We left the trailhead at 1am in an attempt to be above the tree line for the lunar eclipse. Only caught a glimpse since it was cloudy - still made for a spectacular sunrise above the clouds.

About 11 hours total - 6.5 up (including breaks), 1 hour at the top, 3.5 hours down (saved a lot of time thanks to glissading).  

Gaia link below for the route. Highly recommend crampons overnight - it was very icy and we all swapped to them At around 5000-5500 ft (I think). We started our descent around 8:30am and descended about 1000 ft by plunge stepping. By then, the snow had softened enough to glissade so we took different chutes down until about 5000ft elevation, and then walked the rest of the way. Stunning day - bring plenty of water if you’re making the climb on a sunny day - it was very warm under the sun on our descent and we were glad we’d done the early start. 

Hardest hike I have ever done. Almost thought we weren’t going to finish. Started at 5am from the parking lot. Had headlamps but took them off after 5 minutes. It rained pretty much the entire time we were below the tree line making for slushy messy snow. The snow starts in earnest about 1.5 miles in. The sun came out for our summit, but the clouds gave us no views. Everyone we saw summit had crampons on. There were a few folks with spikes, but they turned around. They just don’t provide enough “bite” on the soft, slushy snow. Even though we started early, we never got to experience the icy, crisp snow. The temps and the rain made it a sloppy mess from the get-go. The soft snow did make for some epic glissading. Just really consider each chute before you go as the snow is melting and exposing more and more rocks. Be careful on the rock field just after you exit the forest - lots of post holing and potential ankle breakers here.

Hardest hike I have ever done. Almost thought we weren’t going to finish. Started at 5am from the parking lot. Had headlamps but took them off after 5 minutes. It rained pretty much the entire time we were below the tree line making for slushy messy snow. The snow starts in earnest about 1.5 miles in. The sun came out for our summit, but the clouds gave us no views. Everyone we saw summit had crampons on. There were a few folks with spikes, but they turned around. They just don’t provide enough “bite” on the soft, slushy snow. Even though we started early, we never got to experience the icy, crisp snow. The temps and the rain made it a sloppy mess from the get-go. The soft snow did make for some epic glissading. Just really consider each chute before you go as the snow is melting and exposing more and more rocks. Be careful on the rock field just after you exit the forest - lots of post holing and potential ankle breakers here.

Every couple of years we climb Mount St Helens, and this year the snowpack is awesome compared to previous years!

If you like to backcountry ski/snowboard, then right now Helens is a fun place to play. The heat we have had is probably melting out the snow faster than it should, but you can still ski down close to 1.5 miles from the trailhead (at the end you have to really pick your way through though).

This year we took a different route, we went for a ridgeline to the east of Worm Flows that I have been looking at for quite some time. The route does go to the summit, but you are more exposed to the wind which can slow you down. Also the likelihood of you having to kick your own steps in is much greater compared to following the standard route.

Overall, if you are just trying to reach the summit, the Worm Flows route is the best option. If you are looking for a different route and want a tougher adventure, then give the ridge east of Worm Flows a chance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVuuwcZ1M4c

Weather cleared up for a successful summit on May 19!  

Left the trailhead at 5am on the dot.  Reached the summit around 11am.  Spent an hour to an hour and a half up top.  Back to the car at 4pm.  Crampons and ice axe were necessary on this day. Poles also helpful.

Starting at 5am, we did not need headlamps except to read the first trail sign.  As other reports have mentioned, patchy snow starts about 1 mile in, with complete snow coverage close to 2mi in. Definitely make sure to cross Swift Creek at Chocolate Falls! We saw some people climbing the ridge east of the creek, and it looked rough.  We were able to follow the posts until they ended, then stayed on the rocky ridge as long as we could, before crossing the snow field to monitor ridge. This snow field was when we put on crampons.  The last push up to Monitor Ridge was the steepest part.  We did not head to the true summit.

Weather: In and out of the clouds, with wind when you got higher.  Experienced some white out conditions, but also blue skies.  Snow when we reached the summit, but it cleared up offering plenty of views of the rest of the crater rim.  Pretty warm most of the way; I was able to go up in just a long sleeve sun shirt, and then pulled out the jacket up top due to wind picking up.  Bring plenty of water especially if the sun comes out!

Snow:  Snow at the base was a bit slippery, but we didn’t pull out crampons until 4800.’  Snow coming up was windswept and icy.  Really relied on crampons as it was too hard to kick steps for portions.  The portion up to monitor ridge was steep and windswept, but well worth it!  Snow coming down up top was still a little hard/icy for glissading, but it got much better about 1000ft down.  Overall we were able to glissade to the no climbing without permits sign.  On the way down we did traverse a bit of monitor ridge and then cut east rather than go the route we came in an effort to avoid descending the steep, icy portion.  Plenty of others did take the original routes glissade chutes, so make your own decision.

Navigation: As always, worth having a paper map, compass, or gps just in case.  When the clouds rolled in it made it hard to see landmarks around you, or pick out other people on the trail.

Trailhead -> Chocolate Falls = 1hr.  Chocolate Falls -> Summit = 5hrs. Summit -> Trailhead = 4 hours.