Got a late start and with 1 toddler and 1 infant the going was slow. More snow on the ground here than expected, as well - not far after the start, snow covers more than 50% of the trail. We made it about 1 mile - just shy of the stream crossing below the lake. At this point we were faced with continuous snow cover, a few steepish slopes, and enough cool breeze even on a warm day that we turned back. Beautiful, beautiful views of the mountain, billowy snow all on her shoulders. Quite a bit of poison oak on this trail, I think. While doable with boots, a set of crampons or better yet snowshoes would serve you well this early in the year, even after our mild winter. We'll come back when the snow has melted out more.

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1980 eruption and in celebration of that event we're anticipating working on the Loowit trail with volunteer vacations and Backcountry Response Teams. So we hiked this section to scope out the trail conditions. The hike unfolds in three chapters, first a gentle climb up the June Lake trail ending at the clear waters of the lake fed by a waterfall. Climbing higher to the jct with the Loowit we turned right and headed east alternately through the forest and across chunky lava flows softened by moss. After a couple miles the trail traverses a different landscape; open grassland with patches of red and swathes of bear grass stalks that must have been spectacular earlier this summer. Along the last leg of the hike we saw spectacular views of Mt. Adams, plus a glimpse of Mt. Rainier as well as nice views of Mount St. Helens. Far to the south we could also make out Mt. Hood sticking sharply out of the clouds. We ended the hike where the trail ended at the edge of a precipice carved by the erosion of spring floods. Across the abyss we could see the trail taking off again. But we balked at the idea of climbing down the steep rocky gorge and back out again. There is lots of worked needed along this section of the Loowit including brushing and tread restoration along the steep side slopes where the trail traverses creeks that flood annually.

A partly sunny day gave us views of Mount St. Helens as we snowshoed the loop from the Marble Mountain SnoPark up to June Lake, across the lava flow on the Pika Trail, and down the Swift Trail. This was a Trails Club of Oregon trip. We found flood damage to the Pine Marten Trail that added the challenge of negotiating some 5 foot drops and then climbing out the other side. We paused by June Lake to admire the waterfall; the lake was ice free and a pair of dippers were flying back and forth. Lunching on top of the lava flow, we aimed for warm sun and volcano views and were partially successful. On the return, we took a side trip on the Fir Trail (#244B) to admire the huge Douglas-firs and western red-cedars, making a nice change from the tree plantations traversed by most of the route. The trip is about 5 miles and 900 feet elevation gain. We finished the day with a stop at the Cougar Bar & Grill for pie and coffee on the way home to Vancouver and Portland. WARNING: WashDOT has reduced snowplowing frequency on Road 83 so it is best to drive a high clearance vehicle with 4WD or AWD to ensure reaching the Marble Mountain SnoPark.

Lena the Dog and I headed down to the south side of Mt St Helens for a day trip. It's a lot of miles to drive from Olympia, but for comparison's sake the roads are a lot faster than the roads to Mt Rainier, so it didn't take much more time to travel a much greater distance. I'd guess it took about 2 hours, 15 min each way (versus 2 hours solid to get to Paradise). Anyway, I parked at Marble Mountain Sno-Park, and started walking along a hard-packed ski trail towards the June lake trailhead. There were quite a few snow machines buzzing around, but relatively few when compared to areas closer to Seattle. Along the first 1.25 miles of trail parallelling the snowed-over road, I saw 3 samples of what I took to be cougar scat. If not cougar, then it was likely another type of cat. Lena wasn't freaked out, so I didn't think much about it. After 1.25 miles, we turned north onto the June Lake trail and away from the snowmobilers. This trail was also hard-packed and well defined. We passed a few guys coming down from the lake who had spent the night up there - I was so jealous! Shortly after passing them, we stopped at a viewpoint where I took a photo of the mountain and June Creek . At this point, Lena got all queezy and whiney. This really freaked me out, as the only other time she got like this was a year ago at Marten Lake where I saw a good cougar print and later read on the WTA web site of a party walking into a cougar den just below the lake. Despite her unease, Lena was up for moving on, so we continued up the trail another mile or so to the lake. I just made sure to keep my eyes wide open and talked really loud (to the imagined (?) predator) to lessen the chances of a close encounter. We got to the lake after 2.5 miles and 1 hour and 15 minutes of pretty easy hiking and had a snack. The lake was unfrozen, and there was a very pretty waterfall emptying into it. Beyond the lake is a wide open area that rises up to the Loowit Trail and beyond to the rim of the mountain. Great views. It looked like a smooth white blanket draped over the mountain. Beautiful. Before long, Lena started acting funny again and I decided to head back down the trail. I would have liked to make a loop trip, as there was apparantly dozens of well-defined trails in the area. However, I didn't know ahead of time the condition and quantity of the winter trails here and I didn't want to divert from the out-and-back route that I'd told my girlfriend that I'd be taking. Shortly after leaving the lake, Lena and I found something that I am 99.99% sure wasn't there on the way up: Poop. Fresh (ie sitting on top of the snow, not melted into it like the other droppings I saw). Squishy (not frozen) - as evidenced by my ski-pole poke test and Lena's attempt to gobble it up. Fresh and squishy poop - I was starting to get a headache! Maybe I missed it on the way up, but I doubt it. I got freaked some more - but at least Lena kept her cool this time. So, it was a loud trip back down to the car, and it proved to be uneventful. I never saw the hidden pooper, but I'm guessing that it saw us. :-) It was a great, albeit short and quick, trip. The snow was great - I never even considered donning my snowshoes although I carried them the whole time. It was about 5 miles total and it took less than 3 hours. Elevation gain about 700'. I'd love to get back to the area this spring before the snow melts away with a more elaborate itinerary so that I could do some more exploring.

Lots of fresh snow all over the trails surrounding Marble Mtn. Snow Park. The Pine Martin trail had been fairly well used by the snow shoes and X-country skiers. Beginning at the June lake trail head we had to break through 6-8"" of new snow, but there is a nice track up to the lake now. We couldn't see the Mtn at all, but visibility was good up to the lake. The lake has ice and snow on it but is still thawed near the water fall, which is still flowing. The snow switched to a light rain when we got down to the 83 road to get back to the snow park. The Roads on the way up were fine except for a little slush near the snow parks. tough call on what it's doing now.

Myself and two fellow hikers made the drive to the south approach of Mt. St. Helen. The plan was to attempt a winter summit of the mountain before the permit season began. (Mid-April) But, as is very common in the Northwest during the winter, the weather was not cooperating. It was snowing as we reached the Marble Mountain Sno-park (2700')and never let up the entire trip. We headed north on Trail #244 from the parking lot and reached our planned bivouac site (4400') at the fring of the Worm Flows around mid-day. The full 40+ lb packs and heavy wet snow took their toll on our straining muscles. By the time the tents were set, visibility was only 200 yards due to the increasing snowfall. The next 17 hours was comprized of waiting, shaking snow off the tent, and numerous cat-naps. By 7:30 the following morning, 1-1/2 feet of new snow had fallen. Due to the danger of avalanches and low visibility, we decided to return another day to attempt the summit. It was a little disheartening not making the summit, but better to be safe than sorry. Besides, the mountain's not going anywhere. (At least I hope not!!) Play Safe.