I arrived at Windy Ridge at 8:30 in the morning just as the clouds were moving in and blocking the view of Mt St Helens. It was 47 degrees. I never saw the full mountain all day -- only partial glimpses a couple of times. But that’s OK, because I rarely let bad weather stop me from following through on hiking plans, and stormy days give the mountains a whole new look and feel. So I set off into the fog, and shortly the rain, and eventually the wind. I did this trail as a loop hike. Truman Trail #207 leaves the Windy Ridge parking lot and follows a gravel road for 2 miles. This is where the loop starts. The trail follows a long-abandoned road northwest toward Spirit Lake for another mile and a half to a junction. Along this stretch of trail there are thousands of flowers blooming, hundreds of acres of them, and views of Spirit Lake. For wildflower lovers, this part of the trail is the best, and would make for about a 5 or 6 mile out and back trip. At the junction I went left on trail #207A for a little less than a mile to a junction with Loowit Trail #216. While going up this trail the clouds parted for awhile, and off on the horizon near the base of St Helens was Loowit Falls pouring out of the breach just below the lava dome. Wow. Twin falls, side by side, joining about halfway down. It was awesome. I decided I had to see that waterfall up close. I turned left on the Loowit Trail going in the direction of the falls. But as I went uphill, conditions worsened. I shot one last picture of Loowit Falls through the fog, and then everything went gray and the rain just opened up. I have only hiked in driving rain that hard once before that I can remember – on Rock Mountain near Lake Wenatchee. Despite my best efforts to stop it, the wind-driven rain was getting into every nook and cranny of my head-to-foot Gore-Tex rain gear and boots. When I got to the next junction, I decided to forgo the .7 mile side-trip up to the falls, as there was no visibility, my clothes were getting wet, and I was getting cold. And I didn’t want to have to start breaking out my 15 essentials. So I continued down the Loowit Trail to continue the loop. On this stretch of trail there are a couple crossings of huge erosion channels with boulders that are a bit rough to climb over, around and through, but really nothing to be too concerned about. In sunny weather it’s probably nothing. At the last junction on the loop, the sign shows only left and right directions, while clearly there is a third trail going downhill, but no mention of it on the sign, or where it goes. So I quickly oriented with map and compass, and indeed the downhill trail was unmarked trail #216E, which takes you back to the end of the gravel road where the loop started. Half an hour later as I headed up the 2 mile gravel road back to the parking lot the rain increased and I was literally leaning into, and being pushed around by, the wind. I had the drawstring on my parka hood pulled up to just a small circle leaving only my eyes and nose exposed, and still water was trickling down my face and neck and into my clothes. When I finally opened my truck door at Windy Ridge, the wind almost cracked it off at the hinges. Good name, Windy Ridge. This may sound like a bad trip report, but it’s not, I loved it. I had the trail to myself except for a couple of pretty miserable looking Wazzu students collecting plant samples for a school research project. I’ve hiked plenty of miles at St Helens in stunning perfect weather, but I’d never seen it like this. I feel like Loowit Falls is a gem that somehow got past my ever-searching-for- hikes radar. I can’t wait to see it next time. It was a great hike, but on the way home a few hours later when I was sitting on a bar stool for Wednesday Taco Night at the Blue Spruce Tavern in Packwood, my shorts were still wet.

Began trip at the Johnson Ridge Observatory at noon (horrible time to start a long hike as you hit the hottest parts of the day) followed the paved trail known as Eruption Trail South Casacades. This short trail provided interesting displays describing the Mountain before, during and after the eruption. At ever turn the view of the mountain became more majestttic as you gain a better angle of the crater. The only draw back is the crowds of people and their cameras. Just keep walking on after the pavement ends and you will get better pics. No need to add to the masses here. After the pavement ends you find yourself on Boundry Trail West. I only hiked about 2.5 miles before turning onto Truman Trail. The hike brings you up and down the ridge line with not only beautiful views of St. Helens but Margarete Mountian and the North side of the blast zone. Beautiful wild flowers were everywhere. The trail ends up hugging the side of a cliff with a long drop to the valley and a narrow path. However, the ground is solid and the wind was minimal so the passing wasn't nerve wrecking even for me and I'm moderatly scared of heights. Once you reach the junction with Truman Trail you will start heading down through the only area with tree cover on the hike. After you reach the end of the trees you will begin crossing the valley. The trail changes from rocky to ashy and back again several times. You find your self close to spirt lake but not close enough to enjoy the water, just the view. As you continue through the valley the trail hits some spots that are wet as run off has taken over some cuts through high vegetation. The waater is shallow and most places have rocks placed as steppign stones to minimalize getting wet, but ensure you have a second pair of socks and shoes for later. When you come to the next junction you will follow Loowit Trail towards toowit Falls trail. The trail begins its ascent up the canyons towards the crater. There will be several rock fields to cross where the trail basically disappears. Just look ahead for the trail post sticking up and walk towards it. Try to keep you impact minimal. Finally you will see a quarter of a mile trail headed towrds the falls. Its all up mountain at this point, but short ascent is worht the view of the falls. Its unfortunte that you can not get closer to the falls or the stream as it cuts out the canyon, but its worth the extra 1/4 of a mile. The total time to reach the falls for me was just under 3 hours and covered just over 7.5 miles. Heading back was quicker but mostly because I already had all the pics I wanted. The ascent back up the ridge is tough but luckily you can find som decent spots in the trees to rest. Note I mention I had my dog, but she is a service animal. She did fine though and did not need boots to handle the terrain or long distance.

We took the day off to do a birthday hike and lucked out on some great mid-week weather. We got a nice early start arriving at Johnston Ridge at 7am. We enjoyed the solitude and the amazing scenery along the varied terrain. This is a long but easy hike to Loowit Falls from Johnston Ridge. Zero snow to contend with, no bugs, there are a few small streams to cross but they are not worth mentioning. Wild flowers in bloom include tons of lupine and Indian paint brush along with.... others we don't know the names of. Wildlife sightings included, a sage grouse who was completely unbothered by our approach, a frog, and 7 mountain goats up above Loowit Falls. All in all a perfect hike!

Great views of St. Helens although most of the clouds did not disappear until after sunset. Full sun during the day, but as we moved further on toward and onto Truman Trail, the winds picked up and layers were appreciated. Definitely bring a headlamp if you do this hike close to sunset (when the light is amazing). Clouds seem to be clearing off ST. Helens after the sun sets. :( More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/robynw/with/14143397619/

Three of us set out at 11am (it was a sluggish morning for us all!) starting at Johnston Ridge Observatory. We absolutely could not keep a pace going because we stopped every 5-10 minutes to take pictures or just observe the scenery. Every turn gave you a completely different view of the area. Those afraid of heights should take note of the Elbow portion of the trail, after that it's flat terrain through the Pumice Plains. We plan to get a MUCH earlier start next time, so we can go even further. NO SHADE AT ALL- plan ahead for water, sun exposure/protection, and over heating.