Hiking With Gadget Girl

July 20, 2021 Staging at June Lake
1.9 miles, 486 elevation gain, elevation loss

We started our 30 mile loop grand adventure around Mt St Helens on the Loowit Trail. We arrived at the trailhead around 5:30pm and hiked up to June Lake where we spent the first night.

July 21, 2021 First Day, From June Lake to South Fork Toutle River
11.73 miles, elevation gain 3,576, elevation loss

And... We're off!

It was a perfect hiking day, not too hot and not too cold. A few clouds covered Mt St Helens until late afternoon but we were so busy navigating our way through the boulders section, we hardly noticed. we navigated through the rock sections by following the white poles. We were blown away with the bear grass in full bloom. Wildflowers and Heather were strewn in between the bear grass.

On this section of the trail, there are two areas where we had to use ropes to lower and pull ourselves out of ravines. It can be quite tricky with a backpack on. We arrived at the South Fork of the Toutle River and found a wonderful camp for the night. A challenging 11.73 mile day with 3,576 elevation gain.

July 22, 2021, Second Day on the Loowit Trail, From South Fork Toutle River to Plains of Abraham
11.61 miles, elevation gain 3,251, elevation loss

We left the Toutle River, hauled ourselves up another rope and hiked up 900 feet to reach the north side of Mt St Helens.

There was no camping for the next ten miles and would be warmer than the south side of the mountain. We were looking forward to the glorious Willows Springs to refill our water bottles 7.5 miles ahead. There were a few glacial water crossings and I only dipped my foot in once when choosing a wobbly rock to leap across the water. We could see the Johnson Visitor Center in the distance (which is not open yet), Spirit Lake with its floating logs, Mt St Helens of course, and goats! Windy Pass was windy and we took our time on the steep incline. Arrived at the Plains of Abraham with gorgeous views of Adams and Hood in the distance. Arrived at our campsite and was dismayed to find the water source silty. Jayne was the lucky one as she brought extra water with her from the spring A fascinating day with 11.61 miles and with all the up and downs, the elevation gain was 3,251 ft.

July 23, 2021, Third Day on the Loowit Trail, from Plains of Abraham to June Lake and Out
7.17 miles, elevation gain 1,063, elevation loss 2,618

Last day on the trail! Trish, Nancy, and Jayne were rudely awoken around 3am by a group of mountain bikers doing a moonlight ride from Ape Canyon. I missed the whole thing due to wearing earplugs. Jayne told them this was a campsite and to move on. They decided they needed a snack and were pretty loud. They finally rode off. Morning broke with a lovely view of the sunrise and Mt Adams. We were happy to see that the water source had cleared up during the night. Yay, water! Off we went to finish the Loowit Trail. More ups and downs, more bear grass, and an amazing snack spot complete with tiny wild strawberries. Was surprised to see a huge snow field that looked like a glacier. How fun to have snow on our trip! The trail led into another rocky section and then dropped down into the woods and met up with the June Lake trail. Yay, we completed the loop! The last day was 7.17 miles with only a 1063 ft elevation gain but a 2,618 elevation loss. This concludes our amazing trip around Mt St Helens!