An Earth Day ascent of Mount Saint Snowmobile

[Lowell_Skoog]

Two friends and I skied Mount St Helens on Saturday (4/20). Unlike the thirty or so other parties on the mountain, we started from the FS-81/83 road junction. Everybody else started at the Marble Mountain sno-park. FS-81 was gated and snow covered. There's five feet of snow at the FS-830 turnoff, so it'll be a while before you can drive much closer to the mountain.

 

It was cloudy with poor visibility as we climbed above timberline, but we broke out of the clouds around 5500 feet. The cloud sea covered all the roads and clearcuts. It was the prettiest day I've seen on Mount St Helens.

 

Our approach put us west of Monitor Ridge, while everybody else (apparently) was east of it. We hardly saw anybody else and when we skied to the true summit (8363') there were no other people or tracks. Most climbers turn around at the top of Monitor Ridge (8281'). Unfortunately, snowmobilers were also reaching the crater rim at that point. This is the first time I've seen that. Anybody know if it's legal? (See discussion on the Climbers' Board.)

 

As we were admiring the crater from the east saddle, two F-18s flew through. It seemed like I could have hit them with a snowball, they were so close. The skiing was mediocre up high but great corn below 7000 feet.

[Guest]

I rode my snowmobile to the summit of Saint Helens. It is now conquered.

[Dru]

I rode my Snowmobile up Triple Coolers.

[bballer44]

ive seen several gaper trails up to the false summit on adams and ive heard of a few brave ones going to the top. its illegal but whose gonna stop them. do you know how hard it is to shoot a snowmoblier going 50 mph? well it took 3 shots. hehehe

 

i believe its illegal to go above tree line or about ~6000 ft. also the whole east side is on the reservation and its illegal to take sleds over there... still people do.

 

you know its even harder to shoot an arrow at a sled going 50, me and my squaw unloaded a whole quiver on one, no luck. were going to town to trade for some of them boom-sticks...

[gapertimmy]

last i was on st helens, a bunch of bilers where having high tracking fun. a bunch of people complained to a de-forest person at the TH but they really didn't seem to care, surprise, but were rather more concerned about trip permits.

 

what a backwards agency :GRRRR:

[Earth_Mother]

As the holder to the eternal Rain drop....I say take your machines of destruction to the summit. Prepare to have your souls banished to a cold dark hell of snow and ice.

 

Earth Mother's Tears hears your innocent cries of insolance and disregard that these Fat Fucks on 2 stroke machines show our Goddess Earth's high peaks. They will pay, if not today or tommorow, they will pay.

 

Wasting precious resources for a pathetic amount of motorized fun, shows the selfishness of these mongrols.....

 

I weap the tears of Earth Mother and cry like the wind of a winter storm.