The Road to Sheep Canyon

One of the goals I've set for myself this year, is to hike to Sheep Canyon, on the shoulders of Mt. St. Helens. Trail guides I've read say it's a really beautiful (or interesting) place, so I wanted to check it out. I tried last year, but was thwarted by several challenges, starting with this mess in the picture.

What you're seeing is the sign (which normally stands about 7.5' tall or so) at the parking lot of the trailhead to Blue Lake (see the map at the bottom of this page). And I had to walk to get there, because so much road is washed out that you can't get any closer than Forest Road 81.

I tried twice last year: the first time, I couldn't even find a trail from here forward. The second time, it seemed that someone else had been there since I was last there, because I found preliminary trail markings (plastic markers tied to trees, or rocks marked with chalk or paint, indicating the direction to the next marker). I was able to follow these for a mile or so, until the 'path' crossed a creek that was too wide to jump (and me without my jet pack!).

So unless the park service has done a LOT of work over the winter (ha ha), I expect to find the area in about the same condition as last year. It's going to be a challenging hike, not only because of the trail-following problem, but also because it's long and probably hasn't been maintained in a few years. Should be beautiful, though, and very remote. I'm excited! Who's with me?