Wonderland Trail day 5

Sunrise was gorgeous at Summerland. I was fortunate in that I was sharing it with Jennifer and her mother Annie.



Each night we hang anything 'smellable' in bags from these park provided 'bear poles'. We retrieve them in the morning first thing so we can make oatmeal and coffee.









After leaving camp we climbed up a beautiful alpine valley. after crossing a stream above a large waterfall we began our ascent to the highest place on our hike.


















At 6800 feet we could see the Panhandle Gap before us.






After we passed over the pass we saw below us the broad valleys of Ohanapacosh Park. On a hill near the trail we would take down there were 6 white mountain goats. Excitedly we pushed on to get near them for photos.
After a climb to the snowfields below Ohanapecosh Glacier we were treated to a breathtaking sight. The Ohanepecosh Glaciers retreat this late in summer left dozens of waterfalls, some very large, cascading down into Indian Bar valley below. We were on a high ridge above it all and for the hundreth time perhaps that day alone we were stunned at the magnificence.













With Indian Bar 1700 feet below us we took to the longest set of stairs any of could imagine. We guessed there must have been 2000 steps and it tested our knees. At Indian Bar some workers were reroofing an old stone shelter. We had lunch there and soaked our feet in the icy water. We had a 900 foot climb out of here before our 4 hour descent to camp.

Just before we made the top of the climb we realized we needed to push hard so we would not have to hike at night. About 50 yards after the pow wow another black bear ran out about 30 feet below Jennifer. It ran downhill and grazed on berries.

As we cleared the top we immediately began hearing elk bugling. It was all as Tom Murray had said. We saw Marmots atop Ohanapecosh Park, bears in Frying Pan and above Indian Bar, goats from the Panhandle Gap and now the elk. We silently walked along Cowlitz ridge until Jennifer, who was in the lead, caught sight of a bull elk with a huge rack 15 feet away. He crashed off next to us all not to be seen again. The next 3 hours was a march down to Nickle Creek Camp. We arrived just before dark.