Today was probably the last warm and sunny day in the Pacific NW this year, so I made the most of it - I took the day off work and went to Mount St Helens. But to an area of Mount St Helens that I hadn't been to before - the east side, called Windy Ridge (and yes, it was windy!). There is a reason I hadn't been here before - it's not easy to get to (4 hours 1-way, on rough roads - made worse by driving through forests where alternating sunlight and shadow on the road makes it impossible to see where you're driving) and is nowhere near as developed as the west side which I went to earlier this summer. But you get to see a lot more of the devastation that the volcano caused this side. And it's a lot less crowded, which is good. There aren't many trails (I think my main exertion was going up a hill at the end of the road for the best view of the area), but plenty of viewpoints on the way. It's probably best seen in the morning when the light is best, but I only got there in the afternoon - not really a choice, I had to set off after the morning rush hour and get back after the evening rush hour. I wobbled a bit this morning about whether to bother going or not, but glad I did in the end.
Photos to follow.
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