I went for a single day trail run of the Loowit Trail starting/ending at the Climber's Bivouac TH and wanted to post some important trail conditions. The road is a bit rough but with patience I think any car can safely make it up.
Snow: A handful of small patches scattered on the west side. They are all short and easy to cross in trail runners. No gear necessary.
Trail Conditions: Generally good. There were some downed trees on the west side with a handful of small walk arounds. There is a washout on the south side of the Muddy River that I detoured around. It was a little harder than expected given that I'm pretty used to scrambling - but it's that icky sand/pebbles on rock where it's easy to slip. It's not that big but it gave me more pause than I thought it would and may cause a bit more stress if you're not used to any kind of scrambling or if you have a big pack on.
Water: It's getting hot and a fair number of the seasonal streams have dried up. The largest section I think I noted without water was about 6mi from S Fork Toutle to Step Creek (or Loowit Creek?) in the blast zone. It was exposed and hot so plan accordingly. I was moving quickly on my run and had 2L from S Toutle and was out by the time I reached the next water. I would not pass up on a solid water spot if you pass one becuase they are getting more sparse. The two major water crossings at S Toutle and in the blast zone didn't have an easy route over from what I could tell. I didn't see anyone else cross. I just found the widest and shallowest nearby section and waded across rather than try to rock hop.
This is a beautiful and exposed trail. It had been a number of years since I've been on the trail in the summer and I was happy to experience it again. A bit of a brute to tackle in one day, but worth the adventure!
Comments