HIKE 20
Date: Sunday, August 11, 2019
Location: Mount Saint Helens Volcanic National Monument - Amboy, WA
Distance: 5.74 miles
Trails: Windy
Miles from Home: 2,098
Weather: Sunny, cool, cloudy, rainy, windy
I’ve wanted to visit Mt. Saint Helens since grade school, since learning about the eruption I imagine, and the dream finally (kind of) came true. I took the advice of a friend and went to Windy Ridge and hiked from there up along the side of the destruction zone. It was a gray and cloudy day, mostly, so I was limited to what I got to see but it was all quite intense overall.
The hike followed the old road and went gently over some hills, on the ridge, so it was not a ton of elevation gain or strenuous areas. The ridge was beautiful, with green trees in the valley and rain filled clouds above. The views of Mt. Saint Helens came and went, but the views of the destruction zone were always clear. I saw where the lava flowed and the lake below. What a place. I can’t wait to go back and see it from another angle.
