Harry's Ridge — Saturday, Jul. 18, 2015

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

The drive to the beginning of the hike was a breeze -- well-maintained roads the whole way there! The parking lot of the Johnston Observatory is huge, and I didn't have any issues snagging a spot even though I arrived during what seemed like prime time for visitors (noon on a Saturday). Bring your Northwest Forest Pass into the observatory for a complimentary wrist band so you can hike the surrounding trails and check out the Observatory later. Otherwise, it's $8. Once I got past the main Observatory grounds, the trail became much emptier and the views of Mount St. Helens only got better and better. As other people have mentioned, I doubt very much that this trail is only a 200-foot elevation gain because it sure seemed like a good portion of it was uphill. The trail is well kept, aside from a few areas of overgrown shrubbery, but those are easily brushed aside. The wildflowers are beautiful -- lots of red, orange, purple, and pink in those meadows! In certain areas, it smelled like sweet, fresh jam cooking, and it wasn't until much later that I realized it's because tiny wild strawberries are growing all over the ground! The cliffside bit is pretty tricky. It doesn't last very long, but I have a fear of heights and the path is very narrow at parts and unnervingly steep. I'm not an experienced hiker (though I am very careful on my feet) and I still made it through after some fellow hikers (hi Andy and Bill!) gave me a good pep talk and led the way, but if heights make you dizzy or if you're prone to tripping over your own feet, this may not be the best hike for you. From there, the trail remains easy to follow, and there are big wooden stakes along the way to reassure you that you're still going the right way. The very last mile up to Harry's Viewpoint is steep, but it is worth it! You don't need trekking poles or anything like that, just a good deal of leg power and determination. At the top, there's some kind of solar panel thing and a concrete slab that's perfect for resting on and taking in all the sights. Spirit Lake is super blue and beautiful, and we saw Mount Adams rising up behind it. Also from this hilltop, you stare right down the throat of Mount St. Helens. Bring some binoculars and check out the little waterfall streaming out of the crater -- it's very impressive! You can also see the small trees sprouting up beside it. Life finds a way. Check out the white sheet of logs on Spirit Lake, too. It is an unreal sight. There were a lot of flies on the hilltop when I was there, but they surprisingly were more interested in crawling all over my backpack and shoes than in the sandwich I ate up there. Along the trail, there were a few loud grasshoppers that liked to fly at my face, but they weren't too much of a nuisance. No biting or stinging bugs, at least! There is really no cover on this hike, so wear plenty of sunscreen and bring sunglasses and a hat or bandana so your head doesn't burn. I reapplied twice during the hike and thus avoided getting burnt. Also bring plenty of water because all of the heat and uphill hiking will leave you thirsty! Because there is no cover, it gets fairly windy and can whip up the sand into a flurry -- by the time I was back at the observatory, I was covered in a fine coating of sand. It never got bad enough to make me feel unsteady, though. Overall, I don't know if I'd do this hike again because that cliffside part did make me very uneasy, but I'm glad I did complete it at least once! The views were incredible, and the scenery along the way was astonishing, even if it didn't boast any impressive water features. I completed this hike in about 4.5 hours.