Ape Canyon, Loowit Trail, Windy Ridge and Plains of Abraham & Plains of Abraham - Windy Pass Loop — Friday, Jul. 13, 2012

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

What a spectacular section of St. Helens to explore! Based on Eli Boschetto's excellent recommendation (see his 7/7 trip report) I set out to hike Ape Canyon. Views of the mountain start pretty early, with Hood and Adams showing themselves too. Some woodland flowers were blooming in the understory (there are still some big trees here!) The miles went by quickly and soon I was out of the trees at the junction of the Loowit Trail with the Plains of Abraham (how epic) in front of me. I was surprised to see a lot of bright pink heather in bloom among the rock here. This is where the Ape Canyon trail ends and I decided to continue on, turning right (east-ish) on the Loowit. Close-up views included blooming lupine and one very cute marmot. In the distance, Rainier shows itself. In 1.8 miles I reached another junction, and turned left to continue on the Loowit to cross the plains to head up to Windy Pass. (This is the section that overlaps with the Plains of Abraham Loop.) As I left the plains and headed up a hillside loose with pumice and ash, there was a short section where the trail had eroded away. It required careful footing to make my way across this and regain something that looked like a path. Then, from Windy Pass, I had a new view: Spirit Lake. This added about 5.5 miles to my total mileage for the day but was so worth it. Even if you don't have the time/energy to continue this far, as long as you are carrying enough water consider exploring a portion of the plains. All of the trail junctions were well signed. It was a Friday and I only ran into 3 other groups the whole day - hikers, backpackers, and trail runners - no mountain bikers that day.