Ape Canyon — Saturday, Sep. 10, 2016

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

Our first-ever hike on Mt St Helens was astounding. Trailhead was packed with cars at 2pm Saturday, mostly for bikers it turned out. Took our time over 3 hours to climb all the way to Loowit Trail junction, sometimes labeled as 4.6 miles, 5 miles, or 5.5 miles so we're not sure exactly. Took just 2 hours to get back. There was a work crew out smoothing the trail in portions this day. Trail is in great condition except the last couple hundred feet, where I swear it seems the thin trail is poised to crumble into the Ape Canyon floor anyday now -- I hope the trail engineers are dreaming up a new route for that piece already. Bikers should also beware of 2-3 spots where root-steps require hopping or portage on what is otherwise a smooth and gentle trail. We had views of Mt Hood, Mt Adams, Mt Rainier, and of course Mt St Helens this day.