Mount St. Helens - Worm Flows Route — Saturday, Mar. 31, 2018

Was the last day to climb for the winter season before the reserve permit season started so myself and over 300 other people decided it was a great day to climb St. Helens. Luckily I started at about 2:15am, so after a slow and plodding 6 hours later I was the fourth person at the crater rim. Conditions were mild with little wind. Microspikes and poles until about 5,000 feet where I switched to crampons and ice axe. Snow was firm in the early morning, solid ice near the top, and a sloshy mess on the way down. A leisurely 10 hour round trip. Can easily be done in less.

This climb is unrelenting and not to be underestimated. With 5,700 feet of elevation gain car-to-car, many people were struggling. Just for some perspective, when climbing Rainier from the popular DC route, base camp to summit is only about 4,400 feet of gain. Be prepared and know what you're getting yourself into! I'd highly recommend an early start. I did this climb a couple weeks before and started at 5am and regretted it deeply as the snow conditions deteriorate rapidly. They don't call it an alpine start for nothing!

It's certainly an awesome experience and it's one that you'll never forget.