On our way to the "TH" we spotted a herd of Elk jumping a fence in the farmland below Tower Rock(which is also a great destination albeit off trail)
Starting up the old lookout road we ran into several curious Gray Jays:
There are some huge old Douglas Firs just off the roadside:
We hit snow around 2,500 feet if I recall correctly, this was taken near the junction with the Burley Mountain Trail around 4k:
Despite the flotation from our snowshoes we still sank pretty deep, making for an exhausting final 1,000 feet up to the summit:
We cut straight up to the summit from the summer parking area below the top. Once at the lookout cabin it was all smiles and cries(of joy!)
"Let me in!" - she says:
Joie took to the cabin while I wandered along the summit ridge to admire the landscape and take lots of photos. Ranier looks to be right at your doorstep:
Such an incredible setting up there, here is Jo playing lookout:
Mt Adams and Juniper Peak in the Dark Divide:
I hauled up the zoom lens to get a few shots of St Helens:
Lady Loowit and her ever changing crater sure look pretty in white:
Another take on Mt Adams:
We swept up and hauled out a little trash form the previous groups, no biggie but it feels right to leave it "cleaner than you found it"
Life inside the lookout:
Unfortunately some real a-holes were up in the lookout not long before us and along with leaving it trashed they broke the glass on the wood-stove and did something to the door making it even more difficult to close than our last visit. Bummer but nothing that cant be fixed/replaced in time, as there are several locals from Randle and a few others from surrounding communities that have put a lot of time and effort into restoring the lookout. So a collective thanks to all those who have helped keep this special piece of history alive! After a lengthy summit break in the cabin we packed up our snowshoes and took one last look out to Mt Ranier:
And some blue sky around Adams!
The best part was glissading a few hundred feet back to the old road grade:
On the long haul back down to the car Jo noticed these interesting tracks on a side road. Maybe a big cat leaping?
Truly a fantastic adventure with my favorite person in the whole world
We don't get to go hiking as much together these days so I cherish trips like this and look forward to another summer of special moments together. In other news, i went out to the eastern gorge a week earlier to see how things were shaping up bloom wise. Although a bit early for two/three weeks ago I found some Balsam root near Coyote Wall:
As well as Yellow Bells, Praire stars and many more
After 7-8 easy going miles near the wall I headed back to the Oregon side to practice some trail running techniques on the 400 trail and to climb the Wyeth Crown for my first time:
View out over the river from the top of the crown:
To close out the TR here are a few more photos of the dogs romping around at Rooster Rock after work last week. Condor(the retired racing greyhound) loves to chase Jack as he runs after his tennis ball. Despite Jacks incredible speed, Condor usually cuts him off three or four times before Jack can even reach the ball:
Here they are doing their best 80's rap album cover:
After a good run for the pack I went to the boat launch area to see the Cormorants. Waited in the rain for about 30 minutes before this one finally took flight, success!
If only I could ever look so graceful. Doing anything!
