A virtual solo waterfall hike of Lava Canyon on Mt St Helens with no talk, no music, no shots of me looking at the camera... just nature. The full journey in real-time, 4K video.
The Lava Canyon Trail may be short, but it packs a wallop - boasting a smorgasborg of scenery including fascinating volcanic geology, thundering waterfalls, lush ferns & evergreens, and the sparkling waters of the Muddy River which, despite its name, is blissfully blue-tinged & pure.
Although Mt St Helens lurks out of sight on the trail, it's presence is obvious at every turn - the canyon was deeply carved by an epic mudflow (ie. lahar) caused by the 1980 eruption, chiseling its way through the contorted basalt rockforms formed by thousands-of-years-old lava flows.
Amazingly, a winding trail has been carved into this tortured yet strikingly beautiful landscape, starting with an easy accessible section that winds its way down through peaceful forest, then a moderate path following both sides of the river - usually linked by bridges to form a loop (unfortunately the far suspension bridge has been closed for years), and for the finale: a quiet yet rugged venture further downstream for more views. Enjoy!
For anyone who actually reads these parts: thank you, first of all. Apologies for the delay with uploads; I reached a point that probably a lot of KZfaqrs do... burnout after putting a lot of time & effort into a video (two months worth, for the previous one), only to see it get very few views. Part of the issue is definitely my workflow - by far, audio editing is the most time-consuming. Trains, airplanes, highway noise, wind, people talking, dogs barking, or just weird snaps, crackles, & pops... I can see why nearly all hiking channels use canned nature sounds or music instead of live audio. My question to you is: how important is having real audio to you (if at all)?? And how important is it that I show the entire hike, even potentially "dull" parts?? Unless there's a demand to keep things as-is, I'm considering a 'best of'-style format, where I highlight interesting sections of the trail, with more panorama montages and 'still' nature shots thrown in. I'd love to hear your feedback!
Highlights:
00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Through the Woods, Down to the River
05:05 - Boardwalk Platform
08:21 - Very Tall Trees
12:00 - River Glimpses
15:03 - Lava Canyon
17:42 - The First Bridge
22:01 - Across the River
26:54 - Ladder Descent
29:30 - Potato Chip Rocks & Ferns
32:59 - Riverside Interlude + Water Ouzels
40:21 - Indiana Jones Bridge
41:18 - Back to the Fork, on the Trail Less Traveled
45:55 - Upper Lava Falls
57:00 - Far Side of the Bridge
59:20 - Triple Falls Glimpses
1:00:39 - Cold Slab Water Crossing
1:05:30 - Top of Lava Falls
1:10:48 - Twin Falls
1:15:38 - Lava Falls, In Full
1:17:04 - The Scariest Parts
1:18:11 - Mt St Helens View & Outro
Trip Stats:
* Distance: 2.0 mi / 3.2 km round-trip (approx.)
* Elevation Gain: 600 ft / 183 m
* Trailhead GPS: 46.1657, -122.0884
* Restrictions: National Forest Pass required; leashed pets allowed but NOT recommended imo, due to narrow tread & cliffs
* Camping: restricted - no designated sites on the trail (& no decent spots anyway)
Filmed June 2022. Please feel free to comment on the good, the bad, or the ugly; this project is an on-going learning experience.