Tag Archives: Johnston Ridge Observatory

The landscape around Mount St. Helens is just packed with trails waiting to be explored.  I’m certain I just need to move up to Washington for six months so that I can get my boots on every single one!  My partners in crime and I had made it to the Johnston Ridge Observatory on the first leg of our trip.  Spying the Boundary Trail running right past the Observatory, it was only logical that we grab our bags and set out on a hike. A short 6-miler sounded like the perfect warmup for the summit attempt we would be making in two days.  All geared up, we struck out on Mount St. Helens’ Boundary Trail east toward Harry’s Ridge.

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Today’s Thursday Thoughts are brought to you directly from the Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount. St. Helens. The observatory is approximately 5 miles from the volcano, and offers on of the best views of the crater, lava dome, and 1980 blast zone. This video shows our view from the ridge, and explains some of the features you can see from the overlook. Happy Hopping!

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After years of hoping, dreaming, and planning, the morning of August 4 found the four of us driving down the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway in search of mighty Mount St. Helens.  My three partners in crime and I had explored the river valleys and Forest Learning Center on our way toward the volcano.  But now, the time had finally come for me to meet Mount St. Helens face to face.  No more reading, research, or hoping to catch a glimpse out the airplane window. Today I was just a girl, standing in front of a volcano, asking it not to blow me into the stratosphere. At least not until I’d had a thorough chance to explore its slopes!

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