On April 10, 1815, precisely one hundred and sixty-six years before I was born, the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history occurred in Indonesia. Mt. Tambora ejected a column of ash reaching 45 km in height which penetrated the stratosphere, causing a global cooling known as a volcanic winter. The following year, often referred to as The Year Without a Summer, or sometimes Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death, was an extremely difficult time for people and livestock around the world as there was an extreme shortage of crops. It has been theorized that out of this hardship came the inspiration which led the German inventor Karl Drais to build his Laufmaschine, a horseless transportation and the first velocipede whose concept evolved into the modern bicycle.
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| My Velo Orange Polyvalent |
After learning about this strange relationship between the volcano and the bicycle, I thought it would be fitting to ride my own bike up to the volcano in my back yard. Mt. St. Helens looms on the northern horizon of Portland during clear summer days, though not as high as it did before 1980 when 1314 ft were taken off the top during the infamous eruption. Although St. Helens was the most destructive volcano in the history of the United States, thankfully it did not have the worldwide impact that Tambora had.
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| Mt. St. Helens book that I found at work |
I had been owing myself a bike camping trip all summer, so two weeks ago I finally paid the debt. I rose early in the morning and followed Portland's network of bike paths along the Columbia River down to the 205 bridge bike crossing which was under construction. This was the first time I ever saw road crew employees holding "Stop/Slow" signs strictly for a bicycle path. After a brief delay, I crossed into Washington and worked my way through Vancouver into the countryside. After stopping for a rest and a snack at Battle Ground Lake State Park, I started following the East Fork Lewis River. There were two small waterfalls along the road, Lucia and Moulton, at which I took a quick gander before rolling into the small town of Yacolt where I stopped at a tavern for lunch.
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| Clockwise from top left: Me along Columbia River, bridge over East Fork Lewis River, Moulton Falls panorama, moss covered branches, Moulton Falls close-up |
The road north of Yacolt became rolling hills until I came to the Chelatchie Prairie which is a beautiful stretch of farm lands in a valley amongst the foothills of Mt. St. Helens. The Volcanic Monument Headquarters is in the town of Chelatchie, so I stopped to browse the literature and snap a photo of the sign.
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| Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Headquarters |
A few miles later I crossed the one lane Yale Bridge over a section of the Lewis River between Yale Lake and Lake Merwin, then climbing the steep ascent out of the river valley. While puffing up the climb I was sagging my head for a moment and when I looked up there was an elk standing in the road about 75 feet ahead. When I stopped pedaling in surprise, the sound of my freewheel brought me to his attention and he leaped back into the forest. As I came to the spot where he had stood I heard another elk running away through the brush on the other side of the road.
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| Yale Lake |
Another ten miles along the shores of Yale Lake brought me into the town of Cougar which was my destination. It was still early in the afternoon so I rode around the area checking out some of the small parks and campgrounds on the lake. Mt. St. Helens was very close to the north, but not in view because of the foothills and trees. I inhaled some pizza and a beer at the local watering hole and checked into a campground for the night.
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| Clockwise from left: Cougar statue, Yale Lake, Beaver Bay |
The next morning I grabbed some coffee and breakfast in Cougar before putting my climbing legs on. The National Forest road going toward the Lava Canyon was a constant uphill for several miles. Shortly after officially entering the boundaries of the National Volcanic Monument I passed the road to the Ape Cave, which I would like to visit sometime when I have a lantern and warm clothing with me. As soon as I reached the junction with the road which will take you to Climber's Bivouac, the road to Lava Canyon finally dropped for a bit. When the climb resumed it was much more gradual, passing between Mt. St. Helens and Marble Mountain.
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| Channel between Swift Reservoir and Yale Lake in the afternoon (top), and morning (bottom panorama) |
I was surprised by the very small amount of traffic. The road was mine and I earned every pedal stroke. The flat snow-capped top St. Helens finally began peeking through the trees at me. I saw many hiking and skiing trails on the sides of the road, and a few empty parking lots for the Snow-Parks. After many a quiet mile I reached the Lahar area. The thick forests disappeared, replaced by stunted trees, scrubby brush and rocky terrain. The mountain towered over me from the left. At the first viewpoint there was just one couple in a van. They were curious about my bike trip and offered to take my picture.
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| Clockwise from top left: Mt. St. Helens peeking out between the trees, mountain stream and bridge, Lahar map sign, me in front of Mt. St. Helens |
The end of the road came a mile later where the parking lot for the Lava Canyon is located. Another couple were having a picnic there and offered to refill my water bottles when I discovered that there was none available. They recommended hiking down the trail to see the canyon. I parked the bike and strolled down the path. The Muddy River flows through a deep cut in the old lava rock which was scoured by the mudflow from the 1980 eruption. The rock formations are truly remarkable and the water moves swiftly downward. There are many signs warning hikers to stay on the trail because deaths have occurred from falls into the canyon. A narrow steel cable suspension bridge was built across the canyon which sways and bounces when you step onto it. I snapped a shot of the river rushing quickly beneath my feet before hiking back up to the bike.
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| Clockwise from top left: mudflow area, Muddy River, layers of basalt, suspension bridge, Muddy River below suspension bridge |
The ride back to the Climber's Bivouac spur was an easy coast most of the way. I had been told by two people in Cougar that the road past the bivouac was now paved and looped around past Merrill Lake back to Cougar. I decided to head up the steep ascent to find out for myself. Two miles in the granny gear and I found myself staring at a gravel road ahead. Don't believe everything you hear. I swapped my now soaked t-shirt for a long sleeve and enjoyed the fast downhill cruise back to Cougar.
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| Pink and white foxgloves |
It was noon at that point and I checked the weather forecast to see if the rain was still coming that night. Thunderstorms were possible and rain was likely with a chance of showers the next day as well. Not the typical summer weather for the area, which is why I hadn't prepared for it. I ate some lunch in town and decided to make a run for home. I followed the same route and made it back around dinner time. The rain pattered on my window later that evening. I had wanted to spend more time there, but I had a great visit and look forward to returning.
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| Mt. St. Helens |
