The Loowit Trail Trip Report: WOW!!!! That’s about the best word I can come up with to describe this trip. From my perspective, it wasn’t just a backpack…it was an adventure. It was tougher than when I climbed St. Helen’s last month! On a clear skied Saturday morning, starting from the June Lake trailhead (elev. 2700’) myself, my son Adam, (Henceforth dubbed the trail name, ALTIDUDE) Crwdog, his wife Marlyse, D3fold and Rainrunner headed upwards to join the Loowit trail. We did the trail in a counter-clockwise fashion and generally stayed between 3200’ and 4800’. Just past June Lake on trail 244, we encountered many downed trees that required going under or over. The woods soon gave way to The Loowit Trail (216) and rugged lava flows that the trail traveled through. The trail in many places throughout this entire trip was only marked by rock cairns or unique wooden guide posts placed at intervals so you could go generally in the correct direction. Over the lava flows, rock hopping we went. Rainrunner became the first casualty (And most repeated casualty) of the trip when she scraped a leg on the sharp rocks. Ouch! Past the first lava flows the trail re-entered the woods and became VERY sketchy. With downed trees, no markers and snow patches here & there, the only way to distinguish the trail location at times was to look for the cut ends of fallen trees. It appeared as if we were the first persons this season to travel this section of the trail! Past the crossing of the climbers route at Ptarmigan trail, (216A) the trail once again entered huge lava flows, much larger than the first ones we encountered! There was NO trail…one just had to aim for the cairns or the guideposts for about a mile of extremely rough, up and down rock hopping. Spirits were high, though and we all took it in “stride”. Easy going for awhile, then we encountered “The Gullies” which plagued us for most of the trip. Sometimes HUGE, deep, gullies that intersected the trail, forcing us to scramble, slide or bounce down steep, loose rock & ash to the bottom, then cross a usually dry stream-bed and then at times claw our way up the other side whenever there wasn’t a re-routed trail present. Whew! They really slowed down our pace! A really big one on this first day was at about 2.5 miles past trail 238A, that had about a half mile total re-route. We eventually arrived at a high overlook at the South Fork Toutle River that provided a grand view of the monstrous gully that held the Toutle, plus a glimpse of the “Restricted Area” on the opposite side of the gully that we would go into tomorrow. We made our way down to the river bottom and set up camp for the night right next to the Toutle River. It had been a 14 mile day. After refilling our water at a nearby spring about ¼ mile down the Toutle Trail #238 and a quick dinner, everyone sacked out just as the sun went behind a ridge to the west in preparation for an early start for a long 19 mile day tomorrow. On the trail at 6:15AM, we scrambled down the 8’ high vertical gravel banks of the Toutle, crossed it and headed up switchbacks through the woods. They soon gave way to a scary, steep, loose scree-slope that we gingerly and slowly traversed up to the restricted area where there was a gorgeous view and meadows. We then headed across the blast zone, which became more and more desert-like and extremely desolate the further we went. The devastation that the eruption had caused in this area became quickly obvious, but there was green re-growth in places. HOT! Man, it was hot today in this place! About 90 degrees or so, but thankfully there was a little breeze blowing to make sure the dust that kicked up from our boot steps would stick to our sweaty, sunscreen encrusted brows. We startled a herd of elk as we topped the rim of one of the many gullies of this north side of the mountain. 14 cows thundered down the gully, while 3 huge bulls tried to sneak off undetected in the opposite direction. Soon, The Breach of the volcano came into view with Loowit falls coming out of it. Awesome! Again the trail became sketchy and difficult to follow due to erosion and deposition for about ½ mile on an active alluvial fan. There were only a few cairns to be seen. D3fold shifted into high gear about this time and after giving him one of our radios, he took off ahead of us slow pokes and scouted for the correct route. It should be noted at this time to everyone reading this that might do this trail that the lack of decent water is a very serious factor in this entire circuit! We nearly ran out and were going to try to filter some crappy, glacier silt ridden goop, when d3fold radioed us that he had found an oasis, complete with trees! We had heard this pure water source existed, but its exact location was not known to us. (It’s between Loowit Falls trail 216F and Windy trail 216E) We hurried ahead and found a crystal clear spring, bubbling forth from some rocks. We filled our containers and drank our fill directly from the delicious water source, not worrying about “water nasties.” Onward we went, across the gullied desert and soon went up a series of “real” rock switchbacks blasted out of a cliff to Windy Pass and out of the restricted area where we once again met up with d3fold. The pass is aptly named by the way and was a grassy delightful place to take a break and see forever in most all directions. Down from the pass we went on another steep, loose scree slope and onto the flat and desolate Plains of Abraham. The trail was pretty obvious in the dirt and easy to follow and d3fold went ahead. Rainrunner had gotten dirt into her boots and I stayed with her while she cleaned them out and everyone else continued ahead. We found my son, Altidude sitting along the trail at the far edge of the Plains of Abraham, looking pretty exhausted after 15 miles. The remainder of the group had gone ahead since Rainrunner and I were only 15 minutes behind them. It was about this time that shin splints started bothering me pretty badly and I also slowed down dramatically. The three of us continued on at a slower pace along the east side of the mountain, across many more gullies, interspaced with woods. At a gully draining the Shoestring glacier, the trail was obliterated. We had to scramble down nearly 100’ of the steepest, worst stuff yet! We helped each other down and back up the equally difficult far side without many more abrasions. We were stopping frequently to rest since the trail between Ape Canyon trail #234 and June Lake trail #216B had now became lava flows and large rocks again, which combined with our maladies made us pretty darned slow. We were passed by two trail runners who told us that they had left June Lake trailhead this morning at 8AM going counter-clockwise and now had nearly completed the circuit in about 10 hours! Pure insanity in my humble opinion! After 2 miles of lava flows, the trail finally came down into the woods where it soon joined the June Lake trail and out to the trailhead. Yay!!! Instead of the 3 ½ hour drive home that faced us, I drove us to Woodland and crashed at a motel for the evening. Ahhhhhhh! Shower….bed…..pillow! NICE! All in all, a very good trip. I wouldn't reccommend doing it on only two days to us ""normal"" backpackers though.....too much mileage due to the No Camping restrictions placed on people going through the blast zone. Hoosierdaddy.

It was cloudy in Seattle; so, we started south. The clouds started to part as we approached Windy Ridge Parking lot in the Mount St. Helens Recreation area. While the road is paved, it is a windy and slow drive from route 12. The first 2 miles are on an old road and go easily down hill. This connects with the Truman trail and starts over the toward the Plain of Abraham. The trail is easy going and my vision was downward to see how Mother Nature was healing herself. Pearly Everlasting was everywhere and in bunches - more than I have seen anywhere. Lupine, Penstemon and Paintbursh were spread here and there. The trail has up and downs through the gullies. Soon views of Spirit lake come into view and then the lava dome in the crater. We went about 2 miles and had lunch. We decide to loop back on go up the Loowit trail by the falls and then back to the Truman trail on our way out. I like this part better - the view over the Plain and Lake were better. I felt that I was looking at Mother Nature undressed - like most of us, she looks better dressed. The bare rock, open gullies, little color and wrinkles are all there. I hope I can come back in another 20 years to see how it has changed. This is an easy loop of 9-10 miles with may 1000 feet elevation gain. No spectular views but a real feel for how the earth heals.

The Toutle and Butte Camp Trails are a nice way to access the Loowit Trail, although a long drive from civilization. From the Olympia area, it is about a 3-hour drive, mostly on paved roads. Take Hwy 503 from I-5 towards Cougar. Past Cougar, Hwy 503 becomes FR 90. A short way pass the crossing of the Lewis River Spillway, is an intersection with FR 83. Follow 83 to the Sno-Park and take a left towards Red Rock Pass (this road is gravel). You'll pass the access road to the Climber's Bivouac on the way. Since we stayed overnight at Beaver Bay Campground (Pacific Power, fee) it was about an hour drive one-way. From the small parking lot at Red Rock Pass, the Toutle trail immediately climbs up and through an ancient lava flow on good trail, with views of Mt. St. Helens. Then the trail enters open woods, crossing a couple of old road/trails which are used in the winter as XC ski routes. The Toutle Trail finally turns west, while the Butte Camp Trail begins a gradual climb towards the Loowit Trail. Most of the trail passes through woods, with brief openings, including a pretty meadow at Butte Camp. There is a spring-fed stream here. We saw some late flowers here, also, including yellow and pink monkeyflower and willow herb. From here, the Butte Camp Trail climbs a series of switchbacks through woods and then along a dry open slope. Views open up as the trail climbs to a cliff line and finally tops out at the junction with the Loowit Trail. From here, only climbers can go cross-country further up the mountain. For hikers there is the decision whether to go right or left to sample the delights of the Loowit. Or choose to just enjoy some late summer sunshine as we did. Views to the south include Mt. Hood and the desolate slopes of St. Helens loom above. The area is very open and alpine, with heather and grass meadow interpersed with volcanic rock and tiny trees, one of the prettier areas along the entire Loowit. There were a few minor blow-downs across the trail, but no impediments to hikers. The tiny creek at Butte Camp is the only water available on the route this time of year. There was no wind while we were there, which can be an unpleasant feature of the Loowit due to the ash and sand in the area. It is an enjoyable hike for people wanting a closer look at some of the volcanic features of Mt. St. Helens.

Loowit Trail #216 Loowit is the name of a beautiful young girl who became a beautiful mountain, Mt. St. Helens. The trail that circles the mountain is only 27 miles long, but as difficult and changeable as only a trail through active volcanic territory can be. Our group consisted of Doris (leader extraordinaire), Ray, Maxine, Sonny, Ishmael, Mary Jo, Gaylord and myself. We started our four-day adventure from the Windy Ridge parking lot, at the end of FR 99. The early morning fog was lifting, revealing the ash and pumice-covered slopes of the mountain. Spirit Lake lay below, beautiful and blue, with its floating log burden. To access the Loowit Trail, we walked down a stretch of the Truman Trail, an old road now only occasionally used by scientific teams accessing the Pumice Plains. On the way to the Plains, we passed the trailhead for the Abraham Trail. We passed a parking lot and the junction of the Truman Trail with the Loowit Trail and started on our way. The first day was spent crossing the Restricted Zone. No camping is allowed and hikers must stay within a 10-foot space near the trail. There is no shelter, no trees, and no shade. The zone can be blistering hot, dusty, windy and dry. Few reliable water sources are available. We had to hike nearly 12 miles that day to reach our first available campsite. The Pumice Plains look flat from Johnston Ridge, but are anything but smooth. There are frequent gullies to cross as well as active alluvial fans, filled with debris, mud, silt, and rocks. We passed by beautiful carpets of tiny alpine lupine, as well as stark rocky washes devoid of vegetation. In one startling oasis, we discovered a garden of pink monkey flower and hardy willows hugging the edge of a creek, which sprang full-grown from the side of the mountain. After struggling over the uneven surface of the Pumice Plains, we climbed to the heights of Studebaker Ridge, with its views of Spirit Lake, Mount Margaret and Castle Ridge. The mountain loomed to the east. The trail then dropped down into the difficult gully of Studebaker Creek and climbed again to a ridge above the South Fork Toutle River. The South Fork’s canyons were scoured by the mudflows of the 1980 eruption and were very deep. We dropped down the steep slope on switchbacks, crossing sloughing banks, soft and deteriorating tread and finally reached another oasis of young bushes, where we had to beat our way through thick brush to reach the river’s edge. Some of us gracefully rock-hopped across the Toutle. I splashed my way through a shallow ford and we all scrambled up the difficult steep loose rocky bank. Our first camp was located off the Loowit Trail, on the Toutle Trail, next to a stream. The camp was located in old growth forest and well sheltered. Stats: 11.7 miles, 1,610 feet gain. On the second day we were greeted by heavy drizzle, soaking tents and clothing. We beat our way back to the Loowit and began the relentless climb up the trail to reach Crescent Ridge. On a clear day, there are views of Johnston Ridge and Clearwater Visitors Center, as well as the deep colorful canyons of the South Fork Toutle. The mountain looms above it all. The trail passed through a bit of forest and then reaches the blast zone, now covered with thick huckleberry, thimbleberry, maple and alder, young fir and hemlocks and tall bleached skeletons of the pre-1980 forest. Soon we came to the junction with the Sheep Canyon Trail and about a 1/2 mile beyond, another of our major challenges, a huge washout at the Blue Lake mudflow gully. After gasping at the depth of the gully, our party elected to hike down and around it, which we did quite successfully. Even then, the steeply sided slopes were still a challenge. Soon we reached the junction with the Butte Camp Trail. The terrain was quite beautiful, passing through open grassy meadows with rocky outcrops and a pumice plain. There were few trees. Mt. St. Helens has few forests since there has been so much recent volcanic activity with mudflows and pyroclastic eruptions constantly disturbing any attempts for trees to establish a foothold on its slopes. Near the junction of the Butte Camp Trail, we encountered our first lava flow. The trail through it and the preceding ones were vague. We followed a wavering line of tall poles and sometimes gravel path through lumpy black boulders big and small. Hopping from one uneven rock to another with a full pack was quite an exhausting experience. After the lava, we crossed another treacherous gully and then another large lava flow. Beyond that there was thick alpine forest, through which the trail quickly descended. Several large trees were down across the trail, requiring us to either climb over, under or go around the barriers. Then we came upon the Ptarmigan Trail, the summer route for mountain climbers. There we took a well-deserved break and talked to a couple of groups on their way down the mountain. Then past the junction, we climbed back up into another lava flow to reach Swift Creek and Chocolate Falls, our second campsite. We were exhausted. Stats: 11.1 miles, 2700’ gain. The third day dawned mild and cloudy, low-hanging clouds blocking any views, but keeping the temperatures at a comfortable level. We began our day climbing the Loowit over a lava flow with good tread. Above us loomed the Worm Flows Buttress. We climbed the open, rocky slopes and reached an area with good views. The clouds broke up enough to give us glimpses of Mt. Adams to the east and Mt. Hood to the south. On the mountain slope above was the Shoestring Glacier. There was another nasty gully to cross, but nothing to approach our next major obstacle, the crossing of the Shoestring Canyon and the Muddy River. This area was extremely daunting. The trail barely exists and any detours would be extremely long. We had to cross. Footing was treacherous, but we climbed down the steep loose slopes carefully, successfully reaching the bottom of the canyon. We climbed up and over the island and dropped down into another ravine. I needed help with my big pack. Then we climbed up the trace of trail left in the sloughing slope. Near the top, I slipped and slammed into the side of the canyon, digging into the loose soil with fingers and toes. Fortunately for me, Maxine and Ray grabbed my pack, and then proceeded to hang on to me as I scrambled on hands and knees over the edge of the gully and onto flat ground. I was a bit dirty and scratched, but alive and grateful for my companions’ steady thinking. With everyone safely over the Shoestring, we proceeded on to the junction with Ape Canyon Trail, peeking briefly over the cliff into the scoured canyon below. We then completed the day’s hike by reaching the Plains of Abraham where we set up camp next to a stream. Stats: 7.6 miles, 2,060’ gain. Our last night was very windy. Few of us got much sleep. At one point, I awoke to see the moon rise golden to one side of Mt. Adams and the Milky Way strung out like diamonds above. At dawn, the wind had not abated and it was a chore to break down camp. We chose to hike out via the Abraham Trail, as our leader, Doris, noted that the Windy Pass portion of the Loowit was difficult and steep. None of us needed to prove ourselves on more treacherous trails. We crossed the Plains of Abraham, passing tall cairns of black rock and fields of blooming lupine and penstemon. After the junction with the Abraham and Loowit trails, we passed through a wash strewn with black rocks and climbed up gentle grades onto Abraham Ridge. The trail looped around the slopes through beautiful flower gardens and then climbed up to the top of the ridge, fully exposed to the strong winds. The clouds were descending too, bringing thick drizzle to dampen everything. The final mile or so of the ridge, we hiked along a narrow strip of trail on the knife-like summit, fighting all the while with strong gusty winds that threatened to throw us off. Finally we reached the security of the old roadbed of the Truman Trail, with 1.7 miles to hike back to the parking lot. It was with great relief and joy that we left behind the challenges and tribulations of the Loowit Trail. It was a great adventure, but none of us was eager to do it again very soon. Stats for the final day: 5 miles, approx. 700’ gain. This trail is definitely ONLY for very experienced backpackers and those who feel confident scrambling over loose steep slopes and uneven rock surfaces. The Loowit continually challenged us in every way and every day. We were mostly fortunate that the weather was cooler, because it is normally quite hot this time of year. And while we found plenty of water, it can not be counted on every year. The mudflow canyons were particularly dangerous and difficult to cross. Personally I feel very lucky to have survived the ordeal and would never attempt such a hike without a very strong, experienced group to back me up. It is thanks to them that I can write this report. I’m going back to the Loowit, but only on day hikes. The country is fabulous, raw and wild and deserves every respect for the grand forces of Nature and the cycle of life dictated by a young and vigorous volcano called Mt. St. Helens. Liz Escher, 7/30/02