Who was the last to summit old Mt. St. Helens?

[Alpine_Tom]

Not exactly a burning issue, but it seems like an interesting mountain trivia question. Is there any record of who was the last to make an ascent of St. Helens before the 1980 eruption?

[iain]

yeah I think you can find him in white salmon now... oh and yakima..and missoula... and on grandma milly's mantel in a glass sculpture!

[mattp]

A guy named Pete Reagan wrote an article about this for Summit Magazine called "The Hag" or something like that. It had some spectacular photos showing Pete or his buddies on their climb, near the top, with a gaping vent or something, maybe smoke... I don't remember but it was impressive never-the-less. They climbed it in April 1980, after it was well under eruption and closed for climbing. The big blast was May 18. This was likely the last ascent.

[cluck]

Claiming the last ascent isn't exactly as prestigous as a first ascent, but that's pretty cool none-the-less.

 

Who was the last to climb it prior to the great blast of 2004?

[mattp]

In this case, I'd say the "last ascent" may be more prestigious than the "first ascent." If I can dig up the article I'll scan a picture and post it here.

[ogre]

I did it in July

[David_Parker]

I have friends that were on Mt Adams when it blew 5-18-80. They got some pretty awesome photos just before they decided they should run for their lives. I guess it was raining rocks!

[Farrgo]

Ya, my dad was on the summit of Hood that same day. Pretty intense I guess. I would rather have been on Hood than Adams for sure, much safer.

[Bandit]

Old Johnny Franks. He was Harry Trumans buddy from WWII.

[Kevin_Matlock]

I was the first to summit the morning of the 20th aniv, May 18, 2000. Yeah, I know that's lame; but's that's all I got.

 

The helicopters buzzing overhead (due to the 20th anniversary) made for a suckfest.

[barkernews]

This is irrelevant... but I'm bored.

I was on top the last day the summit trail was open before the latest activity. A bunch of us were hoping to feel the mountain shaking. I heard a bunch of rocks rolling down the walls as usual, but didn't feel anything. I did run into a dude the next day who was up there just after me and he said he felt the whole damn thing rumble.

Silly mountain... it was the so easy to drive up there and get in some turns. Wonder when it'll open back up...

[mike1]

Yes, very sad... I've been spending a lot of time skiing up there the last few years. Kind of "blows" this winters ski plans.

[top_pin]

A little late on this but I just joined and read this thread. My father climbed St Helens in early March 1980. When his rope team reached the summit they ran into a giant crevasse that shouldnt have been there. So they stayed roped up the entire time while on top. Little did they know that exactly four days later on Komo a helicopter would be filming that crack with steam venting from it. I was to young but he said you could still see there footprints around the area. I dont know when they shut the mtn down to climbing but it couldnt have been much longer. I believe the first official notice I've seen of the steam etc was for March 27th.. Wish I was old enough back then to have been on that climb.. I do have to say my father and that team had to been one of the last ones to ever climb it though..... RIP St Helens.......

[JosephH]

My father is a retired United pilot and was flying 747 from SEA to ORD the morning it went off and was the first flight that got routed down and around the base just off to the SW to avoid the ash. He said he took it down to about 3,000 above the terrain and spent about 25 minutes circling to catch the sights close enough for the fuselage and wing to load up some pretty heavy static discharges (lightening). He said while they were circling he talked to another 747 going westbound for Japan that was bumped up into the high 30k's in altitude who said he still couldn't see the top of the plume. In general he said it was the most amazing flight of his career. And of course that day he didn't bring the camera he usually always carried...

[iain]

It'll be back

 

[TJD]

I was no where near the last but it was my first climb in the summer of 1979. When I was a

kid I had my but chewed out by Harry Truman for tracking mud in his store.

 

Also a guy I worked with had Truman helicopter down to thier Salem Or. Kindergarden class. They had written him a lettter asking him to come down. He told them the mountain would never hurt him.

Edited May 12, 2005 by TJD