We drove to the US Forest Service office in Trout Lake, about 18 miles north of where we are camping, to get information on visiting Mt. Adams, the second tallest mountain in Washington (second to Mt. Rainier). Mt. Adams was seen by Lewis and Clark on their return trip from the Pacific in 1806 but did not name it. Was named after President John Adams in 1830. Often mistaken for Mt. St. Helens which is only 34 miles to the east at the same latitude, it's flat dome top is similar in shape to Mt. Rainier.
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| Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens are parallel to each other |
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| Drive to Trout Lake - could see Mt. Adams in distance |
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| Need a Cascade Volcano pass to hike further up |
Trout Lake is a cutesy little town, sits at the base of Mt. Adams and is the closest town/settlement to it. We also were on the road that is nearest to the mountain, the eastern side is closed to all - it is Yakima Indian Nation property. The Ranger gave us some good ideas to visit, the first one to go see was Takhlakh Lake (Takhlakh roughly means way up high). Forest Service roads to drive on - but paved and wonderful! Except the last 5 miles which was a dirt packed road, a little bit of washboarding but pretty driving through the canopy and seeing Mt. Adams getting closer and closer.
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| Beautiful paved road up to Takhlakh Lake |
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| Is the mountain out? Nope. |
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| Waterfall cascading right by road |
A nice waterfall right beside the road, lots of wildflowers. Very few cars passing us, we got near the turn off for Takhlakh Lake and as we pulled up to the day-use area - wow. Lots of teenagers! Seems a Christian school from Mt. Hood was visiting that day. And - they were swimming, boarding, kayaking - temp was 51 and we were amazed that anyone was in the water until I felt it and it seemed to be a bath - that warm. No wonder they were in, but when they got out they were frozen.
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| And then dirt road - we think it got washed out, saw construction vehicles |
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| These 2 cyclers high-tailed it out when the teens came in |
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| Teens everywhere |
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| Still no mountain top |
Good thing about the teens - they were noisy. So, if there were any bears, they would have gone far away. We did see evidence of bears, thankfully none encountered. Walked the trail around the lake, each time looking towards Mt. Adams, still had it's own personal weather going on. Finished the trail, packed up, started back - and the view point along the road back - guess what? Clear. Oh well. Still the area is pristine, wild, lovely. Did cross the Pacific Crest Trail, were about 1/2 dozen hikers stopped at the trailhead and a large van looked to us was supplying them with more gear. Been snowing over the mountain in the last couple of days, getting down into mid teens at night. Brrr.
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| Path was well worn |
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| Teens playing in the water |
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| The lichen made this tree look like a Christmas tree |
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| Obstacles, of course |
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| Lots of huckleberries |
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| No peaking |
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| Ah, finally! Has 12 glaciers |
The Ranger also told us about Langfield Falls so we thought we would visit it. Again, absolutely lovely paved Forest Service Roads. Amazing! Got to the turn off, found the falls marker, headed towards it. We could hear it from the car, was that close. Lovely, lovely, lovely! Serene, peaceful. Could have sat at the viewing bench all day.
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| Path hugged a cliff - don't mis-step |
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| We wondered if someone did this, weird |
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| At top of falls, looking at edge |
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