Despite a weather forecast for 30% chance of rain showers and a cloudy day, I decided to hike the Ape Canyon Trail to the Loowit Trail and onward to the Plains of Abraham on the east side of Mount St. Helens. What an excellent decision! We were in a clearing trend with the clouds melting away as we hiked upward towards the mountain. This is one of my favorite hikes around Mount St. Helens. The trail starts in an old (40-50 years ago) clearcut, now regrowing, and goes through it for about 1.2 miles. The trail then enters oldgrowth forest with lots of big Douglas-firs and begins serious climbing up the ridge through well-engineered switchbacks. At about 4 miles, the trail emerges from the forest as it reaches Ape Canyon. A lot of hikers turn around here, but more wonders still await so I always continue on. The Ape Canyon Trail junctions with the Loowit Trail at 4.5 miles. We turn north and continue another mile to the Plains of Abraham and our favorite lunch site at a viewpoint. As we walked beneath the slope of Pumice Butte, I pointed out a lot of mountain goat fur snagged in the slide alders beside the trail. Goats must be nearby. Sure enough, we soon spotted the mountain goats themselves: a nanny with a kid and two other adults. Although I have heard reports for years, this was the first time I have seen mountain goats on Mount St. Helens myself. The goats moved off but focused on the main business of eating. Obviously, they have seen a lot of hikers and were not very concerned. The cloud layer obscured most of Mount Adams to the east, and we could not see the Goat Rocks, Mount Rainier or Mount Hood due to the heavy marine layer, but directly to our west, Mount St. Helens was totally clear. The diversity of habitats on this hiking route produced a high list of wildflower species in bloom. Over the total 11 mile hike, I counted 57 species blooming: Achillea millifolium Yarrow Achlys triphylla Vanilla leaf Actaea rubra Baneberry Agoseris aurantiaca Orange agoseris Anaphalis margaritacea Pearly everlasting Arctostaphylos nevadensis Pinemat manzanita Arenaria macrophylla Big-leaf sandwort Arnica cordifolia Heart-leaf arnica Aruncus sylvester Goatsbeard Castilleja miniata Scarlet paintbrush Chimaphila umbellata Pipsissewa Claytonia siberica Siberian miner's lettuce Clintonia uniflora Queen's cup Corallorrhiza maculate Spotted coralroot Corallorrhiza mertensiana Merten’s coralroot Cornus canadensis Bunchberry Dicentra formosa Bleeding heart Disporum hookeri Hooker’s fairybell Eriogonum pyrolifolium Alpine buckwheat Eriophyllum lanatum Oregon sunshine Fragaria virginiana Woods strawberry Hieracium albiflorum White-flowered hawkweed Hydrophyllum fendleri Fendler's waterleaf Leucanthemum vulgare* Oxeye daisy Lilium columbianum Tiger lily Listera caurina Northwestern twayblade Lomatium martindalei Martindale’s desert parsley Luetkea pectinata Partridge foot Lupinus latifolius Broad-leaf lupine Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii Dwarf lupine Maianthemum dilatatum False lily-of-the-valley Maianthemum racemosa False Solomon's seal Maianthemum stellata Star-flowered Solomon's seal Nothochelone nemerosa Woodland beard-tongue Penstemon cardwellii Cardwell's penstemon Penstemon rupicola Cliff penstemon Penstemon serrulatus Cascade penstemon Phlox diffusa Spreading phlox Phyllodoce empetriformis Red mountain heather Polygonum newberryi Newberry's knotweed Pyrola picta White-veined pyrola Rosa nutkana Nootka rose Rubus lasiococcus Dwarf bramble Rubus parviflorus Thimbleberry Rubus spectabilus Salmonberry Sambucus racemosa Red elderberry Saxifraga ferruginea Rusty saxifrage Sedum oreganum Oregon stonecrop Sorbus scopulina Cascade mountain-ash Spraguea umbellata Pussypaws Taraxacum officinale* Dandelion Tellima grandiflora Fringecup Tiarella trifoliata Foamflower Trillium ovatum White trillium Valeriana sitchensis Sitka valerian Vancouveria hexandra Inside-out-flower Viola glabella Stream violet *non-native There were a few blowdowns across the trail and two snowbanks, but they were easily negotiated. The snow will be gone soon. Another excellent day on the trail.

The Ape Canyon Trail on the southeast side of Mount St. Helens is among my favorite annual hikes. This trail had to be completely rebuilt following the 1980 eruption since the original trail was wiped out by the Muddy River lahar. The well-graded trail follows a forested ridge up to the southeast shoulder of the volcano. The first 1.4 miles of the trail go through a 1968 clearcut. Then the trail enters an impressive forest of old-growth Douglas-fir and climbs the ridge in a series of switchbacks. Although the guidebooks give the elevation gain on this hike as 1,300 feet, it actually is around 2,000 feet due to several 200-foot descents as the trail drops to cross saddles on the ridge. (Not only to you have to regain that elevation on the way in, you have to climb back up those descents on the way out.) At about 4 miles, the trail reaches the slot-like gash of Ape Canyon. Prior to 1980, Ape Canyon was a narrow chasm. Lahar-like flooding through the canyon has eroded and widened it. Ape Canyon got its name in 1924 when some miners below the canyon reported that ape-like creatures had thrown rocks at their cabin from the cliffs above. When they told their story to the Forest Service ranger at Spirit Lake, he reportedly said, "Oh, that's just those Mount St. Helens apes." What the miners didn't know was that the ranger always called young boys "apes." The ranger was referring to the kids at the summer camps around Spirit Lake, but the Sasquatch tale was born instead. In 1985, an old-timer confessed that he and another boy were responsible for the prank. We always go beyond the junction with the Loowit Trail, turning north for .8 mile to a great lunch spot on the Plains of Abraham. It is just across the creek on a rock cliff with 360 degree views. Today was the last warm day of fall, with a significant storm in the forecast. We experienced the weather change from a sunny morning to heavy clouds and strong wind as we hiked out. We could feel the moisture coming with the storm front. In about 4 days, this area will receive its first winter snow pack.

We began on the Ape Canyon trail. This unassuming trail head leads to quite a breathtaking view of the Muddy River drainage. This hike was very pleasant and not too steep. It was an extremely comfortable climb leading to my ultimate goal, The Loowit Trail. Ape Canyon trail is well maintained and heavily used. I encountered hunters, bikers, runners, and dogs. Be careful on this trail, you have a good chance of coming upon user traffic. The hike continues through some beautiful stands of forest and back out to clear views of St. Helen's in all her glory. The only issue with Ape Canyon trail was that the Vine Maple hung low, heavy with rain. Also, there was one big blow down about halfway up (careful on a bike!). Though the map says five miles to The Loowit junction, we got there much quicker than anticipated. Once we got to the junction we headed south and you should too if you are a hiker or backpacker. The bikers and runners all went North towards The Plains of Abraham, leaving the Southbound Loowit clear and comfy for backpackers and hikers. The trail has recently been worked on and is easy to follow and tread upon. The drainages present some difficulty as they are steep and narrow. It may be a challenge for some, but if you made it that far, chances are it will be a cake walk for you. Be sure to have a camera and clear memory card, it is a unique world up there. I came away with some good shots of Marmots, Pikas, and even Mountain Goats. Lastly, I have never seen so many huckleberries before in my life and I live in Trout Lake! If you get up there soon you can enjoy the bounty, there is plenty. Happy hiking!

We had a perfect Fall day, unusually warm for November, for this 12 mile round-trip hike to Ape Canyon and beyond to the Plains of Abraham. To reach the trailhead, drive I-5 to Woodland, which is about 20 miles north of Vancouver. Follow the signs for Cougar, which is about 35 miles east on S.R. 503. Continue beyond Cougar for 6.5 miles to a junction signed for Ape Cave and Lava Canyon. Turn left on Forest Road 83 and follow it for 11.2 paved miles to the Ape Canyon Trail parking area, 2,880 feet. Northwest Forest Pass required. This trail climbs an old-growth forested ridge beside the Muddy River Lahar, which is an awesome, mile-wide mudflow from Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption. The trail begins on a cliff edge overlooking the lahar - a flow of mud, rock, and volcanic ash unleashed when the erupting volcano melted the snowfields and glaciers on its slopes. On this day, fresh snow above 6,000 feet made the decapitated volcano look fresh and bright. The first 1.6 miles of the trail traverses a forest plantation resulting from a 1968 clearcut. Then the trail enters an impressive old-growth forest of 6-foot-thick Douglas-firs, occasional wester red-cedars, and western hemlocks. This section of the trail provides a feel for the forest that covered much of the Mount St. Helens region prior to the impacts of logging and volcanic eruption. We flushed a grouse. As the trail moves between the east and west sides of the ridge, occasional views of Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams are possible. At 4.5 miles, the trail enters the singe zone of trees killed by superheated air during the eruption but not blown down. Young stands of red alder are quickly reclaiming the bare slopes. The alders were leafless this late in the season, so we had grand views across to Mount Adams. Mount Rainier, 43 miles away, came into view as we climbed higher, and then the tips of the Goat Rocks appeared on the far eastern horizon. Ahead, the lahar's slopes narrowed and steepened, serrated by gullies. Finally, the trail enters a pumice desert that follows the edge of a precipitous drop-off into Ape Canyon. The 100-foot, narrow, vertical slot of Ape Canyon frames the Ape Canyon valley far below and snowy Mount Adams in the distance. Ape Canyon was scoured by mudflows during the eruption. Just beyond the slot of Ape Canyon, the trail ends at the junction with Loowit Trail #216 at 5.5 miles. This is a good lunch stop with close up views of the east face of Mount St. Helens, views down Ape Canyon, and, if you climb up on the knoll, views of Mount Hood to the south in Oregon. After lunch, we decided to continue on to the Plains of Abraham and the high point on the hike at about 4,500 feet. Gary had never been there and wanted to see what it was like. Prior to 1980, the Plains were filled with green meadows, wild flowers and clear streams flowing from the mountain's snowfields. Mudflows and pyroclastic flows in 1980 deposited layers of pumice, ash and rock debris. Rock cairns mark the route of the trail across the Plains. The tip of the Dome, a peak in the Mount Margaret Backcountry north of Spirit Lake, is visible through a gap on the north side of the Plains of Abraham. We took in the view in all directions, but the mountain towering above us commanded our attention. The wind whipping across the barren landscape was cold so we didn't linger long. This was elk hunting season, so we encountered several parties hiking out, as well as spotting dots of blaze orange on the landscape where hunters were walking the lahar. We did encounter one successful hunting party packing out their kill. As they passed us, Kim noticed that one member of the group didn't have a hunk of elk strapped on his pack and commented that he must be the vegetarian in the group. He didn't get the joke and looked at her like she was nuts. Despite our friendly greetings, they all seemed a bit defensive, as if afraid we might make anti-hunting comments. We were reminded of the lateness of the year on the hike out. Although it was only 2:30 in the afternoon, the sun already was casting long shadows across the lahar and the face of the mountain. We agreed that this was a superb autumn hike.