Wonderland Trail day 4

Tuesday morning we headed downhill 2000 feet over 2.5 miles to White River. We were able to wash some clothes in the campground sinks and clean up a bit to boot...warm water Yeah! We met a volunteer ranger named Tom Murray. Tom was positively in love with the east side of this mountain that we are on. He went on to tell us of the good conditions of the trail, the good weather forecast and that if everything lined up just right...we might even see a bear as one had been seen recently on Frying Pan Creek. He also went on to tell us of goats up past Panhandle Gap, Marmots on the way to Indian Bar and Elk bugling on the Cowlitz Divide.

We crossed the river on a big log bridge, one of about 200 we would cross in the 10 days.

We hiked up Frying Pan Creek for the early afternoon. We passed some people who saw a bear up past 'the bridge'. At the bridge we took an exhaustion break. We spoke with several hikers who were coming down from their dayhike, as Fryingpan Creek has a road access trailhead. All of them had heard of the bear sighting but no one else had seen it in the long meadow above the bridge. One elderly woman, a solo hiker who looked a bit like a librarian, did mention that she had seen bears in the past and recomended being firm and telling them 'get off the trail'.











We proceeded to cross the bridge and on uphill through the meadow of about 1/2 mile.




The huckleberries (the primary food for the bears at this time of year) were chest high throughout the meadow and they were ripe and thick as they would be our entire trip at higher elevations. We saw several large piles of bear crap prompting a discussion as to whether bears crap in the woods or just on the trail. At the end of the meadow, having seen no bear, Jennifer and I stepped aside to gaze up the Frying Pan Creek valley for one last shot at maybe seeing a bear but alas it was not to be. Resigned to the hillclimb of about 1000 feet and the switchbacks before us I turned and looked up the trail. I was going to ask if everyone was ready for this when Lance said very firmly BEAR...Bear...Bear. I looked at him and he was looking over my shoulder. I turned and a black bear was sauntering directly at me about ten feet away. I took several steps back all the while chanting as firmly as I could muster 'get off the trail'. After several steps I realized I had passed Jennifer. She had gone National Geographic photographer as held her ground.






The bear paused and looked right at me for a second or two and headed up the trail we would take only to be run off the trail by hikers coming down. Lance had not heard the conversation with the elderly woman so he thought I was telling everyone to get off the trail! very funny.

Full of adrenaline we all but ran up the hill to Sumerland Camp, an absolutely beautiful campsite, sheltered from the wind by trees and surrounded by views.