as were the opportunities for a cool drink (this turned out to be a full gallon of water hike).
The 559 crosses Elk Lk Ck three times enroute to the site of the now gone Battle Creek Shelter. The first two were managed by thigh-deep wading,
but there was a handy, if somewhat acrobatic, log to take me across the third one (there has been trail damage in this area, so it's possible to miss the log and end up doing a 3rd wade anyway). Elk Lk Ck has some amazing deep, clear, and cold pools and the temptation to abandon the hike in favor of splashing in them was strong - but resisted.
Sometimes the reflects would take on a Monet water lilies quality.
Approaching the shelter area, the 559 felt almost like a walk in the park.
At the Battle Creek shelter site, the 559 junctions with the Mother Lode (#558) trail, whose signage seems to have suffered.
The 558 crosses Battle Creek - another, slightly deeper wade - and then starts climbing gradually up the canyon to a junction (arrow) with the Pansy Lk (#551) trail.
This rare open viewpoint was where I encountered my first person of the day - a backpacker who'd come up from Elk Lk - causing both of us a bit of a surprise since both of us thought we were "alone" in the wilderness. A little further along the 558, I caught a glimpse of the Bull of the Woods look out (arrow) - my high point for the day. [black spec is hopeful buzzard]
From higher on the 558, I could look back down the Mother Lode Ck canyon toward Jefferson and Olallie Butte in the distance.
After some more gradual ascending and switch-backing, the look out finally hove into view - surprisingly surrounded by a small field of fresh flowers! I would have thought they'd all be wilted by now.
There was a high overcast building, but I could still see Jefferson to the E past a another field of flowers,
Table Rock (arrow) to the W (Table Rock 2014),
Three Finger Jack (T), Washington (W), North Sister (N), and Middle & South Sister (M) to the S,
and (of course) St. Helens (S), Rainier (R), Adams (A), and Hood (H) to the N.
After a quick lunch, I dropped down via the Schreiner Pk trail (#555) to the West Lake Way trail (#556) and took that to its junction with the Welcome Lks trail (#554). I had expected to be tormented by mosquitos all day but it was not until I got near the puddle of a lake at the junction of the 555 and 556 trails that I got swarmed. That lasted for only a few minutes and then it was back to largely bug-free hiking (if I stayed away from lakes). Because of the fire that swept through this area in 2010, the 556 is in pretty poor shape as it approaches upper Welcome Lk, which is still (and will be for generations to come) surrounded by the burned remnants of a once lush forest.
Camping here is not what it once was (Welcome Lk 2011).
Because of the fire damage, the junction with the Welcome Lks (#554) trail is not what it once was either, nor is the 554 itself very easy to follow until it drops to about the 4,000' level.
I took a detour to see lower Welcome Lk but turned back to the trail after encountering another cloud of biting insects. Up to this point, I'd seen only one other person on the trail. Suddenly, I came across three day hikers plus dog, one backpacker plus dog, a dog-free solo backpacker, and a backpacking couple (also without dog). A burned-out, bug infested lake seemed (to me) a less than aesthetic destination, but to each his/her own. After working my way through these "crowds", the 554 was a pretty straight shot back to the 559 and hence to the TH. There was now a group camping along the creek about 0.75 mi in from the TH, which is fine except they felt the need for a campfire. An open fire seems like an INCREDIBLY STUPID idea given the lack of rain and the tinder dry conditions in the forest! Arrrrrgh!
A long (19 mi, 3,800' EG) but rewarding hike in an area parts of which I'd not visited before. Trails (except for parts of the 554) in good condition, few bugs (except near the lakes), mostly in shade, and culminating with big views from the look out.
