Hike by St. Helen's

The cow and I went for the trifecta this weekend, we had kayaked and biked the two weekends prior so this weekend a hike was the outdoor recreation of choice. Our new hiking book led us to a place near the northwest edge of Mt. St. Helen's. We took I-5 north and turned off onto a scenic road leading to Cougar. Along this road we saw two or three lakes and reservoirs. After a long drive on a short non-paved road we made it to the Blue Lake trailhead parking area. We were astonished and pissed when we realized that we drove down a dirt road to find that the parking area was by permit only. NO - we did not have a permit and we did not go back to get one.
Our hike started in a very fine grain silt. It amazed me that even after 20years the St.Helens area still has massive signs of destruction. With the beautiful blue sky you get a really good look at the steam coming out of the mountain. The plume got bigger and bigger as the hike continued. I am going to digress here for a minute and talk about the attack flies that accosted us throughout the day. I can only say that you will never imagine the size and quantity of flies that were buzzing around our heads. I had ballistic shit-fits a couple of times to the point of almost falling off the side of the mountain. I was so pissed that I had turned around to go back to the car when I decided that NO F'N fly was going to ruin my trifecta.
As we went up the mountain, 1900 ft elevation gain and loss, gain and loss (because we crossed two valleys), the cow spotted a bobcat. Then we both spotted a park ranger doing a little walkabout- our hearts sank and we both thought: TICKET.
The views could be spectacular or barren. The view of the lake and the forested hillside across the deep gorge was green and lush. With a 180degree turn you could see wasteland - like the picture with all of the dead trees (I called them pick-up sticks). As we approached a bridge that led straight towards St. Helen's there was the warning sign you see above: Volcanic hazards and your safety - Number 1 rule: DON'T PANIC. I panic when a fly is buzzing my head, what do you think would happen to me if there was debris or ash coming at me?
After 7.8 miles of silt, flies and inspiring views we returned to the car to find that we had escaped without a ticket! Thank you park ranger man!