For the statisticians in the crowd

8/8 Chinook Pass to Two Lake, 8.7 miles. Thanks for the lift to the mountains, Ray and Pat. Lots of uphill hiking with a beautiful little lake for wading and swimming, including a cold water spring on the beach. Caught two trout and cooked them for breakfast the following day

8/9 Two Lake to Dumbbell Lake, 12 miles. Fairly level traveling, but a hot and humid trail. Yeah! Very few bugs. A large lake but the horse packers were pretty loud and obnoxious. Love that instant banana cream pudding.

8/10 Dumbbell Lake to Dog Lake, 6 miles. Easy, flat traveling with a final downhill leg into Dog Lake. Adrian injures his knee one mile from Dog Lake. Earl shows up with the groceries and proceeds to cook a feast for the tired hikers. Thanks a bunch, Earl. Alex catches a whopper at Dog Lake after Earl sets him up with a bobber and salmon egg. Fly casting lessons in the parking lot at dusk. Will shows up to help with the second half of the hike.

8/11 White Pass to McCall Basin, 13.1 miles. Extreme uphill section at the start with consistent elevation gain throughout the day. Hardest day of hiking for the group, but also one of the most spectacular. Met a Pacific Crest Trail hiker who started at the Mexican border earlier this year and was headed to Canada. He averages 30 miles per day. The tradition of snow cones on Hogback Ridge was maintained as marmots whistled their approval. Lunch was consumed on a remote ridge high above Shoe Lake with panoramic views including Mt Rainier, St. Helens and Hood. Reached Hidden Spring after 8 miles and soaked our feet in the numbing water. Lots of frogs in the little stream that flows out from the spring. Rested for two hours to let the heat of the day pass. Then, on to McCall Basin we marched. No tents this night, laid out and watched the meteor shower.

8/12 McCall Basin to Snow Grass Flat, 7.5 miles. The highest elevation of the trip, about 7600 feet near Old Snowy Mountain. Incredible views as our run of clear skies continues. Camp robbers (gray jays) come in droves to take dried apricots from the hand. The next morning we took a cross-country day hike to look for goats. Found plenty of tracks, but the only live critters we managed to spy were marmots and a very perturbed elk.

8/13 Snow Grass Flat to Sheep Lake, 6.5 miles. Easy hike around the beautiful Cispus Valley. The best tasting water of the trip, easily taken from trail-side waterfalls. Hottest day of the trip but with cool water Sheep Lake in mind, it was easy to push on through. The swimming was fantastic and amphibian hunting was pretty good as well, with plenty of newts and frogs along the shoreline.

8/14 Sheep Lake to Walupt Lake, 6 miles. Pounded out the miles in less than two hours and spent lunch time lounging on the shores of Walupt Lake. Thanks for the cold drinks and the lift back to civilization, Bob.

Total miles for the trip came to 59.8 according to the map, let's call it 60. Total digital pictures in my possession... about the same. I've included a few to give you a glimpse. The rest will have to go on a CD.