Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

A couple of weeks ago I started with t he first two days of this 8-day, 65-mile excursion. Last week we covered three more days , into the heart of the wilderness--and the thick of the smoke.  Today we pick up with Day 6 .  Naturally, I had hoped to wake up to clear skies. Alas, that was not to be my fate. I began my 3400' descent in smoke as thick or thicker than ever.   As with rainy weather, the smoke forced me to shift my attention to the closer details. I spent some time studying and photographing the texture of this long-dead snag. I was more excited about what I heard and saw a moment later. Ptarmigan. There were several trotting around (don't break your brain hunting; there's only one in the photo). The day's hike spent a lot of time in old burn areas. They can be a little bleak, but were also the only places that there were wildflowers. Fireweed and (I think) yarrow. Eventually I dropped down out of the burn and into Lemah Meadow, or as close as the trail come

Last week I shared photos from the first two days of this 8-day, 65-mile excursion. Today we're going to enjoy one last clear day, then head into the smoke that wreathed the middle three days of the trip. Day 3: Dayhike After my killer long second day, I was happy to be in place for a layover day, with plans to either hike up Mt. Daniel (pretty ambitious) or visit Circle Lake. But first I had to enjoy the fantastic morning light. Light filters between cloud layers to illuminate The Citadel. The waters of Peggys Pond were calm, a condition that didn't last. Despite taking my time over photos and breakfast, I was headed out shortly after 8. By then even in our sheltered nook the breeze had picked up considerably. Clouds blowing over the top of Cathedral Peak Out of curiosity, I began by following the signs that pointed to a backcountry toilet. It took me a ways off my route, and I calculated later that the loo was more than 1/3 mile from the pond. Well clear of any risk of conta

Way back in August (remember August, month of heat and smoke?), I spent 8 days hiking the Pacific Crest Trail through Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Last weekend, I finally finished editing the photos. Here's Part 1 of the report, the first 2 days (and 20 miles), from my trailhead at Surprise Creek to Peggy's Pond up on the shoulder of Mt. Daniel.  I was basically picking up the PCT where I left off... in 1990. I did shorten it a bit, starting at Surprise Creek instead of climbing up the ski slopes at Stevens Pass (I hiked most if not all of that trail at one point or another back in the late '80s). This bought me a day to use later in the trip for more fun stuff. Day 1: Surprise Creek TH to Glacier Lake Loaded up and ready to go! Photo by Tom Dempsey, www.photoseek.com My brother- and sister-in-law drove me to the trailhead and hiked the first couple of miles with me. Corn lilies along the trail. About 5 miles in the Surprise Creek trail intersects the PCT. The