[Brain]

I set out solo on Saturday to do a quick overnight hike on the Loowit Trail going around Mt. St. Helens. What started out as a 32-mile, two-day hike turned into a long dayhike, starting and ending at the June Lake trailhead (9am to 10pm) and travelling counter-clockwise. I had read a lot about how difficult the terrain and elevation gains and losses are, but this trail is definitely something you have to experience to understand. It is beautiful throughout with dramatically different scenery on each side of the mountain. The edges of the blast zone are spectacular with their abundant lupine and other wildflowers. The primary area of destruction is still quite desolate, but still holds a rugged, moonscape type of beauty. The south and west sides are much greener and a wonderful contrast to the blast zone. The trail is very rugged and rocky in its best places, and very steep, deep, rocky, loose, etc. in its worst. Climbing in and out of gullies constitutes most of the route. Many are very steep with loose volcanic rock and difficult stream crossings in the bottoms. The trail dropping down and back out of the Toutle (sp?) River Canyon is probably the most difficult section of trail with a lot of elevation loss and gain. The Sheep Canyon crossing has been completely washed-out so a long and difficult detour is required. Crossing the wide lava flows on the south side (Monitor Ridge, above June Lake, etc.) is also very tiring and sometimes tricky. There is nothing that slows down your pace quite like an extended lava flow. A few snow crossings are also required, but only one or two were tricky (they probably would have been easier if I had two trekking poles--the locking system on one broke a mile in so I had to carry it as dead weight ). This was the longest and most difficult day on the trail that I have ever experienced, but it was also one of the most rewarding (my leg muscles and badly-blistered feet may disagree). If I would have known that I was going to complete the thing in a day, I would have left the sleeping bag, down jacket, and pad at home and just carried food and water...now I know for next time. Overall, I'd have to say that Saturday was as great a day spent on the trail as I've ever had.

[Andrew]

You're a freak, BCJ! Seems like an awful lot to digest in one day.

[MooseAndSquirrel]

Why? I knew you'd say "because it was there."

[Hoosierdaddy]

I did it clockwise about two weeks ago, taking two days & it danged near killed me! The blast zone really is awesome though, huh?

[Brain]

[dicey]

wow, and i thought i was a masochist.......you almost doubled the mileage of my saturday hike!! just out of curiosity, do you know what the net elevation gain was?

[Brain]

I'm not sure exactly what the elevation gain/loss was. I've read reports that it's as little as 4400' and others saying it's closer to 6200' (not including the additional gain from the trailhead you choose to start from--I went up June Lake which adds about 700'). With all of the travel in and out of gullies I would guess that is it somewhere around 6000'.

[hoarfrost]

Nice job BCJ! I've wanted to do that in a day as well. How was the water situation? Was there plenty of streams to filter out water or did you pack it?

[Hoosierdaddy]

Water really IS a problem! Here's the link to my WTA trip report from June 19th when I did it CLOCKWISE. (Typo says it was counterclockwise) http://www.wta.org/~wta/cgi-bin/wtaweb.pl?7+df+2004061922+time+trails+

[Brain]

I didn't have a problem with water, but I could definitely see where it could be an issue on a multi-day trip. I actually read Hoosierdaddy's report on the WTA site (thanks for that, Hoosierdaddy) before I left so I knew of the one spot about 11.5 miles in where I could fill up. He was right and the water from the spring near the Loowit Falls trail was perfect; very cold and clean...didn't need to be filtered. In fact, in my over-zealousness for shaving weight I didn't even pack a filter. All I carried for water was my two-litre Dromlite bladder and a 24-ounce bottle. I hadn't quite finished those when I got to the water so I filled up there and that lasted me the final 20 or so miles...I even had some left over when I got to the car. There are a few places to filter water on the west and south sides, but I would definitely want a filter for those ones as they are a bit more gritty than the spring on the north side.

[hoarfrost]

Thanks for the TR Hoosierdaddy and BCJ. I have often wondered about the water situation on this hike, especially at the end of the summer as the snow is just about gone from the upper slopes of the mountaian. I have done the Timberline Tr. around Mt Hood, but there were many streams and creeklets to stay plenty hydrated. cheers

[crwdog]

Wow. I was on the trip with Hoosierdaddy, and it was definitely a long one. When we came out, however, we were followed by runners who ran the trail in 10 hours. I thought that was a little crazy! I think it's definitely doable as a dayhike with nothing but food and water (and a first aid kit ). The extra pack weight was definitely a killer on the rough terrain. The rest of the trail wasn't really that bad though. We did have quite a few snow crossings that made the trip a little slower though. Great job! On a side note, if anyone is looking to do the timberline trial on Mt. Hood in 2 days sometime soon, let me know

[Hoosierdaddy]

I'd go with you after my Wonderland trip is done! (After about Aug. 20th or so)

[Brain]

I'd love to join that trip...late August would be perfect.

[crwdog]

Sounds good to me!