June Lake — Saturday, May. 8, 2010

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

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.