Mt. Saint Helens Hike
Four Seasons In Ten Hours
A Hike Years In The Making
Cyrus Shepard and I have had plans to hike Mt. Saint Helens one time before but the birth of my first child prevent that first attempt. Almost a year later we decided to try again, with time with our co-worker Aaron Wheeler. We spent the night at Climbers' Bivouac and quickly learned it could get really cold in September. We started our hike up at first light, there was a light fog that prevent views of the mountain but broke once in a while to allow for views of the valley below.
The Real Hike Begins Now
After breaking out of the forest, we started up the steep rocky face that Mt. Saint Helens is known for. Hours later the fog lifted and we were able to see our progress. Looking back at what we had climbed was amazing, the views of the lava flows were amazing and something you can't see in too many other places. If you look closely in the picture below you can see two people on the mountain below me, one is wearing an orange jacket.
The weather continued to clear as we were heading up, which gave us a chance for some photo ops, little did we know this would be the last chance we would have to see more than a few hundred feet in front of us. The photo of Aaron was one of my favorites I took that day, doesn't get much better in my opinion. The photo on the left was the view looking up the mountain, still couldn't see the rim but it's up there!
Here Comes The Weather
Once we left the rock field and entered the ash fields, we were greeted by more fog and a few inches of snow and ice. We were worried at first that this might be the end of the road for us but people coming down said there was a path in the snow that we could follow without crampons. The last few hundred feet of the hike were grueling but so worth it! I was able to get up to the top before Aaron and Cyrus which allowed for me to document their last few steps to the top.
The normal views that thousands of other climbers get to experience at the top of Mt. Saint Helens were missing on our trip. We were able to see about 25 feet which didn't mean we didn't get to see much, but hey there is always next time. Below is the picture of us at the top.
