Solo Hiking Lava Canyon - No Talk, No Music, Just Nature. - 4K Virtual Hike

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 KZbinrs 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.

[@qqwertazsx06]

Been looking for virtual hike videos without music and talking like this! Thank you ❤

[@ckzf1842]

Thank you for another beautiful and very scenic walk ! ❤

[@mizerama1]

Very nice! Good job stopping at points of interest and looks like you've got some new gear + better stabilization. Perfect.

[@michelthater4361]

Beautiful landscape with wonderful energy. Thank you for showing this!

[@dmac9489]

I prefer the full hike and definitely the real sounds of life,thanks for your honesty and work happy holidays Dave UK

[@letsgohiking2034]

I appreciate your genuine honesty in the details section. Beautifully captured shots of nature. I'll gladly subscribe to see more, best from NYC

[@kimmareflections7623]

Thank you for sharing a beautiful trail. I like to watch a full hike while I walk and I prefer real sounds as well. The video of the waterfalls at the end almost felt like I was there so I appreciated the real nature sounds. But if you decide to use canned or music, I'll just mute the audio. I enjoyed all the extra care that you put into this video. I will watch a few more of your videos now that I have found your channel.

[@OscarCazares-zu9xo]

How many hours you walk

[@ExciteHike]

This hike is about 2 hours if you hike the same route I did, depending on how often you stop

[@ashanagaiya6330]

Why do you think you are above the Trail rules when you get off the path?

[@ExciteHike]

Hello there, I'm not aware of any strict trail restrictions here - except on parts of the Loowit Trail, where you can't venture off-trail up Mt St Helens itself. There are "explore with caution" signs at the start of the trail (which I strive for, to the best of my ability), and an explicitly chained-off area near the first bridge (which I do heed). The awful crumbly trail sections towards the end of the video are surprisingly part of the official trail, & it's been like that for years; I've heard it's currently closed for rehabilitation. But if there's an official off-trail restriction in place for the entirety of Lava Canyon, that'd be valuable to know for future reference - I'd love to reach out to the park for confirmation. Either way, thanks for the comment.