Harry's Ridge - Mount St. Helens

"Harry's Ridge lies to the west of Spirit Lake and North / North-East from Mount Saint Helens. It is named after Harry Randall Truman who was made famous for refusing to leave his Mount Saint Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake during the evacuation period prior to the May 18th, 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens. Harry was quoted as saying "If the mountain goes, I'm going with it." and that's exactly what happened." [4Feet]: The beauty of Mt. St. Helens is indescribable and breathtaking in a snowy winter. We keep our promise to come for her again when she’s in white. This active volcano known for her temper and ash is now disclosing the unique beauty in her winter dress. Without snowshoes, it was quite a struggle to hike as the trail was fully covered by fresh snow. The depth of snow was easily over knee level; we had to be mindful not to let snow get into shoes because we did not prepare gaiters either. We followed people's footprints along the winter route toward Harry’s Ridge. Harry’s Ridge trail shares a fair amount of paths with Coldwater Peak trail, where we could see a magnificent panorama of Mt. St. Helens and Cascades. The winter route kept the trail along the high ridge to avoid walking in deep and loose snow in the lower point (summer route). We did not actually reach Harry’s Ridge because it was not the main focus of this hike. On this rare beautiful day in mid-November, we rather enjoyed amazing views and soft snow than miles and elevation. We love intense mountaineering and big reward after a big climb, yet sometimes an easy and soothing hike like this is exactly what we need. We initially planned to hike Hummocks Trail #229, which locates in the west of Mt. St. Helens. However, to spot the open crater of St Helens, there is no better trail than Boundary Trail #1 (include Coldwater Peak trailhead and Harry's Ridge trailhead). 11/21/20