Wildflowers Archives

Greeted by Magnificent Wildflowers

I feel fortunate that I am able to visit some pretty spectacular places living in the Pacific Northwest. My recent trip to Mount St. Helens (yes there is an ‘s’ at the end) proves to be a magnificent day. On the morning drive to Mount St. Helens, she (I like to attribute the feminine gender to mountains) is behind a shroud of clouds and I was unsure whether they would burn off before we hit the trail. The day turns out to be an all-day event hiking at Harry’s Ridge near Mount St.Helens amongst the summer flowers.

We entered the Johnston Ridge Observatory parking lot mid-morning. I laced up my hiking boots and we were off to check in that morning. The park rangers were welcoming and told us about the 15 minute movie detailing the eruption that took place in 1980, the year I graduated high school! I have seen the movie a couple of times over the years of visiting and I think they updated it a bit. In the short 15-minute film you get the gist of what took place but it is hard to comprehend the destruction of the blast. At the end of the movie, just below the screen, you are surprised by curtains sliding open to reveal the majestic volcanic backdrop.

Encountering the Blast Zone

I did not live here in 1980 but remember that we could see ash in the upper atmosphere in the Midwest. I survived the Mount St. Helens hike another time as well. I have climbed the mountain on another occasion right to the rim to look over it with a bit of trepidation to see the steam from the inner mound. The mound was continually increasing in size and still is! Thank gosh our party was safe. I wouldn’t want to be the Baltimore man that falls into Mt Vesuvious after attempting to rescue his falling camera phone. I understand that man was safely rescued, thankfully.

On this cloudy day you could clearly see how the blast carved out the mountain and surrounding land. When the sun broke through, remnants of blasted down trees littered the hillside like orderly matchsticks. Dead and decaying tree trunks congregate on the shoreline of Spirit Lake. Trunks from the snapped-off trees leave all manner of deformity jutting skyward,

Harry’s Ridge

The Harry’s Ridge trail hike took us about six hours roundtrip. It was a Friday and we were not alone on the trail. There were couples, families, and also quite a few solo travelers. It was comforting to know that there were other people to share in the experience. At the observatory there is a trail called xxxxx trail and this lead to a couple of other trails. In fact, you can hike all the way to Windy Ridge.

It was a cloudy day with many sun breaks (a common term in the PNW) and a perfect day for hiking and photo-taking hiking—not too hot, not too cold. The scape of the land has changed forever and it is interesting to look at. After 42 years, there is also new life abounding.

**Do you see the mountain goat on the ridge?**

Get Your Elevation On

One of my all-time dreams is climbing Mt. Everest. I guess hiking and surviving each hike is one step closer to the dream. I am calling it a dream and not a goal. I am not sure, I want to risk my life climbing into the Death Zone on Mt. Everest, though. We had a 970 ft gain to reach Harry’s Ridge from Johnston Ridge. I wore my hiking boots and was glad that I did because there was a lot of loose gravel and sediment. When we climbed Dog Mountain, I wore old tennis shoes because they were lighter and the terrain is steep so I think it made it a bit easier. The only think is, I slipped a couple of times on the loose gravel there. I guess, I need to invest in some different gear.

Does Age Come into Play

I turned 60 this year. I have come to conclude that it is just a number. Sixty is the new 40, right? You get out of life what you put into it. I have had some sedentary jobs lately—the plight of the modern lifestyle, and need to get back into a routine of exercise. I do like working out at the gym but, in the summer, I like to be outdoors. Climbing in elevation gets the heart pumping and makes me feel like I have accomplished something.

When climbing to Harry’s Ridge, we followed a trail up and down hummocks, deposits of displaced land left by the blast, and through green groves (I am not sure of the variety of plant) and vast gravelly fields of wild flowers that were very sweet-smelling. I could not detect which flower was producing such a sweet, delicate fragrance.

I reviewed a flower guide and found some of the flowers that I photographed: penstemon, harsh Indian paintbrush, bramble, lupine, white avalanche lily, and what looked to be a wild lavender. I go gaga over wildflowers, and I feel like I can never take enough photos much to my husband’s dismay. He does have a point about not taking so many, but the reason I take photos is to share them.

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Transportation Options to Dog Mountain

A hiking permit is required to climb Dog Mountain on the weekend. You must reserve these online and they are limited. That is why we took the shuttle. I suggest that you take the shuttle from Stevenson, WA. The shuttle takes you right to the trailhead plus you get a free wrist band that allows you to hike the mountain. You can also drive and park if you have the Discovery Pass but parking is not guaranteed.

It is nice to get an early start to climbing so you can have a bite to eat from the lunch that you should pack. We only brought one container of water. Luckily, it wasn’t a very warm day. Always bring enough water! There is no bathroom at the top, so be advised to possibly ration your water intake or find a private spot to go, I suppose.

Decisions, Decisions! Which road to take.

There are two directions that are available up the mountain. There is the difficult route and the more difficult route. As we came upon the fork in the road and hesitated about which route to take, a young couple came by and encouraged us (or at least I took it that way) to take the more difficult route because it was more direct. We took the more difficult trail and it was pretty much a vertical climb all the way. We took it slow and steady stopping frequently to catch our breath and grab a sip of water. Along the way, I experienced many cleansing breaths, which are the type of breaths you get when you are running. It made me feel good that the younger people climbing also stopped occasionally to do the same.

My legs felt it on the way up but descending the mountain was harder for me and my legs were shaking. I did not wear my hiking boots and wore my old tennis shoes because I thought it would help since it was such a steep climb. I did OK going up but there was loose gravel and fell about three time on the way down. The first time I fell was at the top and a drone (which are not allowed there) probably captured my gracefulness as I waited for my husband to come and assist me to my feet. It was kind of embarrassing falling. Oh, well!

Do Research Before You Go

I poured over websites and googled information on the best time to go as well as the weather conditions which have been very unseasonable for the PNW this time of year. The morning we were supposed to go, we woke up to clouds and my phone said it was going to be cloudy. The location of the mountain was an hour away and I viewed the weather for that location which said partly sunny. It came down to my gut. Of course, I wanted it to be perfect weather and somehow it worked out to be just that. It’s only because it was the all-famed Dog Mountain and I wanted it to be perfect on my first climb. There are so many variables when hiking. I guess that is why it makes it so much fun.

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The flowers were just starting to come on and I feel like I would like to go a little later to see the lupine and Indian paintbrush in full bloom. The abundant, yellow balsam root was magnificent, though! I felt like the hill was alive with the sound of music!

The map below from oregonhikers.org shows the green dotted line as the hard trail and the trail pictured to the right as the less difficult trail. The trail to the left is a little overgrown I’ve heard. It looks more wooded for sure. I had this idea of climbing Dog Mountain in the back of my mind for some time now but never really made the effort to do it. We did not see very many children on the trail. There were a few early teens but expect to take your time if you don’t hike frequently or the possibility of turning back if your child doesn’t want to continue. Of course, it didn’t help when a park guide said they saw a rattlesnake earlier and people were asking us on our decent if we had seen any. We had not.

I didn’t realize how extensive the oregonhikers.org website is. That is where I got the trail map. Check it out!

I know one thing—Dog Mountain has made me want to experience other hiking trails. Come back to this blog for another adventure we took recently.

Of course, what would Dog Mountain be without a dog or two hiking.

There were a handful of dogs that accompanied their owners. I asked a couple if their dog also experienced the same expenditure of energy climbing up a steep hillside. They seemed to think so. I suppose the dogs probably whether it better than humans.

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Tag: Wildflowers

Hiking Harry’s Ridge at Mount St. Helens Amongst the Summer Flowers