KABOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is one exciting and beautiful area. The letterbox is high up in the Cascade Mountains; on the flanks of the lower 48's most active volcano. A lahar simply put is a mud or debris flow. This particular lahar occurred when Mount Saint Helen's erupted on May 18th, 1980. The initial explosion instantly melted the shoestring glacier and the lahar totally washed away a mile wide and several mile long swath of the mountain. Needless to say the area is uniquely beautiful.

Initially Cara and I wanted to hide the letterbox somewhere on the Ape Canyon Trail. We carried the box up past timberline and then around to the Plains of Abraham (a pumice field on the flanks on Saint Helen's with a few small glaciers looming overhead). It is about 13 miles round trip to the Plains of Abraham and I strongly recommend hiking up there. The Ape Canyon trail parallels the lahar for 5 miles up the side of the mountain. The trail mostly goes through an old growth forest with trees that are thickly draped with goats beard moss.

We did not hide the letterbox on the trail though. It seemed too difficult to come up with clues that would make the box semi-easy to find. I would hate to have some one drive all the way out there and hike all the way in only to get lost looking for the only letter box up there.

So where is it?

The letterbox is hidden in the lahar area just south of the lahar viewpoint parking area.


Driving Directions (to the South Side of Mount Saint Helen's)