Trip report for Saturday, August 24 at Windy Ridge and Harmony Falls Trails.
Chose an unseasonably August cool and misty, cloudy day for a visit to MSH. But no matter the weather, it’s always a magical place and these two short mileage hikes are a wonderful place to see the force of nature from 44 years ago.
Windy Ridge lives up to its name as windy. Some of the lower stairs are in need of repair but overall in good condition. It’s up, up, up to the overlook but worth it, even on a cloudy day. No big views of the crater, but could still see Spirit Lake below. Note, the RR are closed due to the lake construction project, so use the new rest area at Cascade Peaks overlook a few miles prior.
After the Windy Ridge ascent we drove over to the Harmony Falls parking area (room for about 10 or so vehicles). This trail now allows dogs so we took pups. The trail descends quickly in a tree covered area. There was a Grotto with a slow-trickle of water that would be a great way to cool off during warm days and the log was easy to navigate under. Trail in good shape, just a tiny bit muddy in a few spots.
The trail continues down, and we found huckleberries, and a few thimbleberries, yum! No bugs at all as stated in a few trip reports from a few weeks ago. Not sure if that’s because it was late August, or because of such a cool, wet day.
The best part of this hike to me was seeing all the logs floating on Spirit Lake up close - it seemed surreal after 44 years post-eruption. It was eerily beautiful and calm. Humbling to see the life of new growth all around on land, yet the destruction floating in the water.
The return is a little bit of a thigh burner on way up back up, but it is short only 2.4 miles round trip. Had no idea there was a hike available to reach Spirit Lake. I imagine it would be even more beautiful on a blue-sky day, but no matter the weather, MSH is awe-inspiring.
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