Pacific Crest Trail - Day 166 - Trout Lake

Start: Mile 2208.4 - Blue Lake
End: Mile 2232.0 - Highway 23 / Trout Lake

This is a fungi blog now.

These volcanic rock falls always have Pikas “MEEEP”ing at you. This one was strangely silent.

I found out why. This little guy was asleep basking in the sun - I‘ll forgive him for not saying ‘good morning’ since he’s channeling exactly the type of energy we need more of in our lives.

This mushroom was some creature’s breakfast.

Do trails get more picturesque?

Our first decent glimpse of Mt. Adams. Looks like another big volcano. Strange.

Tina Turner hair grass.

Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and blues. The purples are on my face after shoveling huckleberries into my mouth.

Blue chanterelle mushrooms. Apparently these are edible.

This little guy came and said hi when we sat down for lunch. Seek identified him as an American Ermine. We named him Ernie. He hung out for a few minutes before hopping away. One of the coolest wildlife encounters we’ve had.

A really smart guy I knew in Boston was working on a carbon capture startup. Seeing trees like this is definitely a gestures wildly type moment as to why spending resources to capture carbon is unnecessary. At least when entire forests aren’t burned to ash.

Old logging/forest roads have been widely and intentionally abandoned based on a 2001 Forest Service policy known as the Roadless Rule. This policy of returning wilderness to untouched nature is currently under siege by the federal government (of course it is).

It’s unbelievable that we continue to elect deteriorating diaper wearing geriatrics to positions in charge of our natural resources and public lands that they couldn’t access without a helicopter (or preferably, trebuchet).

Brooke Rollins, Mark Amodei, you are utter disgraces to your positions of stewardship.

The Pacific Crest Trail is definitely BUENO 42000

This topographical map was hanging in the pizza place in Trout River. It’s pretty cool to trace our route along the PCT through many of the most prominent of these mountain ranges.