Mt Saint Helens Hike

L

lungcutter

Joined
Feb 28, 2008
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Has anyone here ever been to this area? Has anyone ever hiked to the top of the volcano, if so, what was the hike like? I have climbing permits for this summer and am curious as to what to expect on this trip.
 
havent hiked mt st helens since she blew
cept short day hikes farther down her slopes
there are tons of great sites on the internet tho
if no one else here can give ya any pointers
have a great time
and be safe peering over the craters edge.....
 
My last summit hike was eight years ago. The Monitor Ridge is the standard route. Plan on about six hours. The route starts as a nice hike through the woods (for the first two miles) leading to a good sized boulder and talus slope. From the top of the boulder field you'll be on the ridge the rest of the way to the top. The route is a grade II with slopes up to about 25 degrees. Go light and enjoy the views.

Jeff
 
Thanks for the info. I think it will be a great trip with some great views. I have done some scrambling before and some long day hikes so I should have a great time.
 
Wish she was open when I was up there just a few weeks ago. Let me know how it goes lung, I may be looking into it within the next year.
 
Sounds like you got a great trip planned! Will you be at Marty's for Memorial day weekend?
 
Before or after your hike, make the drive around to the blown-out side to see the visitor's center. One of the nicest I've been to. Great to see what things look like from the other side too.

Jeff
 
It is a truly amazing hike. If I remember correctly, it took our group about 8 hours up and down. It is 5 miles, 5000' vertical I think. It will be cool and windy at the top, so a light jacket and convertible pants might be nice. The final stretch is sand and provides a challenge. I really enjoyed climbing up the boulders halfway up, rather than sticking to the trail.

For your descent, it is possible to slide down on the snow in many places. I would recommend bringing something along for this purpose - perhaps some heavy duty trash sacks.

Edit:
If you have another day in the area, check out the Ape Caves. Going through the 1.5 mile tunnel is a great experience. Bring a powerful flashlight and a coat.
 
It's a decent hike, I think we did it in about 5 or 6 hours round trip. The only irritating part is the long scree slope near the rim (2 steps forward, 1 step back).
 
We are looking into the ape caves. We will have 3 days there besides the day we go to the rim. Thanks for the tip.
 
lungcutter said:
We are looking into the ape caves. We will have 3 days there besides the day we go to the rim. Thanks for the tip.
Click to expand...

Ape Caves rock!!! +1


That's got just a few of all the photos I took while travelling in Ape Caves & We only did the Upper & that was a good workout, plus the hike back to the beginning seemed longer than 3/4 mi.
 
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