Mount Saint Helen Backcountry Hike (June 16th, 2021)

Today I got up early and made the hour and forty-five minute drive to the South Coldwater Ridge Trailhead near Mount Saint Helen. My intention was to head up to Coldwater Peak, the highest viewpoint in the area. Right from the start there were plenty of flowers next to the trail.

A short while later I could hear something moving through the brush. Looking over I could see a female elk bounding away from me. She then came back and stared at me for a short while, forcfully blowing air out of her nostrils. It sounded like someone sneezing. Then she bounded away again on all fours, like a person on a pogo stick.

The temperature was cool this morning which felt pretty good. I knew later on it would get really warm. After a few more switchbacks I looked up and could see another elk staring down at me. Was this the same one?

As I proceeded up I could see a small group of them off to the side. When they ran off two baby elk came into view running alongside them.

Onward and upward I went. Off to my right Mount Saint Helen came into view behind a ridgeline.

I slowly gained altitude up the ridge and could see Coldwater Peak in the center of this pictue.

Now Mount Saint Helen was in full view. It wouldn’t be long before all the snow has melted off her slopes.

I’d been going at it for an hour and a half by now. I found a great perch next to some boulders to sit down and have a snack and enjoy the views. To my north I could see Whittier Ridge with a little snow on it. For the really adventurous type there’s a trail there that goes along the top of the spine.

I got out my binoculars and watched a small herd of elk below me. There were a couple newborns with them. They grazed on the greenery while walking slowly away from me. I packed up my stuff and headed up the trail. It climbed steadily as it weaved in and out of the drainages. In a short while I could see the saddle that I would have to cross over was still snow covered. It would take a little work to get up and over that.

I kicked some steps into the snow and slowly made my way up. Once on the other side I got a good view of Mount Adams.

From here the tail traversed a slope on a skinny ledge across a couple of small snowfields. I just had to round one more corner to get a good look at the route up to the summit of Coldwater Peak. My heart sank when I finally saw it. The trail was still buried in deep snow. This picture doesn’t convey just how steep the terrain is.

I would need crampons to safely get up there and back down. The snow was very firm and slick. Coming back down would be very sketchy. I could fall and start to slide, stopping only when I hit a tree or some rocks. I contemplated what to do next and settled on heading over to a cool rock arch formation as a consolation prize.

The trail goes right through a hole in the arch here.

I climbed up to a peak that was nearly as high as Coldwater Peak and took a long break here. It had a great 360 degree view of the entire area. Spirit Lake was down below with Mount Adams, Hood, and Saint Helen completing the view.

Behind me was Coldwater Peak, Saint Helens Lake, and Mount Rainier peeking out above the ridges.

I sat down and leaned against my pack for a long rest break. There was a cool breeze that felt nice. I got my binoculars out a surveyed the landscape, picking out familiar spots that I have been to before. After close to an hour I returned back down the same way I came up. When it came time to navigate down a steep snow slope above the saddle I elected to glissade down it. This was much easier than trying kick in steps coming down. This picture shows my slide track coming down.

That was the last of the snow from this point on. It was easy cruising all the way back to the car. There are a lot of tree stumps in this area left over from the eruption. This picture of a big one really shows the power of the blast wave that roared through here.

I continued down at a gradual pace. A few afternoon clouds had formed next to the mountain.

From up here there is a great view of Coldwater Lake. I could see a few kayakers out enjoying the water.

By now it was getting really warm and I was looking forward the being back in the trees. My Oregonian skin was feeling the effects of all that sunshine. There was a noticeable drop in temperature once I entered the green tunnel. The smells were very fragrant from all the plant life.

In just fifteen more minutes I was back at the trailhead. The stats for the day were 12.5 miles and 2,800ft of gain. Once again it felt so good to take my shoes off and sit in the air-conditioned car. The ride back down the twisty road to the Interstate was also something I look forward to with the sweeping views. It was another great day in the mountains.