Coldwater Lake snowshoe: Mt. St. Helen's

Looking northeast from trailhead

Its March 21st and the first day of spring has come and gone. Spring's not quite here and winter's jaws still seem to be clamped down on the calendar. For the last month my body and mind have been couped up in Olympia's concrete jungle, nature is calling. I own no snowshoes but desired to gain some elevation and peer into some rugged alpine vistas. So stopping by REI i rented a pair of MSR snowshoes for $20 a day and $10 each additional day, tails included.
Saturday morning my phone's alarm clock interrupted my sleep and by 8 am I was staring at the start of the trail. Every time i visit St. Helen's the wind has been almost overpowering and today was no different. Snow was falling lightly and dark clouds moved in from the southwest. Thank goodness the clouds were high as last time i visited this area no peaks were to be seen.
For about 4 miles coldwater trail hikes along the lake with the trail being mostly snow covered with few exceptions. As the miles went by sun breaks flashed from time to time bringing hope.

Looking back at the trailhead

Along the lake I wasn't the only traveler. Elk tracks littered the trail itself with scat everywhere. I smelled the herd before setting eyes upon them as the ridge above was treed. Finally I was able to behold a herd of 20 elk. Two of the twenty were three point bulls. They didn't mind me as they held their distance. They traveled fast with no clumsiness. I was jealous, it seemed like they rubbed it in as they would look back every 50 feet secretly laughing.

The view of Mt Margaret backcountry which holds Coldwater Peak, Mt Margaret, Mt Whittier, The Dome and Minnie peak slowly revealed it's self in it's full glory. The loop would just bring be to the edge of the backcountry only to impress me enough to plan a summer backpacking adventure here soon. Coldwater lake finally came to an end at mile four exposing it's marshy beaver lodged pond. Signs of spring were in full affect with Frog and Salamander eggs thrown about on the ponds shores. I turned down onto trail 230 which switchbacks for 1.8 miles up 1,700 feet elevation gain stopping to gaze at the backcountry's peaks which forcefully presented themselves at every halt.

From the end of the lake all the way up the switchbacks snow was deep and soft as the sun was out in full force by this time. Collapsing 6 inches to a foot was common and made climbing the 1,700 feet intense. At every switchback i rested fighting back my urge to become frustrated. I came along a Douglas Fir and pinched of a small 5 inch long branch. Sticking the twig under my beanie i continued to climb and collapse. The sweet fir smell actually helped me take my mind of the intensity of the climb.
The climb was over and I was on top of Coldwater ridge with view after view surrounding me. The trail here is clear of trees as the eruption cloud came roaring over the ridge taking out all vegetation. Mt. St. Helen's finally came into view. As I stared deeply into this quiet but active beast of a volcano my phone beeped. I had received a message, crazy! 4,000 feet up and I have 5 bars!! Therefore i was able to call my family and sent some pics.

The descent kicked into full gear as i started the three mile hike back to trail 230a's parking lot. Within the descent two old logging machines sat on top of the ridge most likely destroyed by the intense eruption in 1980. The sun was setting and time grew short as my body told me to quickly descend but my mind told me to enjoy every minute.
The Coldwater loop was my first adventure snowshoeing but won't be my last. The snow brings such a purity and glow out of the vast wilderness. Summer is coming but for now winters amazing splendor had me completely captivated never to underestimate it's secure place within the seasons again.

Here is video of the 360 view!!

WATER PURIFICATION: SAWYER INLINE FILTER

 

As we backpackers all know, getting sick by a waterborne microorganism can make a trip go from amazing to horrible. The upset stomach has a way of causing us to all forget about the mountainous beauty in which surrounds us and focus only on the momentary pain. I have never fell victim to waterborn illnesses but have heard horror stories. Not only can it affect one's trip but days back home also. Water treatment is crucial in the backcountry. Everyone has their only techniques and products they depend on and so do I. A pre-hiking goal on all my trips is to fully hydrate myself and give my body a kick of electrolytes starting three days before the adventure.

First off I evaluate the landscape I will be backpacking into. If the the planned base camp has a known water source then my Camelbak bladder will be more than enough. If the basecamp has no known water source then i will bring one or both of my water bottles, 24 oz plastic bottle and a .6 liter aluminum Sigg bottle. Another fact to think about is how many miles and how hard are those miles into basecamp. If water cant be found along a strenuous trail then a bottle is taken even when water can be found at basecamp. Being without water at any point on the trail should never happen as your only setting yourself up for a problem. I use the bladder alone as my destinations usually are home to a water source. I have combined my water treatment and my trailside water source into one. My Northface backpack has a pocket on the backside which perfectly stores my bladder and can be pinched down tight.

 

The Camelbak bladder holds 100ml of liquid. On the bladder I have my purification system, a Sawyer inline water filter. The filter is cut into the bladder tubing and secures onto the tubing with two hose clamps. It only takes minutes to install or uninstall. The filter does not remove viruses but all bacteria, protozoa, cysts and all other microorganisms are removed. Other uses can include a pump pre filter and a inline filter in your gravity bag filter. The package states that the filter handles 1 million gallons. I wont be doing that test, but have owned the sawyer filter for four years with no problems. 

Once the filter is removed from the tubing line it is easily cleaned. The filter unscrews from the black casing. The package comes with a faucet adapter. This adapter is used to back wash the filter from any faucet. Once this is done cleaning the filter can be done with 10 drops of chlorine to  one quart of water after reassembly is done.
The Sawyer can be bought at REI for $60$. Since i bought my last Sawyer in 2008 the filter has a new face lift and looks different but the basic system is the same.
Disadvantages for this system is that additives to your water like Gatorade powder or flavor enhancers will clog the filter. I speak from experience. At first this sucked but as i left my additive habit i realized that when your thirsty your thirsty!!! Flavor doesn't matter, pure 100% quality h2o quenches any depth of thirst. The filter is on the outside of my pack which could get damaged by weather or extreme use of the backpack. Nothing has happened yet, fingers crossed! Because the filter is in my bladder line i can't filter water through it for cooking. I don't need to as i always boil my water first before any cooking is done therefore this disadvantage just got undissed. OK, so what if the water i am going to store in my bladder has alot of precipitates. Then a simply trick will work. A cheap paper coffee filter works to remove the precipitates.
The advantages far out weight the disses. Most water treatments are larger and heavier that this filter, therefore I weight less and am carrying less. So, $60$ has turned into $15$ per year. Not bad and each year that I go closer to 1 million gallons, definitely planning on backpacking when I'm 80, the per month cost decreases!