I ran the Volcanic 50K race on 8/3/24, which covers the entire Loowit Trail. The race begins at Marble Mountain sno-park, follows the winter climbing route to Chocolate Falls and the Loowit Trail junction, then proceeds clockwise around the mountain.
Be ready for boulder scrambling, steep trail, overgrown stretches, and eroded and washed out treacherous trail, especially going in and out of canyons. Faint goat-track with that nasty ball bearing type of gravel that wants to roll under foot and makes you slip! Ugh! Poles would be helpful.
ROPES: Near Sheep Canyon there are a couple of precipitous canyons that you descend into and climb out of using fixed ropes. These were recently replaced and are in good condition. I found wearing work gloves helpful.
Water: nonexistent for long stretches of trail. Without the dedicated volunteers who hauled in water I could not have run/hiked this trail! Pumice Butte is dry (near Ape Canyon.) Crossing the Toutle River and the glacial streams - nothing marked, find the place to cross that you think you can handle.
Insects: biting flies were out. They bit me. Yellowjackets and bees buzzed me but I didn’t get stung.
Berries and wildflowers: some but not a lot. Plains of Abraham has no flowers now.
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