Finally made it to Windy Ridge. Came up here in Mid-May only to find the same thing I encountered in Late June - Road Closed due to Snow to Windy Ridge. It's late August, temps around 90 and there is no SNOW except for in the shadows in the higher elevations. Arrived Thursday the 25th at stayed at Iron Creek campground which borders the Cispus River. Went up to Windy Ridge to watch the sunset that evening. It lived up to it's name, WINDY! Yes, it was certainly breezy to say the least. Hiked up the first portion of the trail that leads toward Loowit Falls for a look see of what Friday would bring me on the full hike. Ran into a small pile of Bear Scat, hmmm? Left after the sunseterrific colors were dissipating before it was totally dark. It's a mighty twisty road back to the route 25, especially till you get out of the blast zone.

Friday I arrived at roughly 10AM, No Wind? Loaded up my gear and set off down the ridge trail. About 1/2 way down I spotted a small herd (6 or so) of Elk grazing off toward the east on a lower hilltop. The sun was still partially hidden behind early morning cloud cover. Crossed paths with a solo hiker who had just about finished the Loowit Trail loop around the mountain perimeter; said it took him 2 1/2 days. Said it was hot! A couple on Mtn. Bikes road by soon after. By the time I reached the end of the trail at Pumice Flats it was getting pretty warm out. I decided to take of my lightweight long sleeve roll up sleeve hiking shirt and completed the rest of the hike in my synthetic activewear T-shirt. Had a hat, and ripstop cargo pants. Lots of beautiful wildflowers adorned the path on and off up to this point. I pass another solo hiker who looks really hot, not wearing a shirt and wiping sweat off his forehead with his T-shirt. As I reached the other side of the flats the heat begins to kick in a little more and I decide it's time for a small break, some water and photo ops of flowers and the terrain.

I continue on toward Loowit Falls as the blackbirds sit atop the marking posts in the distance. Usually not moving till I am about 15 feet away from them. As I enter large patches of wildflowers I can hear the buzz of the bees as they pollinate; paying absolutely no attention to me at all. The day is certainly heating up as I begin to feel the heat build up from the backpack I am carrying. Out of the nowhere I hear the sound of water as I come upon a muddy little runoff. I am hoping the falls are getting near. Some places the path is very soft and it is also very narrow. This is no place for carelessness and getting a twisted ankle. I hear the sound of water again as I come upon what appears to be an Oasis in the middle of the devastated blast path. And an Oasis it is! Willow Springs Oasis to be exact. You must walk through the runoff to follow the path that is shrouded in vegetation taller than most people. It's shady and cool in here! I will stop on the way back for a rest.

Loowit Falls shouldn't be too much further. The disappointing part of the journey; I didn't see a sign that ever said I was at Loowit Falls. It looks like the trail continued, on the opposite side of a very bouldery ravine.I began to go beyond what were likely the falls. The Lava rocks were getting very large and the ravine dropped down pretty sharply with no clear path to the other side, where I could clearly see a trail. I sat here a while debating what I should do. I then noticed this quite loud clicking type sound? What I wondered was that? It is so eerily quiet out here that all the noises seem amplified. It was the sound of flying grasshoppers! I sat here, took some close up shots of the west inside crater wall and ate a snack. After my break I decide to head back to the falls about 50 feet back or so; they must be the Loowit Falls,they just didn't seem very spectacular. I walked a little ways up towards the water and climbed alongside the rocky area next to the water. The soft footing was giving way some and I decided this might not be the right path or not to be climbed upon. There was a slightly larger fall drop, but still nothing worthy as I had thought. So I dropped back down to the run off level below the first falls I saw. While I rested here taking a break and snapping a few photos, another hiker appeared. He too climbed up the same area I did and soon after I began hiking back toward the Oasis, I heard him yell out "there are some bigger falls coming over a cliff higher up". He was apparently more determined than I to find something better and bigger and had.

I at that point was not thrilled by what I had seen and decided that I would just head back to the Oasis. Besides, I wasn't too sure if we were supposed to be climbing alongside the falls upwards to view them? Might not be considered the path and subject to the $100 minimum fine? Back at the Oasis I splashed some of the icy cool water over my arms and hands. Felt absolutely refreshing! It was absolutely beautiful here; as the pictures show. To me, this was worth the hike more than the falls I didn't see might have been. A true Oasis in the middle of a section of desert terrain. I could have spent hours here. Alas, that was not possible and after 30 minutes I decided it was time to head back to Windy Ridge. PS -Some have said the water here (Oasis) is fine to drink, I'd still not drink it without filtering unless you were absolutely dehydrated.

Various sites calculate the total journey I travelled at roughly 9.7 miles or so. I did it in 4 hours and 15 minutes, including all the photo ops and Oasis fun. I would definitely do this hike again and branch off to some of the other trails. There is Abraham Trail and of course Truman Trail just to name a couple. Mt St Helens is truly an interesting experience. I never thought I would be so drawn here, but I have been up here 3 times since Mid May and find it more interesting every time. Sadly, the campgrounds nearby all close at the end of September; I was hoping to return around Halloween for a Spooktacular weekend!

Went from Windy ridge trail to the Loowit trail to the Loowits falls trail and returned the same way. Making this a 9.8 miles rt. This is so amazing! Make this a must do. Somtimes I forget how small I really am in the world, which is a good thing to remember. Great hike, views, flowers, waterfall.

Entered from Windy Ridge, and completed circuit of the mountain. Complete trip report is posted on http://www.summitpost.org/v[…]742347&confirm_post=12, to which pictures will be added. This WTA report will focus on conditions encountered.

Wildflowers are going wild at the top of Ape Canyon near the waterfall north of Pumice Butte! Get water there, as the streams between there and June Lake are muddy.

June Lake (where we camped night 1) waterfalls are beautiful.

My 20-year old Green Trails shows trail 244 going from June Lake to Swift Creek, but a sign at the lake identifies this as a winter ski route 244D, and no summer route across the lava here is evident -- had to hike the steep trail back to Loowit Trail above June Lake. I'm not sure if newer maps make this clear.

Hike from June Lake to South Toutle is the longest and toughest of the three sections of Loowit if you choose to do it in three days. The lava flows west of the crossing of Ptarmigan Trail (summer climbing route) are marked with posts, pipes, and cairns, but still hard to follow in places. Contrary to the persistent USFS trail report, there is only one small patch of snow to be crossed, between the lava flows and Butte Camp Trail. It is a bit steep, but several folks have avoided the danger by going 100 feet lower in the shallow gully. The main thing to note on this south and west side of the mountain is that the trail is longer than topos and guides show, as there is a mile+ detour down the Blue Lake Wash that loses around 400+ feet of elevation which must be regained.

Crossing the South Fork of the Toutle can be a challenge, both crossing the creek itself and the scramble up the north side of the gorge. We camped in the meadows to the north, which necessitated downclimbing and reclimbing this unpleasant cliff in the morning. The advantage of camping here vs. the Toutle Trail camp is it gets the crossing done the day before the climb back up to 4400 feet. Some of the large boulders embedded in mud are solid, but a few are not! Go one at a time, and stay clear of the area below.

Crossing the north side of the mountain to Windy Ridge is the Great Volcano Adventure. First of all, I understand WTA did a lot of work on this section last year. I wondered if our late spring might have wrought some damage, but found the trail to be in excellent condition. THANKS!

We saw the elk (120-150 of 'em?) traveling east across and then north down Studebaker Ridge. It felt like being on a safari! There was plenty of good water coming down the middle tributary of Studebaker Creek (but obviously needs filtering due to abundant wildlife!). The creek coming down from Loowit Falls (Loowit Creek? or upper North Fork of Toutle?) is muddy, and was fairly challenging to cross a day and a half after a somewhat rainy night. And it's muddy. The next really good water is the spring east of Loowit Falls below the Forsyth Glacier ... a veritable Eden with all the monkey flowers and willows, and a great place for a break in the hike! However, there was a lot more water flowing down the north side of the mountain than one might expect in the last half of August, and all of it could be made drinkable in a pinch.

Anyone who thinks they know St.Helens by having climbed up the south side is missing the true experience of this mountain...do the hike around to really get to know her!

Starting at the June Lake trail head, hiking and weather conditions were perfect. Although over grown in several areas, the trail was in good condition. Lightly traveled so far this season, we met few other backpackers, but many day hikers near trail heads. Wild flowers were prolific and a bumper crop of mountain strawberries provided unscheduled refreshment. Water is abundant, even in typically dry drainages. The only difficulties were crossing the South Fork of the Toutle River (trail washed out, exposed scrambles down and up)and Loowit Creek (fast, high water, no marked crossing). The Windy Pass Trail is very exposed, as is Muddy River. The ever changing scenery is breathtaking. I recommend this hike as a must do for all Pacific northwest hikers.