Mount St. Helens - Worm Flows Route, Swift Creek — Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2015

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

We showed up Tuesday the 24th with no issues. We were able to self-issue permits at the Marble Mountain Sno-Park and even find a campsite there. We slept in our tent through a downpour all night and started at 0845 Wednesday morning in a foggy drizzle and heavy winds. The first couple of miles were easy; shallow incline, muddy but simple trail. After the first couple of miles things got steeper and the snow was more consistent so we put on microspikes/crampons which did the trick. Unfortunately, the recent rain had turned the snow into slush and the spikes could only help so much. Once we broke through the treeline we could barely see 200 ft ahead due to the low clouds making the summit impossible to see. I had to get out a compass to ensure we were headed North. Snow had fallen between the rocks but not covered them. The snow here was slushy as well. There wasn't enough snow to cover the rocks and use snowshoes, which we had brought, but there was enough to fill in the gaps making footing impossible. With this amount of slushy snow, we couldn't tell where we could step, leading to multiple post-holes, rolled ankles, and wipe-outs. The combination of slushy snow, low visibility, and risk of injury prompted us to turn around halfway up. We are two experienced, well-equipped mountaineers and knew better to turn around.I would advise anyone to wait until the weather is clear and trail is passable. Heavy clouds means rescue helicopters may not be able to fly. It was still worth a shot and we'll be back soon.