Harry's Ridge / Mt. St. Helens
Posted: October 5th, 2013, 6:06 pm
I decided to round out my regular hiking season by heading out to the one major hiking area that I haven't hiked yet...Mt. St. Helens. I'd been out to the observatory and hiked around the Gifford Pinchot area , but I've never been hiking in the actual MSH park. I opted for the Harry's Ridge hike as my inaugural foray into that region. I'm sure a lot of people have been out there for wildflower season in the summer, but I gotta say a fall hike is not without it's merits. The weather was fantastic. Sunny with blue skies and a nice cool temperature. There wasn't the normal throng of people crowding the trails. Once I hit the top of the ridge it was just two other people there and they headed back soon after my arrival and I had it to myself for about an hour. Oh, and the colors are really pretty spectacular. Reds, Yellows and Oranges of the changing foliage and still some tenacious wildflowers hanging in until the bitter end.
I will also hand out a few cautionary "Heads Ups". 1) It's hunting season and apparently a few of the trails out there intersect with hunting areas, so wear some bright colors unless you want to risk getting mounted on some hunters' wall. 2) The recent storms have caused some erosion to the already narrow sections of the Boundary Trail, so be prepared for a few precarious yet passable spots. 3) This one didn't affect me, but apparently the Johnston Ridge road is closed for some reason. Not the road up to the observatory, but another side road. Other than that, I'd encourage everybody to go check out the colors and amazing views.
I will also hand out a few cautionary "Heads Ups". 1) It's hunting season and apparently a few of the trails out there intersect with hunting areas, so wear some bright colors unless you want to risk getting mounted on some hunters' wall. 2) The recent storms have caused some erosion to the already narrow sections of the Boundary Trail, so be prepared for a few precarious yet passable spots. 3) This one didn't affect me, but apparently the Johnston Ridge road is closed for some reason. Not the road up to the observatory, but another side road. Other than that, I'd encourage everybody to go check out the colors and amazing views.