Ape Canyon

Are there really apes in Ape Canyon?  (Inquiring minds want to know!)

Over the many times I've hiked here, no apes have ever been spotted.  But I do know if you want to get some great views of Mt. St. Helens, travel through a spectacular old-growth forest spared from the eruption, and in July see a great wildflower show, then the Ape Canyon trail is for you.

Young admiring the big trees

In mid-July a desolate pumice plain on the SE side of Mt. St. Helens called the "Plains of Abraham" erupts into a purple frenzy thanks to huge amounts of lupine and penstemon wildflowers.  The best way to reach this flowerful place is via the Ape Canyon trail.  One needs to climb 5 miles up Ape Canyon to rendezvous with the round-the-mountain Loowit Trail.  Then there's another mile or so on the Loowit to reach this stark, but beautiful area.

Hoping to catch the wildflower show on the Plains of Abraham, I invited my hiking buddy Young to join me for a trek up Ape Canyon.  Although it was near the end of July, I hoped that the flowers were still going strong.  One way to find out!

First mountain viewpoint

Driving to the trailhead proved to be a bit of an adventure, due to a recent road wash-out.  But luckily Young drives a sturdy truck which traversed the damaged road no problem.  We found cloudy skies and cool temperatures at the base of Ape Canyon.  Although there were zero mountain views, after weeks of enduring unseasonably hot weather today's chilly temps were just fine with us.

Trailside wildflowers

To start out, the Ape Canyon trail followed a cliff overlooking a huge lahar.  This barren floodplain was created from a flow of mud and rock down the Muddy River, unleashed during the 1980 eruption.  However the adjacent forest, which we were now hiking through, was somehow spared from the eruption's damage.  The first mile and half wound through second-growth forest, logged many years ago.  Beyond this point, we entered an area of untouched old-growth woods.  Young and I gaped at the huge fir and cedar trees lining our path.  The trail climbed steadily uphill, gaining 2500 feet over the course of 5 miles.

Approaching the Loowit trail junction

The only drawback to hiking this trail is that it's shared with mountain bikers.  Although all the bikers I've encountered here have always been polite, the threat of encountering one speeding downhill keeps me on edge.  Today just a mile up the trail my fears were realized when we had a near run-in with a downhill bike rider.   A young man unexpectedly whipped around a corner and nearly hit us.  Young and I scrambled off the trail in record time.  (I may have also screamed.)  The biker slammed on his brakes and immediately apologized.  He said since he hadn't seen any hikers thus far that day, he wasn't being very diligent in looking out for them.  The guy was so nice about the incident, we told him "no harm, no foul" before parting ways.

Desolate, but beautiful

As the morning wore on, the clouds surrounding MSH started to lift.  When Young and I reached the first viewpoint, about 3.5 miles up, we could now see the mountain's base.  That was encouraging!

Nice flower patch near a spring

About 4 miles along the Ape Canyon trail, the forest receded and we entered the desolate blast zone.  Climbing towards the Loowit Trail intersection, the green Ape Canyon narrowed down into a slot chasm.  A few wildflowers bloomed along the trail, but not in huge numbers.

Made it to the Windy - Loowit junction

After a long climb, the sign marking the Loowit Trail junction was a welcome sight.  From here, Young and I then headed eastward, now following the Loowit Trail, hoping we'd spot some wildflowers soon.

Reading the trail signs

About 3/4 mile from the Loowit - Ape Canyon junction, my friend and I passed a wet area where a small spring bubbled out of the earth.  On the side of a small rise was a nice patch of lupine and orange Indian paintbrush.  The best display of wildflowers thus far, I put my camera to work. 

MSH was starting to emerge

Just beyond the colorful wildflower patch, Young and I stopped at an overlook for lunch.  On a clear day, one can see Mt. Hood and Adams from atop this rocky cliff.  But today clouds obscured most of the views.  No matter, we were hungry and were happy for the nice rest area.  However, the wind began to blow and chilled us so much that Young and I donned our jackets and hoods to stay warm.  After hiking in heat most of the summer thus far, it felt strange to be cold again.

Purple wildflowers lined the trail

Bellies now satisfied, we continued our journey eastward in search of the wildflower bloom.  However, traveling from the spring area we came upon the Plains of Abraham proper and there were hardly any flowers, just a desolate stretch of gray pumice.  It appeared we were too late.  I recognized numerous dried-up penstemon blooms spread out along the landscape.  The unseasonably early hot weather appeared to have already baked most of the wildflowers.

We spotted a mama grouse

Although disappointed to miss the peak bloom, Young and I continued on towards the junction of the Loowit and Abraham Trails.  Happily, there was a bit of lupine still flowering, so I wasn't totally skunked in the wildflower department.  And although the wind kept things chilly, the clouds were lifting and we could now see quite a bit of Mt. St. Helens.

Back through the flower garden

Young and I made it to the Loowit-Abraham junction.  We took a few pictures of the stark landscape, and marveled at the far-reaching views.  But because it was still quite cold, we didn't linger long.  After about five minutes of gawking my friend and I turned around to retrace our steps back to Ape Canyon.

Best wildflower patch of the hike

Sometimes one sees mountain goats on the hills adjacent to the Loowit Trail.  I'd carried my zoom lens in hopes of getting some photos of these majestic creatures.  But I was skunked here too.  The only wildlife sighting we had for the day was a mama grouse as we were coming back through the spring area.  The grouse had a chick hiding in a nearby bush, and she kept distracting us by walking down the trail, hoping to lead us away from her young one.  I never managed to get a photo of the baby, but I did get a few great images of its mother.

Another photo of the flower patch - just because!

About the time Young and I walked back through the large wildflower patch, the mountain had emerged from the morning's clouds and was in full view.  Perfect timing because now I could get flower photos with MSH in the background.  Which is exactly what I did.  Then we headed towards the Loowit Junction, and back down Ape Canyon.

Mt Adams view at the upper start of Ape Canyon

Our day ended with a happy surprise when Young and I ran into old hiking friends John and Dorene as we descended the Ape Canyon trail.  We hiked together for the final two miles and had a great time catching up.  Our total distance came to 13 miles, so I was thankful for the engrossing conversations to distract me from my tired legs and feet.

Ran into some old hiking friends!

In case you were wondering why a canyon in SW Washington has such an unlikely name, here is the reason:  In the summer of 1924, a group of gold prospectors in the area claimed that 7 foot tall ape-like creatures attacked them with boulders.  According to the tale, the miners came across the animals in the forest and a man in their group shot one of the animals three times.  The wounded ape-like creature toppled off a cliff into an inaccessible canyon.  Later, the "ape-men" returned to the prospector's cabin, bombarded it with stones, and left gigantic footprints in the dust.  The story created a local sensation.  Forest Service rangers investigated the men's claims, but found nothing to substantiate their story.  Despite zero evidence, the legend persisted and continued to spread in later years. 

Who knows?  Maybe Sasquatch does live in the woods nearby.  Anyway, I think it's kind of a fun tale.