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| Mount Saint Helens |
Date: July 17, 2021
Place: Mount St. Helens National Monument
Coordinates: 46.275410, -122.217219
Length: 3.6 miles
Level: easy
May 18, 1980 is a date that is burnt into the United States consciousness. It was the day when Mount Saint Helens blew its top, in what was the deadliest volcanic eruption in the modern American history. 57 people had lost their lives in the mountain's mega-explosion, including David A. Johnston, the volcanologist who remained in the area to document the mountain's activity. Mount Saint Helens had been active for two months already but no one, including the late Johnston, had expected it to explode so powerfully. For the sake of reference I post here a 'before' image of Mount Saint Helens that I took from the National Geographic site.
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| Mount Saint Helens |
The first time I saw Mount Saint Helens national Monument was eleven years ago on a two weeks long family road trip. When I was planning the 2021 road trip with my chikas and their friend it was clear to me that I would include Mount Saint Helens in our itinerary. I just had to see it again.
The visitor center is way below at the base of the access road but where the late Johnston died an observatory named after him. After a short detour by the Layser Cave we arrived at Johnston Ridge Observatory, where we had a fantastic view of the shortened mountain and its torn caldera, which was reshaped with a few additional smaller eruptions since the mega explosion.
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| Mount Saint Helens |
It didn't take me long to notice that everywhere around us it was peak bloom season, and the colorful display was fantastic.
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| Harsh Paintbrush, Castilleja hispida |
Some of the plants that were blooming there were very familiar to me from other places, and I wasn't sure if they weren't introduced there as well.
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| Common St. John's Wort |
Other wildflowers were of familiar plant families but of species that were new to me. Soon I started drifting off toward the nearby trailhead, taking photos on my way.
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| Cardwell's Beardtongue, Penstemon cardwellii |
The youth drifted near me. The elder chika was looking for birds. The younger chika and the friend were engaged in a deep discussion.
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| Oxeye Daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare |
Since I was the one with the plan I led everyone to the trailhead and told them we were going on a hike. On my first visit there 11 years ago we walked a little bit down that trail but didn't get very far. Now I wanted to get a bit more time on that trail.
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| Our hike as captured by my GPS |
The first part of the trail was an accessible asphalt pavement, making it an easy walk. Unlike Mount Rainier National Park, the area of Mount Saint Helens looked almost bare. I didn't know if that was because St. Helens was more arid or because it simply takes that long to recover from a mega eruption.
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| Johnston Ridge Trail |
Although we weren't focused on finding wildlife (except for birds, that is) we did notice the ground squirrels that were busy along the trail.
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| Cascade Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel |
There was no hiking trail going all the way to Mount Saint Helens. The trail we were on curved along the Johnston Ridge, high above the deep valley below, where much of the eruption's devastation area was.
The slopes going down to the devastation area valley were very steep and made of crumbling volcanic stones and cinders. Parts of these slopes were already stabilized by regenerated vegetation.
From many points along this trail we were treated to magnificent views of the self-decapitated Mount Saint Helens.
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| Mount Saint Helens |
Because the trail was on the ridge line we also had nice views to the other side. The slopes opposite of Mount Saint Helens used to be covered with deep conifer forest. That forest was completely flattened by the eruption, and the recovery was occurring very, very slow.
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| Johnston Ridge Trail |
The quickest-recovering plants were broadleaf trees which looked mire like bushes still. We could see stands of these on the slopes but some patches were right by the trail.
Below the bushes were more wildflowers. Sometimes they were hiding their own foliage in the leaves of the bigger plants.
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| Cascade Beardtongue, Penstemon serrulatus |
The elder chika was thrilled to spot some birds in these bushes and small trees. A little gray flycatcher was actively catching bugs and the chika was actively taking its photos.
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| Gray Flycatcher |
Most of the trail however, was running through exposed areas, where the plant life was better-suited the direct sunlight and winds.
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| Oregon Stonecrop, Sedium oregonum |
The most prominent bloom was of the great red paintbrush, which covered large areas of the exposed slopes. More like desert areas, the bloom was intermittent rather than a contiguous carpet.
These brilliant red-blooming plants looked big and healthy. The Castilleja genus is large and I love seeing its members wherever I go hiking.
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| Giant Red Paintbrush, Castilleja miniata |
Unlike our visit at Mount Rainier, this time there were very few clouds. The clouds however, did hang around the top of the volcano and it was easy enough to imagine a classic volcano cone hidden behind the clouds.
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| Johnston Ridge Trail |
I didn't have a trail map with me, and I kept looking for off-branching trails that would allow us to descend to the deep valley below. I didn't see any though, nor could I see any other humans down below. I wonder if that area was off-limits or whether there were other trails going down there.
There were other reasons to look down the slopes besides searching for a downhill trail. The slopes facing Mt. St. Helens were covered with wildflowers, and not only the red paintbrush.
Some of the interesting bloom patches were too far down the steep slope so I couldn't get closer to check them out. Others were just by the trail. They were a pleasure to see.
The trail continued on eastward for a good distance more and the youth started wondering aloud how long we would continue. For me the answer was simple - just a bit more, around the curve. Of course, I never specified which curve I was referring to.
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| Johnston Ridge Trail |
After nearly two miles however, we did get to a point where it seemed to be a good place to turn around. To the north we had a nice view of the slowly recovering forest.
To the south we had a magnificent view of Mount Saint Helens. We would still see it on our way back but this was the spot where we turned our backs and started walking back to the Johnston Observatory.
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| Mount Saint Helens |
From that view point, the closest we were to the mountain, I focused on the torn caldera and took an enlarged photo, appreciating the striking details of the formidable volcano. Mount Saint Helens has been quiescent for more than three decades but it is still considered the most active of the cascade volcanoes.
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| Mount Saint Helens' caldera |
The walk back was quicker, naturally. I did let the youth move on faster as I lingered behind, presumably for the wildflowers. I was reluctant to leave Mt. St. Helens so soon.
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| Johnston Ridge Trail |
Well, I did linger for the wildflowers too. They were simply to beautiful to ignore, even on second sight.
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| Lupine, Lupinus sp. |
I also gave my attention to more common wildflowers, like the pearly everlasting which I see on many of my hikes in California as well.
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| Pearly Everlasting, Anaphalis margaritaceae |
The squirrels got the elder chika's attention. After the flycatcher we didn't see many other birds so she settled for the little rodents instead.
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| Cascade Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel |
Getting close to the Johnston Observatory and going past a large patch of giant red paintbrush flowers, we saw a little hummingbird enjoying the big red blossoms. It was an Anna's hummingbird, a common species, but the elder chika was thrilled to see it, as was I.
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| Anna's Hummingbird, Juvenile |
My last few steps on the trail were very slow. Near the trail was the broken stump of a tree, a tree that was killed in the eruption 41 years before. The silent evidence of the devastation on a small, personal scale.
We finished our hike and drove off west towards Olympic National Park, but just like with our visit to Mount Rainier, I with the feeling that our time here was way too short.
I post this blog entry more than four years after this visit, almost 45 years after that mega eruption. Perhaps I don't remember all the details of that hike but the sensation of awe is as strong now as it was when I saw this volcano back then. There will be a next visit, for sure.
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