Indian Heaven: Junction Lake loop

[drm]

I did a dayhike loop in Indian Heaven based on Junction Lake. Starting at the East Crater trailhead to get to Junction Lake, I then did a loop of Rock Lake and Blue Lake and back to Junction Lake. The entire hike was about 9.5 miles.

It was a sunny and sometimes chilly hike, as would be expected in mid-October. Fall colors were mostly past but muchrooms and, surprisingly, berries, were good.

There was some damage to the road about 1.2 miles before the trailhead, but my Subaru made short work of it. Surprisingly I saw a minivan at the trailhead, so it is possible to get through with a 2WD, but I'm guessing many would not want to try it.




Golden meadows this time of year


Surprise for this late in the year: big fat huckleberries. Some were frozen and some collapsed from just pulling them off. But many were good eating.


More raised sections of trail recently constructed


Still some color left


Junction Lake


The trail from Junction to Rock Lk is not official and not on the map. It leaves the PCT about 25 yards south of the footbridge across the outflow from Junction Lake


That time of year again: ice in the trail


Rock Lake


Note the deeply submerged rock steps used to get across the lake isthmus in summer. Need to go around now


A bit more color


Lots of soggy trail in October. The grass next to it wasn't so dry either


Good mushrooms, though some were frozen




Sunny but frigid and windy Blue Lake. The water doesn't look windy, but it was.


Mt Saint Helens peaks between the trees

[retired jerry]

I like this time of year when you start seeing frozen water

[-Q-]

Not trying to freak you out, but did you check the inside of the berries for worms before eating them?? Late season berries often have a worm living inside of them. Small white worm.

[drm]

Not trying to freak you out, but did you check the inside of the berries for worms before eating them?? Late season berries often have a worm living inside of them. Small white worm.

Never heard that, no I didn't check. How do you check the inside of a berry before eating it? Cut it in half?

[-Q-]

Not trying to freak you out, but did you check the inside of the berries for worms before eating them?? Late season berries often have a worm living inside of them. Small white worm.

Never heard that, no I didn't check. How do you check the inside of a berry before eating it? Cut it in half?

Indeed. I just use my thumbnail to slice it in half, squeeze the fruit a bit, and see if anything is squiggling around inside.

The timeframe that I start checking is when the huckleberry leaves start turning for foliage, but the plant still has berries.

I once picked a sandwich baggie full of late season berries near potato butte. Looked at the baggie about 30 minutes later and saw multitudes of worms in the juice. Almost every berry had a worm inside.

Here is a link about them...

http://kuow.org/post/there-are-worms-bl ... ust-picked

[sprengers4jc]

Not trying to freak you out, but did you check the inside of the berries for worms before eating them?? Late season berries often have a worm living inside of them. Small white worm.

Never heard that, no I didn't check. How do you check the inside of a berry before eating it? Cut it in half?

Indeed. I just use my thumbnail to slice it in half, squeeze the fruit a bit, and see if anything is squiggling around inside.

The timeframe that I start checking is when the huckleberry leaves start turning for foliage, but the plant still has berries.

I once picked a sandwich baggie full of late season berries near potato butte. Looked at the baggie about 30 minutes later and saw multitudes of worms in the juice. Almost every berry had a worm inside.

Here is a link about them...

http://kuow.org/post/there-are-worms-bl ... ust-picked

OK...pretty sure I just threw up in my mouth a little....

[drm]

Despite the yuck factor, the article that Q linked to says they are harmless to eat:

But the casual berry picker has nothing to fear, Walsh said: “People have been eating these insects for time immemorial.”

[Thomas M]

See: http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewt ... =8&t=24781 for update on road conditions.