We weren’t blasted by sand and grit during the night, and the clear skies throughout the night and morning promised a brilliant day.

From our perch above Crystal Lake we had a magnificent sunrise…even though we were camping on the western slopes of this mountain, the light found us early and warmed up the mosquitos faster than we would have liked.

The order of the day? Walk. Not too far, not too close, we wanted to walk just the right amount so we could backtrack tomorrow and cover most of the miles back to the trailhead and have a quick up and out on our last day. So, we set our sights on a place called high camp on the northern folds of Adams and set off through the mosquito haze.

Oh PCT, you are my muse. Could there be a more perfect trail? Of course there can be, but this one has just got it all. Today: views, views, and more views. We were inching closer to Mt. Rainier – that hulk of snow and ice had its own trail around the mountain…Kirk and I hiked that one the first year we started dating…the Wonderland Trail is extremely spectacular, but this Adams hike has got me all awestruck because of its even keel…the well graded trail is just so dreamy. We don’t have to work as hard as we did on the Wonderland.

Anyway, we stop for a short break on a lava flow, hoping a breeze will keep the monsters at bay, and it kind of works. But the best bet is to stay covered up and not give them a chance at skin.

Soon, we are at the side trail to go up, but this is no forgotten side trail like the one to Crystal Lake; this one had a lot of footprints. This one was well loved.

And it went up! We climbed and climbed to top out on a broad flat with trails criss-crossing the deep green alpine vegetation. This area had just started blooming where the snow recently receded and the sun just warmed. We crossed snow filled ravines and found the perfect perch right below the crumbling glaciers of the mountain above and to the side: Mt. Saint Helens features prominently on the horizon….the view was all mountains, every direction.

It was early, so we spent time reading, napping, exploring, playing cards, and just looking at the endless views.

Sunset was magnificent.