The amazing weather forecasted for today inspired me to try and attempt (again) to connect to a previous hike on the Mt. St. Helens Cinnamon Trail. It was another failed attempt, but an outstanding hike none the less, with amazing views!
We parked at the Kalama Horse Camp, but noticed that NF-81 was gated, even though there was no obvious snow at this altitude.
The start of this hike is at the Toutle Trail #238 TH.
We hiked down the Toutle Trail and quickly reached a stream crossing.
We reached an intersection where we continued straight onto the Cinnamon Trail. Descending on the trail we reached a sturdy wooden bridge that crossed the Kalama River.
The Cinnamon trail ascends for most of its length. We met one group of hikers (only people on the entire trail system) that mentioned they turned around at the second snow field. Based on what they were carrying (no backpack, water or other gear) we expected to see the snow at a relatively low elevation. At about 2000ft, we saw the snow the hikers were talking about, and it was all in the exposed terrain with no tree cover.
There really wasn't very much snow during the first two miles of the hike, and we didn't know what to expect at the higher elevations.
We were glad that the trail was relatively clear of debris, except for this one that remained from the previous season. There were many smaller branches that we helped off the trail, but more trail maintenance is required.
And there were a few nice streams along the initial ascent, before the first switchback.
We finally broke out from the forest onto a forest road, after the 1st switchback, and were amazed at the amount of snow at the 3000ft level.
I would estimate 3-5+ feet of snow, and there was only one bare spot for the remainder of the hike! The snow was like mashed potatoes and we rarely post-holed.
Here is the first view we saw, looking west at the 2nd switchback.
And we saw this fantastic view of Goat Mt. and Mt. St. Helens during our ascent of the 2nd switchback.
A closeup of Goat Mtn!
A closeup of Mt. St. Helens!
We finally arrived at the intersection with NF-8022, and crossed the road to continue on the Cinnamon Trail. We reached a small stream, and didn't know where the trail went?
We would normally continue to explore the area, but we knew there would be no signs along the trail, and everything looks the same. We also weren't too keen on crossing the thin snow bridges.
I guess we would live to hike this trail another day.
So we turned around to find lower elevation trails to explore. On the way down we enjoyed the solitude and beauty before us.
We did spend some time exploring some of the lower elevation trails (ie kalama falls trail, fossil trail, horse camp area trails) after we got down below the snow level. The hike was 7.2 miles with an elevation gain of about 1400ft.
But seriously, I know you have quite a healthy pace and we typically average about 1.5-2.0 mph, because of the picture taking and snacks, so we understand if it's too slow for you!
I'll have to learn how to start submitting short replies instead of trying to wordsmith them. 
We'll have to see about planning a "return to Cinnamon Trail" hike.