My friend was able to secure a backpacking permit for the Mount Margaret Backcountry for the nights of July 4th and 5th. We hiked the Boundary Trail and stayed at Bear Camp and Margaret.
We drove in on Forest Road 26 on the way in and FR99 and FR25 on the way out. The roads were almost entirely paved but you need to pay attention as there are many unexpected bumps and dips that will rattle your teeth and maybe damage sedans if you hit them too fast. FR26 was especially difficult due to the lack of road maintenance and the amount of brush growing in on both sides in some locations.
We hiked in from the Norway Pass parking lot. We started late to avoid some of the heat and sun on the way in. It took us about 2 hours to reach Bear Camp for the first night. There some small snow fields to cross right before Bear Camp and there were numerous low hanging branches on the way to Norway Pass though none of these seemed like much of an obstacle. You can see Mt. St. Helens starting at Norway Pass and it is at least partially visible almost the whole length of the trail (see the 1st photo). We got an interesting sunset both nights due to some haze and smoke (see 4th photo).
The next day we hiked to the summit of Mt. Margaret and then on to Margaret and Dome Camps. There were two steep snow fields between Bear and Margaret Camps that I would recommend spikes for the next 2-3 weeks. The snow was generally soft from the sun and heat except for shady areas or early in the morning when there were patches that were quite slick.
All the camp sites at Bear, Margaret and Dome were melted out but you have to cross two small steep snow fields (not dangerous but annoying) to get to the lower camp and pit toilet at Dome Camp.
We dropped our packs at Dome Camp and continued hiking all the way to the far side of St. Helens Lake and then along the Harry Ridge trail (highly recommend for the arch and the views). The 2nd day was even hotter and the sun was unrelenting with very little shade on the south facing slopes. There were various wildflowers along the entire trail but peak wildflower season might be about 2 weeks away. We got lucky with bugs as there were only a couple of biting flies or gnats and mosquitoes and we did not need to apply bug juice. Photos 2 and 3 were taken along the Boundary trail on our 2nd day.
The smoke and haze worsened the 2nd evening and night. We had a fairly early breakfast the 3rd morning and headed back towards the car to beat the sun and heat.
My guess is that most of the wildflowers will peak in 2-3 weeks and that the most difficult snowfields will be greatly diminished at about the same time. Unfortunately, the bugs will also probably peak about that same time. Water sources are a couple of small streams or one of the many snowfields along the route. I imagine water will be harder to come by during August. There is a nice, little meltwater stream coming off the NE shoulder of Coldwater Mountain, above St. Helens Lake. There is no access to St. Helens Lake itself as off trail travel is not permitted south of the Boundary Trail.
Carry plentiful water and sunscreen and enjoy the views!
Comments