Dog Mountain (Lewis County, Washington)

Having our plans squashed by Forest Service road closures in and around Mount St. Helens Volcanic National Monument and after searching for some other nearby trails to get some miles in on, my friend, Nick and I decide to hike up Dog Mountain. It doesn't appear to be anything special, but should offer some nice views and will give us a chance to warm up our legs in advance of our backpacking trip tomorrow.

After parking the car, we begin marching up the healthy incline of a gravel road. It's hot and the path is pretty steep, but we just take our time and ensure we are drinking enough water. Along the way, we continue to discuss our plans for the rest of our trip in the Pacific Northwest. We encounter some great viewpoints and have to step over some giant slugs cross the path, but we slowly make our way up the steep mountain. 

Eventually reaching the top, we're exposed to an outstanding view of Riffe Lake, which fills the landscape to the west. There's a small ramp just at the edge of the cliff and after reading a sign on a nearby informational board, we learn that this is a popular spot for hang-gliders to launch. That would be amazing! I wish we had time (and the experience) to do this, but we have many more roads to travel and sites to see. After returning to the car, my gps track shows that we hiked almost exactly 4 miles. With the steepness of the trail, it was enough to get my heart beating a little bit.