Mt. Saint Helens

A couple of weeks ago I have the opportunity to spend 3 hot August days backpacking on and around Mt. Saint Helens with my boyfriend Rob, friend Shane, and our dog Dakini. After a couple of hours of sleeping and wrestling with the dog in the jangling, windy back of a pickup truck, Rob opened the tailgate and propped up the window with a 2×4. “Wake up! We’re here!” I rambled over gear and packs and regained consciousness as I put my feet on the ground at June Lake trailhead. We made our final adjustments, checked our map and took off for a mid-week walk in the mountains. The first leg of the hike was easy, meandering through woods on a high-use, packed dirt trail. 1.4 miles in, we arrived at June Lake, a medium-sized shallow pool in a clearing, filled with burgundy reeds and algae. A waterfall across the lake cascaded down mossy rocks, making an inviting shower for a dusty hiker on the return hike. We didn’t spend much time here as we were just getting started and had a lot of miles to go before our intended camp at Toutle Creek.  I guess we took a wrong turn from the lake and instead of following a trail, ended up blazing our own way over rugged boulder fields. Hopping from rock to rock was precarious with a fully loaded pack on and it became a guessing game when some of the rocks, even the large ones, would roll under my weight or pockets of ash would cave right under my feet. It was fun watching my crew hobbling over the unstable terrain, letting out strange yelps when they came close to falling. The possibility of injury is very real when trying to traverse the rock fields and giant, dusty washouts on St. Helens. I’d advise high-top boots for it to keep ankles from rolling and sand out of your socks. After several hours of off-trail rock hopping, we met up with the Loowit Trail above the tree line and could then follow markers embedded in the boulders. This made things a lot easier, since the rocks were generally flatter, more stable, and more level from previous foot traffic. We talked with a ranger briefly as we passed our last water source for awhile and began climbing a steep trail up to a ridge at the top of which was a climber’s bivy. Lugging our packs up the steep dirt trail was tiring and Shane and I took breathing breaks while Rob and Dakini led the way far ahead of us. Rob saw an elk run up through the brush but it was gone before the rest of us could get a look at it.We stopped for lunch when we came to an opening in the trees where we could look down across the wilderness around the base of the mountain. I spotted Mt. Adams in the distance and wondered how far it was between the mountains.

We scrambled across wide-open meadows, windy rock fields, and up and down washout after washout. The wind was exhilarating as it hit with full force and tried to push my over as I leapt from one volcanic chunk to another. By the time we reached the trailhead to Camp Butte, we were getting worn out and contemplating whether or not we could make it all the way around the mountain in  3 days. It was already 4pm and we had nearly 6 miles before we’d reach the Toutle. We traversed several more giant washouts, forcing us to lose hundreds of feet up elevation, slide down the steep and trailless canyon side, brush off, shake the rocks out of our pants, and immediately climb back up the other side. Every step forward I took, I slid back 2. By the time we got to the top of one, we’d hike a couple hundred yards and find another enormous barren canyon in our path. At 7pm we had traveled close to 11 miles and were willing to camp just about anywhere. Because water sources were scarce and the maps’ indications for water were unreliable, I carried 4 liters of water the entire way! (That’s about 16 pounds of water only!). Just when we were about to give up on finding a water source, we found a stand of greenery in an otherwise barren draw full of small washouts. We explored the area and found a pool of clear water with a creek pouring out of it. It was perfect. We called this place the amphitheater camp because of the huge semicircular wall encasing the draw. As dusk came, I began to feel like I was being watched from above by cougars, bears or mountain goats. It was an amazingly starry night, far away from light pollution and we saw endless shooting stars as we laid under the night sky. Later, I discovered there had been a meteor shower that night. The next morning, we had a discussion and came to the agreement that we would turn back and explore some other parts of the mountain instead of trying to circumnavigate the entire mountain. Rob was a bit dissatisfied with this because he’d been to St. Helens several times without going around it, but went along with Shane’s and my choice to return the way we came with a side trip to Butte Camp. I was concerned with our trail movement as a group and knew that if we had tried to complete the loop we’d be hurting, stretched to the absolute limit and not very happy. Hiking 10+ miles in a day is one thing, but hiking up and down 10 miles worth or steep, up-and down dusty washouts through waterless, barren land is another. We’d either be desperate to find camps at night or be stuck out there for an extra night- which we could not afford. All of us had to be back Saturday morning for jobs and other obligations. We packed up and headed out, back over the washes, through the meadows and over the rock beds. We spent a whole day relaxing in the lush valley of Butte Camp, following game trails full of elk, bear, and deer prints and  fresh scat. This place was very popular with wildlife because it was probably one of the only reliable water sources for miles. We cooked an elaborate meal of hot and sour soup with veggies and enjoyed a few rounds of Yatzee over a flask of whiskey by the campfire. Friday morning we finished our hike back on the actual trail down to June Lake. At the lake, we washed off in the cool water and talked to a couple who had encountered a small black bear about 3/4 of a mile from the trailhead where our truck was parked. We thanked the for the tip and made lots of noise as we passed through that section of trail. Without seeing a bear or any wildlife at all, we arrived back at the parking lot which was now full of cars. I was glad to be leaving before the place was riddled with weekend warriors. Overall, my experience visiting Mt. Saint Helens was awesome. I learned a lot about perseverance, negotiating and decision-making. I would love to go back and attempt to  circle the mountain again but with 1 or 2 more days time. The eruption has completely transformed the mountain and the experience a hiker will have traversing it. I highly recommend this trip to those with at least intermediate navigation skills and who are in good shape.