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| Minnie Peak from near Ridge Camp |
A bleak tundra extends before me, a wasteland of twisted
stumps, wind blasted scrub growing in among rusted relics of a forgotten age.
Behind me, dark moors rise out of sight into low hanging clouds; before me, the
gray plateau drops precipitously into the coiling fog. This is not some scene
from a post-apocalyptic Sci-fi novel, and mutated beasts do not lurk amongst
the foggy crags (at least, not so far as I know). This is the hinterland of
Ridge Camp, a bleak and lonely destination high in the Mt. St. Helens blast
zone.
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| Ridge Camp |
This seemingly remote location is only a
scant few miles from Spirit Lake Highway along the South Coldwater trail, and
just over the ridge is the tourist utopia of the Johnston Ridge visitor center.
Less than a mile back along the trail, day hikers saunter, bikers careen, and
sandal clad tourists stumble. Two miles in the other direction, somewhat more-fit
day hikers climb imposing Coldwater Peak, its summit twinkling with seismic
sensors and other scientific nick-knacks. Yet past the junction with the trail
that drops to Coldwater Lake, the way grows decidedly darker and climbs to an
ashen bowl set in the side the ridge. The air falls still; wind echoes in the
rocks high above, but rarely is a breath felt below. A shallow depression may
once have been a bright woodland pool. Now it is filled with dust and the bones
of ancient trees - and the Sani can. This huge, yellow monster lies like an
engorged slug near the back wall of the crater, and one must sit perched atop
this distorted mountain throne in plain sight of the trail whenever nature
calls. There are campsites: squares of wood filled with gravel upon which you
are intended to camp, like offerings on some pagan altar. Welcome to Ridge camp
folks, enjoy your stay!
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| Sunset over the Coldwater valley |
Grim though the
setting may be, there is a beauty to this place. Life is returning to the blast
zone in droves: herds of elk churn the dirt, clumps of wildflowers brighten
grey soil, and thickets of brush are loud with the song of nesting birds. In
the evenings, when the mists descend from the high hollows, the mournful bugle
of
elk mingles with the haunting cry of coyotes. In the depths of night,
nighthawks cry and owls shriek, filling the time before songbirds greet the
dawn. To say that this place feels remote is an understatement. To camp here for a day or two is to drop from
the face of the earth and visit a land not unlike Middle Earth. One can imagine
that he is visiting the land of Mordor years after the fall of Sauron, and that
Mt. St. Helens is in fact the shattered remains of Mt. Doom.
This fantastical
atmosphere was not lost on my younger siblings, and years after our stay there
they still harbor fond memories of our camping adventure. Beneath brooding
skies and beside the gloomy moor, they played among the many stumps; a post-apocalyptic
playground. Ridge camp is also a prime base for ascending Coldwater Peak, from
which vantage point can be seen the entirety of the Monument-a view arguably
greater than that from the top of St. Helens itself.
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| Mt. St. Helens from the south flank of Coldwater Peak. |
It is, however, a
sad fact that nowhere in the Monument can you camp with a view of Mt. St.
Helens. To get a sunset photo of St. Helens while camped in Ridge Camp, one
must scramble up through brush and scree to the ridge top high above camp. If
both the trail and the camp were moved to the opposite side of the ridge, the
trail could follow an old logging road before connecting with the existing
trail as it begins its ascent of Coldwater Peak. At that point, there is a wide
and gentle basin with a small creek flowing through it; an amphitheater with a
front row view of St. Helens and the perfect location for a campsite.
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| Proposed alternative routing of the South Coldwater trail and proposed Coldwater basin campsite (existing trails marked in red, proposed trails in blue) |
There is a great
need for new trails and campsites in the monument. Various planning groups have
stressed the need for increased tourism and overnight facilities. But the fact
is that without more trails there is not enough room for an increased number of
visitors, nor is there any real incentive for them to stay overnight.
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| Proposed Coldwater Peak Trail |
In addition to
rerouting the South Coldwater trail, and designating a new campsite on the South
side of
Coldwater Peak, there could be a direct route from the highway to the
top of Coldwater Peak. This trail could start just before the highway begins
climbing up Johnston Ridge, and would cut the hike to the top of Coldwater from
6 miles to 3. Such a distance is much more appealing to day hikers, but would
still be difficult enough to prevent a stampede of tourists to more vulnerable
areas. The traditional approach to Coldwater Peak is a beautiful hike, but there
is a hazardous cliff section which needs to be rerouted, since many hikers turn
back at that point.
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| Proposed bypass trail (click to enlarge) |
Such changes
would be an improvement, but would add little mileage to the trail system. It
would be great to see the old trail to Coldwater Peak rebuilt: it could branch
from the trail connecting the Boundary Trail with the Loowit trail and drop
down to the Southwestern bay of Spirit Lake, where a campsite could be located.
It could then skirt the western shore of the lake all the way to the end of the
northwestern bay, where it would climb to the outlet of St. Helens Lake
(another potential location for a campsite), before ascending to meet the
Boundary trail on the flank of Coldwater Peak. The vegetation in the monument
has recovered enough to withstand these uses, and campgrounds on a permit
system would not be too damaging. Camping near a lake, with or without a view
of Mt. St. Helens, is much more attractive than a dusty bowl on the back of a
ridge.
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| Proposed Spirit Lake trail |
Another much
needed trail is one that would provide easier access to Castle Lake. Currently,
the lake is mostly visited by locals via a maze of backroads, and due to its
hard to reach location is not often patrolled by rangers. This has led to all
kinds of illegal activity taking place at the lake. Locals often drive pickup trucks
and ATVs to the lake and party there, leaving their trash behind. A trail could
be built across the valley starting at the Hummocks Trail, where it would
either ford or bridge the river. The outlet of the lake would be an ideal
location for a campsite. The increased
visitation and ranger patrols would force disreputable users to cease their
illegal activities.
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| Proposed Castle Lake Trail |
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| Proposed Windy Ridge connector trail (click to enlarge) |
My final trail
recommendation within the monument is to connect trail 227 with trail 225 on
Windy Ridge. This would allow for a fantastic loop hike around Spirit Lake, and
in fact, most of these trails I have listed above would allow for many
different multiday loop hikes to be made in the monument.
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| Overview of proposed trail revisions |
The gray twilight
of ridge camp is suddenly plunged into brilliant sunlight as dawn pokes its
golden fingers over the rocky heights of Mt. Whittier. Suddenly, the fog flies
up in tormented silver tendrils, retreating back into the dark places whence it
came. As the mists clear, the grandeur of the Coldwater Valley is revealed:
here a small lake glimmering on a high plateau, there a rocky gargoyle
glowering from the shoulder of a
ragged peak. Finally, all lies before me in a tapestry of grey and green. Since that sunrise, we have hiked the
Monument’s few trails too many times, and hope that careful planning and development
will bring a new dawn for hikers to this unique environment.
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| Morning mist fills the upper Coldwater valley. |
