We arrived at the base of St. Helen's on a Friday during the begining of July and the forecast was for rain that night and with clear skies developing the next day. We had some time to kill so we took off on some of the logging roads to see if we could get a few nice views. As we parked at one of the look out where you could see across a large valley into the foothills, there was a massive cloud that carry a huge blanket of hail. As we stood on the bluff we could see it rip across the valley as we waited for it to reach us. Pretty fucking cool we thought and a good start to what looked like a potentially wet climb the next day.
As you can see from the picture above the view from the base of St Helen's can be pretty sweet even on a wet day with random hail storms. If you have ever been climbing in the NW then you definietly know that it is usually because to over pack because you never know when a weather system is going to move in. There are a few spots on St. Helens that create their own micro climates that are hard to predict and come in fast. During the late spring and early summer months are the best times to plan your trips and make for the best and most stable climbing conditions.
We showed up at the summer route trail head around 7:30pm and then waited in the car for about 30mins until the drown pour stopped and we could go outside with out getting soaked. We had planned on hiking in a couple miles so we could have a little bit on a later start and still take the first summit of the day. It was a getting dark though and by the time we had all our things parks packed and were ready to go we knew that we had to move quickly unless we wanted to set up camp in the dark. So we booted a quick mile and half in and set up our tent well below the tree line.
We work up at about 6am to a nice mild rain and cloudy skies. We couldn't really fake the fact that we weren't the most excited to see what the exposed mountain held for us but I was hopefully and in the back of my mind think positive thoughts. Treking though the tree line for another mile until we hit the clearing. It was just before the clearing that we realized that it was now snow mixed with rain. For July this was not a normal thing and it turned out we caught the last snow storm of the season.
The picture above is taken at the end of the tree line. at this point it was just snowing lightly but still pretty wet. The clouds were still pretty thick but we were excited to be out of the forest and onto the snow.
The very first part of the climb is actually the steepest. but in general the climb in pretty mellow and not technical at all. cramp ons are not needed but if you want to bring an ice ax you can. Again though not really needed. bring your ski poles though because they will make you like so much better.
Mount St. Helen's is still a very active volcano, and by active I mean that there is steam coming out of the top of it. OK maybe not steam but gases can be seen leaving the lava dome from the top. This also means that it is a very protected area and well traveled. These posts like the one seen above are trail marks and the forest service asks that people follow them up in the summers to limit the impact that climbers have on the area. If you have never been to the area though they serve as a good trail marker on cloudy days. This was a the first post and as you can see the sun was teasing us only to be covered by a huge gray cloud moving in from the West.
This was about an hour into our climb and the sky hinted at clear skies to come and out hopes started to shoot way up.
Half way into our climb we we got our sun. It was a low cloud line that day at around 7,000 ft. and once we got above it the views were move than amazing. The feeling of being above the drab, shitty weather below turned the climbing into a whole other experience. The climb became a whole different experience and our attitudes changed instantly. As you can see from the ridge line picture above, we were happy to be able to see all the freshly covered surroundings. The new snow made everything thing look so clean and inviting. A good 3in. of new had fallen the night before and at this point I was kicking myself for not bringing my skis along on this trip. The conditions would have Be perfect for SUMMER skiing.
We pushed on and as we climbed higher and the sun became more present you couldn't help but stop and take a look around you and only to get lost in the greatness of it all. During the morning hours spectacular shadows are cast throughout the freshly covered landscape. During the winter months these bowls take on a much different appearance but with the low summer snow pack a lot more contour could be seen on the slopes.
The climb up varies in terrain from rock fields to open bowls and canyons. The air temp was nice and crisp though with light gusts of wind but nothing to bad. It was actually a very calm day and snow was not wind packed at all. Just light enough to easily kick steps into. Nearing the upper section of the climb it was nice to be able to look back and see the progress you made. As most climbers know the closer you seem to get to the summit the longer it seems to take. But we were in no rush and because of the poor conditions in the morning and our early start we didn't have to share our trek up with anyone. A rarity on a climb up St. Helens that tends to be very popular. The pases that they give out each day are actually limited to a hundred climbers a day and can fill up fast so it is always best to plan your trip in advance and register your group in advance.
From the mid way point you can see the the weather center that they have set up, also giving you a pretty sweet view point looking down to the cloud line.
Mount St. Helens has a false summit pictured above so make to check
your topographical map when attempting to reach it for the first time.
A good part of the summit is lipped so although it is tempting to to get that little taste, due so with caution because in all reality it could break off and give you a painful ride down the 1000ft crater walls. one slip in there and 70% slope will have zero forgiveness.
The crater rim is one of the most impressive. parts about the summit. Looking down into it you can clearly see the lava dome and the gases being released. St. Helens gives to an up close and personal look at what an active volcano looks like.
