It was a beautiful day to summit Mt. St. Helens! The views, of course, are amazing. Even with the dangerous cornice, you could still see into the crater... steaming vent and all! There are flags to remind you not to make a dumb mistake and step on the cornice.
While there is snow, you do not need to walk on it. We chose not to glissade, as it appeared unsafe with the melt and rocks here and there. The trail was in good condition and bouldering field is as it sounds, hiking through and climbing on boulders. And it is tough. But the last part of the climb is tougher, in my opinion. Walking up the scree, and I mean straight up. It's tough. However, I am a 53 year old woman, for context.
This is my 5th time doing this in 5 years. This was my best climb so far. For first timers, I highly recommend gaiters (short ones do just fine) to keep dirt/rock from getting in your shoes, trekking poles - they will save your knees and help with stability - (my 18 year old son said " I don't need those!" and he slipped and slid ascending and descending) and layers (it can be super cold on the top even if it's not in the boulder field). Helpful items: gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat. And obviously, plenty of water and healthy snacks.
We started out at 3:15am, summited at 7:00am, back at trailhead at 10:15am. We did not stop a lot. If it will be a hot day, I suggest starting very early - you are very exposed for the majority of the climb, it gets hot this time of year. The road to the Climbers Bivouac is quite rough, but passable by most cars, no low riders.
We stayed the night in Cougar at the Lone Fir resort to make our commute to the trailhead short. Highly recommend. We followed up our hike with a quick paddle board and soak in Yale Lake - so refreshing! Enjoy!
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