I took the day off and headed to one of my favorite areas to explore, the SW side of Mt. St. Helens around the Blue Lake and the Kalama Horse camp. My goal was to do the Cinnamon Ridge loop going clockwise, about 15 miles with some decent elevation gain and nice views. I hit the trail at 0800. Rather than start at the Kalama Horse Camp, I opted for where the Kalama river trail crosses FR 8122, about 2 miles past the horse camp. There actually is a small parking area big enough for a couple of cars next to the trail. FR 8122 side road appears where FR 81 goes from blacktop to gravel. I thought that if for some reason I wasn't feeling well or was behind schedule I could cut the hike short and take the road down from the top of the ridge back to the car, shaving about 4-5 miles off the hike. This was never an issue because I never made it to the road on top of the ridge. About a mile after turning uphill from Redrock Pass, I hit a large snow field at about 3800 feet. It wasn't deep but it completely covered the forest floor. There is no understory in this area, just trees and dirt. The trail in this area is not extremely clear and I saw no route markings. So, rather than wander around potentially for 3-4 miles in the snow, I turned around and went back to the car. The other complication was that, like a fool, I forgot to hose myself down with bug repellant, left it in the car, and was tormented by mosquitoes. I killed hundreds but plenty got through and my body felt like one giant hive in the end, we're talking about bites on top of bites. I felt like I was the control subject in a test of Deep Woods Off. It was just too unpleasant to stop frequently in the snow to check the map or GPS because I would be instantly swarmed. Fortunately, by the time I was off the ridge and back on the river trail, it had warmed up a bit and there was a nice breeze which seemed to drive the mosquitoes away ... or maybe they were just full and didn't need me anymore. Still, it was a beautiful morning. The Kalama river trail is very pretty, lined with huckleberry bushes with plenty of views of the river and sound of rushing water. There are some great views of Mt. St. Helens and the surrounding terrain. Even better was that I didn't see another soul until I was within sight of my car. The trails have seen some recent horse traffic and a bit of maintenance so they were in pretty good shape. No animals were spotted but there were plenty of deer and elk tracks and a pile of bear scat.
With a couple of extra hours on my hands and a thorough dosing of insect repellant, I decided to check out Goat Marsh. The trail head was just a mile up the road. FR 8123 certainly has not improved any in recent years. It may even be a bit worse but it can be driven if you're cautious. The start of the gravel section of FR 81 seems quite a bit worse than I remember from last summer. There are some pretty big ruts in the road. The trail hasn't seen much maintenance in recent years. There are a number of trees down but they're easy to get around or over. It is a beautiful spot. I could easily see myself sitting on a chair by the water and staring at the mountain for hours. There were no bugs and no wildlife in sight other than a few birds and raptors in the trees along the east flank of Goat Mountain. I saw one other hiker.
As a side note, almost all of the dispersed camp sites along the road were in use. I didn't see many people out and about but I did hear a few fireworks and noise makers go off.
Mt. St. Helens from the trail junction at Red Rock Pass, with Butte Camp Dome on the left.
First view from Cinnamon Ridge
The Kalama River, passing through a culvert
Goat Mountain from the marsh
A couple of views of Mt. St. Helens from the marsh
Cinnamon Ridge attempt & Goat Marsh, 7/1/2022
Re: Cinnamon Ridge attempt & Goat Marsh, 7/1/2022
Sorry to hear about your bug misery. Had I been there, I might have been nearly as miserable, as I've started carrying a bit of deet, but the permethrin hasn't come out yet.
I'm surprised at your comments about rd 8123. Let's see, I was there last autumn I guess. There had been reports of a washout, but it was repaired, and I found the road in better shape than expected. Must have deteriorated since then.
I'm surprised at your comments about rd 8123. Let's see, I was there last autumn I guess. There had been reports of a washout, but it was repaired, and I found the road in better shape than expected. Must have deteriorated since then.
- Openminded2
- Posts: 28
- Joined: July 6th, 2020, 4:45 pm
- Location: PDX
Re: Cinnamon Ridge attempt & Goat Marsh, 7/1/2022
Such a nice name for a ridge but I am completely dissuaded now. Have you encountered swarms there in the past?
Thanks for the log!
Thanks for the log!
It can’t be anything that a cup of tea won’t help
Re: Cinnamon Ridge attempt & Goat Marsh, 7/1/2022
This was my first hike along the Kalama and up the Cinnamon trail. I talked with one couple near where I parked who seemed to know the area well. They were surprised by my mention of mosquitoes. They seemed to have more experience with flies. I was fine once I got back to the car and hosed myself down with spray. There weren't many mosquitoes out by then but they wouldn't come near me. I've hiked a good bit in the area between the south fork of the Toutle river and Butte Camp dome, just north of this hike, and don't recall mosquitoes on any of those trips.Openminded2 wrote: ↑July 5th, 2022, 7:38 pmSuch a nice name for a ridge but I am completely dissuaded now. Have you encountered swarms there in the past?
Thanks for the log!
Re: Cinnamon Ridge attempt & Goat Marsh, 7/1/2022
I fear this is going to be a difficult summer with mosquitoes coming out later than we are used to in recent years and not winding down in the alpine till some time in August.
Re: Cinnamon Ridge attempt & Goat Marsh, 7/1/2022
I hiked the Sheep Canyon loop a few days ago. I also found the unpaved part of Rd 8123 to be a painful trip similar to what pdxalex described. About half the time I was traveling at walking speed. Parts of that road remind me of the notorious road from Olallie Lake to Breitenbush Lake. Here's a useful reference data: 2017 stock Honda Civic made it going slow without any bottom scrapes.