Loowit Trail GPX track

[Eric Peterson]

on same day?

[vibramhead]

Thanks Vibram I was going to look for a track shortly so this is great. Where did you start? That's not Marble Mtn Snow park I don't think is it? Also, what was your logic for starting where you did and did you consider any other start points? Did you go CW or CCW? Where did you camp and was it a good spot?

I did it as a 2-day, one night hike, going clockwise. Started at the June Lake trailhead, which I reached about 8 a.m. after driving from Portland. After weighing the options, I chose it because it was the closest drive from Portland. Also, after reading about how challenging it can be to hike the lava fields on the south side, I figured I should get those out of the way first, while I was fresh. Starting at June Lake and going clockwise lets you do that. The problem with planning this hike as a 2-day is dealing with the blast zone, which is basically the northern third of the trail, where you aren't allowed to camp. So, from June Lake, I was facing either a long first day and short second, or the reverse. I chose the former, and hiked 21.5 miles on day 1. The lava fields were a chore in places, and I was mighty glad to have trekking poles there. Crossing the S. Fork Toutle wasn't a bad wade in late July. One sketchy spot was right after that. Just after crossing the river, the trail climbs a steep, loose gully, at top of which are some boulders you have to climb over that seemed like they could come loose quite easily. Fortunately, they didn't. I could have camped after climbing out of the S. Toutle canyon, just before the blast zone boundary, which was about 13 miles into the hike. There's no tree cover there (which is true for most of the trail). I opted to keep going. The trail across Windy Pass is fairly exposed, with lots of loose rock. I camped just after dropping from the pass onto the Plains of Abraham. I chose that site only because it was the first flat ground I got to after crossing the pass, just as the sun was setting. There's nothing in particular to recommend it.

One thing I had considered, but didn't do, was camping at June Lake the night before starting the hike. As it turned out, June Lake didn't look like a very appealing place to camp anyway. The only flat ground that was evident was where the trail passes it, and it looked like a big gravel parking lot. The lake is mostly hemmed in by willows.

Anyway, it's a spectacular hike, particularly the blast zone. It's some of the most dramatic scenery in our neck of the woods.