Mount St. Helens - Monitor Ridge — Monday, May. 21, 2001

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

So here we were Sunday morning in Yakima, not a cloud in the sky and three big beautiful volcanoes calling our names. Karen wanted to climb Mt. St. Helens. I resisted because we would need to get a permit, we were really far away and the weatherman had predicted scattered thunderstorms for Monday. Climbing it would also mean a really long drive back to Canada in the thick of holiday traffic Monday night. We compromised; we headed down highway #12 with an open mind looking for a Ranger we could talk with. The Natches Ranger station was closed but we were able to pick up a wealth of useful pamphlets. We stopped briefly at Clear Creek Falls before cresting White Pass. I actually gasped when I got my first look at Rainier. I have traveled many times in and around Seattle and had never really seen this mountain in its full glory. Wearing only a thin frying pan like cloud on its summit it was a magnificent sight. We detoured up to the Oppengosh' Ranger station to find it closed too. In fact so was every other one along the way. Road reports were posted so we knew to avoid #25 and go around the long way to I-5. We briefly talked to an ‘interpreter’ at the visitor center near Castle Rock. She warned us that there would be snow on the route! I never would have guessed that from the completely white volcano I could see out the window. We exited at Woodland and saw a sign for Mt. St. Helens that said the roads to Ape Cave & Lava Canyon were closed. I thought this was unusual since I have twice hiked the Ape Cave in April and had no trouble reaching the area. We stopped at Jack’s but there were unable to hand out any permits until 6pm. With time to kill we went up to the Lava Canyon, which was not only open but also full of people. The view of Mt. St. Helens from Lahar is incredible. Back at Jack’s again we read the warning dated May 18th that said the road to Climber Bivouac was closed and that trail difficult to follow. That meant the Worm Route, 2 miles longer each way & 1000 feet lower was our only option. However as climbers returned to sign out I found out that most of them had taken Monitor Ridge and that the trail was very easy to follow. We got our permit a 6pm; there was only one other party waiting. The drive up to Climber’s Bivouac was a challenge but our twelve-year-old Corolla make to within 100 feet of the parking lot. Beyond that point there is over a foot of snow still on the ground. We set up camp and went to bed right away. My watch was set to 4am so we had to get some rest, but who could sleep' We were going to climb world famous Mt. St. Helens the next day! The idea of starting the ascent at 4am was so that we could use crampons and climb the snow while it was still hard rather than post-hole our way to the top. We also brought along headlamps so that we could make our way in the dark. Surprisingly it was pretty light out at 4:45 when we got started and the snow was soft enough that crampons weren’t needed. We had no problem finding the trail through the woods; lots of muddy boots trudging through the snow had made the route obvious. We past the tree line in about an hour, a series of posts marks the route all the way up the ridge to the summit. There was not a cloud in the sky and with each step the views got better. First Mt. Adams, then Mt. Hood, which is near Portland, next came Mt. Jeffereson, which is further south and finally we saw what I believe are the Three Sisters. We stuck mostly to the rocks and kept up a steady pace. In total it took us 4.5 hours to get from the parking lot to the rim. The sight when you first reach the rim of the crater and see Rainier clear and crisp against a perfect blue sky towering above Spirit Lake and the blast zone is one of those rare intoxicating moments that keep you addicted to hiking. Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak are also visible making a total of seven of the Cascades finest on display. Best of all we had the place to ourselves. And to top it all off you get to slide back down 4000ft on your butt! It’s better than an E-ticket ride at Disney World, especially when zoom past the poor unfortunate souls who started late, are stuck knee deep in snow and still have hours worth of climbing ahead of them. Because of the perfect weather, the snow conditions & the solitude that came with it being a weekday it turned out to be “one of the best” hikes we’ve ever done. The drive back sucked but we would do it again in a heartbeat. Happy Hiking David & Karen