Trail Pair, Sadie and Clover said it was an easy trail - so Clover, Sadie and I headed out about 7:00 a.m. on Saturday (09/02 - 09/04) south to hook up with TP at the Cowlitz Ranger Station just outside of Randle. We chose Rt. 161 through Puyallup/South Hill/Graham/Eatonville/Morton, etc. Two hours and 15 minutes later - there we were! Down through Randle on FS 23 we headed. It's paved for about 24 miles - turns to dirt road and then at mile 31 when you turn left off of FS 23, it becomes paved again for about 1 1/2 miles (pay attention - the turn towards the Killen Creek TH is only a short distance after you turn off of FS 23). The road turns to dirt again for about 4 miles. We made a wrong turn and headed down some funky dirt road that got us side-tracked for about 45 minutes. But when we finally got to the trailhead, the parking lot was full, with about 4 cars overflowing. Parked in a safe spot and got to the trailhead ready to go about 11:15 a.m. - it already was hot! Fortunately, we only had 4 miles and 2300' of gain to go (good thing, since the driver was recovering from bronchitis and the affects of antibiotics! the breathing was a little shallow!)The trail was hot and dusty. We finally arrive at our first (small) creek crossing at about 2 1/2 miles - girls were glad

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Not much farther and we reached the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and High Camp - moving from forest to open

The Killen Creek trail is good - but when you are having trouble breathing, your pack is too loaded and it's dusty, those ""steps"" can seem like a high jump! The driver was moving slowly - Sadie kept checking to make sure I was coming! Finally, once on the High Camp trail, we only had one mile to go - the trail is in good condition and very well-marked. The trail is rocky and dusty - and as you reach towards the ridge, you hit a short patch of scree - below is a large melting snowfield that Clover had to run and jump on! The girls and I got up to the meadow area of High Camp - a HUGE area with lots and lots of room for campsites - K & B were already setting up camp. We decided to take a little side trip up to Lake 7505 - only about a mile or so from our camp site. We had talked to a Ranger that was camping at High Camp and he suggested a good route to us, that would take us around a steep pitch of loose rock - worked fabulously. He also had suggested our camp site and commented on how we were the only ones camping at the meadows so far (about 2:00 p.m.) He was quite surprised, since there had been an article about this area in the Oregonian a few days earlier. We did see lots and lots of day hikers coming up - but no one with full packs. From the lake, we had a good view of the ridge climb up to the summit of Adams. The Ranger (Griswold) said it wasn't a bad hike - the only available route from this side of the mountain, since Adams Glacier was so full of crevasses. Nice views of the mountain. We opted for the more direct route back over the rocky ridge, where we found a good boot path and some snow to slide down.

We were hopeful for a good sunset - it was ok, but with with all of the smoke and haze, not nearly as clear as it could have been. We all agreed that this was a location for an earlier season hike when the flower are in bloom and the skies are clearer. But the moon coming up over the south shoulder of Adams was pretty cool. The weather was warm and the winds calm. Well, that is, until we went to bed - then about 2:00 a.m. the winds came howling through the camp! The girls couldn't have snuggled more closely! A 2-dog night - but at least we held the tent down! It was ferocious. Not much sleep. We got up early (6:00ish) and did our breakfast thing - by now, the winds had died down a bit and we could light our pocket rockets. After some coffee, hot cereal and a clean-up of camp, we got on the trail, destined for Devils Garden on the north side of the mountain. The Ranger had warned us that the last creek crossing (Lyman Creek, from Lyman Glacier) about 1.3 miles from Devils Garden, could be intimidating. We brought our creek crossing shoes and off we headed. We noticed about 4 campsites had sprung up since we arrived in camp yesterday afternoon. The 4-legged friends were ready for an adventure sans packs! The day was already smokey and hazy - we couldn't even see St. Helens and Rainier was faintly visible. This time, we would head back down the High Camp Trail and take the PCT north - passing some wonderful meadows and campsites along the way. We reached the junction of Highline Trail with the PCT and just up the trail a bit was a welcome little pond for the girls to grab a drink and take a dip - actually, there was quite a bit of water the whole way today - lots of free flowing creeks with cool, water. We didn't even filter. However, this pond would not be one of those sites! We followed the Highline Trail through forests - NO BUGS! How pleasant. This whole trip was remarkable for the lack of bugs, probably because it has been so dry and warm. There were bugs - but not the biting/stinging kind. I was surprised that we saw almost no huckleberries. About the only place there were huckleberries was when we first came up the trail. We were making good time - reached Foggy Flats about 11:00 a.m. (after many stops for pictures, side trips to waterfalls, water stops, etc.) but it was back on the trail soon. We moved from the forests to the moon in almost no time - very dramatic difference and neat change of scenery - fortunately, there was some breeze, so it wasn't so terribly hot. We did see one lone camp site off in the distance. The crossing at Lava Creek was a snap - K preferred the wading method! Sadie and Clover thought that was great sport and ran back and forth trying to ""assist."" But, when we got to Lyman Creek, it was a different story - we walked up and down the creek trying to find a good crossing. It was at this point that we came across our first humans! It was the guy and gal who were camped in the lone campsite just before the moonscape. They too were looking for a way across the creek, but decided to bag it and go explore elsewhere. We made one attempt and although Bob made it across, it was less certain for K and the dogs were a definite unknown. We decided to call it good and stopped for a bite of lunch. We headed back down the trail towards the PCT. We saw a group of 6 heading north on the Highline Trail - they had visited High Camp the day before (with their Chocolate Lab) - but felt it was too hard of a hike to backpack into where we were - the day hike up the hillside was plenty. We told them about the creek crossings up ahead and wished them well. Just before Foggy Flat and at the lovely creek crossing, K realized she didn't have her fanny pack with her camera and cell phone - she had left it at the Lava Creek crossing - about 3/4 of a mile back - when she changed back into her boots. So, they headed back to trying a retrieve it. The girls and I headed on back towards camp. Not all of the flowers were gone - there were a few stragglers here and there (the Lupine was pretty much gone) - all the more reason to come back when the flowers are in bloom (and probably the bugs, too!) We came upon another junction that was mighty interesting to Sadie but she settled for another swim in the little pond. Once we hit the PCT again, we encountered a number of horses. Clover and Sadie were mildly interested, but let them pass (size does count). Just about where the PCT intersects with the High Camp trail, we ran into this very nice young couple. They were on the final leg of their trip along the entire PCT route! Amazing. They planned a 6 month trip and they were right on schedule, hoping to make Canada in 3 weeks. A perfect time to see the North Cascades. I took their pic and told them to check NW Hikers to view! I'm sure there's an Internet cafe somewhere on the PCT! They had climbed Adams yesterday and said that the trip had been fabulous. No real problems along the way. He was nursing some blisters, but said it was fine. Once at the intersection, the girls and I headed up towards camp. Climbing up the hill today was much easier without a 45 lb. pack on my back! We got up to camp - there were a few more campsites taken - and got some water. It was a little windy - so I wasn't sure if K&B would want to move camp lower down to the meadows - meanwhile, the 4-legged types decided to relax. K&B got back to camp - feeling pretty tired from the hike back up the hillside and decided that we would stay put. Fortunately, I found the stakes to my tent - they had gone missing when we originally set up camp yesterday - so the wind storm made it interesting without a staked down tent! I got everything buttoned down - and it was time for dinner. The evening was nice - a bit cool - but pleasant. And no bugs! We watched the sun go down and then headed to bed about 8:45 a.m. wondering what the night would bring. All was calm, until 2:00 a.m. when the winds started - we felt secure. Then, at 4:00 a.m. the rain started - almost sounded like hail. Then at 4:30 a.m. the lightening! There was no thunder, so it appeared to be fairly far off, but it lit up the sky none-the-less. The rain didn't last long - but all of the noise and weather meant that the driver didn't get back to sleep. Finally, at about 5:30 a.m. :o with a little bit of daylight appearing, I started packing up. By 6:30, I had everything pretty much together, the dogs were fed and I was finishing my coffee. I told Trail Pair that I wanted to get an early start and beat the holiday rush. The ground was pretty dry and it wouldn't be a problem going out over the rocks and down the hillside. So, about 7:00 a.m. the three of us headed out. The pack was much lighter. No problem getting Clover to put her pack on this time - I did it while we were still in the tent. Sadie doesn't mind the pack, so she was easy. But, as we headed out of camp and down about 1/4 of a mile, Sadie refused to go any farther and kept looking back to camp. She wasn't leaving without K&B!!! I had to put the leash on her and lead her down the hillside (forget my poles!) and take her out. :lol: We got the junction with the PCT and Killen Creek Trail (#113) and down we headed. We were making good time. Although the trail was basically dry, the rain helped to keep the dust down and we were the first ones on the trail (except for that deer that had run on before us). We made great time - this time, I could actually enjoy the trail - even the numerous ""steps"" that had seemed so difficult on the way in. It was a lovely morning with clear skies in some areas (although not looking towards Rainier or St. Helens). The air smelled cleaner - in fact, it almost smelled fruity as we passed through the forest. When we got back to the parking lot, there were only 6 cars in the lot and a few on the road near ours. Amazing - everyone had cleared out the day before. We were in the car and on the road by 8:15 a.m. and I was back in Seattle by 11:15 a.m. The traffic wasn't bad - just slow on the 2-lane road between Morton and Graham. Sadie and Clover are once again resting comfortably. Nice trip :D (24 miles/approx. 5500' gain - no heavy gear at all just a windbreaker)(for more pics, go to: www.nwhikers.net - Sadie's Driver - Mt. Adams/High Camp)