The Loowit Trail: 30 Miles Around Mount St. Helens with Zach, Katie, and Jabba (BPR #376)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by onX Backcountry and Topo Athletic, myself along with, Katie, and Jabba break down our recent hike of the Loowit Trail, a 31-mile loop circumnavigating Washington's active Mount St. Helens volcano.

In this one, we dive into the chaotic road-trip logistics that involved our rental van nearly melting down on on the way to the trailhead, navigating technical rope-assisted gullies and sharp lava boulder fields, trekking through the tree-barren northern blast zone, and a golden-hour summit at Windy Pass, and the nightmare of pitching our tents in 50-mph winds- some of us- without tent stakes.

We wrap the a CDT thru-hiker who is making damn near all of her own gear, we detail our most consistent gear maintenance routines, a Triple Crown of the worst people to share a road-trip van with, and a listener calls me out for speaking poorly of cold soaking- much respect to all the slop munchers out there.

OnX Backcountry: Use code "TREK70" for 70% off at onxmaps.com

Topo Athletic: Use code "Trek15Hike" for 15% off at topoathletic.com.

Gossamer Gear: Use code "BPR10" for 10% off shelters at gossamergear.com.

Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Use code "BPRADIO15" for 15% off at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

57 Hours: Use code "TREK100" for $100 off your booking at 57hours.com.

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Interview with Jabba and Katie

Katie's Instagram Jabba's Instagram Time stamps & Questions

00:05:20 - Reminders: Apply to vlog or blog for the Trek, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!