Day 10 was our first time hiking over a rocky high altitude pass and it was very exciting! We slept OK despite lots of neighbors. Our friend Jesse did wake us up early though. He didn't have a very good sleeping setup for mosquitoes and they were bothering him all night. Finally, at the crack of dawn, he got up and started his hike early. He accidentally woke us up and we started early too, hoping that it would be too cold for mosquitoes.
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| Foggy ponds |
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| The burning tree was on this ridge |
After a while we caught up with him and started hiking together. It was a foggy morning down in the valley but we soon climbed out of it. As we hiked up north of Walupt lake, we smelled fire. I thought it was from a campsite by the lake. But about 15 minutes later Ken caught up with us and told us it was a tree about 20 feet above the trail. It must have been struck by lightning! Jesse had worked as a firefighter so he and I went back, checked it out, and dug a fire ring around the tree. It was pretty intense!
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| Looking back at Mount Adams |
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| Little sub-alpine fields |
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| Flowers and Goat Rocks in the background |
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| Pretty wife taking pretty pictures |
After that, Ken pushed ahead. It was a big climb up to Cispus pass and Laura was not a big talked while climbing so Jesse and I talked. As we climbed, the views became more and more grand. After a couple more hours, we found ourselves standing on a rocky exposed ridge looking at the Goat Rocks!
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| Getting higher up |
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| Goat Rocks |
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| Made it! |
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| Jesse in power pose |
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| Cispus pass is the low point on the left of the picture |
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| The Cispus river vallley |
After a short stop for photos, the three of us hiked the rest of the way up to Cispus pass. Here we rested and had a snack. We met a nice couple of ladies with a dog and chatted about the great weather we were having.
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| The hills are alive... with the sound of music... |
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| Headwaters of the Cispus river |
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| Looking across the valley |
After our rest, we hiked around the Cispus valley, crossing glacial streams and hiking under a waterfall. About a quarter mile past the waterfall was a cool campsite overlooking the whole valley. We stayed there. After setting up camp, we all went back to the waterfall and Jesse and I stood under it. It was super cold but definitely worth it!
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| Taking a cold shower |
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| Filtering water |
That afternoon and evening we relaxed and chatted. Jesse was sorting some big life questions out and also needed a rest because his shoes were falling apart and giving him painful blisters. He talked through his plans and suggested me might get off the trail at White Pass. Luckily for him, Laura's mom was going to meet us there.
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| Our tent site |
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| Our view |
We slept pretty well that night, after a 13 mile hike and a couple thousand foot gain in altitude. I did wake up in the middle of the night because of the full moon. It was a clear night and the moon was the brightest that I can remember. I could not take a picture in this light but I could have sat for hours and looked at the world in that cool beautiful light!
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