Getting There

This was my second GOH, but this time as guest, patron. Since field camp wasn't offered or an option, I chose to camp somewhere just outside the monument. I checked nearby campgrounds like Tower Rock (near Cispus Learning Center) and Iron Creek but neither had availability. I didn't want to stay as far away as Packwood, nor foot the bill for a room.

Since I'd missed the WTA/MSHI Jamboree, I decided on Wakepish Picnic Area. I drove to the gate on NF-25 to take a look and scout for a spot off the road. None appealed to me and I didn't want to use a cat hole. When I pulled into Wakepish, there were a few cars but I didn't see or hear any people. I wasn't going to make much a footprint and decided against setting up a tent I'd have to breakdown in the morning. What if a ranger had asked folks to move along in the middle of the night since this wasn't officially a campground?

I made my cocoon in the back of the Jeep. A guy with a dog eventually pulled up next to me, about 20 feet away. I ignored him and kept rearranging my gear for the night. I cautiously approached and asked if I minded him being there next to me. What was I supposed to say? I said "of course. no worries". He made some comment about his dog being friendly and would likely come to visit me at some point. Fine, I thought.

I could have been more social and I almost took him a copy of the Volcano Review but thought it would invite more conversation than I wanted to engage in. I took off my MSHI hat to keep a lower profile.

I sat outside to read until there wasn't enough natural light. I climbed into my truck and got comfy.

The next morning, I put my sleeping bag, pad, pillows away and un-built the cocoon. I took off for Windy Ridge to rendezvous with the group.

We had our pre-hike orientation talk at the little amphitheater, then carpooled down to the trailhead. There were only 4 other paying guests. Two friends rode in my car. The guides, MSHI volunteer, and other two guests took three other cars to the road construction site on the Truman Trail.

The Hike

Distance: 6.77 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,760 feet
Max. Elevation: 5,277 feet

Note: This isn't the actual hike route. We are accessing an area that is off-limits to the general public through special permission from the USFS & the Cowlitz Tribe, I didn't want to make the actual route public. This is just the AllTrails map for Loowit Falls, which IS open to the public.

Additionally, we had access to the trail from the staging site for the Spirit Lake tunnel project road.

The group was really chill. We stopped a few times along the way for some interpretation about the 1980 eruption, the geology and landscape before and after the eruption, the cultural significance of the mountain to the Cowlitz tribe and other indigenous people that used to visit this area.

We didn't see any mountain goats like we did on the Training hike in July. We did see bits of their fur which was know is collected periodically by local Cowlitz people.

It was hot but not oppressively. My sunshirt was perfect to keep me shaded, protected from UV rays, and still allow the breeze to filter through the fabric. The views were incredible!

So fortunate to be able to visit this special place that few have seen and been to. The hike was confidence building on several levels. To be able to support guide team as a 2nd year MSHI volunteer and reaffirm my physical fitness following the bout with vertigo just a few weeks before.

As with the train hike, we did our round table "roses & thorns" (or peaks n valleys). Basically, the high and low points of the day. Unanimously, folks only gave their high points (roses/peaks) and offered low points (thorns/valleys) as straw men. Probably, for decorum, in public-group setting, but also genuinely that we had great crew, small, and there were no hitches.

We drove back to Windy Ridge and went our separate ways. A good day.