May 9, 2016
Hike of the week recommended by WTA. I decided to head out to hike Hummocks trail combined with Boundary West. The weather was perfect...sunny and not too warm as there was a light breeze.
This is a wonderful hike for all ages, particularly Hummocks Trail. It offers fantastic views of Mount St. Helens with educational and interesting information about the geology and history of Mount St. Helens since the volcanic eruption in 1980. It is amazing you can actually hike along the area where the landscape and ecology were devastated by the eruption and it's been reforming by nature's own will and cycle ever since. I learned so much of the area's landscape geology through the hike.
From the trailhead, I followed Hummocks Trail and at the trail junction I continued on to Boundary Trail heading east. The trail is in good shape and easy to trek with gentle ups and downs. After about a mile in, it begins to climb steeply in switchbacks....be ready to get your heart rate going!
As you keep gaining elevations, the views of the valley down below and Mount St. Helens get better and better. Seeing a remnant of the past all along the trail, you could only imagine the catastrophic force of the eruption which wiped out the area 36 years ago.
I stopped the hike before reaching Loowit Viewpoint because I was running out of time after 7pm. So, I enjoyed the spectacular views of Mount St. Helens and the valley down below on the way and turned around to head back to the trailhead. I returned to my car a little after 8pm. Interestingly, I saw a cougar crossing the highway soon after I drove out of the trailhead parking lot. It looked like a little over 2 ft long and had a dark brown fur.
Wildflowers are just starting to bloom....paintbrush, lupine, phlox, foxglove and so on. They will get into full swing very soon if weather cooperates. The road to Johnston Ridge Observatory is still closed at Coldwater Lake, but it is scheduled to open this weekend/May 14. I would like to go back to hike and explore again....perhaps, hike around the observatory and Spirit Lake area next time.
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