| MAY 16, 2010 We used to make the pilgrimage to
Mt. St. Helens every few years to watch the recovery of the landscape
within the blast zone, but it had been about 12 years since my last
visit. So on the weekend of the 30th anniversary of the eruption,
I found myself driving to Johnston Ridge, stopping at nearly every
overlook and visitors center along the way. Many changes have
taken place in the years since my last visit. The Coldwater Ridge
Visitors Center is closed and gated shut due to budget shortfalls and
the high cost to run that facility. The most obvious change was
the re-emergence of both flora and fauna, and I was duly impressed.
The weather was moody as I started off on the Boundary Trail from the
Johnston Ridge Observatory, intending to hike to Harry's Ridge if time
allowed. Winter had just retreated, so the greenery was sparse
along the trail, but everywhere there were signs that recovery has
indeed picked up its pace since my last visit. A sign not far from
the JRO provides a map of the area and warns of seriously rugged country
ahead; it cautions hikers not to exceed their capabilities--or their
comfort levels. I'm usually comfortable with exposure on steep
slopes, so I hiked on. Soon the trail started skirting a steep
cliff with an amazing view of the mountain in front of me. The
trail can only be described as a mean, narrow little trail with a sheer
drop to the Pumice Plain. But the scenery was stunning and enticed
me on--until I reached a short section of the trail that was so eroded I
couldn't get a solid footing on it. I thought about it for several
minutes before deciding that it was a good time to turn around.
Not quite ready to quit for the day, however, I stopped off at pretty
Coldwater Lake for a short hike on the Birth of a Lake Trail.
4 miles at JRO
1 mile at Coldwater Lake
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