jake L.

Trip: Mt. St Helens - Worm Flows Date: 2/19/2013 Trip Report: Did some exploring last week in the Pacific Northwest with my brother while dirt bagging it in a van. Spent some time at Hood but due to the extreme amount of snow that was falling didn't get above 6,000 feet. We still enjoyed some nice tours in the Hood region and had a stellar day on St Helens which was definitely the highlight of the trip, see below. The "Worm Flows" winter route starts at the Marble Mountain Sno-Park (elev. 2,700 feet) where we made dirt bag camp #1. That night the mountain received 4-6" of fluff and things were shaping up perfectly for a summit bid in the AM. After some trailer hitch grits with bacon we were skinning by 6:45am through Douglas Fir and fresh snow. We soon came to tree line and the Sun was finally working its magic slowly lifting the veil on the mountain. The temperature hovered in the mid 20's all day with no wind and made for very comfortable skinning in just thermals. As we passed the magic elevation marker of 6,288 feet stoke increased as we had only another 2,000 feet to the rim. The views were OK. Mt Adams makes an appearance. We reached a point just below the crater rim at noon and made our transition. The skiing was incredible! We hooted and hollered while we enjoyed the over 5,550 vertical feet of perfect turns back to the car. A great day to be in the mountains! Gear Notes: Sunglasses and sunscreen