Starting off with some very nice meadows.
I was at the trailhead at 6:30am having camped nearby the night before. I needed an early start to get to some specific GPS coordinates to make observations of Pika before the day warmed up and they retreat out of the sun. This is part of the Cascades Pika Watch Citizen Science project run by the Oregon Zoo.
The day warmed up from the mid 40's in the morning to low 90's in the afternoon. As it warmed up the butterflies came out in the thousands. A number found a nice snow patch to cool off on.
After crossing through lava fields, I crossed a cinder plain at the bottom of 4-in-1 Cone. The junction with the PCT is in the trees ahead.
Views from the top were outstanding. The photo doesn't do it justice but you could see every volcanic peak from Mackenzie Pass to the Columbia River.
Not to mention North & Middle Sister.
I was surprised to see The Husband. I had never seen this craggy fellow before and it looks like its worth some exploration and maybe a summit attempt.
Round trip mileage about 9 miles, 1500 ft elevation gain. Took me 5 hours what with snooping around for Pikas and loafing on the top of the Cone.
