Calendar

Past Activity

Canceled: Mt. St. Helens

  • Start date: 07/25/2011

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 07/26/2011

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

Climb Mount Saint Helens from climbers bivouac on the south side. The climbing permit is $22... in addition to the Obsidian fees. I have six permits paid for... so call me. We need to drive up to the camp the afternoon before. We will pick up our permits on Monday and camp Monday night at the Climbers Bivouac. We will start hiking at dawn on Tuesday. The first hour is through the trees. I expect lots of mosquitos. The climb should take 9-12 hours up and down, so we should have time to break camp and drive home Tuesday evening. The view from the crater rim is spectacular. I have not seen it in a few years, so the dome has grown. There is scree near the top and a rather long talas field that is tough on the knees. The late lingering snow may complicate things in the talas.

  • Event Leader: Pierce Jim

  • Assistant Leader:

  • Event category: Climbs

  • Area Type: Mountain

  • Departure Location: See Trip Description

  • Rating: Difficult

  • Roundtrip total drive miles: 366

  • Season: 2011

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: sturdy hiking shoes or boots. layers for cold or hot. camping gear for car camping at the Bivouac. Poles would probably be a good thing to have. If we run into conditions that require snow shoes, crampons or ice axe, we will turn around... so don't bring those things on the climb :-) I plan to eat at the diner on Monday evening (where we get the permits). We will need a fast, early breakfast at camp plus lunch and snacks for the trail. carry two liters of water.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 9

  • Member Fees: —

  • Elevation Gain: 4600

  • Non-Member Fees: —

  • Committee: Climbs

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

Our group of seven started at 6:15 am from the Climber Bivouac. In late July there was still a couple feet of snow under the trees and large snow fields about timberline. Our route stayed on the rocky ridges where practical. The route is steeper than I remember from before. Most of the scree and talus was secure from wet scree/sand. There were even glissade troughs in the snow fields that we tried on the way down.
We reached the summit by 11:00 so the assent took 4:40. There was a huge cornice all along the crater rim, so we could not see the dome in the crater. The views of Spirit Lake, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and Mount Hood were spectacular. What a marvelous day to be on top of the world. The descent took just over three hours.

Members & Guests signed-up & waitlisted

  • Number of spots on trip: 8
  • Number of spots available: 0
No. Status Full name Phone Transportation Needed? Trip Fee # Can Take?
1 Signed-Up Pierce, Jim 206-902-7326 N —
2 Signed-Up Weaver, Elle 541-852-6128 N —
3 Signed-Up Stockdale, Chris 541-221-2293 N —
4 Signed-Up Stockdale, Chris 541-221-2293 N —
5 Signed-Up Camp, Marianne 347-703-9852 N —
6 Signed-Up Frazer, Ken 541-915-3883 N —
7 Signed-Up Frazer, Mary 541-357-0909 N —
8 Signed-Up Hemphill, Dallas 541-683-8390 N —