After hiking Iron Creek Falls, we did the 0.6 mile RT hike to Meta Lake. The platform at the end of the trail was under water, but one could walk the top of the platform wall to get a better view of the lake. There was fall color in the huckleberry bushes and many blooming Indian Paintbrush.

Did a little site-seeing adventure on the Windy Ridge side of the mountain with the niece and nephew. We stopped at all the look-outs and read all the signs. I don't think I had been to this side of the mt for about 20 years, so didn't really remember anything specific. Not very many people on this side, probably due to the longer drive and it was a cloudy day with occasional rain showers. Meta lake was our first stop. The miners' car is right off one of the lots here and then a 0.6 mile (RT) walk down a paved trail to meta lake. The dock on meta lake is underwater, so it's either sinking or the lake is extra high.

Forest Road 99 to Windy Ridge is open & in good condition! This is a great short & sweet hike out to a scenic lake. The old damaged car is located at the pull off just before the pull off for this hike. I'm hiking with an injured hip so this was perfect & the trail appears ADA accessible; is a good short hike for people of all ages & abilities :) This hike can also easily be done the same day as any of the other longer hikes off this road. I paired it with Harmony Falls up the road & then visited all the pull off/viewpoints along the road too. ---------- I created an instagram hashtag #hikingwithaninjury which others are welcome to use to share easy but scenic hikes that can be done when injured :)

I celebrated this July Four Weekend with my parents on a Three Day Two Volcano Five Hike adventure! It was a joyous way to celebrate the holiday and to explore an area that was new to me. These two hikes were in the middle of day two. I highly recommend this trip and itinerary. For starters, the Windy Ridge road is worth a trip by itself - it is spectacular! Mt. St. Helens is so close - even closer than from the Johnston Observatory side. And it is quiet! Here we were on a three day weekend and found the parking lots less than half filled. As we drove towards Windy Ridge, we stopped at every viewpoint and explored most of the trail heads. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at Windy Ridge as we listened to the Ranger Talk (it was excellent and is held every hour on the half hour) as we gazed in awe at Mt. St. Helens. We then hiked the steep stairs above Windy Ridge where Spirit Lake and Mt. Rainier came into view. We were the only ones on the paved Meta Lake trail which provided a lovely view of the lake's calm waters. Apparently there is a new beaver pond but we could not find it. The Meta Lake trail head is also home to the Miner's Car - a stark reminder of the lives that were lost on May 18 - 35 years years ago! We started the day early in the morning at Mt. Rainier's Box Canyon and we ended it late in the afternoon at Mt. St. Helen's remarkable Ape Caves. And we celebrated it all with salads and burgers at McMenamins on the Columbia as we watched fireworks and shared stories of a remarkable day together.

We got to the trailhead at about 8:30 am. Roads to the trailhead were in good condition, other than the first part of FR 26 after turning off of FR 99. The southbound lane is in poor condition, sinking a bit, but it is just a short portion and the northbound lane is fine. The temperature was perfect, which was good since the majority of this trail is in full sun. There is a small patch of snow about 3/4 mile from Norway Pass, but it is level and easy to cross. There are beautiful views of Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier along the trail. There are wildflowers blooming and we saw a bunch of hummingbirds. We saw some elk tracks, too. Our 4 year old enjoyed seeing this and was quite the little hiker. Although the WTA site and Day Hiking: South Cascades book both list this trail as having 300 feet of elevation gain, my Garmin logged it at 942 feet. That is a lot for little legs! We ate a picnic lunch at the trailhead at the small picnic area. We checked out the Meta Lake paved trail and the Windy Ridge Visitor Center stair climb to the viewpoint when we were done. It was a beautiful day!