Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument — Attraction in Kelso

This is a well thought out monument, from the trails to the construction of the highway. It is a truly stunning, unique, and mind-blowing piece of history. This volcano has some very close partners in crime that keep her company; Mt Rainer, to the north, Mt Adams to the east, and Mt Hood to the south. These represent just a small number of the volcanoes that are a part of the Pacific Crest and are among the tallest of all of them. There are numerous trails for every skill level that will take you on an extraordinary journey through the past and the present. The trails just off of the parking lot and memorial are quite easy and informative. There's numerous trail signs and informational boards explaining the history and geological events that have created what you are seeing today. I remember when this mighty sleeping giant blew its face and top, it was just before the end of my junior year, and all I could think of was what it would look like when I saw it again! From the devastation of that day to the beauty of what it has become is amazing. Mother Nature is resilient. This is a unique place that deserves our care. It's still very fragile, so please tread lightly, Happy trails, and as always, leave no trace (please), leave it better than you found it (please),...

We went on a guided tour with Living Waters. We hiked to the Rim which my GPS said we hiked just under 10 miles by the time we got back. When we first arrive the fog and mist was cold and blocked all the beautiful views. But by the time we were entering into the avalanche zone, the fog has lifted enough we could see the entire avalanche zone! So amazing awesome! We hiked to the 'Little Grand Canyon' which was deceivingly LARGE, but didn't seem large until some of our crew was able to hike down into the canyon and they became little ants not too far away from us, that's just how deep it is! I was able to get photos of Spirit Lake and on our way back is when I captured photos of the avalanche zone on top of the hill side. Unfortunately, the clouds didn't lift enough to see Mount Saint Helen's herself. So sad, but we all still enjoyed ourselves. Now the learning area was closed I'm sure do to Covid, but I'm not sure about that. It looked like so much fun and they had a large model that I wish I could have seen up close. Gift shop and...

I hadn't been here since it was buried in snow (Dec 2020). Most of the snow is gone between Johnston Ridge and Harry's Ridge. (most of the snow patches are when you cross under to that ridge to the trail junction).

There's one area where I had to crawl through a small trees branches and cross a large patch of snow (I stayed away from the edge so as not to step through).

I tried to go up the Coldwater Peak trail but lost the trail after the second switchback. (I've seen recent reports that it's passable now.)

I hiked up Harry's Ridge and chatted with group of three gents.

The weather was perfect. I'd worn shorts and light SPF20 shirt. I forgot to pack long pants. Fortunately, I never needed it. It was mid-to-high 60s the whole time.

Usually I have extra gear in the car and try to adhere to:

"Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."

Looking forward to going back to hike up the...