The Mount St Helens Institute has a lot of great volunteer programs that help visitors to the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument.  I encourage everyone to get out and do some volunteering on your public lands!  It's a great way to meet people and help maintain what we all appreciate.  The season's first work party in March 13th at the Monument Headquarters and it will be working on the tools we use to do trail maintenance.  There are also trail work parties on trails mtb'ers use, such as South Coldwater and Butte Camp trails.  Check the Mount St Helens Institute's website out for the individual work parties, and sign up for one or more!  You'll be glad you did!

Dave

Winter has set in at Mount St Helens.  Road 81 is now closed at the Cougar Snow Park - at the junction with Road 83.  Road 83 is now closed at the Marble Mountain Snow Park.  Both roads are gated at those locations.  Those areas are open to winter style recreation.  For updated information go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/current-conditions/roads.shtml

The weather forecast is calling for decent weather for Sunday!  So, let's get up and get some photographs of some of the waterfalls along the Lewis River Trail.  Dennis claims he can ride slow - especially since he's taking his camera!  This will be a leasurely paced ride with frequent photographic stops - especially above the Bolt Camp Shelter.  The waterfalls along the trail are running pretty full right now with our recent run of wet weather.  total distance will be 12 to 14 miles.  If you've never ridden the trail and want to take your time exploring it, now is your chance!

Wish fall goodbye, say hello to winter on one last ride on the Lewis River Trail during 2009.

The weather forecast currently calls for scattered rain for Sunday - between storms on Saturday and Monday.

Carpoolers from Portland should meet at 7:30A at my residence at 6203 s.e. 92nd - three blocks from the Foster Road stop and the I-205 Foster Road exit. 

We will meet Jerry DeRuyter at the lower Lewis River trailhead parking lot at 9:30A.  Andrea has a new bike she needs to ride!

The latest edition of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) is out and available to read. New projects being studied for the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument include: expanding parking at Ape Cave, a bridge on the Fossil Creek Trail, and construction of new toilets at the Siouxon Trailhead.  These projects are expected to be completed by July 2010.  SOPA is a good way to keep abreast of proposed projects on the various National Forests.