Partly sunny Sunday.
Indian Heaven wilderness area may be even better in a week or 2, as more berries are ripening and the leaves are expected to turn red soon. Right now, already plenty to pick from. Huckleberry bushes started from the trailhead (also beargrass) and endless. Many swampy meadows and lakes. Quite pretty. Must be a mosquito heaven a month earlier. Easy grade. Wooded. No view of the mountains at all the lakes we walked by.
Starting from the East Crater TH, #48 to Junction Lake (~2 miles). Then onto #179 and followed it past Lemei Lake to Cultus Lake (~2 miles), where we stopped for lunch at a nice camp site by the lake. From here we followed #34 as it climbs (~1.5 miles) past Lemei Rock to a clear view of Mt Adams over Lake Wapiki (a few hundred feet below us, very pretty). Retraced our steps back downhill past Cultus Lake and follow #33 to the PCT, passing Clear (big, David and Dara went for a swim), Deer (a small sandy beach with camping area), and Bear Lakes as we made our way back to Junction Lake and back to our cars. Stopped at Carson's
Backwoods Brewing for beer and pizza. I had tumbler and salad. The beer is 10% alcohol, but doesn't taste as strong or bitter. Salad is decent, but the salmon on top is was tiny and cold.
~11 miles, 1500' gain. 12 people (4M 8F), 4 cars. It happened that all 3 people whose names start with Z sat in one car. Zack, the hiker organizer today knows quite a bit about the area and where to camp and hike. Encounter about a dozen other hikers/backpackers and 1 dog. After a week of rain, mushrooms are mushrooming. I picked some to take home.
Starting from the East Crater TH, #48 to Junction Lake (~2 miles). Then onto #179 and followed it past Lemei Lake to Cultus Lake (~2 miles), where we stopped for lunch at a nice camp site by the lake. From here we followed #34 as it climbs (~1.5 miles) past Lemei Rock to a clear view of Mt Adams over Lake Wapiki (a few hundred feet below us, very pretty). Retraced our steps back downhill past Cultus Lake and follow #33 to the PCT, passing Clear (big, David and Dara went for a swim), Deer (a small sandy beach with camping area), and Bear Lakes as we made our way back to Junction Lake and back to our cars. Stopped at Carson's Backwoods Brewing for beer and pizza. I had tumbler and salad. The beer is 10% alcohol, but doesn't taste as strong or bitter. Salad is decent, but the salmon on top is was tiny and cold. 
~11 miles, 1500' gain. 12 people (4M 8F), 4 cars. It happened that all 3 people whose names start with Z sat in one car. Zack, the hiker organizer today knows quite a bit about the area and where to camp and hike. Encounter about a dozen other hikers/backpackers and 1 dog. After a week of rain, mushrooms are mushrooming. I picked some to take home.
