The Loowit Trail: 30 Miles Around Mount St. Helens with Zach, Katie, and Jabba (BPR #376)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by onX Backcountry and Topo Athletic, myself along with, Katie, and Jabba break down our recent hike of the Loowit Trail, a 31-mile loop circumnavigating Washington's active Mount St. Helens volcano.

In this one, we dive into the chaotic road-trip logistics that involved our rental van nearly melting down on on the way to the trailhead, navigating technical rope-assisted gullies and sharp lava boulder fields, trekking through the tree-barren northern blast zone, and a golden-hour summit at Windy Pass, and the nightmare of pitching our tents in 50-mph winds- some of us- without tent stakes.

We wrap the a CDT thru-hiker who is making damn near all of her own gear, we detail our most consistent gear maintenance routines, a Triple Crown of the worst people to share a road-trip van with, and a listener calls me out for speaking poorly of cold soaking- much respect to all the slop munchers out there.

OnX Backcountry: Use code "TREK70" for 70% off at onxmaps.com

Topo Athletic: Use code "Trek15Hike" for 15% off at topoathletic.com.

Gossamer Gear: Use code "BPR10" for 10% off shelters at gossamergear.com.

Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Use code "BPRADIO15" for 15% off at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

57 Hours: Use code "TREK100" for $100 off your booking at 57hours.com.

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Interview with Jabba and Katie

• Katie's Instagram
• Jabba's Instagram

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:20 - Reminders: Apply to vlog or blog for the Trek, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:10:14 - Introducing the Loowit Trail

00:15:10 - Basic aspects of the Loowit Trail

00:18:13 - What permits and fees are needed for the trail?

00:20:40 - Discussion about clockwise direction and camping restrictions on the north side

00:22:38 - Tell us about Mount St. Helens' eruption history and volcanic activity

00:26:17 - What was the terrain actually like to hike?

00:28:53 - Discussion about the best season to hike the Loowit Trail

00:31:50 - What were the scenery highlights of the trail?

00:37:34 - How does this trail compare to other volcano circumnavigations?

00:44:26 - Discussion about water sources

00:53:20 - Discussion about clockwise vs. counterclockwise direction

00:55:56 - What gear do you need for this trail?

01:01:18 - Discussion about the trail's wildlife

01:04:18 - Discussion about playing odds are on the trail

01:10:15 - Tell us about the road trip debacle

01:20:05 - Tell us about Day 1 of hiking

01:27:20 - Discussion about whether the volcano was actively erupting

01:29:31 - Tell us about the blast zone and the climb up Windy Pass

01:32:40 - Tell us about pitching tents in 50 mph winds at Windy Pass

01:46:18 - Tell us about Day 2 of the hike

01:49:15 - Tell us about the final climb and post-hike recovery at the Airbnb

01:52:00 - What rating would you give the Loowit Trail?

01:53:35 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance enhancing or backpacking hack?

Segments

Trek Propaganda: From a Homemade Tent to Custom Shorts, She Made All Her Own Gear for the CDT

QOTD: What gear maintenance task do you take the most seriously / do the most consistently?

Triple Crown of people you absolutely do not want in the van for a road trip

Listener Voicemail

5 Star Review

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Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly/ and his coffee.

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