Backpacking Building Blocks Student-Only Backpack - Ancient Lakes and the Columbia River

This is a gorgeous area of potholes, cliffs and coulees with dramatic views of the Columbia River!  We'll ramble around Dusty and Ancient Lakes before heading down to the Columbia for our first night's camp on the river, ~10 miles and 720 feet of gain, 1320 feet of loss.  Then we'll walk along the Columbia, finding our way on dirt roads and some off trail, for about 10 miles and 1300 feet gain and loss to a second scenic camp along the river.  On our third day we'll head back uphill through the Potholes Coulee back to our starting point (if we choose a loop route) or continue along the river past the Gorge Amphitheatre to the famed Vantage climbing area and Frenchmen's Coulee where we will have two shuttle cars waiting.  If we do the point to point route, one of the shuttle cars will head home from there while the other will go to our starting point to pick up the car there and head home.

This is a leader-permission-only trip open to participants from any 2026 mentor group who have a full complement of backpacking gear and the ability to demonstrate the fitness to do 10 mile days with 1200 feet of gain with an overnight pack.  This is a great trip for people to try out new gear or explore other people's gear as they refine what they want in. their pack.  

We'll gather to form up carpools at the Preston P&R lot at 7AM to start this hike at 9:30AM in the vinity of the H Lake Vehicle Access approximately 2.5 hours drive from Preston  https://maps.app.goo.gl/ygYnBeSfXdqA2Lt47.  Depending on the availability of vehicles for shuttling (3 vehicles with 4-person capacity), we may shuttle cars and end this hike at Frenchmen's Coulee, or make it a loop.