Backpacking season is among us so we might get started right? This is a trip that Zach planned with the group that I decided to join. The idea was a laid back easy hike to the Plains of Abraham and then some free time to explore the area. I remember hiking up Ape Canyon to the Plains and exploring a bit so the idea of spending the night up there sounded pretty good as a starter. So we met early on Saturday for a quick drive to Mt St Helens. The sun was blasting already when we got there so it was clearly going to be a very hot day. The first part of the hike, up Ape Canyon follows a path right next to the Muddy River. This gives the advantage of being partially shaded while still providing some very spectacular views of the mountain. The trees started thinning out as we got closer to the unction with the Loowit trail, the trail that circumnavigates the mountain. That also indicated we were getting closer to the mouth of Ape Canyon that gives its name to the trail. Once the trail came out of the forest, it did a couple of switch backs. Then we got to a knob were you can see a crack and steep drop off.
We dropped our packs at that spot to go check it out. There are certainly good views from safer angles than this but we still went for it. From the edge you can see the chasm below you as it travels south. It almost gives you the impression of a cataclysmic event were all the rocks were holding something and suddenly they let go thru this passage. We picked our stuff and continued up as the trail circled around the end of the canyon. The trail has seen some damage from the past season so there are some yellow flags indicating caution. From that angle the views of the canyon are even better as it seems to run away from you into the distance with Mt Hood in the Horizon. Then, the scenery changed. All the trees were left behind and we entered an area that could be easily described as a moonscape. Rocks, rolling flat terrain and views as far as the eye can see. The trail circles Pumice Butte which, depending on time of day or sun orientation seems to change colors. Continuing from there is kind of eerie though. The trail meanders thru this vast place without a noticeable destination.
On one side the huge Mt St Helens salutes you while on the other you can see Mt Hood. There’s a spot along the trail, right after a small creek that offers a perfect stop for pictures and lunch. Usually this is the stopping point for hikers that come up the Ape Canyon trail and don’t want to continue to the Plains. We passed that and then veered of trail heading west towards the mountain. The idea was to look for potential campsites along a shallow gully that could offer some wind protection but we didn’t find any. The ground was too sandy and rocky to pitch a tent and there was no place to be out of the wind. On top of that, the sun was just beating on us so there was no easy way to think about being out of it. I was lucky that I had my umbrella with me so I was able to get some lunch under the small protection it provided. Then we continued looking for potential campsites and noticed, at the other side of the Loowit trail an area a bit higher that was surrounded on three sides by hills. From the distance it looked doable and pretty flat so we headed that way. We found the area to be pretty nice so we dropped our pack and set up camp. At this point it was still pretty early so everyone picked a direction to go explore a bit. With Neil we continued on the Loowit trail heading north without a clear destination in mind. Shortly after passing the hill that was giving us some wind protection we noticed a tall pole with marks. WE think it was a snow depth gauge that can be checked from the air. We went of trail to check that out and continued east to the edge of a ridge line. Looking in both direction we noticed there were foot paths or animal paths. We veered right and started traveling south, at first climbing towards the ridge that was going to put us right on top of our campsite but then, we found a split trail that went behind the mountain. We decided to take that path even though it involved some bushwhacking.
Part of the choice was because we noticed it was the only path that was shaded and we were already pretty tired of the beating sun. The path got harder as we went and at a certain point we got to a gully that didn’t look passable. Neil figured a way to climb up but the path he took was not very stable. I retraced my steps a bit and then climb straight up on another smaller gully but that put me on the ridge pretty quickly. The view pf the mountain and our campsite from up there were magnificent. By then Neil wanted to go back to camp so he followed a ridgeline that pointed directly toward the Loowit trail on the south side of our campsite while I continued on the ridge all the way to the water source. After filtering some water, I hiked back to camp in time for a well-deserved diner.
On Sunday we woke up to a crisp and almost cold day. The wind was blowing steady and it was going to take some time for us to get sun at our camp. Lie everyone else in the group, I had breakfast sitting in my tent with a nice view of Mt St Helens. After that, I pre-packed my gear but left the tent standing as the plan was to leisurely hike in the morning and come back to camp at noon to have lunch and then head out. Most of us started hiking in the same direction towards Windy Pass but the group thinned out as we went. Towards the northern end of the Plains we turned left to continue on the Loowit trail towards windy pass, our plan was to loop around and come back via Windy Ridge. At first the trail was easy follow but then we got closer to a gully were you could see the trail and destination far ahead but there was no clear indication on how to get there. A hiker coming the other way told us the trail was gone so the path was very sketchy and slippery. We took different approaches and after sliding and getting our shoes full of dirt we made it up to the trail and continued on to Windy Pass. Despite the beating sun, temperature started dropping and wind picking up.
Right before getting to the pass, I dropped my pack and put a wind breaker as I could hear the wind whistling thru the pass. I guess that’s where it got the name from. The views form there were fantastic. On one side and in your face, the side of the mountain. On the other, part of the blast zone extending to Spirit Lake and Mt Margaret. On the other side, the trail descended quite fast over several switchbacks to a gully. Half of the group decided at that point to turn around and head back to camp rather than continue. Don and I decided to do the entire loop and we were pretty confident we had plenty of time so we pushed on. The trail continued circling the mountain and at times it seemed it was getting us farther than what we needed to be. We started questioning ourselves if we had miss the turn but we continued and eventually found the fork with the Windy Ridge trail. That trail connected with the Truman trail as it crossed another creek valley. There was no water running but it’s easy to see that it can carry a lot. On the other side we started climbing until we reached the original Truman trailhead that was only accessed from a Forest Road. To continue, the only way was to hike on the road for a while until we reached the junction with the Abraham trail that would take us back to camp. And that’s when the hard part started.
That trail just goes up and up and up. There are a couple of sections with stairs to make it easier to get traction. Sun was beating on us which made it even more difficult to continue. The only good thing were the views. From this trail you get a vantage view of the lava dome I the crater. It’s the weirdest thing as it can look really big and really small at the same time. Finally we reached the high point of the trail were numerous canyons flow down to join in the Smith River below. We saw a couple of waterfall in the distance that looked pretty spectacular. We meandered for a while until we were back in the Plains and then the campsite. We had lunch while we packed and then started our hike down retracing our step from the first day. It was leisurely walk down enjoying he views again from the different perspective.
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