fourteen410 Member
Joined: 23 May 2008 Posts: 2622 | TRs | Pics
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Headed down to Mt. St. Helens for a snow-free overnight trip. Grabbed one of the last spots along the road and hit the trail around noon. We weren't the only ones with this destination in mind - we encountered lots of friendly bikers and hikers along the way.
The first couple of miles wind upward through a lovely old growth forest. If I recall correctly, this is some of the only old growth that survived the 1980 blast.
After 4.5 miles, views of Ape Canyon and St. Helens herself opened up.
We continued on for another mile, finally settling on a not-as-rocky-as-the-rest spot to pitch our tents.
That evening, we walked a couple miles along the Plains of Abraham. The hillsides were painted purple and red from the abundant penstemon and paintbrush.
Back at camp, the winds picked up quite a bit. I was tempted to retreat to my tent, but stuck it out to watch the sunset.
The night was calm. Morning brought some early fog that eventually cleared. After a lazy morning, we packed up camp and made the pleasant journey back down to the car, arriving just before noon.
Not a bad way to spend 24 hours. And no bugs, either!
zimmertr, williswall, raising3hikers, Nancyann, runup, Hesman, kite, rubywrangler, Cyclopath, reststep, jaysway, Opus, neek wyattmullen
zimmertr, williswall, raising3hikers, Nancyann, runup, Hesman, kite, rubywrangler, Cyclopath, reststep, jaysway, Opus, neek wyattmullen
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