Mount St. Helens Hike: Desolate Beauty

Mount St. Helens is different than any place I have ever hiked before. This mountain which is famous for its huge eruption in 1980 which sent ash places hours away from the mountain. This eruption doubled with another smaller eruption in 2008 has changed the landscape of that mountain greatly providing unique challenges for hikers.

Uncle Stewart and I headed up to the mountain from the June Lake trail head which is easy to find and paved all the way to the trail head which is about 35 miles from Woodland Washington. June lake and the river near it were the only water for a while especially after getting on the mountain. June lake has some nice camping but isn't much of a lake, more like a big pond. The lake's waterfall is a nice sight but being that the lake is only 1.4 miles from the trail head we continued up the mountain for more of a challenge.

June Lake's Waterfall

Hiking around on this mountain takes hikers over a little dirt, a little sand, and a whole lot of rock. From moving across huge boulders to walking miles along little rocks on the trail rocks are a common theme and ensure hikers watch their every step along the trail. Also there are tons of mushrooms around this mountain, some of which are edible if you're confident in identifying mushrooms.

 A big portion of the trails climbing up to St Helens from June lake look like this. 

The mushrooms can get huge out here and some are edible. 

The eruption on this mountain in 1980 left only little bits of trees and makes finding a nice shady spot to camp somewhat difficult. Groups of trees stand only in a few places around the mountain and these few spots provide great shelter from the sun which can be relentless when walking over the rocky ground. When hiking around this mountain good sunscreen is a must if you wish to prevent a massive sunburn.

We camped in the grove of trees on the right side of the picture. This was probably the best place to stay on this side of the mountain because as you can see in the distance shelter can be hard to come by. 

Watering spots are also somewhat scarce compared to other hikes in the North West with good watering spots on Mount St. Helens being up to 4 or 5 miles apart. The water that we came across was also fairly muddy so a good water filter was a must as opposed to purification tablets.

We used a filter to get good water from this somewhat dirty source.

Despite these challenges this mountain's trails are overall pretty nice despite being decently steep and fairly rocky in many parts. This mountain demands respect and shows hikers the true power of nature and just how much landscape can change because of a natural reaction, which in this case was a massive volcanic eruption. The views because of the eruption are different than any I have ever seen. The landscape is somewhat bare but this place makes me realize and enjoy other areas that I have hiked even more. St. Helens makes hikers not take trees and plentiful water for granted. The beauty of this mountain comes not only from the views but also from the peace that being on this mountain brings. While on the mountain we saw many mountain bikers but only a few other hikers and at night out on the mountain it was peace and quiet at its finest.

This mountain bike traffic jam is something that I had never experienced out in the wilderness. 

 Just a leaf with some dew droplets on it. 

 One of the great ravines that shows the power of the eruption and makes me respect this place even more. P.S. These are interesting to cross sometimes.

 A big Marmot let us get close to him as he was eating on those bushes next to him.

 Caution: Objects in nature may be much further than they appear.

 Picture of the sunrise atop a hill near our campsite.

Another sunrise picture as we had a tremendous view of the sun coming over the mountain in the distance. 

Burnt Lake: A Scenic Hike for Everyone

Burnt Lake is one of Oregon's many beautiful hike-in lakes and is located in the Mt. Hood Wilderness less than an hours drive from Portland. This lake is great for many people as it is about 3.6 miles from the trail-head and isn't too steep most of the hike. The fishing, scenery, and camping combine for a great experience and an awesome time. Whether you are a ultimate hiker, or an ultimate camper, this lake provides something for you. With the trails around the lake including Zig-Zag lookout and nearby Cast Lake (both of which we hiked to), everyone can hike or fish or camp as much or as little as they desire. 

Note that the road leading to the trailhead is very bumpy with many potholes in it and if you take a car with lower clearance your car will scrape at least once. 

Burnt Lake is a fairly popular place to hike as this picture was taken on a Friday morning at 9:50 am upon arriving at the trailhead. Coming back the next morning there were at least 3 times the amount of cars, forcing many to park along the sides of the roads.

 An hour and ten minutes after leaving the trailhead we reached a waterfall that is about 200 ft from the path that provides a great stopping point for breakfast (I ate a Nature Valley granola bar which I believe the view made taste better.)

 After reaching the waterfall the trail begins to climb up to Burnt Lake although it still isn't a very challenging part of the hike. The hike to burnt lake is very kid and dog friendly because of the well beaten paths and relatively short distance. We saw several kids at the lake and on the way up to the lake and also saw 7 dogs while around the area. 

 Along the trail up to the lake there are many spots where the trail crosses small streams which provide excellent spots for filling up water. In general the area is a very easy place to access water so don't overload on the water, it just adds unnecessary weight.  

After crossing many streams and the ascent up to the lake Burnt lake comes into sight.

The view from Zig-Zag lookout, an old fire lookout, is absolutely gorgeous especially when the weather is clear and Mt. Hood is very close. The hike up to the lookout takes less than an hour although it is steep, but the view of Mt. Hood is rewarding and makes the effort worth it. The flowers in the meadows on the way up to the peak are awesome and well worth time to view.   

Beyond the lookout about a half hour is another small lake. The scenery isn't quite as good at this lake and the mosquitoes are more abundant but there are less people and the fishing is fantastic. 

In a little over an hours time my uncle and I caught seven fish (we only kept 5 to eat). The fishing at Burnt Lake the next morning turned out to be very good as well. 

The scenery as previously mentioned is stunning and sunset brings out another level of beauty beyond belief and Burnt Lake provides an awesome reflection of the mountain and in my opinion this is hands down the most beautiful place i have seen in Oregon.

Camping at Burnt Lake can be tricky because of its popularity and because there are only seven designated campsites at the lake. The weather in July didn't require an heavy duty shelter and we used a tarp/poncho to lay under. The temperatures were chilly in the morning but not cold enough to prevent using just about any sleeping bag to stay warm. One should also note that fires are not allowed within a half mile of Burnt Lake. If you can't find a spot to stay at Burnt Lake there are also spots up by the lookout and also at Cast Lake.

One of the stream crossings with my hiking partner AKA uncle Stewart in the background.

Getting the Right Angle; Whitehorse Falls Oregon

Whitehorse falls is a small waterfall and campground located on highway 138, also known as the North Umpqua highway, on the Clearwater river. It's about a 50 minute drive east from Roseburg Oregon and is very accessible for people of all ages as there is a handicap accessible viewpoint in front of the close to 20 foot waterfall. However for better viewing and pictures taking the road less traveled is required as well as some bruises from slipping on logs. That being said going "off the path" there isn't much of a problem but it is definitely worth the view.

The view from the picture above is taken by getting to the far side of the river below the waterfall. There is a small foot bridge that allows an easy crossing. Fallen logs covered in moss make for good pictures but do not however provide good grip. 

Some of the best angles require bending your knees and looking awkward. I should know I'm 6 foot 3 and took this photo from almost water level.

The photo above again required being on the far side of the river. To get this shot of the river moving over another fallen tree I stood back on the bank to allow the shore to provide perspective to the river.

The photo above is taken standing on a little 2' by 2' area with the river rushing next to my feet. The water is seen rushing over a petrified log that has presumably been there for many years.

 Fallen logs beneath the full size waterfalls have created these little waterfalls that are ever changing with logs adding to it more and more, changing the flow of the river slightly, and also changing the view.

Again some of the most interesting views of these falls require going off the path and being on the far side of the river. The effort is rewarding with interesting photo ops and angles.

Getting to view the spot where the picture above was taken only requires following a short little trail on the left side of the falls. The minor extra effort is well rewarded with beautiful views of the river above the falls.

Again taking the above photo required standing on a small platform off the trail that led to the river above the falls. The moss is very slippery and one should use caution when venturing off trail to get interesting angles of waterfalls like this one.

Then again some photos like the one above can be had right on the handicap accessible platform that almost everyone can get to. Don't go off the trail and assume the views on trail aren't as beautiful because some great pictures may be staring you in the face on those very trails.

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After Sunset

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