WINDY RIDGE TO LOOWIT FALLS

I finally made it to the Windy Ridge area of Mt St Helens. I found a Forest Service campground that looked good, inquired with a reliable friend and he had no info, so I went for it to see if it's a good place to camp and explore that area of the mountain.

I arrived on Friday early afternoon and found that all but three of the 98 sites were already reserved. My internet research didn't indicate a reservation was needed, yikes. A nice site was chosen of the three and that was home for the weekend. The campground is heavily forested with a tall canopy that proved advantageous as we are having a short heat wave right now. The campsite stayed shaded the entire day, very nice!

On Saturday we hiked the Windy Ridge trail to Loowit Falls. There isn't a fragment of shade anywhere, not the parking area, not the trail, nowhere. It was warm and very sunny and yes, windy. In fact, it was quite windy. If not for the wind the total exposure all day to the hot sun may have made the day less enjoyable.

The views were expansive and vast. Mt St Helens was closer than ever. Everywhere I turned I saw earthtones and a harsh and barren landscape. But don't think that harsh and barren is bad, it's not. The landscape is gorgeous. The view of Spirit Lake is beyond description. Mt Rainier and Mt Adams follow you the entire route to Loowit Falls.

Neither Spirit Lake or Loowit Falls existed before the eruption 30 years ago. I'm intrigued by the beauty that nature creates so readily. This volcano is active and it's not far from my mind as I hike it's terrain and I smell the subtle sulfur in the wind. I know this mountain caused massive destruction when it erupted yet the changes in the landscape are remarkable. I feel privileged to be on this mountain and so close to all its mysteries.

After reaching Loowit Falls, having lunch, and more sunscreen we returned the way we came. There's something about out and back routes that allow you to see everything you saw from a completely different vantage point. The views are never tiring and the path is gradual though dusty with pumice the consistency of sand.

My cooler provided a cold drink and my feet were eager to hang out in my sandals. The drive back to camp was only 30 mins and dinner was soon after. A highlight was seeing the meteor shower at 3am from my beach chair in the road in the campground. Three swifts meteors delighted me before I returned to my slumber.