From our camp, we descended north and east in the shadow of Mt Adams. It stood above us in the morning light while we took the smooth path the would lead us to our next camp 16.7 miles away.
We skirted many lava flows that had been deposited a very long time ago when Mt Adams was active. We came to the edge of the Mt Adams Wilderness at Lava Springs where we took our first break. The spring really did spring from right under the toe of the lava. It was clear and cold. A small wall had been built to create a pool to get water from.
From there it was a straight, level shot to the base of Potato Hill on the edge of the Yakima Indian Reservation. We started to climb along the side of a ridge that had a beautiful flat basin of lakes and ponds. Leaving the basin and heading for the Goat Rock Wilderness, we were suddenly aware of a crashing and clawing off to our left. We had surprised two small bears. One crashed away into the brush and the other climbed a fir tree some way up. From about 15 feet up the tree the bear peeked around to see what had disturbed its day. We took a quick look of amazement and moved on in case any mama bear was nearby. It was a fascinating encounter.
After topping the ridge and turning south, we found a good camp spot 1.5 miles down the trail. A small stream bordered the camp where we could get fresh water. We settled in to rest, rehydrate, and have our evening meal. We turned in about 9:00 but not before some cribbage and reading.
Dogleggers on the Trail 