Mt. St. Helens via Worm Flows: Jan. 2, 2013

[Lindella]

Hi - I plan on starting the New Year right by climbing another Cascade volcano. According to Summit Post this seems like a pretty straight forward winter route in fair conditions. When I called the Lone Fir Resort, they said it is usually marked with Blue Flags and I've been checking the Climbing Update through US Forest Service. Does anyone recommend other links to check or advice on doing this climb? Thanks!

[jayhat]

My friends bailed on me, so I am planning for a solo summit of St. Helens tomorrow AM (sat Dec 15th). I plan to make it as far as I can by noon or 1 and then turning around. Not going to let pride get the best of me. A little concerned about the weather. Supposed to really dump snow this weekend, although it looks like most of it is going to be Saturday afternoon/night and Sunday. Hoping I can beat it.

 

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

 

 

I've been monitoring this site for info (which sounds like the same one you are) -- http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?navtype=&cid=stelprdb5291050&navid=120000000000000&pnavid=&ss=110623&position=Conditions.Html&ttype=detail&pname=Monitor%20Ridge%20Climbing%20Route%20-%20Ptarmigan%20Trail

 

 

This is a has a little bit different info but is still on the USFS site -- http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mountsthelens/recarea/?recid=71937

 

and this for weather -- http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=46.15415111633001&lon=-122.19131469726562&site=pqr&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=en

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2012 by jayhat

[alpine et]

...weather is forecast to be moving in around 10AM on Saturday per the UW model. It looks to be a decently strong front, especially if you're above treeline, solo. be prepared to bivy...

[jayhat]

Yuck. Might just shit can this trip and attempt at a later date. I'll have to look for a replacement hike/climb haha! Thank you for the update!

[Lindella]

If you don't go up sooner, you're more than welcome to join our group on the 2nd if the weather looks good....

[jayhat]

Not going to be able to make this one. Please post a review after/if you make the climb, if you don't mind. Still looking to do this soon!

[Lindella]

We ended up climbing on Jan 3rd, so here's an update if anyone is interested.

 

The road to the trailhead was very icy and I put chains on my front wheel drive after seeing a few people slip... We started at 4am and followed a well beaten fast snowshoe track for the first 4 miles or so. Once we reached the weather station however, the snow was incredible deep and we postholed continually to the summit. The last grueling mile took us almost 4 hours in crampons.... The view of the rest of the Cascade volcanoes was worth the extra effort though on this crisp winter day. Prepare for cold winds and a 12 hour climb!

[jayhat]

Thanks for the reply! I was wondering how packed/icy the snow would be as you climbed. Tentatively have another climb scheduled mid-end feb. Would it have been easier in snow shoes or would the climb have been too steep for them?