Karl went hiking February 15, 2013 10.5 miles 5,750 feet gained

Mount Saint Helens: Worm Flows Route

7

What a day! One I'll never forget. First ascent of a glaciated volcano since 1985. And we probably picked the very best day of the year to do it on. It's almost impossible to conceive of better conditions. It was about 28°F at the Marble Mountain trailhead when we left there about 7:40am. The skies were crystal clear blue in every direction. As the day wore on, it only got warmer. Within two miles of the trailhead, I was down to a single layer of clothing and rolling up my sleeves. A skier I met was wishing it were just a bit colder, so the snow wouldn't be so sticky, but it was perfect for snowshoes.

The first two miles travel through the woods, and barely gain 900' elevation in the process. The last two miles to the crater rim gain nearly 4000', in comparison. I've always heard this hike described as "a slog!", but I can't go along with that. Yeah, it's a helluva workout! But the scenery is sooooo compelling that to dismissively call it a slog is missing out on much of the point of being there.

It took me 5h5m to the top, and 9h20m total including time spent enjoying the views. We could see up to 200 miles in any direction. The only persistent clouds were in the West Fork Hood River valley and lower Willamette valley. Every Cascade peak from the Three Sisters to Mount Baker were out in all their glory, as was the Olympic Range and Goat Rocks.

Impossibly wonderful day! :-)

Trail Talk

7 people have hearted this trip.

jon · February 28, 2013

Great photos Karl, and thanks for the trip report! I'm hoping to get up there in a few weeks, so this has got me excited.

The winter route is better IMO with more dramatic views, versus the summer. . . And I'll never understand why it's so popular in the middle of August when all of the snow is gone.

Karl · February 28, 2013

Hey, thanks jon! Hope you get a great day, like we had! Totally agree that the winter climb must be better than the summer, for both the overall scenery and the footing. Didn't pick up a single pebble in my boots! :-)

That said, I'm now eager to get up there in the summer, just so I can edge up to the rim of the crater. We didn't go any closer than existing footprints (~15'), having no way to gauge cornices. So without risking your life, you really can't get a good view of the lava dome in the winter. I'd like to see that up close, and the glacier wrapping around it, some day.

The Angry Hiker · March 6, 2013

It was a total white-out with zero views when I went up there, so it actually was a slog.

B-Dog · March 6, 2013

So that's what it looks like up there !! I have climbed both the summer and winter routes and both times it was socked in. Great pictures... thanks for sharing.

B-Dog · March 6, 2013

So that's what it looks like up there !! I have climbed both the summer and winter routes and both times it was socked in. Great pictures... thanks for sharing.

Karl · March 6, 2013

B-Dog & Angry... Ouch! That's a lot of work to go through to be in the clouds. (A few more photos and captions on the linked Resource page above.) We were similarly rebuffed on South Coldwater Ridge a few weeks back, and are hoping this weekend offers up some more views!