[TR] Mount St. Helens - Worm FLows 12/2/2006

[ryland_moore]

Trip: Mount St. Helens - Worm FLows

 

Date: 12/2/2006

 

Trip Report:

Headed up the Worm FLows yesterday. Got to the Climber's Bivy at 7am to find the gate closed. Called the day before and they said the gate was open and plowed all the way to Marble Mountain. Made some friends with some slednecks who said that the Forest Service was going to be there around 9am. SHitty, becasue the guy plowing the road was telling the sledders one thing but the skiers another. He was telling skiers that the gate would not open until late this afternoon. So, alot of skiers either left or headed into the Climber's bivy (about 5 miles of slog). The gate opened around 8:30am and we were on the trail from Marble Mt. by 9am.

 

The snow was awesome and fluffy in the trees and we were breaking trail for a large portion of the way in. It was about 4-5 ft. deep. We broke out above treeline under clear skies and very little wind. Awesome day to be up there. There were about 15 other skiers heading up various routes. Started our decent around 3pm. It was a little windier higher up which caused an icy breakable crust to form, which also sucked for skiing. There was great snow lower down and we made it back out to the car around 4pm.

 

Awesome day in the sun. Made me forget for a little while that we were in the Pacific Northwest approaching winter. ALso made me forget about the previous month of rain....

 

Gear Notes:

tranceivers, shovel, probe poles, skis, stoke, sunscreen and sunglasses

[rbw1966]

Ryland--

 

Wereyou part of that contigent that came down from Seattle? We talked to a guy at the gate who said he had called the rangers the day before to make sure the gate was opened, and of course it wasn't--at least not for an alpine start. We trudged up the road.

 

If it weren't for that crust it would have been perfect conditions!

[ryland_moore]

No, we were all from Portland. We talked to the group from Seattle though. My buddy was driving a black chevy with studs. We got the DClimber's bivy lot wbout 7am. Sorry I missed ya!

[gapertimmy]

yeah the crust is alive in well down in CO Oregon too. any pics from helens?

[ryland_moore]

I'll upload them tonight when I get back....

[btowle]

I suppose that we saw all of you guys at the gate. We were in the gray Yukon with a Vancouver address on the side windows. Since we live close, we just headed home for the day not sure when the gate would open. I could see by the ski tracks that you must have got in before afternoon.

 

We went back yesterday and had the benefit of your trailbreaking services. The skiing wasn't any better then. The upper part was okay, but the thin crust lower down was really tiring. I think that there were 10-12 climbers Sunday.

[ryland_moore]

Were you with your son and O. Engineering sign on the sides? I tink we talked about seeing your rig on Boradway in downtown Couv? Anyway, they did eventually open the gates, but sounds like you still got in there and the conditions didn't change too much from the day before. In other words you didn't miss anything by heading home Saturday.....

[btowle]

That was us. We met the FS as she turned off of the main road, but decided with all of the trailers starting to line us at the gate, that Sunday might work out better. Still no guarantee that she would have let us head up there.

 

Nice to have met you.

 

 

[shortstow]

I was one of the guys from Seattle. We just ended up snow shoeing up to climbers biv and eating some lunch, enjoyed the view, and then came back down. Still a good day but nothing like we had planned.

[Winter]

Any chance anyone was on St. Helens today with a condition report?