Hike: Glacier Overlook @ Mt St Helens, WA

Getting There

I drove from Portland to Randle, then dropped down on NF-25 to Wakepish Picnic Area & Sno-Park, at the junction for NF-99. I was technically "camping" but I just slept in the back of my Jeep. It was good to have access to the pit toilet there. 

In the morning of the hike, I drove about 16 miles to the Windy Ridge parking lot to meet the guides, fellow volunteer, and guests. 

The clouds/fog filled the valleys to the east so I had to stop to snap a couple of pics.

After a short talk in the little amphitheater, we carpooled to the trailhead, about 2 miles. (Funny to pass hikers, mostly on the way out, who look surprised and wonder why we got to drive beyond the gate.)

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.

This was my third trip to the Glacier Overlook. I'd first been here in mid-July for the training hike with all the volunteers, guides, and some staff. I came back as a "paying" guest on at the beginning of August. This time I was supporting the guides as an MSHI volunteer. Plus, I'd hoped to get a third picture of the crater & domes for comparison.

While everyone was getting their gear ready for the hike, we spotted a herd of elk traversing the lower flank of the mountain, somewhere between Sugar Bowl dome, a nearly circular protrusion of hypersthene-hornblende dacite, and Windy Pass on the Loowit Trail.

Elk herd (middle right of the image)

Everyone was in good spirits and glad to be out on the Pumice Plain, despite the limited visibility of the mountain or Mt Margaret backcountry. We hiked to the closest point the the glacier for this hike. I turned around and snapped a pic of ravine were Loowit Falls is located. Incidentally, on the right is an old helicopter landing pad. What's left are some concrete posts to secure the aircraft in high winds.

Near where we had lunch, we spotted this pumice "bomb", a chunk of pyroclastic debris ejected from the volcano. It look a bit like Dutch crunch bread or tiger bread. I was cooling and cracking on the outside but still molten on the inside. We found other other rocks that were similar but completely shattered.

The next four pictures are various angles of the crater and zoom levels. It looked like the recent rains had washed some of the dirt and rocks from the leading edge of the glacier. It's about 60% ice, 40% rock. We caught a glimpse of the rim but it quickly disappeared behind the clouds/fog.

After lunch and a short talk by the guides, we headed back down to the Loowit Trail. The fog/clouds were hanging just above Spirit Lake. When we got down to the official trail, we took a poll to see if we had consensus to take a side trip to Loowit Falls. I'd never been that far west on the Loowit Trail and was happy for the bonus trek.

The falls is about 0.7 miles from where we were. You can see it once you make the 'turn' from the Loowit Trail.

One more look at Spirit Lake as we started heading back to the cars.

Hike: Glacier Overlook @ Mt St Helens, WA

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.

2004-2008 dome in the foreground

Mt Rainier & Spirit Lake

Break time, mid-hike

Approaching the glacier overlook

Mountain Goats in the distance

Lunchtime

Mt Adams

Windy Pass

Hike: Glacier Overlook @ Mt St Helens, WA

Getting There

Since this was the training hike for all guides and volunteers for both the Glacier Overlook Hike (GOH) and Into the Crater Hike (ITCH), we all stayed at Mt. St. Helens Institute, Research Facility about 2.3 miles from the Cascade Peaks Interpretive Center (CLOSED) down NF-2560. It's not open to the general public.

Since NFD-25 is still closed due to last year's landslide near Elk Pass. There's unofficial news that the road is passable and that the gates aren't actually locked. Nevertheless, I had to go the "long" way through Randle.

On the way to the field camp, I stopped at the Miner's Car to snap a photo. I ended up running into another MSHI volunteer who was doing the same thing. We chatted for a bit and I mentioned seeing the car in the mid-1980s when it was just enclosed in a chain-link fence. 

As we were walking back to our cars, Stasia from WTA showed up. She was staying at Green River Horse Camp and scouting the trails for the WTA/MSHI Jamboree trail work party the following weekend. We chatted some more, then went our separate ways.

There were some MSHI volunteers at the Cascade Peaks parking lot. The other volunteer and I stopped to chat. I still wasn't exactly sure where we were going. There was a locked gate we had to pass through. Yet another pair of MSHI volunteers that was heading to camp showed up. They opened the gate and we drove through.

I was in the lead and out of the blue, I got extremely dizzy and thought I was going to pass out. Luckily I was only going 2-3 miles per hour on this dirt road. I pulled over a little and tried to regain my composure. I thought I might be dehydrated. I grabbed a small bottle of water from the backseat and downed it. I grabbed some kind of snack and ate that too. I recovered about 90% and the other two cars caught up to where I was stopped. I started moving again as if I'd been waiting for them. I was worried about anyone finding out I was not well. The road was longer than I'd expected but we finally saw the big tents were the kitchen and dining tables were setup. Cars were parked all over this meadow. I found a spot to set up camp and spent some time still recovering physically and emotionally. I was privately freaked out. A bit of routine helped distract me. Setting up the tent, inflating sleeping pad, and unpacking my sleeping bag and pillow.

I put on my sun shirt with the hood to cool off a bit and protect me from the bugs that were flying around.

I joined a group of people that had recently arrived to chat. I pretended everything was fine. 

I was expecting another episode but I continued to feel fine(ish).

After awhile, the ITCH guides and volunteers made it back to camp. Some other crew had been getting dinner ready. A little while after they'd returned, the dinner bell was rung.

They had burgers, salad, fruit, cookies.

The sun went down and it started to get dark. We all sat around the propane camp fire and sat in the camp chairs. I had to retrieve my bug net since the flies and mosquitoes were doing their best to be a pain in the arse. I eventually turn in for the night as did many others.

The next morning they had continental breakfast. I kind of wanted coffee but opted for tea. No lew at Windy Ridge.

After the morning refreshments, I packed my tent, etc and got ready. I wasn't the last to leave but I realized I was at the end of a long line of cars passing through the gate. We all parked at Windy Ridge and got out for the intro talk. Then, consolidated into several cars to drive to the trailhead.

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.

 

This was the first time I'd ventured onto the Pumice Plain on the Loowit. It was great to hike in a big group like this. We heard the talks that clients would get about the geology (from Alan), the 1980 story, the mountain's significance to the Cowlitz tribe. 

We were treated to an up-close view of a group of mountain goats. Even though it was mid-July, the adult goats still had part of their winter coats. There was bits of fur stuck to some of the bushes on the Plain. We learned that people from the Cowlitz will collect this fur periodically.

The pictures tell the story. We were staring into this enormous crater. It was awe-inspiring. I felt so fortunate to be able to visit this spot through MSHI and permission from the USFS and Cowlitz Tribe.

The weather wasn't too bad, especially with plenty of water, breaks, hooded sun shirt, and a nice breeze.

We did the "rose & thorns" thing at the end. Virtually everyone only had "roses". Mine were being able to witness such amazing landscape and hike with fellow staff, guides, and volunteers.

Mt Adams

The Crater, 2004-08 dome, and glacier in the foreground