View Full Version : Mount St. Helens re-opened for climbing
The forest service announced last night that Mount St. Helens in SouthWest Washington state will re-open for climbing July 21st. Registration is only on-line. Most weekends are already not-available and other prime times are going fairly quickly.
To register to climb and see the new crater from the top looking down, go to http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1341150&customreg=blank. Availability is at http://www.active.com/availability.cfm?event_id=1341150. The cost is $22.00.
Amigi'sLastStand
07-14-2006, 23:55
I swore I just saw a show on Discovery or Science that said Mt. St. Helens had began to rumble again. I even remember the cameraman who survived telling the student ( black kid, red shirt ), that he aint sticking around this time. WTH. Did I, or did I not just see this show? Anyone know the current vocanological state of the Mt.?
Shutterbug
07-15-2006, 00:57
I swore I just saw a show on Discovery or Science that said Mt. St. Helens had began to rumble again. I even remember the cameraman who survived telling the student ( black kid, red shirt ), that he aint sticking around this time. WTH. Did I, or did I not just see this show? Anyone know the current vocanological state of the Mt.?
Yes, you saw the show, but things have changed since it was shot.
I can see Mt. St. Helens from my home on Puget Sound. Mt. St. Helens continues to rumble, but the risk of an explosive eruption has diminished. The rock dome in the center of the crater continues to move upward by about 6 feet a day. That indicates that the magma is continuing to flow up the vent, but it also indicates that pressure is being released. Since the pressure is being released, the threat of an eruption like the last one is minimal.
There continues to be earthquakes inside the crater. Most of them are less than 2, but a few have been over 3.
I support the decision to allow people to climb the mountain. There is some risk involved, but that makes it more exciting. I hope to make the climb in the next few weeks. My son had a permit for this weekend contingent on the ban being lifited. Unfortunately the ban was lifted for next week rather than this week.
I made that climb about 4 years ago. When I started, it was a clear day with only a breeze. By the time I reached the top, the wind was blowing in excess of 60 mph.
The climb reminded me of Mt. Katahdin. The primary difference was the ash. Imagine crossing the table lands in soft sand. Take two steps forward and slide back one. That is what Mt. St. Helens is like.
Shutterbug
07-15-2006, 14:29
I got a permit for August 2. That gives me two weeks to get back in shape!!
Hope you have a great trip Shutterbug!
My permit is July 30th. Passes are sold out for climbing before Aug 8th and out of the 3100 passes allotted for Aug, only 545 remain, mostly towards the end of the month. Weekends aren't available until Oct.
The St Helens web page is http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/mount-st-helens/. They recommend a climbing hat and dusk mask but also say if you don't bring those, covering your head with your pack and your face with a cloth is better than nothing in the "rare instances" when ash or rock reaches the crater rim. They also say that if this starts happening they will need to re-close the area they will refund $15 of the $22.
Shutterbug
08-03-2006, 13:59
Hope you have a great trip Shutterbug!
One couldn't ask for better weather for climbing!! My son and I made the climb yesterday. When I previously said that it is about like climbing Mt. Katahdin, my memory wasn't fresh. I found it to be much harder than Mt. Katahdin. For me the hardest part was the last mile, climbing through the volcanic ash. Still, it was a great day.
Looking down into the crater was awesome! The dome in the center of the crater is growing about 6 feet per day. The equivilant of one dump truck of rock is spewing into the crater ever second.
The trip was successful. The attached picture is my son and me on the summit, which is the rim of the crater.
Skidsteer
08-03-2006, 19:12
The attached picture is my son and me on the summit, which is the rim of the crater.
Awesome view!
Shutterbug
08-03-2006, 20:33
Awesome view!
I posted an album of the pictures we took while climbing Mt. St. Helens. The album is on my web site:
http://www.davemcclung.com/album/displayimage.php?album=44&pos=0
Thanks for sharing the photos Shutterbug. Very interesting trip.:sun
I can see Mt. St. Helens from my home on Puget Sound.
Nothing personal, but I'm really gonna have to hate you now. ;) Can't wait to move out that way as soon as I finish my graduate program. Hopefully end up somewhere around Seattle. :D speedy
Where's the "Edit" button?!?!
Great pictures by the way.
Shutterbug
09-11-2006, 13:09
Nothing personal, but I'm really gonna have to hate you now. ;) Can't wait to move out that way as soon as I finish my graduate program. Hopefully end up somewhere around Seattle. :D speedy
If you could see the view today, you would hate me even more. Sept. is the prettiest month of the year on Puget Sound. Here are some pictures of my home place.
http://www.davemcclung.com/album/thumbnails.php?album=20
The Puget Sound area is a great place to live although the traffic situation in Seattle is awful. I suggest you look in the South Sound area -- less traffic and closer to the great hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park and the Olympic National Park.