Day 129 - Goats & Bears

Mile 2246.6 to Mile 2272.7 - 26.1 miles

Today always had the possibility of being a memorable one and it did not disappoint. We spent the morning working our way towards Goat Rocks Wilderness. After a climb up to Cispus Pass we found ourselves in this amazing amphitheatre of rocks. By days' end we had climbed up to almost 7000 feet and had a fairly good view from our campsite :-)

Goat Rocks are these impressive rocky mountain chains with jagged ridges

There is evidence of volcanic activity with these fence post type rock formations

Yes, there are mountain goats but none have been sighted as yet.
On the climb up to Cispus Pass we got this amazing view of Mt Adams north face

A feature of the day has been the increased number of hikers on trail which creates a few problems when deciding whether campsites will be full or not. We seemed to have caught up with the dregs from Trail Days which is a 3 day expose in Cascade Locks that gear manufacturers, clothing reatailers, food suppliers etc present to thru hikers. Tiptoe & I avoided it & left 2 days after it had finished but have run in to the back of the bubble.
As for bears - well my total on tour is now 3. I was musing this morning how much it was bear territory with flat grassy areas, tons of huckleberries & evidence of bear poop (jet black, shiny & full of seeds) when voila....a big black beer walked on to the trail 15 yards in front of me. It was magnificent in its shimmering black coat and well fed. Before my brain had fully registered what was happening, the bear got wind of me, gave a grunt & bolted (Usain-like) off across the ground. Heck, these things can move - note to self - you cannot outrun a bear. So with my heart going at double time I gathered my thoughts & carried on....as you do.
White Pass is the target tomorrow for one of my resupply boxes.....Weta