the far bank and then used our ice axes to help us climb up the steep bank of snow to a spot where the trail evened out a bit. Once while crossing I felt the snow give a little beneath my feet so I made a light-footed leap to safety. These streams are great for soaking some tired, trailworn tootsies but a full body dunking is not my idea of fun. In the afternoon we met several hikers, some with trail names like Frostbite or Giraffe. One section hiker in particular gave us a good chuckle with the size of his backpack which was absolutely enormous compared to our small ULA and Rayway packs. It looked like he had packed everything including the kitchen sink! Section hikers certainly have the luxury of carrying as much as they want since they typically aren't logging the kind of miles that thru-hikers do. This guy was planning a fifteen mile day, which again brings a wry smile to a thru-hiker's face. In the late afternoon Steve, Kristen and I came across our first instance of trail magic. Some generous person had left a case of A&W root beer along the trail near a footbridge. We each took one and sipped the suds while soaking our feet in the cool creek water below the bridge. Curious how such a small act of kindness can be a big psychological pick me up. We lingered a while in that shady spot and then, feeling relaxed and refreshed, pushed on until it was time to make camp.

Mt. Adams

Mt. Saint Helens

25 Miles