Bottom Line:
The cornices obstructing views into the crater finally melted enough in the past week to open up good views from anywhere on the crater rim. Constant rockfall (see video) as the rim continues to crumble into the crater in real time - CAUTION: Stay off the remaining cornices and away from the edge of the rim. There is a small flagged off section of the rim right next to the trail terminus that is currently unstable and at risk of falling. As expected, the views of surround volcanos were spectacular, despite some haze. The trail is snow-free and dry - there is no available water for filtering. The crater is cool with its lava dome, encircling glacier that is now over 600ft thick, and multi-colored walls. CAUTION: Lots of blowing dust and pumice - careful with camera equipment. The vertical is significant, and the bouldering tiring. But the hike is probably less intense than I expected.
Stats:
- Distance: 11-1/2 miles (some crater rim exploration)
- Duration: 10-1/4 hours (hiked more slowly in a group)
- Vertical: 4710 ft
- Road/Parking: FS-81 out of Cougar, WA is in good condition. 830 Rd to the Climber's Bivouac Trailhead is gravel with some potholes, but doable by most cars by managing speed. Lots of parking at the trailhead. Toilets. The summit trail requires a permit from Recreation.gov which includes a parking pass for the trailhead. Permits were sold out, but we did not encounter anything close to 100 hikers on the trail; assume the rest were "no-shows" unfortunately
- Weather: Sunny, with some morning marine layer, and afternoon smoke/haze. Started in the 50s and finished in the 70s. A little breezy at higher elevations, and on the crater rim. An early start is strongly recommended for cooler temperatures, clearer air and less wind.
- Flora/Fauna: Occasional flower meadows in the forest, but most of the flowers started at the base of the bouldering section above tree line, petering out as one gains elevation (see video). Many bees, butterflies and (surprisingly) hummingbirds (even saw one at the summit!). Heather and penstemon were most prolific, but among the other flowers: columbine, paintbrush, tiger lily, avalanche lily, monkey-flower, pussypaws, yarrow, pearly everlasting, lupine, rosy spiraea, aster, desert parsley, daisy and clover. Otherwise, saw pika and chipmunks.
- Water: There is NO water on this trail for filtering; carried/used 3L; OK there is a tiny creek to hiker's left on the ascent if one hikes in the sandy gully with some remaining snowfields, instead of higher up on the ridge
- Trail: Hiking in a group, we took it quite slow, and just enjoyed the wonderful views. We started at the trailhead around 5AM to enjoy the cool morning air for the ascent. Given that you have to carry all your water, this is a good way to conserve water. The descent ended hot and dusty as expected. The trail starts in a beautiful forest seemingly spared the devastation of the 1980 eruption (mainly spruce) and emerges from the trees after a mild ascent just where the infamous "boulder field" begins. Most of the hike (timewise) is the bouldering. While not easy, there are well-defined paths, and I was not on my hands and knees as some had suggested. Poles are strongly recommended! The final ascent is steeper and in loose pumice that is tiring, but definitely easier than the bouldering. On the descent, one can glissade down numerous snowfields to bypass much of the boulder field and cool down in the snow - see video (CAUTION: Control speed as there are rocky runouts as well as rock debris on the snowfields). There is a trail around the crater rim, and heading west takes one to the high point on the rim. Most folks just hang out at the trail outlet on the rim, so if you want some solitude, a stroll is recommended. There is some exposure at times on the rim trail. It can be dusty with blowing pumice, reducing visibility into the crater. One climbs the south side of the mountain, and then looks north over the blown out northern reaches of the volcano. The mountain lost 1700ft during the 1980 eruption, as a volunteer stationed at the rim shared while reviewing the history of the mountain (and cautioning hikers about the unstable rim). Johnston Ridge and the Spirit Lake log mat are visible in the distance, as are Rainier, Adams and Mt Hood. The trail is marked with blue diamonds in the forest, and wood posts in the alpine. Note that the trail nearest the posts is not necessarily the easiest route - as long as you keep them in sight, you are good.
- Takeaway: There is brown/red pumice dust on everything right now, from the snowfields to the crater glacier. It might be interesting to some back in the fall for the cooler temperatures, likely clearer air, and perhaps some fresh snow to brighten up the crater and upper reaches of the trail. Having visited Johnston Ridge many times, the character of the mountain definitely changes through the seasons. The volunteer did suggest that the cornices were bigger this year than normal, delaying sightlines into the crater itself.
The attached video will take time to upload and convert to high definition. Sorry for the sky banding in some of the pics - a result of compressing the images to make them fit here.
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