Absolute blue bird day yesterday for summiting. Still only the winter route open, they estimated in the next week or two opening the summer route. First two miles is a nice, easy hike through the woods to Chocolate Falls. Then the real work begins, climbing the boulder field. Very dry and crumbly, lots of scree, slow and steady was the way. Past the seismic antenna, a little more time on the rocks, then the last 2000' ft or so of elevation was in snow. It got softer as the day was going on, so sometimes two steps forward one small slide back. Would definitely recommend and ice axe for that portion and traction devices of some sort. Big cornice at the top, stay back from the edge, vies of Adams, Hood, the valley below are all gorgeous. We were able to still glissade safely down about 3000' which was a huge help!

The guides from Mount Saint Helen’s Institute gave us an experience of a lifetime. We had a bluebird day with 50° at the summit. Rainier was practically touchable and we could see south as far as Mount Jefferson and Middle Sister in Oregon. We had individuals in our group who were intimidated by the slope and the guides could not have been more supportive of this process of conquering one’s fears in order to reach the crater rim. It was truly an incredible day. As the trip report from a couple of days ago indicates, cracks are forming and climbers should be very aware of the quickly melting and shifting snow. Snow starts just above the seismic station and this is where we strapped on our micro spikes and grabbed our ice axes. A word of caution: We saw a couple of ill-prepared climbers later in the afternoon in T-shirts with small packs. While this may be a summit for beginner mountaineers, it still has the power to shift from what some may hope for as a wonderful adventure to a risky undertaking. If you’re looking to get up on this volcano, gain some knowledge of indigenous history, natural history and geology, as well as being guided by some of the most compassionate, engaging  and wonderful humans, do not hesitate to visit the MSHI website and sign up for a trip. They fill up fast!

Started at 7:30am under 55f blue bird skies! Toilet was clean and well stocked at the trailhead. The trail to chocolate falls is basically snow free. At the falls, there are two ways up. We took the first spur to the right before the falls and quickly lost the trail and meandered through the lava flows going too far east. After some rock hopping we were back on the trail. The trail after the falls is much more obvious!

The snow started in earnest around 5500', where we donned microspikes and an ice axe. There are a few cracks opening up on the snowfield between the two routes on the Swift Glacier, so be mindful. They are to the climbers right. One glissade chute even passed over a sizable gap but thankfully someone put rocks on the slope above to warn glissaders.

From the seismic station to the summit is a staircase of snow. Although it was in the mid-50s, the snow really wasn't that bad. There are enough tracks that we weren't kicking in our own steps. At the crater rim, the cornices are still massive and if you traverse west to the true summit, some cracks are forming! The summit was surprisingly wind-free and mild. I even took my shoes off to dry my feet!

The route down is a glissade and plunge step fun-fest! We ended up glissading to around 4400'. Some of the lower chutes under 5k' get close to rocks. Overall, it was a fun day out with spectacular conditions. 

Car to summit in 2:50

Summit to car in 1:08

Gear: Trail runners, ankle gaiters, microspikes, ice axe, tights, long sleeve base layer, wind shirt, cookies. 

We had a challenging but rewarding hike to the summit in cloudy and foggy weather. Seven hours up and three down, with about 30 min at the top. Minor wind gusts, occasional sun breaks and lots of layer changes. First section to chocolate falls had partial snow cover but was done without traction until about 1/3 of the way up the rocky "worm flows". Crampons and micro spikes were used by our team for the steep, snowy ascent but could also have been done with snowshoes. Snow was mostly slushy, even at the top, as the weather remained above freezing all day. Ice ax recommended still due to occasional steep snowy descents and for general steering while glissading. Snow fields on the way down were plentiful and we were able to glissade down off and on nearly to chocolate falls. This will likely change fast but in the meantime well worth brining the rain pants / trash bag or even a "Scooty Booty", which apparently is a thing if you like glissading. 

Overall a great trip despite the less than ideal conditions. We did have a thick fog come in while we were descending and nearly lost part of our group, almost heading down the wrong side of the ridge toward the "rockfall route". Just stay close and follow the chutes other hikers have made and make sure you see if any tracks veer off. 

Sno-Park parking was snow free. Encountered patchy snow to pretty consistent snow in the upper reaches of the deep forested section within the ski trails. Once we broke out into open forest there was no more snow. The boot path was steep, but easy to follow up the ridge line, even in foggy conditions.

We put snowshoes on at about 6500’ and gave up on trying to continue to climb on rock. Rock ridge ran out at about 7k. The last 2 uphill pitches to the summit are very steep, take lots of breaks.

We hung out at the summit for over an hour, and were rewarded with a large break in the clouds to see spirit lake and the crater. Clouds continued to disperse on our descent, which we did by glissading to roughly 5000’.

Videos should be up on YouTube channel Coulee Outdoors within the week