Harry's Ridge — Saturday, Jun. 20, 2015

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

One of my very first memories is the sound of confused little birds making a thud as they encountered our living room window on the day Mt. St. Helens erupted and the morning turned eerily dark. As a native Washingtonian I've been feeling rather pathetic that I had never actually gone to visit our amazing volcano. I remedied that problem last weekend, but boy have I been missing out! Mt. St. Helens is absolutely spectacular; no photo can really do it justice (although that didn't stop me from trying to fill up my camera's memory card). The hike from the Johnston Ridge Observatory out to Harry's Ridge provides both amazing views of the mountain and plenty of other interesting geology when the mountain isn't in sight. Once you reach Harry's Ridge, you get a great view of beautiful Spirit Lake and Mt. Adams to the east, as well as pointy Mt. Hood farther south. The 8 miles roundtrip is relatively easy, just beware that there is virtually no shade. And no water, so take plenty with you. We hiked late in the afternoon and I didn't notice too many bugs while we were out, although upon arrival back at the car it became apparent that a few mosquitoes had found me. Hummingbirds and chipmunks were particularly active. Sadly, no sasquatch sightings. Paintbrush, penstemon and lupine are providing beautiful color on the ground right now. The Loowit Outlook (about 3/4 mile before the visitor center) is a worthwhile stop either coming or going. We met a volunteer there who let us look through her binoculars to see steam coming out of the dome growing in the crater, as well as peer through a scope pointed at a couple resting elk that we wouldn't have been able to make out with our naked eyes. Very cool! Happy hiking!

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://flic.kr/s/aHskecij3w