Summerland was my favorite campsite. It had a positively spa-like pit toilet. No smell and no bugs! From Summerland, we only had about 4.5 miles to go on our permit to get to Indian Bar. Low mileage but we would be walking through one of the most hazardous sections of the trail. Warnings abound about not trying to attempt Panhandle Gap in inclement weather. Permanent snow fields dot the landscape as the trail ascends out of forest and meadow and into rock and granite. The Sarvent Glaciers sandwich the trail during this section. This is one of the most beautiful sections of the Wonderland Trail, in my opinion, but some of it scared the holy shit out of me. Case in point, I was a frickin' idiot trying to video while navigating a snow field and ended up postholing up to my knee. Additional issues involved rock scrambling on landslide sections with steep drop-offs. Poop your pants kind of stuff.
I know it's hard to tell in this picture but there's no trail here with a steep rocky drop-off. We boulder scrambled across this while simultaneously having a heart attack.
First view of Mt St Helens as we emerge from Panhandle Gap.
7 Thunderbird jet fighters flew right above us.
Can you spot The Ingrid?
Crazy Cigarette Camera Couple are traversing the snow field above us.
Nancy showing us how it's done.
Starting the descent into Indian Bar.
Laundry drying.
There was a bear eating berries up behind this cabin and we stood and waved and pointed, trying to get Kalamazoo's attention to alert them. They were staying in the cabin and we were across the river up on the hillside. We caught up with them the next day and told them about the bear and they had wondered why in the world we were waving and pointing.
2 hour post prandial. Good.
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