Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - September 3rd
Day 133: Tuesday 3rd September Mount Adams – Midway Creek
There had been a few showers overnight, but conditions looked good by 7.25am when
I left camp. At this higher altitude the forest was thinner and there were good views of
Mount Rainier, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens. The trail traversed below the W. face
of Mount Adams, which was in shade at this time of the morning. Mount Adams last
erupted 1000-2000 years ago, but in May 1921 magma rose near enough to the surface for
its heat to start a massive snow slide which eradicated much of the forest on the western
slopes. I crossed the silty Riley Creek and then a number of lava flows from the most
recent eruption, before reaching Adams Creek. Adams Creek was fed by the Adams
Glacier, which had an icefall, which would have done justice to a much higher mountain
range. There was a smell of sulphur around the creek. In the 1930’s mule-trains were
used to bring sulphur down from the summit of Mount Adams, but it wasn’t economically
viable. Adams Creek flowed through a 330yd swath of bouldery glacial deposits, left
behind by the retreat of the Adams Glacier after the last ice-age.
I had lunch by a small lake beyond Killin Creek. The lake was too shallow for
swimming, but I managed a bath. There were Clark’s Nutcrackers playing around the
shore of the lake. These birds were amazingly tame and I imagine they were used to
being fed by hikers.
I caught up with “Junco” and Richard, from San Francisco, at Lava Spring. Lava
Spring is filtered through a lava flow and the guidebook suggests it has the best water on
the whole of the PCT. “Junco” and Richard were section-hiking the PCT, starting at
Mount Adams and heading north. They had walked the John Muir Trail in June/July and
last year they had hiked North Washington section and “Junco” had hiked most of the
Southern California PCT. “Junco”, at 47, was retired, but Richard could only hike when
he got time off work.
I walked with them for a bit, but left them when they stopped for dinner. I camped at
6.30pm in a grassy clearing near Midway Creek. It had been a chilly day, despite the
almost continuous sunshine, and the temperature was down to 50ºF by 8pm.
Day 133: 19.1 miles 7.59 hours Camp: Midway Creek
There had been a few showers overnight, but conditions looked good by 7.25am when
I left camp. At this higher altitude the forest was thinner and there were good views of
Mount Rainier, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens. The trail traversed below the W. face
of Mount Adams, which was in shade at this time of the morning. Mount Adams last
erupted 1000-2000 years ago, but in May 1921 magma rose near enough to the surface for
its heat to start a massive snow slide which eradicated much of the forest on the western
slopes. I crossed the silty Riley Creek and then a number of lava flows from the most
recent eruption, before reaching Adams Creek. Adams Creek was fed by the Adams
Glacier, which had an icefall, which would have done justice to a much higher mountain
range. There was a smell of sulphur around the creek. In the 1930’s mule-trains were
used to bring sulphur down from the summit of Mount Adams, but it wasn’t economically
viable. Adams Creek flowed through a 330yd swath of bouldery glacial deposits, left
behind by the retreat of the Adams Glacier after the last ice-age.
I had lunch by a small lake beyond Killin Creek. The lake was too shallow for
swimming, but I managed a bath. There were Clark’s Nutcrackers playing around the
shore of the lake. These birds were amazingly tame and I imagine they were used to
being fed by hikers.
I caught up with “Junco” and Richard, from San Francisco, at Lava Spring. Lava
Spring is filtered through a lava flow and the guidebook suggests it has the best water on
the whole of the PCT. “Junco” and Richard were section-hiking the PCT, starting at
Mount Adams and heading north. They had walked the John Muir Trail in June/July and
last year they had hiked North Washington section and “Junco” had hiked most of the
Southern California PCT. “Junco”, at 47, was retired, but Richard could only hike when
he got time off work.
I walked with them for a bit, but left them when they stopped for dinner. I camped at
6.30pm in a grassy clearing near Midway Creek. It had been a chilly day, despite the
almost continuous sunshine, and the temperature was down to 50ºF by 8pm.
Day 133: 19.1 miles 7.59 hours Camp: Midway Creek
Riley Creek
Lave flow
Mount Adams
Killin Creek
Ancient Brit
Clark's Nutcracker
Mount Adams
Junco and Richard
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