Wopper Posted July 1, 2004 Posted July 1, 2004 Has anyone done the Loowit Trail around St. Helens? Wondering about starting recomendations and why? On the map it appears as if June Lake would be the best place to start/finish. Mucho Gracias. Quote
MervGriffin Posted July 1, 2004 Posted July 1, 2004 Me and a pal did the loop a couple of years in one day going counter-clockwise starting from Windy Ridge on the north side. We bivouaced in the parking area and started off just as the sun was coming up around 5:30 AM. We kept moving all day and probably took less than an hour total of any sort of breaks and finished around 8:30 PM. It was both utterly spectacular and regularly arduous. You will follow rock cairns cross-country for miles through uneven terrain while heading west across the desert-like north side. You will descend into the depths of the Toutle river canyon and a few miles later will encouter a trying traverse across lava blocks marked by wooden poles. Past June Lake, you'll eventually reach a section where you must repeatedly descend and climb out of one treacherous, dirty ravine after another. After Ape Canyon, a few flat steady miles across the Plains of Abraham brings one to the final obstacle: Windy Pass, and then a few more miles back to the car. The circle from Windy Ridge is about 36 mostly tough miles. You might be cutting off a couple of miles on either end by the June Lake approach. Any way out do it, it's a challenge if you do it all at once. I recall being constantly amazed and intrigued by the ever-changing scenery, a lot of which I had never before seen the likes. DETAILS: We carried Camelback's with a couple of sandwiches and snacks, wool hat and sweater, rain coat, trail running shoes (Salomon Raid Winds), ski poles, hat and sunscreen. Make sure the weather is good because if you get lost in a whiteout in some places such as the north pumice plain (marked only by low cairns), you might be in for an epic. Bring some moleskin, too, and maybe a change of socks. There were some shallow water crossings. Back at the car, I noticed that I had accumulated a couple of half-dollar sized blisters on the sides of my heals (from heat, friction, moisture). Speaking of water, we regularly refilled the Camelbacks in areas where there was fresh water as there are some long stretches where you won't find much. I recall it was pretty hot (August?). Make sure you have a good plan for bailing out if you or your buddies tire out, twist an ankle, etc. You might end up doing a lot of walking or some convuluted hitchhiking to get back to a major road or to your car. I intend to do the loop again sometime this summer; either by myself or with one other. You probably don't want to bring a crowd because it really is pretty hard. On the other hand, I suppose that most people do it in 2, 3 or 4 days and though still very challenging (especially carrying overnight stuff), you won't be under the pressure of finishing quickly and can really enjoy the terrain and views. Good luck! I found a few pictures of parts of the trail: Near June Lake Check out this guy's Trip Report with great pictures! Quote
Norman_Clyde Posted July 1, 2004 Posted July 1, 2004 I plan to do this loop sometime in July, part of preparing for a Wonderland circuit. Don't have too many weekends but I'm free on the 13th. Anyone wanting to join, send a PM. Quote
jjl Posted July 2, 2004 Posted July 2, 2004 Hey, just thought I'd point out that I took that photo... there are more & some info about the Loowit trail & other places around St. Helens on my web site at: http://www.phlumf.com/other/photos/sthelens/sthelens.htm -Jonathan Quote
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