I've wanted to get over to Loowit Falls, for some reason, ever since learning it was there. Every visit to JRO, hauling visiting friends up, or hiking around that area, the far call of the Pumice Plains has echoed in my ears. But JRO is a long haul, as is Windy Ridge, and when I spied the Ape Canyon trail I thought maybe I could come in from a little closer launch point. My pre-trip planning led me to think I'd be looking at about 16-18 miles. So much for planning. As I said, I busted right through the 20-mile wall, and just kept on going. Yes, the first time was very special. I have the feeling this TR may, likewise, take awhile.
The Ape Canyon Trailhead (2875') is just past the Lahar on MSH's southeast flank.
When I finally arrived at the TH, about 8:45, I was actually the very first car. On a weekend, no less. By 9:00, I was on the trail, busting down every spider web that'd gone up overnight. I gotta say, this trail is a fine piece of work. It heads up a ridgeline paralleling the lahar, but staying within the forest, gradually gaining about 1500' over 4 miles, before opening up into the blast zone. Along the way, the path is softly blanketed with forest debris and fine dirt. (I hate to say it, but the fact they allow mountain bikes on this trail may be partly responsible for its good condition?) If I hadn't been walking up through clouds at this point, I would've had views of MSH, Hood, Adams, and Rainier on either side of the ridge, as I slowly climbed. The forest itself was a glorious old-growth mix of mostly cedar and fir.
The forest was silent, as I climbed through the clouds.
This Downy Woodpecker really just watched me pass by.
Ape Canyon Trail is an absolute joy on the feet, as it slowly rises through the old growth. Or, more
importantly, as you pound back down after a day walking on volcanic debris!
And these trees were big! This one had a handy camera rest nearby, but bigger ones eluded digital
capture. My poles were set to 125cm, for scale.
The trail brushes against overlooks fairly often. Here's what could be a great shot of MSH!
At just over 4 miles in (4100'), you come around a corner, and are suddenly at the edge of the blast zone. MSH rises ahead, Rainier is off to your right, Adams behind you. Or they would be, on a clear day, anyway. I hit this point about 1.5 hours in, and the clouds were just starting to break up.
Mount Saint Helens
Mount Adams
The sign at the trailhead says it's 5.5 miles to the Loowit Trail, but I only measured 4.3 miles. The landscape has changed dramatically, of course. You're walking on pumice now, and really until you get back here again later in the day. As I rounded a corner, I encountered this guy, also hiking along the same trail.
He seemed quite curious, stopped for a second to reconnoiter this stranger suddenly in his midst, then hustled off to tell all his friends and family that a guest had arrived.
I have now left the clouds in the dust!
Mount Adams, for real.
The top of the ridge followed by the Ape Canyon Trail.
This is my first time to the Plains of Abraham, and I was sort of anticipating (or at least hoping) it'd still be covered in wildflowers as so gloriously documented by other TRs previously here. For the most part, though, the show seems to be pretty much over for this year. There was one exceptional display, off to one side, almost like a "model home" in a proposed development.
Shortly, I discovered the source of all this glory. Right around the next bend was a swift moving creek of rather clear water. I noted this as a potential refill spot, as I fully expected it to be some of the best I'd see. (In the end, it was the second best!) The creek flowed right off the edge of a cliff, in a twisty-turny waterfall that required stopping to soak it in, and take way too many photos...
Moving on across the plain, the landscape was barren. There appeared to be much evidence of a dense groundcover of lupine, but it had been almost universally grazed of anything tender. My immediate path would take me to the junction of the Abraham Trail, on which I'd return later, and on through Windy Pass towards the north face of MSH.
Windy Pass
Cairn Dweller
Mount Margaret Backcountry comes into view at Abraham Trail junction.
Starkness
Evidence of significant runoff earlier in the season, but only a trickle now.
As I approached Windy Pass, I seem to have seriously lost the trail. It zigged, and I zagged, and ended up navigating up a pumice canyon. Not that I was cutting new trail, mind you! Others had clearly taken this path less traveled before. It was kinda nuts, with a bit of hand-scrambling in portions, and other portions where one step forward could easily have resulted in three steps sideways.
Do you see a trail here? The upper looks good, but the lower is rock lined! Decisions...
Yeah, this darn near almost looks like a trail, alright!
Crap. Really?
Finally, solid footholds! At the top of this draw, I once again find the real trail. <sigh>
Crossing Windy Pass puts you into the Restricted Zone. The views of Spirit Lake and the Backcountry pop up, and stay with you for some time to come!
At saddle of Windy Pass
Loowit Trail descending into the Pumice Plain along the side of Alpine Butte.
Clear view to Rainier now, too!
Funky berries to find out in this pumice desert! No idea what these are?
Continuing to descend to the Pumice Plain.
Entire north-facing hillside covered in lupine.
Again, incredibly stark. MSH was barely recognizable from this angle. It looked soooo different from all the iconic poses etched into the mind from far away.
Just the eastern lip of the crater rim visible now.
Another modest little stream. Looks clear enough to drink?
Mostly, the landscape is barren, with only evidence of water long gone.
Harry's Ridge, Coldwater Peak, and The Dome. Where I was just two weeks ago.
Then, I hit upon a grove of alder, and the trail ducked right into it. Holy cow!
Picture doesn't do it justice. This was a lot of water!
The source turned out to be only 50 yards ahead. A spring, easily comparable to Wahkeena, just busting forth right out of the side of the mountain! Fifteen or twenty gallons per second. Ice cold. Delicious. Mmmmm...
Free ice water! (Hey, it worked for Wall Drug.) Eight+ miles into my trip.
Time to chug down what I brought, and refill here on the way back!
Trudging on, I laugh at the next creek. It was pretending to be chocolate milk, but that didn't fool me. I knew where my next source was now. Finally, several lying signs later and a couple miles later, Loowit Falls comes into view! When I reach the end of the trail, the GPS says 10.35 miles. But they always exaggerate, right?
From about 1/4 mile away.
Pretty impressive falls. Hard to take a picture of. No sanctioned way to access up close, though.
Being right at the gaping mouth of the crater, helicopters were buzzing me non-stop.
It's a lot to take in, in all directions...
Western wall of the crater rim kicking up some dust.
An ocean of clouds blankets the Toutle Valley to the west.
The magnificent hummocks below Harry's Ridge taking on all sorts of colors, even in midday.
The pyramidal hummocks at the north end of Spirit Lake's Bear Cove.
Turning back now - had to happen sooner or later, right - I refill my 2 liter bladder at the cold spring. I actually reacted with great surprise at just how cold that water was! Oh, did it taste good. Probably drank half a liter before dipping in to top back off again. Leaving the spring, I turned north on the Windy Trail (216e) and followed that to where it met the Truman Trail (207). Turning left here would've taken one back to JRO, and continuing forward led up a jeep trail to Windy Ridge. (Which surprised me, for some reason. It did seem to be off-limits to unofficial vehicles.)
Pumice desert along Windy Trail.
Mount Hood in distance.
Road back to Windy Ridge (2.x miles ahead).
Shortly after the Truman-Windy junction, the Abraham Trail (216d) juts off the jeep trail back towards the Plains of Abraham. This trail heads straight up a ridgeline. Gorgeousness ensues, especially the new views opening up to the east. The trail becomes rather steep in no time, gaining about 500' up a 40° pumice slope. The USFS (presumably?) put in some really funky but incredibly utilitarian log step ladders. Each one had sixteen logs, cabled together, and there were at least 10, maybe 12, in all.
View east from the north end of Abraham Trail. Mount Adams in distance.
View southeast, up the ridge towards Plains of Abraham. MSH just to the right.
A dust devil kicked up right next to me!
It doesn't look like much, but man, this thing was spitting pumice every which way!!!
Then, something truly out of place floated past...
Huh? Really? Out here?
Those log ladder things...
As you can see, mountain bikes are allowed on the Abraham Trail.
Toutle Valley still shrouded in clouds.
Some of the north facing slopes and hidden canyons were still sprouting an abundance of flowers...
About here, I ran into a guy I'd seen many hours ago. He asked how far I still had to go. First time I'd really done the math. "Uhhhh, 8 or 9 miles?" Oh boy... It was almost 5:00pm. Probably time to see about winding this thing up.
Thunderheads over (distant) Goat Rocks.
Ravaged lupine on the Plains of Abraham. Didn't see a single damn elk this trip either.
Smokey view of Mount Hood.
No really, it's the shirt that makes my skin look that red!
One more visit to the "model home" of flower shows.
I guess seeing a White Pine sapling in here sort of surprised me. Seems out of place.
Finally! I arrive back in the forest and the comfort of the Ape Canyon Trail, again. The first shady log I happen across, I take the moment to pull out some Ibuprofin and trail mix. Looking at a long descent ahead, and the feet are definitely feeling the effect of all that rock.
Shade! Ahhhhhh...!!!
The descent was uneventful. I'd now already gone farther than ever before. Was pretty much on autopilot. Weird scenes of Forest Gump running through my mind, as I trekked on down the trail. (Weird, because I saw less than one hiker(s) per hour, the whole time out, of course. Not a single other soul on Ape Canyon Trail. So I have no idea what all those others are doing in this shot, but I digress.)
Long story, long... I made it! Quarter to eight, and I'm back at the trailhead. Last (only?) car here.
Cue drumroll... Reach for the GPS... O.M.G...!!!
No way can even Garmin Math be off by that much! I really did do it!! Hot damn!!!
The stats offered by gpsfly (21.78 miles, 5100' EG) are only slightly off, and probably (no, make that no doubt) generalized.
http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=1808&w=645&h=440
No apologies for the tediously long post this time. How many times does a guy crack into The 20-Mile Club? As a bonus for reading this far, attached is a KML file that contains the route as well as waypoints (with pictures) for all the water sources I found. For this late in the summer, those still running are probably almost worth expecting to find most of the time.
I know I enjoyed this more than you, but thanks for listening. (Where's my pin?)