The Plains of Abraham, 1987
Posted: May 17th, 2020, 5:18 pm
Well, here’s a blast from the past, pun intended.
In June of 1987 I hiked the eastern flank of Mt. St. Helens with my friend Jeff and my dog Dusty. This was the first year the area was opened to hikers following the eruption seven years earlier. With the 40th anniversary of the eruption coming this week I thought it might be fun to post up some photos from that hike.
The hike took us across “The Plains of Abraham’, a large, flat stretch of land on the eastern side of the mountain. The flatness of it wasn’t caused by the eruption as you can see from this pre-eruption forest service map...
We started at the Ape Canyon trailhead on Forest Road 83. The first few miles are in the trees, but occasionally we got a nice view of the mountain...
That big notch in the mountain was carved by the Shoestring Glacier. Like other glaciers on St. Helens, it was ravaged by the eruption. Much of the ice and snow in that narrow canyon rapidly melted, sending a torrent of water, mud, ash and debris down the mountain, eventually reaching the Swift Reservoir. This type of debris flow is called a lahar, and you can see some of its remains in the left foreground of that picture.
After four and a half miles we reach the sharply cleaved gash of Ape Canyon...
In another half mile we reach the southern end of the Plains of Abraham. Pyroclastic flows had incinerated the landscape here, leaving behind an eerie, ash-covered moonscape...
Plant life was making a slow comeback amid the scalded, capsized trees...
A small stand of trees had survived, guarded by a knoll...
Mt. Rainier appears as we make our way north...
A look across to Windy Ridge with the Mt. Margaret Backcountry in the distance...
A better view of Windy Ridge...
Past The Plains now, we make our way the last mile toward a viewpoint near Windy Ridge, which is our goal for the day. Note the two hikers out ahead of us, at the crest of the hill...
Botanical pioneers...
An oddly chiseled streambed, which I believe was the only water source we encountered all day...
Nearing the viewpoint...
Finally, after 8 miles of ash, dust and heat, we reach the viewpoint that almost looks into to the belly of the beast...
Easily the wildest of the wild places I’ve been.
Here’s a map of the hike. About 16 miles round trip, 2800 feet of elevation gain.
Thanks for looking!
Gordon
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