On the last clear day for a while, Janelle and I decided to head out to Mt. St. Helens for a little hiking and scenery… We definitely got the scenery part, it was an incredible day! Even better since while we were there, the area was being prepped for shutting down for wintertime, and will be closed in a couple of days for the season.
We started hiking toward Norway Pass, with great views of the top of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Spirit Lake. Fall colors were mostly gone, but still a fantastic hike. We saw a large elk herd resting in the sun and eating… good to know the area has grown back enough to support such large animals again. This area really is an amazing science classroom, seeing how it’s going from a dead blast zone to very much alive again.
Mt. Rainier from near Norway passlogs from the original blast trees look like toothpicksSpirit lake and floating logselk St. Helens and Spirit Lakesteam from the craterSpirit Lake and Mt. St. Helens from Norway Pass
After enjoying the views of St. Helens and Spirit Lake for a while, we headed to the end of the road to Windy Ridge and climbed the 435 stairs to the top. The views here took my breath away. It’s hard to describe from this point how close you are to the crater, the new lava dome and glacier, and Spirit Lake. There was a constant column of steam at the lava dome, reminding us that she’s still an active volcano. Views from here also include Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood, and a full view of Spirit Lake.
All in all, a most excellent day, and much-needed attitude adjustment for me, some vitamin D even though it was cold out, time spent with friends, and mind-blowing views (pun intended).
Mt. Adams viewed from Windy Ridgelooking down to Spirit LakeLook! Big Volcano!Spirit LakeMt. Hood seen from Windy Ridge1979 Pontiac Grand Prix left over from the blast435 stepsSpirit Lake
I spent an incredible two weeks in October 2013 hiking through Southern Utah with my hiking buddy Frani  Unfortunately this coincided with the federal government shutdown so the National Parks weren’t open part of the time we were there, but we were able to get into Bryce NP, Canyonlands NP, and Arches NP.
The shutdown actually forced us to consider other areas to hike beyond the national parks, and I have to say that UTAH ROCKS IT’S STATE PARKS!!!!! Anywhere else in the country, and these would be considered national parks, IMO.
I’ve since returned to explore Utah’s canyon country twice. Click HERE (2021) and HERE (2022) to see those amazing trips.
Wasatch Range / Wardsworth Trail and Bridal Veil Falls
A huge thanks to my cousins for putting us up (or putting up with us!) near Provo, UT. We spent a day hiking at Hobble Creek Canyon on the Wardsworth Trail, perfect timing for fall colors. We also went to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon for a little scramble near the waterfall, followed by In-N-Out Burgers, the only way to finish off a good day of hiking
Red Canyon near Bryce NP
The weather was a bit too cold for my comfort in a tent, so we splurged and got a hotel in Panguitch, UT, for a few days in the Bryce area. We spent 2 days hiking in the Red Canyon area, which is spectacular in its own right. On the first day we covered the the Arches Trail, part of the Losee Canyon Trail, and then hiked out to Red Rock Canyon via the Thunder Mountain Trail, which was wonderful in the late afternoon/evening light.
The second day we hiked from the Visitor Center (closed, thanks to our very dysfunctional government) along the Pink Ledges, Hoodoo, and Birdseye Trails. In the afternoon we Hiked out the Cassidy Trail (a.k.a. Butch Cassidy hid out here for a while), to Ledge Point, and then down the Rich Trail… a very gorgeous day!
Kodachrome and Petrified Forest State Parks
On the day we drove from the Bryce Canyon area to Escalante, we stopped at Kodachrome State Park and Petrified Forest State Park. Both are very worth the time to see. Kodachrome S.P. has a great view of Bryce Canyon NP from the distance, and has some wonderful rock formations and colors, as well as Shakespeare Arch. Petrified Forest S.P. is amazing with the big rounds of petrified wood in rainbow colors spread all around the park. Our favorite was an extra back loop off the main trail, steep and rocky, with some wonderful pieces of petrified wood and a great view down into a canyon. We stayed in wonderful little cabins at Escalante Outfitters.
Lower Calf Creek Falls
The next day we hiked out to Lower Calf Creek Falls in the Calf Creek Recreation area with a wonderful couple from Germany that we met the night before over a couple of beers. It’s a gorgeous and easy hike out to the falls, through beautiful canyonland with cliffs, blooming flowers, flowing water, and good friends. Just the drive from Escalante to Calf Creek was wonderful.
I was one of the lucky people to get a permit for the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Enchantments to Colchuck Lake. It’s beautiful out there, to me it’s like a little piece of Yosemite in Washington State, with granite and towering mountains and gorgeous alpine lakes. Most of the trail up is very rocky and steep in parts, not necessarily good for the knees, but worth it for the incredible views. The color of the water in Colchuck Lake is a beautiful creamy-teal color, a very easy place to sit and relax and enjoy the wilderness.
We sat in the evening on some big boulders at the end of the lake and watched people the size of ants coming down Aasgard Pass, it must be amazing in the Upper Enchantments but these knees will never do that!!! I’ll have to see it vicariously through photos, unless someone wants to helicopter me up there some day.
The hike back down next day was fairly brutal on these poor surgical knees of mine, and I got back to the car feeling sore and abused, but it was very worth it!
Yep, there’s a trail in there somewheremore fun trailmore rocky trailtrailview looking toward Stewart Lakelittle tarn, Dragontail Peak in the backgroundColchuck Lake, Aasgard Pass just to the right of centerbeautiful blue waterstrail back down… ouch kneesouch kneesmore ouch kneesAasgard Pass left of center
I FINALLY explored the Mt. St. Helens area, after having lived her for 25 years. It’s gorgeous, especially when the wildflowers are in full bloom. It’s pretty incredible to see evidence of the damage and complete destruction that was caused 30+ years ago, and then to see the life coming back into the area.
We hiked the Harry’s Ridge Trail, which offers excellent views of the crater, blast zone, and Spirit Lake. (even better than from the Johnston Ridge Observatory). One part of the hike is a bit sketchy, a long traverse carved into a steep hillside with a large drop-off below, but the views of St. Helens from here are just incredible, it’s hard to focus on keeping feet on the trail without always stopping to look around and imagine what it would have been like there in 1980.
The views from Harry’s Ridge down to Spirit Lake, with Mt. Adams in the close background, are definitely worth the hike. There was a herd of elk down below on the banks of the lake enjoying the sunshine. Overall, about 8 miles round trip, with only a few hundred feet of elevation gain and loss. Spectacular hike, spectacular views, and definitely something I’ll do again.
To quote John Muir: “… the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings.”
He got it right, because the wildflower meadows around Mt. Rainier are second to none that I’ve ever seen. Though the Paradise/Skyline area is crowded in summertime, it’s worth the crowds to see these wildflowers and incredible views at least once every summer. It’s so different seeing it melted out and blooming, compared to when I do this as a snow-shoe route several times every winter. Crowded? Yes. Worth it? You bet!!!
wildflower meadowslupine and paintbrushMother Nature’s color palette Panorama Point – so different without snowMyrtle Falls and Mt. RainierPedicularis rainierensis
Quick dayhike out to Comet Falls last weekend, the tallest waterfall in Mt. Rainier National Park. I’ve wanted to get out here for a couple of years, but the trail has been closed due to avalanche and trail damage. WTA.org has done a fantastic job of re-building and re-routing part of the trail. The trail is quite rocky and steep in a few spots close the waterfall, and unfortunately coming back down that section made my knee/IT band syndrome kick in again, but it was worth it to eat lunch at the base of the falls and enjoy the incredible view.
I got to spend 3 great days at Crater Lake National Park while my girls were getting their Shakespeare fix in Ashland, Oregon 🙂 The Mazama car campground inside the park was great, big spots that weren’t too close together… best part was 3 days of day hiking all over the park 🙂 Yes, the water REALLY IS that blue, impossible to describe and photos don’t quite do it justice. The first night there I hiked up to the Watchman fire lookout for sunset, beautiful!
Wizard IslandBLUE!!near the LodgeWatchman lookout towerPumice Flatslooking across to Mt. ScottWatchman lookout towerhiking up to Watchman Towertip of Wizard Island near sunsetsunsetsunset lightsunset over Crater Lake
On the second day I took a boat ride around the lake. I was supposed to get 3 hours to hike around on Wizard Island but because of mechanical problems nobody was allowed to be dropped off on the island that day. Still, it was a great way to see the lake up close and personal. I hiked the Annie Creek trail after dinner for an evening stroll, got to see deer and marmots and lots of wildflowers.
Devil’s Backboneamazing blue colorthe Phantom Shipmy hiking buddy
On the last morning there I was up at 4:30 to catch the sunrise at Cloud Cap overlook, then hiked up to the top of Mt. Scott, the highest point in the park at 8900+ feet elevation. I was the only one on the trail the whole time, beautiful views all around 🙂 Definitely glad I got to spend time here and finally see it for myself.
sunrise from Cloud Capthe only person at the TH, just the way I like itfrom Mt. Scottfrom Mt. Scott
Well, the plan was to get all the way out to Enchanted Valley in the Olympics this weekend, 3 days off, gorgeous weather, but a migraine had other plans for me. Still, I had an excellent half-hike (minus the headache) in a gorgeous rainforest, can’t complain about that!!
I started out at 3:30 Friday afternoon toward EV, extremely humid but sunny and beautiful. After crossing Pony Bridge, the headache started to set in and by about mile 5, I was desperate to find a flat clear spot to pitch my tent. Easier said than done, since virtually every square inch of surface is covered in vegetation out here… it’s a rain forest after all. The trail was extremely muddy in many spots from the downpour of a few days ago – my new Keen boots are thoroughly broken in now, I hardly recognized them for all the mud covering them.
Finally found an absolutely gorgeous campsite a bit before O’Neill Creek, right on the river. Thank goodness my Nemo tent goes up fast… I barely got the tent set up and then crashed and slept for about 10 hours!!
Woke up and everything that was wet or damp the day before was even more wet and damp. The humidity was off the charts, impossible to get anything to dry out there. The headache was gone but I still didn’t feel that great, so I decided to head back instead of push another 7 miles up to Enchanted Valley, then a 13-mile hike back out. I’m bummed I didn’t make it all the way, but my head was glad I made the decision to turn back. I woke up to spectacular light on the river right next to me.. light shining through the trees and onto the water was just beautiful.
PNW slugs are beasts!Lake Quinaultsunset on Lake QuinaultLake quinaultLake Quinault
I drove back to Lake Quinault and spent the next night at Falls Creek Campground right by the Quinault Lodge, read some of my book, took a nap, listened to music, wandered the lakeshore, and just laid low. Sunset over Lake Quinault was stunning.
Some day I’ll make it all the way out to EV, but for now I’m happy with half-way.
Got copies of my cousin Ken’s photos from the Zion Subway, since he was smart and had a waterproof camera 🙂 I had my not-at-all-waterproof camera tucked away in a dry bag for the middle part of the trip including the rappelling and swimming. Thanks Ken for sharing! (All photos in this post are credited to Ken Barnes)
A few months ago I got a message from my cousin asking if I’d be interested in hiking the Zion Subway with them… it took me about 3 seconds to say “Yes!!!” I’m a Washington girl… I’m used to forests and huge trees and mountains and snow, etc. Going to Zion NP was like stepping onto another planet for me… one that I definitely want to see more of!
The Zion Subway is a hike I’d never attempt on my own, I didn’t know how to rappel, in many places there is no trail and you have to find your own way, etc. My cousin and his son were excellent guides and teachers, and I’m counting myself as one extremely lucky person to be able to go on this hike with them.
It’s 9.5 miles of some of the most incredible scenery on the planet (and I’ve been all over the world…). The hike starts out innocently enough, through some wooded area, over a gorgeous downslope of slickrock with great views… then you come to a point where you can see a small black crack in the huge wall ahead and realize THAT’S where you’re headed. There’s a lot of steep rock scrambling to get down toward the canyon opening.
Once in the canyon, it’s like stepping into a different world. My first time rappelling was a bit nerve-racking, but oh-so-much fun!!! From the first rappel on we spent quite a bit of time hiking through the river, scrambling over rocks and boulders, and a few spots of swimming through pools of cold water. A good dry bag and waterproof camera/case are a necessity on this hike. After several short rappels and going through a series of surreal “rooms” and sections, we came into the Subway itself. Gorgeous!!!
Upon leaving the Subway, we hiked several miles down river… in the river itself, with some incredible waterfalls (that make good water slides). Spent quite a bit of time just playing and hanging out in the water, soaking wet, and it felt great in the heat.
The climb up and out of the canyon to the ending trailhead is a big rock scramble up up up… with some jaw-dropping views down into the canyon that we had just come through.
All in all… by far the best hike I’ve ever been on in my life. DO NOT attempt to do this hike if you’ve never rappelled before, if you don’t have the proper gear, and if you have any problems with route finding. Go with someone who already knows the way and who knows the “ropes” literally. I can’t say a big enough THANK YOU to my cousins for this once in a lifetime opportunity 🙂  I’m one lucky girl….
(p.s. there are a ton of photos for this hike… there’s no way to condense it all into a dozen shots)
