Mount St. Helens - Worm Flows Route — Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

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.