A few months ago I completed my goal to climb to the top of Mt. St. Helens. It was an amazing experience but the one thing it didn’t do was give me a close up view of the blast zone located on the opposite side of the mountain. So the other day I took a friend up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory and we did a nice 9 mile hike down to Spirit Lake.
Here’s some photos from the hike:
Walking South Towards the Mountain.
View From the Pumice Fields.
A Small Lake Along the Trail.
Spirit Lake with Mt. Rainier in the Background.
Mt. Rainier in the Clouds.
Looking North from the Trail.
The blast zone is such a weird place because it feels like walking around in the desert in Arizona yet it’s located in the Pacific Northwest. Just a few miles down the road the scenery completely changes.
It’s definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Washington. Highly recommend it!
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Thats so beautiful! I looked over the border into washington once (from oregon) but never got to visit. Those are just incredible pictures. I imagine it could almost seem prehistoric, standing there.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve backpacked around the base of the mountain, but never actually thought about attempting to reach the top like that. Would be an incredible place for a photo shoot!