Hike: June Lake + Loowit + Pika Trail, Cougar, WA

Getting There

Take Exit 21 from I-5 N (Exit 22 from I-5 S) for WA-503 S/Lewis River Road. It's 28.4. miles to Cougar. WA-503 becomes Road 90. Take NF-83 and drive 6.9 miles (north) to the June Lake Trailhead.

On my way there, after the washout, I noticed someone with signature MSHI colors: red hat, red shirt, walking the 83 road to June Lake. It was Alex. He was roving the south side as well. I offered him a ride which he declined, so I continued to the trailhead.

Alex met me there and we agreed to co-rove together up to the lake.

The Hike

Distance: 5.43 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,186 feet
Maximum Elevation: 3,854 feet

We hiked up the June Lake trail and chatted about our experiences as somewhat new MSHI mountain stewards. He had started very early in the morning and had plans back in Vancouver that afternoon.

We said our goodbyes and he headed back to the trailhead. I'd been wanted to hike the Loowit and decided to go for a bit toward the Worm Flows and return to the lake via the Pika Trail.

Just out of the trees, I was stopped for an equipment adjustment and heard two backpackers approaching. I waited for them and introduced myself. After chatting for a bit, I let them forge ahead. I kind of liked having other hikers in the lead since this was my first time on this part of the trail.

When I reached the boulder section, I was glad to see them in the distance as it confirmed I was still on the right path. The lodge poles or orange plastic markers help but you can't always see them. I did lose the trail for a little but but found it again by hearing their voices.

Loowit Trail through the boulders

more boulders

I made it to Chocolate Falls. It was dry but it was cool to preview the winter climbing route. I imagine it's a whole new scene when the area is blanketed in snow.

The backpackers were having lunch at the Loowit/Worm Flows junction. I said hello again and went up the trail for a bit. There is a bit of elevation gain and I wanted to start the trek back to June Lake.

Chocolate Falls

Chocolate Falls

I had to backtrack a little to find the trail. Thank goodness for digital maps and GPS because it wasn't obvious for quite awhile. I was somewhat luck to see the sign for the Pike Trail. It was a densely forested section of trail. In hindsight, if I'd missed the turn, I would have ended up at Marble Mountain.

The trail is narrow in spots but well-traveled and not hard to follow. I made it to the boulder section. Nothing but rock hopping. I stopped for a bit and had some food. I knew June Lake was just on the other side of this field of rocks.

I just had to be careful not to fall or step on a "wobbler". It was slow going but the hillside at June Lake grew bigger.

In about 30 mins, I made it to the other side. I was so happy to reach firm ground again and the familiarity of the the lake. I stopped at the water to see if any visitors were there but I was alone.

I started my hike back to the car. I was happy to have explored somewhere I'd never been. I knew I could advise visitors that much better.

Start of the Pike Trail, more boulders

Where is the path?

Hike: June Lake + Pine Marten, Cougar, WA

Getting There

The Trail of Two Forests is 28 miles from Woodland to the Cougar. There are a couple of gas stations here. Continue east on SR-503 which becomes Rd 90 for 9.5 miles to Ape Cave. Looks for the sign to Ape Caves, June Lake, Climber's Bivouac, Ape Canyon & Lava Canyon which is Rd 83. It's 0.3 miles to Trail of Two Forests and 0.7 miles to Ape Cave.The Marble Mountain parking lot is 4.6 miles north of the ToTF on NF-83.

This was my 2nd mentor session with new MSHI mentors, first for the 83 road. I'd stayed at Cresap Bay and met the mentees at the MSH headquarters in Chelatchie.

We stopped at the Trail of Two Forests, then headed up the Marble Mountain Sno-Park. 

The Hike

Distance: 4.45 miles
Elevation Gain: 532 feet
Maximum Elevation: 3,143 feet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the ToTF part, we met some USFS interns from the north (Randle or Toutle, I can't recall.) We asked them if we could practice visitor interactions with them and they agreed. After ToTF, they were headed to Ape Cave.

I was off to a rough start as a Mentor. Rod did most of the talking with the "visitors" while Paul and Jenny hung back. We didn't stay there for too long since the others seemed to want to get out on the trail.

As I'd done with Christoph, we parked at Marble Mountain and took the Pine Marten trail to the washout then walked the road to the June Lake Trailhead and up to the lake.

At the washout, we noticed a couple of mountain bikers getting ready to ride the road to Lava Canyon. Paul and Jenny hung back, while Rod and I chatted.

We continued to the trail and up to the lake. We stopped there for lunch, then hiked back to the cars. The whole time, I was hanging back with Rod while Paul and Jenny zoomed ahead out of sight, not seeming to want to engage with visitors.

At the washout, we met a car with two women that weren't sure their car could make it through. Jenny disappeared somewhere. Maybe a bio-break but didn't communicate that to the rest of us.

I didn't take any pictures and I almost immediately felt like I wasn't really leading very well and was preoccupied by that.

Photo of June Lake from a different day

Paul and Jenny obviously wanted to hike a long distance and didn't enjoy being "held back" by the slowest in the group. Instead of seeing it as learning opportunity, they were impatient and I was privately annoyed.

When we reached the cars again, Paul and Rod declined my offer to drive us through the wash to take a look at Lava Canyon and the Lahar Viewpoint, both areas that one would rove during a shift.

Jenny was the only one that wanted to go. We chitchatted a bit and hiked down the end of the paved part of the Lava Canyon Trail. I'd already called Columbia and gone "out of service" so we didn't really advertise ourselves as MSHI volunteers.

Hike: Lava Canyon & June Lake, MSH, Cougar, WA

June Lake, MSH

Getting there

It's 28 miles from Woodland to the Cougar. There are a couple of gas stations here. Continue east on SR-503 which becomes Rd 90 for 9.5 miles to Ape Cave. Looks for the sign to Ape Caves, June Lake, Climber's Bivouac, Ape Canyon & Lava Canyon which is Rd 83. It's 0.3 miles to Trail of Two Forests and 0.7 miles to Ape Cave. 

This was my 4th solo roving shift for the Mt St Helens Institute (MSHI) this summer. I also had two mentor sessions, one for the 83 Road sites and another for Ape Cave specifically.

It seems like more since I started the Ambassador training in late May at the Visitor Center in Castle Rock, followed by the Mountain Steward Training at the Science & Learning Center in early June. My first solo roving session wasn't until July 31st.

Anyway, I started the day at the Trail of Two Forests but no one showed up while I was there. I just used the time to pick up bits of trash in the parking lot and by the picnic tables. I also took a spin up to the viewpoint to see if the mountain was out. 

MSH from the viewpoint near Ape Cave

From there, I drove out to the end of NF-83, stopping at the Lahar Viewpoint. I figured I see if there were any cars and stay as long as it seemed to make sense.

There was one car there but the occupants had disappeared out of view on the trail. I picked up more trash while I waited for them to come back. To my dismay, I found two used diapers wedged against a rock next to the parking lot. Argh!!!! Fucking gross! I cursed the kind of people that would do that. I couldn't leave that stuff there, so I found a zip lock in my car and emptied out a grocery bag I was using for my spare clothes. I need to pack trash bags and several pairs of rubber gloves. I found another zip lock bag and used the 'picking up poop' technique to grab the baby-shit pouches and secure them inside the zip locks. Then I put them in paper grocery bag. I lathered on my hand sanitizer but still felt unclean.

I rinsed my hands with water but considered the bottle to be contaminated. What else could I do? 

I met the visitors and chatted with them for a minute. Another car with three people showed up. They had no plan and were happy to get some advice about where else to go. I directed all 5 to check out Lava Canyon as I talked about the lahar and Shoestring Glacier.

They left and I was alone again. I picked up some more trash (just candy wrappers and bottle tops).

I considered going to Lava Canyon myself but decided to head up Ape Canyon for a bit, not the full hike to Pumice Butte. I needed to save my feet & legs for the MSH summit next week. I bailed after a few hundred yards.

Muddy River Lahar from Ape Canyon Trail

I decided to walk to Lava Canyon rather than drive over. I chatted with a family of 3 briefly, then walked over.

When I got back to my car, there was some creature high in the tree tops dropping things. Dozens of objects hit the forest floor with a heavy thuds like rocks! I'm pretty certain they were Douglas squirrels way up in the tree tops throwing/dropping conifer seeds; they were landing with quite hard, dozens "rained down" within 3-4 minutes. I thought Sasquatch was hucking rocks LOL.

My next stop was going to June Lake. I figured it was an easy trail and not too long. I figured I had more opportunities to engage visitors by hanging out at the lake. Unfortunately, that was mostly a bust. Just 3 cars in the parking lot. A family of 3 were getting ready for an overnight. One was a little girl about 8 with her own pack. They seemed to know what was up. I saw them again near the lake. 

It was getting later in the afternoon but I wanted to stay until 5pm, so I returned to the Trail of Two Forests. The lot was empty but I figured I'd take a spin around the boardwalk and look for my photographs. The sun was getting low so the light was pretty nice.

When I got near the trailhead, I saw two guys starting the loop. They asked a lot of good questions, some I didn't have an answer. Another car of people arrived. I only chatted with the one person that had gone to read the signage. She asked if she'd have to crawl around to see the site. She was referring to the short tube and I assured it was optional and it was a 1/2 mile boardwalk loop.

Trail of Two Forests

The Hikes

Lava Canyon

Distance: 2.02 miles
Elevation gain: 381 ft
Maximum Elevation: 2,871 ft

Even though there was 5-6 cars in the parking lot, I didn't see anyone right away. I took the metal bridge across the river and headed down the far side of the canyon. There was a group of three: a man, a little boy, and an older woman. they accepted my offer to take a photo for them. The little boy had a big rock and was saying "this is my phone". They played along. I secretly hoped they weren't expecting to take this rock out of the monument. I hoped I wouldn't see anyone on the bridge: there weren't.

I met some people on the way back and took another photo for two guys on the bridge.

One man asked about my red shirt and if it was so they could report me when I was napping. Bizarre. He was upset that the bridge was closed and wondered why its repair wasn't a higher priority. I sympathized but didn't offer any reason.

I went down the other side of the canyon. Two people said the trail was sketchy but it was beyond the bridge, behind a sign that essentially said the trail was sketchy.

I crossed paths with more people on the way out.

June Lake

Distance: 2.66 miles 
Elevation Gain: 446 ft
Maximum Elevation: 3,163 ft

I made quick work of the 1.33 mile trail. I did see a bunch of plants I hadn't noted before. Pearlyeverlasting, Bunchberry dogwood, False Solomon's Seal, Devil's Club.

As I anticipated, there wasn't anyone there. I took a few photos. They family had said they were meeting another family to camp together but they weren't there. I even ventured to the dry creek bed to look at that huge log.

Pretty uneventful but it was peaceful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pearlyeverlasting

Dogwood

False Solomon Seal

I am Groot

Hike: Loowit Trail via June Lake, MSH, Cougar, WA

Getting There

Take Exit 21 from I-5 N (Exit 22 from I-5 S) for WA-503 S/Lewis River Road. It's 28.4. miles to Cougar. WA-503 becomes Road 90. Take NF-83 and drive 6.9 miles (north) to the June Lake Trailhead.

Funny Story:

My original plan was to hike Silver Star Mountain. My usual route has been from the south on L-1200 out of Washougal but since my last visit out there resulted in a flat tire on the road to Noble Ridge Tree Deck, I was pretty gun-shy (pun intended) so I thought I could assuage my somewhat irrational fear of another flat by approaching the trailhead from the north. I'd driven L-1200 from pavement to pavement so I thought it was straightforward.

I drove through Battleground and took the turn for Moulton Falls and weaved my way through the back-country to the forest road. I was watching the navigation app and approximate time to arrival. I had to relieve myself and the 15 min ETA was acceptable. I past the junction for L-1201 and Google's suggestion to take it. A couple miles later, the time estimate jumped to 1 hr 30 mins!

WTAF! I was on L-1200. Ducking Google!!! I began to panic. Where did I go wrong? Maybe I was supposed to take L-1201. Further along, Google routed me to a road that was closed. Grrrr! I'd actually only done the full road from the south. I stopped and turned around and drove back down to the junction. As I approached it, the ETA reset back to about 15 min. Very strange. I made it to L-1201 and found a closed gate about 100 yards from the junction.

Oh FFS. I gave up. Today was just not a day for Silver Star. My nerves from the prevous flat tire were still fresh and I couldn't stomach taking a chance. I passed a couple of trucks heading up and should have asked if it was on the right road and the Maps app had gone mad but I didn't.

I knew I was close to MSH and I didn't want to waste a hiking day since I'd already made it this far. I'd just been up here 3 days before for my MSHI rove. I plugged in June Lake as my new destination which routed me past the MSH Ranger Station where you pick up the radio for MSHI shifts. I didn't need the map anymore. I made a "pit shop" at the Yale Bridge port-a-potty.

As I made my way north on NF-83, I felt calm and assured. I arrived at the trailhead parking lot and found a spot in the shade. While I wasn't there as a MSHI volunteer, I was participating in WTA's Hike-a-Thon!

The Hike

pic hike on the Loowit Trail via June Lake, MSHNVM. This was my second time in this area of the monument and my first hike for WTA's 20th annual Hike-a-Thon. I only went about half way to Pumice Butte. It's kind of gnarly and rugged when you leave the forest and start traversing the base of Mt St Helens.

Despite the number of car in the parking lot below I only encountered a family of four leaving June Lake and one other hiker heading south on the Loowit in the forest section. When I stopped to change out of my wet Hike-a-Thon shirt and put on the long-sleeved/UV shirt, I received a message that my house inspection was done and there were only very minor things to fix. This improved my spirits.

The Loowit trail above the trees is amazing and a bit gnarly. I took each step very carefully in the places where I crossed over rocks, which is often. While I had plenty of time (daylight) I only went as far as I needed to get an unencumbered view of MSH, about 1/2 way to Pumice Butte. I knew there was a section that goes through a stand of trees and then there's the actual lahar, where I stopped last time I was here.

I found a spot under a tree to take off my pack and dry my shirts. I ate half of my sandwich and swatted a pesky insect. My anxiety of the day was in the background but it was still there. It wasn't due to my fitness, hiking experience, or anything with the hike but it was part of the reason I turned around where I did. That's alright. I got some great photos and felt empowered by tackling a tricky part of the monument. It was good experience for future roves. 

I refilled my main water bottle, put on my partially dried shirt and head back towards June Lake.

When I reached the June Lake/Loowit junction, I imagined the hike from there to the Ptarmigan Trail.

On the switchbacks, I encountered a guy in flipflops. That guy seemed hardcore, definitely not his "first rodeo".

At the lake, a group of about 7 were there. One guy had been in the water. Some teenagers were sitting on a log and three more folks were chitchatting. I thought about mentioning Hike-a-Thon but the opportunity just didn't present itself. Before I'd got there I was sorta looking forward to talking to some people but since I wasn't there as a MSHI volunteer, I didn't have that "authority" or perceived expertise. Whatever.

I took a short detour to the dry river bed then back to the lake. I found another place to stand along the edge and ate the other half of my sandwich. There was several bits of trash on the ground and beer can. I bagged it up and stowed the rubbish in my pack.

I headed back to the trailhead and noted that this hike seemed longer by myself than it did when I was on my mentor hike with the other 3 volunteers.

All in all, it was a good day. Most of my anxiety had finally evaporated.

Hike: Ape Cave & June Lake, MSH, WA

 

Selfie from June Lake

Getting There

From I-5/Woodland, take the Lewis River Road (WA-503) eastbound to Cougar. Continue past on NF-90 to NF-83 (Ape Caves, Ape Canyon, Lava Canyon, etc).

I was out there for my mentor session with an experience MSHI volunteer and two other mentees. We met at a road pullout, then, because of the rain, we stopped at Ape Caves. While one mentee, Evan, was getting instructions on using the radio and other stuff we covered last weekend at SLC, Katie and I introduced ourselves to the Ape Caves staff. 

We went to the lava tube opening and chatted with a few visitors and got some orientation on the area. Katie and I ventured into the tube for a little bit but just to where the trail splits.

When the rain stopped, the four of us drove up to the Marble Mountain Trailhead in order to head up to June Lake.

The Hike

Distance: 4.83 miles
Elevation Gain: 545 ft

 

 

From Instagram:

Today I had my mentor session on the south side of Mt St Helens. I met a seasoned MSHI volunteer and two other mentees near Cougar, WA. It was raining this morning so we stopped at Ape Caves to interact with some visitors and take at peek at the lava tube.

When the rain stopped, we drove up NF-83 to the Marble Mountain Sno-Park, where road is still closed. We took the Pine Marten Trail for a while then out on the road. We stopped to chat with two people visiting from Chicago, then continued to the June Lake Trailhead and up to the lake for lunch. We talked with two more people that were from the East coast.

On our way back we met a guy who had a wealth of knowledge and a lifetime experience in the area. You never know who you'll encounter. We chatted for 15 minutes. We passed a couple with a dog and just said hello. Some interactions are brief while others develop into an interesting dialogue.

It was good practice engaging visitors and using the radio. I'm feeling ready to go out there on my own or co-rove with another volunteer.

From the Trailhead parking lot, we followed the Pine Marten trail, while parallels NF-83. We popped out onto the road when we saw a couple of visitors from Chicago. We chatted with them for a bit about their plans and where they could see MSH.

We continued along the road to the June Lake Trailhead. We meandered up the trail, chatting with each other, discussing flowers and the ancient lahar flow next to the trail.

We stopped at the lake to eat lunch but the rain came back. We hiked into the trees for shelter and examined the foliage. When the rain stopped again, we went back to the lake and met two more visitors. We chatted for a bit and they took a group photo for us. Before we left the lake, we popped over to the lahar flow to look at the boulders.

We walked back to Marble Mountain Sno-Park. A car and an RV past us on the road that was supposed to be closed. The car came back pretty soon because the road was blocked by snow.

When we got back to the gate, we called Columbia Dispatch to report the open gate. While waiting two more cars full of people looked like they wanted to go through. We closed the gate but didn't lock it. The RV came back through.

We drove back to where we met in the morning to check out on the radio. We caravaned back to Amboy to the MSHI HQ to return the radio.