Mount St. Helens/Worm Flows

Trip Report

I last climbed Mt St Helens in the summer 2015. It was my first volcano climb and the views of the crater were unforgettable. So was all the scree, sand, and painful volcanic rock, all of which put me off of climbing it since then. However, there was no way I could turn down an invite to climb Mt St Helens on Mother’s Day this year! All those wonderful dresses—a now time-honored tradition—and snow to boot were enough for me to say yes! But alas, I forgot my dress!

Regan and I pulled in to the TH at about 11.30p on Saturday after a day spending the day at a scrambling field trip up on Denny Mountain for her and a some climbing at Exit 38 for me. The complicated logistics and multiple locations might account for the forgotten gear/dresses. However, we were ready to go at 3.00a, err, 3.15a for the climb!

The first few miles have fairly little in the way of elevation gain and we made quick work of them. Once above the treeline the sky brightened and the views opened. Mt Hood stole the show.

It wasn't long before Mt Adams put in an appearance.

Once above the weather station the snow started in earnest. Prior to that, we were on a dry ridge line. While you can take the snow climber's right of the ridge line up, I overheard from some others that Mt St Helens Institute volunteers recommend against glissading it on the way down due to poor coverage and the possibility of hitting rocks.

The snow was firm that morning, but there was a consistent bootpack put in all the way to the summit.

The strong winds kept us from staying on the summit for long, but we soaked in the outstanding views while there.

The snow quickly softened on the descent (about 9.30a).

There were lots of good spots around 7000’ for us to take in a mid-morning snack/lunch and the views, as well as debate whether a carton of Girl Scout cookies could really count for lunch on a climb (there was a deadlock at two for and two against).

I won’t lie: once back on the rock it was a bit of a slog. It really reminded me of Mt Adams in both terrain and my desperation to be done, but some good group conversation broke up the tedium of the descent.

Once we finished the climb we were greeted by the most amazing sight: a group of climbers were cooking hot dogs and had other food and beverages waiting for other climbers! I thought it was a dream, but no. Climbing group after climbing group were welcomed to the parking lot with claps, hurrays!, and shouts of “Come get your hot dogs!” Thanks, Amy and Mark and others, for putting this on! It was the perfect end to the day.

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