After missing the turnoff for Cougar Mountain/Ape Caves, we didn't leave the trail head until 8:30am, reaching the summit some 6-hours later. There was snow from the parking lot to the summit. Once you left the trees, there wasn't much of a trail to follow. We went up the left side of the worm flow, but plenty of skiers were hiking up the right side. It didn't seem to mater much as all paths lead to the summit. We went without crampons or snowshoes and this was a mistake. The last few miles were very icy, making both the accent and decent more difficult. Several other climbers without crampons turned back. As the sun came out in the afternoon the snow got softer, making our journey a little easier. We saved a ton of time glissading down on rubber mats we carried up with us. However this is only advisable on the soft snow as the ice really hurts your butt. Due to a lack of a trail, GPS is strongly recommended, especially if visibility is limited due to weather.

We followed the worm flows climbing route. Worm flows climbing route starts in the marble mount snow park. snow park permit is 20$ per day and 40$ for the season. I recommend you take day permit since season is getting over. You may need to get permit and eventually need a lottery permit depending on when you go. I think snow will last till may / june. from the parking lot, take a west bearing, you should see a white arrow trail marked. there are many trails closes to each other, it is easy to go in one for other. but once u find the worm flows climbing route or swift ski trail sign, it leads you all the way to choclate falls. till this point, it is pretty easy walk, just like normal hike with very less steepness. You follow the creek as handhold and follow the broad big trail. we left parking lot at 3. We booked a motel in cougar which is 25 mins away, nice motel. it costed abt 15$ for each (11 people). We also rented beacons. Which costed abt 10$ a person. we took about 1 hr to get to end of trail system i am guessing since i lost the gps on the way. Once you are out of trail system, you come to the choclate falls. choclate falls divides the swift creek with gully, the east bank and west bank. you can take either one, all the websites and people recommend west. we crossed over the gully/falls and entered into the west ridge. from here steepness begins. you keep slogging and go steep, steeper to very steep at some point. we were at summit around 10, some people in the group summitted earlier. coming down was so much fun with glissade. we glissaded most part of it with some really long glissades. route is easy to follow up and down. mostly it is a ridge, and avalanche free. snow was good, lots of people. beautiful weather. lava dome was steaming when we went up, had clear views of the growing lava dome and sheer beauty of 360 degree panoramic views. we left at 3 am , came back to car at 4.30 pm. abt 5700 gain. 11 miles rt.

This weekend had a perfect weather forecast in the Cougar, Wa area so my friend Joel and I quickly cancelled other plans for what might be the last opportunity to make it up Mount Saint Helens before the Forest Service begins limiting visitors and charging for passes above 4800'. We left Renton at 2:30am and arrived at the Lone Fir Resort at 6, only to find every last pass gone from the box. I knew most folks usually stop here first in case the register at the trailhead is empty, meaning that the one at the TH would likely have some left. More concerning was a laminated note dated for the day before which read Attention climbers: Be advised that snow plowing on road 83 stops 3 miles from Marble Mountain SnoPark My tires were solid, but i was a little worried about clearance if the snowy road was too deeply rutted. We had little trouble navigating to the lot with minimal scraping, and we were on the trail by 6:40. Unlike our last attempt, there was only one route broken through the powder which happened to follow the standard winter route up "Worm Flows", so named for the huge lines of lava rock snaking across the trail. I could tell that Al-Rashid was as stoked as I was to be able to see Saint Helens the other mountains around us. Mount Hood was clear as day and we could just make out Mount Jefferson behind it to the West. Despite the still cold temperature, I stayed comfortable in a single layer due to the warm sun and light wind. Traction devices were helpful, but our snowshoes stayed on our backs for the entire trip. At a clearing less than a mile from the trailhead we were treated with a peek at Mount Adams in the sunrise glow. There was not a cloud in the sky when we emerged from the tree line. The weather was dramatically different than what we had experienced just a few weeks prior. This made the hike far less challenging and in no time we were passing the sign at 4800' and ready for a short break. About half-way to the top we experienced a rapid rise in wind speed. Spin-drifts rolled down from above spitting powder in our faces and at times forcing us to brace ourselves or be knocked down the mountain. Around 6000' we passed the first few summiteers of the day on their descent. They confirmed our suspicions that the wind intensity would continue to increase as we climbed. Reaching the crater rim, we began the traverse to the summit but quickly turned back after finding a man-sized hole and the massive void within. If there were recent tracks to follow we may have continued on, but without rope and belay gear the potential risks greatly outweighed the prospect of another summit. We will return for this one, hopefully this year. After a few minutes of taking pictures the wind died down considerably, and we enjoyed the near-solitude while it lasted as we watched at least 1 hundred others on their way up. The lava dome smoked from several holes in the snow that otherwise covered it. The perspective on Mount Adams and Tahoma made them seem near-identical in size. The lowlands to the North were so hazy that all we could see of civilization were 3 plumes of industrial emissions near the Olympia. We used collapsible snow shovels to glissade down most of the first 3000' or so. Half of the crowds had snowboards or skis and occasionally one or a few would cruise past, inciting a bit of jealousy in the rest of us. We noticed a solo skier breaking trail as they ascended the heavily corniced ridge to our West along the summer route, then Several small groups following behind. We stopped for a long lunch break and some solar bowls on a big exposed lava rock and tried to ignore the constant buzzing of distant snowmobiles. When we returned to the crowded parking lot I could not help but overhear an irate snowmobiler screaming at the folks parked next to us, apparently upset that he could not load his machines into his trailer without first pulling out of the spot. I held my tongue as he proclaimed that only vehicles with trailers were allowed to park in the lot, and motioned to an imaginary sign. We had a good laugh on the way out and reminded ourselves that one massive douche should not warrant judgement on an entire cross-section of society, simply because they share a hobby:) Picture and Route Map @ http://jebtastic.blogspot.com/2013/03/mount-saint-helens-second-attempt.html

I've been watching the weather and avalanche forecasts like a hawk for the last few weeks, hoping for a decent window for an attempt at the summit of Mount Saint Helens. This would be my first volcano and the highest mountain I have climbed to date. Saint Helens makes for a great place to gain experience on an ultra prominent peak without the need for technical climbing or glacier travel experience, and the extra gear that comes with both. The mostly sunny forecast for Saturday turned mostly cloudy by Friday night, but at least the avy danger decreased to moderate above 3000' and considerable above 7000'. Not daunted by the potential lack of views, Joel and I left Renton at 3:00am for the 3 hour drive. 12 people in 5 separate groups had signed in before us at the register at the Lone Fir Resort. Snow appeared on the road about 3 miles from Marble Mountain Snow Park. We hit the trail under dense fog at 6:45 and made good time to Chocolate Falls where the trench split in two. After consulting with a few other groups we all decided to follow the path over Swift Creek, as the map shows the winter route crossing the creek at about that elevation(3800'). We passed several groups who had stopped to put on snowshoes and skis, trying to make the most out of the broken trail ahead of us. Sunshine and patches of blue sky began to appear around 4500', as well as what looked like the silhouette of the summit through the clouds. A few hundred feet further up we emerged from the clouds to see the mountain above us engulfed in a blanket of clouds and flying powder. This was a bizarre sight, which I could only relate to the "halo" of clouds that sometimes adorns the top of Tahoma. Is this what that looks like up close? We continued up into the most extreme weather either of us had experienced on a climb. Heavy wind from the North blasted down on us, often carrying with it loose powder and ice from the slopes above. We took full advantage of any breaks in the wind to cover as much ground as we could before having to duck our heads and hug the mountain when the wind returned with full force. We exchanged the occasional "can you believe this?" look, but continued slow and steady towards the summit. At about 6200' we met a group of two on their descent, who informed us of white-out conditions above us. The two explained that they had waited around above 7000' for about a half hour before deciding to head back, and that one person on skis was still ascending in front of us. We thanked them for the help and discussed our options, choosing to continue. About 20 minutes later the weather had only gotten worse and we stopped again to re-assess the situation. Joel had nothing to shield his face from flying snow, and my baklava wasn't helping much anyway. We Decided to check our location, and that we would continue only if we had less than one thousand feet to go. The GPS app for my phone showed that we were at 7100', almost exactly 1000' below the summit, so on we went. We had taken only a few steps though before what little terrain we could see, either side of the ridge we were on, completely disappeared into the white. I have been in blizzard-like conditions several times which I would have in the past called a "white-out", but I am now confident that this was my first time in a true white-out. At this point the only safe move was to call it a day. Without a reliable GPS, we would essentially be on our own to navigate the route to the summit rim and back between 3 glaciers. Summit fever can be a dangerous thing and I'm glad we both were able to use our better judgement to suppress the urge to continue. We relayed our experience to several groups as they climbed past on our descent, most of whom seemed as disappointed as we were to tell them. A few though, seemed determined to reach the top regardless of the conditions. I hope someone made it to the top, and that everyone gets down safely! We stopped for a brief snack before dropping back under the clouds, and would have hung out for a few hours here if the weather weren't so dismal. Mount Hood poked above to the south and at one point Mount Adams appeared, but not long enough for a photo. I will not lie, I am disappointed to have failed to reach the top, but still very glad for the experience. We will be back the moment our schedules and the weather allows. Route map and video @ http://jebtastic.blogspot.com/2013/02/mount-saint-helens-attempt.html

Mount St Helens has been on my to-do list for quite a while, so I decided to take advantage of the warm temperatures and clear weather and attempt the winter route, thus beating the hassle and cost of a permit. I took the long drive down from Bellingham the day before, and to ensure an early start, camped at the snow park. I awoke at 3:00 AM, and after putting away the tent and eating breakfast, started on the trail by 4:45. Lit by only lamplight, starlight, and later the distant glow of Portland, I followed the ski trails out of the forest and up the ridge. The snow was in excelled condition, and I reached the 4800' permit zone marker just in time for a great sunrise. This is also where I switched from poles and snowshoes to an ice axe and crampons, as most of the snow above this point had an icy crust. Besides a couple skiers who had summeted in time for sunrise, I saw no one else on my way to the crater rim. Due to the increasing avalanche danger, I had started early in order to climb the snow while it was more stable. I reached the rim by 10:55, where I was greeted by the unusually warm weather, no wind, and far-ranging views. I had the top to myself, and after cooking lunch I did a quick traverse over to tag the true summit. This section was very icy in places, but with traction devices it was no problem. After a couple hour of soaking in the views, I finally started down at 12:17, passing a line of 40+ skiers and snowshoers who were nearing the top- another advantage to starting early. The descent was very quick, as the afternoon sun had significantly softened the snow. I switched back to snowshoes at 5000', as I was constantly sinking deep into the snow. The afternoon snow conditions were much better in the trees, where the sun hadn't melted the crust. I arrived back at the trailhead at 3:59, just over 11 hours after I left.