The trail spits you out below the northside columnar cliffs of the Sugarloaf and works its way across a boulder field, offering stellar views to Mt. St. Helens only 10 miles away (I only got these views on the way back as the clouds were dense and hovering at about 4,000 feet). At a saddle and junction with the spur up the Sugarloaf, I kept straight to intersect with the Mitchell Peak Trail and then switchbacked up through the bear-grass meadows to the weathered andesite formations on the summit of Mt. Mitchell.
On a clear day, you should be able to see four snow-topped Cascade peaks, but only Mt. Adams was peaking out among the clouds on my visit. Views to the east revealed the entire spine of Indian Heaven, while to the south there was a direct vista across the North Siouxon drainage to Huffman and Siouxon peaks. Mt. Defiance was visible in the Gorge as were closer clearcuts on Washington DNR land.
On the return, I veered off for an exploration of the Sugarloaf. A couple of vantage points gave more views over the North Siouxon and also a closer sighting of the massive pinnacle on the Sugarloaf’s southwest side (Peak 3688). I rummaged through the bear-grass woods to tag the viewless summit (Peak 3726) and then returned via clifftop meadows on the prominence’s north rim.
Several large piles of scat of various ages alerted me to the presence of an impressive critter that has an established abode here and hangs out imbibing the views of Mt. St. Helens – either a rather massive bear or a Bigfoot, I’m not sure which. Then I stumbled upon Grizzly Man’s sometime abode, a campsite with a fire circle on the edge of a cliff looking straight towards St. Helens. A couple of buckets and a small firewood shed attested to some kind of formal occupation. But Grizzly Man hadn’t been there for a while; I broke apart some of the older scat searching for human remains but found nothing conclusive, just a few hairs and miscellaneous vegetable matter.
On the return, St. Helens deigned to show herself, somewhat coyly, as I traversed the boulder field before descending the quiet slopes.
Just remember that even though this is not an official trail, you'll still need a Discover Pass to park at the trailhead.
