Mt St Helens
February 11th, 2023
Preface
I had my eye on Mt St Helens for a while. On a clear day, I could see its erupted peak taunt as I drove through Portland. My buddy and I tried every month in the summer of 2022 to get permits, but did not succeed until August. All of the month’s permits were released the preceding month before on the 1st of that month at 7 am (ex./ all of the August permits were released on July 1st at 7 am). My buddy and I were trying to obtain permits separately, thinking that if one failed to get them, the other might succeed. Well, we both succeeded with August permits and ended up with 6 permits each, totaling 12 permits. Rather than cancel half of the permits, we decided to invite our friends to make a sort of party out of it.
We took 2 cars, maybe 3, and decided to drive up the night before, camp in the parking lot, and set off early in the morning. When we reached the trailhead, we were greeted by rangers telling us the trail was closing due to wildfires in the morning. I heard an opportunity in that statement and realized that if we tried the hike at night, then we would still be within regulation. The ranger confirmed that we could try to hike the trail at night, but did not recommend it. Oddly enough, when the other cars with our friends came, he turned them away, probably not realizing we were all together. Not having service, we couldn’t convey the plan to the other cars until they were already halfway home, which was probably for the best. Two of my friends and I hiked to the base of the mountain under the glow of head lamps and moonlight, but were greeted with high winds and ash blowing, obstructing our vision. We decided to turn around. For the first time, I fought the stubbornness of nature with the stubbornness of my nature, and lost. And although we weren’t victorious, we tried and vowed to return.
The Plan
The limited permit system doesn’t apply to winter months (December to May), so my friend and I decided a winter attempt would fit our urge to summit the mountain better. We had both climbed the snow-ridden peak of Mt Adams together and felt the snowy intricacies of Mt. St. Helens were within our purview. We checked the forecast for every weekend. Usually, the conditions were subpar for hiking, and we settled for snowboarding at Mt. Hood Meadows. One particular weekend, however, there were no storms, and the weather called for clear skies, sun, and low avalanche danger. I talked with my buddies, one of whom had attempted the infamous night summit with me the summer before, and we made a plan. We all slept at my house the night before and woke up around 4:00 am for the 2-hour drive to the trailhead. In the morning, we grabbed a few McGriddles for the drive, and I played The Tale of Elegos album as we drove to the mountain. When we arrived, we were greeted by snowy conditions and the buzz of hope, as each group prepared for their adventures.
The Climb
The day consisted of a 12-mile hike with about ~5k elevation gain to the top of a blown-off volcano. I strapped on my snowshoes and began the hike. The first 4 miles we hiked in the dark with our headlamps, which reminded me of the night hike. Even with all the snow, it was warmer than we anticipated, and we shed our outer layers. By the time the sun came up, we were down to our t-shirts. We passed “Chocolate Falls” and talked with some hikers as they attached their crampons to their skis. We hiked another mile and reached the last Of the Trees, where we stashed our snowshoes for the return trip. The mountain in the morning light was beautiful. The rising sun’s light cast a golden blanket over Helens, while the birds flew tree to tree looking for breakfast accidentally dropped by a hiker. And it was so quiet, the snow absorbed the sound around us so all we could hear was the crunch of our feet and the occasional idiotic joke.
We put on our crampons and began our ascent. The climb was 2 miles with an elevation gain of 3,000 ft. It took us nearly 2 hours to reach the false summit, where we got our first glimpse into the giant crater formed by the 1980 eruption. We could see the true summit another quarter mile away. We took a break and watched the backcountry brigade shred some lovely powder. After about an hour, we reached the snow-covered summit and all high-fived each other. We looked at the nearby peaks visible on such a clear day, Mt. Adams, Mt Hood, and Mt Rainer.
Then, wishing we had a ski-touring setup, we began our descent. We glissaded most of the way and had a blast doing it. We recovered our snowshoes and put them on for the hike back to the car. We reached the car around 4:00 pm and all piled into the truck. Exhausted, we drove back home to celebrate with a few beers, vindicated by conquering the peak that had defeated us before.
