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Sugar Pine 1 day, 23 hours ago
Hiked 9/29/24
Trail is in good condition. A little too early for fall colors. The road past the Hummocks TH is closed due to a washout. Lower loop became busy upon our return with a large group of hikers.
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Looking for an extra permit for Oct 5th. Please text me (8475074737) if you are unable to make it! thanks!
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Looking for an extra permit for Oct 5th. Please text me (8475074737) if you are unable to make it! thanks!
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Very difficult, challenging trail. Not Easy. Not even a trail. A route. Avoid early in season if snow is still on it. Avoid if wet, or rain. Narrow ledges, steep drop-offs, people have died here. It's a great route and lovely area; just do your homework first, at other sites that describe it better.
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Beautiful day with the sun shining, colorful dresses and Margaritas flowing. Good boot pack all the way up. Microspikes worked well.
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Started around 5:10 a.m. heading up the Swift Creek Trail. Almost connected with Monitor Ridge around 9:45 a.m. but turned around because of whiteout fog conditions, and because I was solo and forgot my ice axe. Challenging snowshoe with awesome views if the clouds clear. Going to try it again when the weather improves!
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Looking to purchase 2-4 permits for any Thursday, Friday or Saturday DM me at tnvijatn@yahoo.com Thank you
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Beautiful June lake sitting near the base of this majestic volcano never disappoints.
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Very snowy when we hiked in May 2022. We hiked during the Mother's Day hike and wore a dress to honor mountaineer, Kathy Phibbs. The Winter route of Mount St Helens begins at Marblemount Sno-Park. Make your way on the Swiftcreek Ski Trail to the Warm Flows Climbing Route. This route is 11 miles round trip with 5,500 feet of elevation gain. It can take between 10 to 12 hours if you are hiking in fresh snow. We saw many skiers and split boarders on the trail. It was beautiful to hike in the fluffy snow, but it was a long and difficult day. Check out our St Helen's winter climb video on YouTube.com/HelenandTimTravel
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Was a great hike and I agree with most of the comments here. Went up yesterday. It was very windy with ash and sand being blown in my face. Would recommend a mask. Took me 10hrs round trip with plenty of breaks. Top was cold and windy so only spent 30mins or so up there.
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Fabulous hiking if not for the excessive heat and unavoidable exposure to the sun. Views from Harry’s Ridge are of Spirit Lake and Mount Adams. From the viewpoint it’s across Toutle Valley to St Helens.
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Two herds of elk one in day light one cut across are path on way out in dark dusk. Their sound pulsed and could be felt as well as heard. Sunset hike.
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Sparkle sunshine January but actually June weather. Me, liz, and 500 of our closest ski bro friends.
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Very steep ascent. Almost more difficult on the way down. On a clear day there are panoramic views the entire way. The St. Helens crater is plenty impressive on its own, a testament to the raw power of Mother Nature. We could also see Sprit Lake and Mt. Rainier to the north, Mt. Adam’s to the East, Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor to the South, and very tiny in the distance we’re the three sisters. Certainly one of the most difficult and rewarding climbs I’ve ever done.
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A bit of a drive to get here but sooo worth it. Probably the prettiest side of the National Monument and hardly any people! Trail is excellent re: footing.
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A unique area still recovering from the eruption 41 years ago. Spectacular views of ash and mud flows in the valley, the still smoking crater (when the clouds allow), and Spirit Lake, filled with the thousands of trees knocked down by the blast.
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Some wildflowers left on the Truman. Bugs left me alone entirely. Zero shade, but extremely enjoyable hike. Trail narrows a bit at a few points, if you’re pole-reliant. Only 2 very brief sections with mildly sketchy footholds, but I’d definitely not rate this as “difficult.”
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Big views without a lot of distance. Water is scarce and will be dry once snow melts.
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Great hike from the Johnston Ridge Observatory to the top of Harry’s Ridge in sunny 60ish degree weather. Still a little early in the season so there were multiple patches of slushy melting snow including one long (maybe 1/4 mile) stretch through a meadow. Micro spikes were not needed, but would have been nice for the meadow and final approach to Harry’s Ridge. Epic views throughout the hike and hiking up the ridge was breathtaking! Great view of Spirit Lake, Mt Adams and Mt Hood in the distance! And of course, Helens!
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Had a gorgeous sunny day in the mountain. Very beautiful. First time using GAIA. Gaia was not easy to use. Not as intuitive.
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The trees aren’t well marked. Would probably still be out there were it not for Gaia!
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The trail is pretty easy. View is very beautiful. Can see St. Helens clearly.
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Saw 15 elk on north side of lake up on ridge. Maybe 15 people 1/2 wearing masks- cloth not gas.
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I started 9/25/20 at windy ridge. From there went ccw, camped on the south fork of the river just past the restricted zone. 8am to 3pm about 12.5 miles. Wind and rain force me to make camp. Best section of the trail IMO lots of animals, the breach was amazing! Day two I broke camp around 8am and pushed all the way back to windy ridge 20 miles or so. Hit the car around 4:30pm. One thing I was not expect was all of the ravines! Probably crossed 20+! and due to the heavy rains the water crossing were interesting. I packed way too heavy anticipating taking three days to complete. I think with better weather and a lighter pack it would be doable in one day for an average hiker. Be smart about water, even with heavy rains there wasn’t much to be found. I didn’t see any water fit to drink even with a life straw from the breach to chocolate falls. Back side of the mountain was better as far as water goes. Overall an amazing hike!
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Anyone not making their reservation this weekend? August 15th? LOOKING FOR 2 PERMITS! Plz and ty email: justjakeryan@gmail.com
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Really diverse trail with lots of loose dirt. Trail ran the 50k
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Yesterday my buddy, Mark and I made our first attempt at climbing Mt. St. Helens. The morning started off beautiful, but gradually worsened. By the time we were within 1 mile of the summit with about 1500 ft of elevation to tackle, the weather took a significant dive. Visibility decreased considerably and the blow-down wind gusts made it difficult to stand. As we hunkered down for a bit with a few fellow climbers, we decided it wasn’t worth the risk, plus what was the point of getting to the top with no view. We sat for a moment before heading back down. This was our first attempt. It was one hell of a fun adventure and scouting expedition. It was also a challenging one. We met so many nice people along the way. We were all was sharing this beautiful experience together. Until next time, Helens.
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Simon 5 years ago
Climbers bivouac trailhead. Phenomenal day and hike. Perfect weather at the right temperature for a fall hike. The trail is easy to follow in the trees. Once you come out and it opens up you follow the wooden posts and select your line to scramble up through the rocks/boulders. When you move beyond the boulder field it is up the open to the top. Once you get to the false summit (where the majority hung out today) you need to traverse the ridge line to get to the true summit. There is minimal snow on the trail that will interfere with the climb until you want to get to the true summit, crampons and poles or an ice axe would be helpful. Go now! Free permits and great weather/conditions. Or don’t because there was a ton of people today.
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Simon 5 years ago
Nice fall day, with the maples starting to change. The clear day added to the beauty of the phenomenal hike. Must do to get a different perspective of the mountain.
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I hesitate to give any climb of a Cascade Volcano a less than 5 star rating because they are all unique and spectacular. For this climb, however, I have to go 4 stars not because the the first 1.8 miles are amazingly beautiful and well maintained or because the route is the best marked route of any climb I have done but because of the number of boulder fields. The boulder fields follow the route above tree line but there are multiple trail variations, no consistent path through the boulder fields and there was of course no snow. We were not expecting snow on the route in August but it was the only time we could climb and get a permit (which proved difficult to obtain). If one could do this climb in the early season when the boulder fields would be covered in snow then this would be an easy 5 stars. Without the snow, I think Mt. Adams is a better non-technical mountain in the late summer even though it has more elevation gain. Being able to glissade from the false summit (assuming safety in the glissade chute never takes a holiday) and then walk efficiently down the Crescent Glacier saves more time than the energy expended with the extra altitude and allows you to descend the extra altitude quickly.
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I’ve hiked the Ape Caves 3 times now and always enjoy it. It’s not a long hike but can be challenging at times when down in the lava tubes. Would highly recommend having a head lamp so your hands are free.
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Upper was Super fun with kids. My 5, 7 and 9 r old boys luvved it!
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This mountain is an icon. The view from the rim into the crater is other worldly and coupled with the panoramic view of several other cascade volcanoes the payoff is worth the work. If you have the gear for snow travel I’d suggest this route early in the season to avoid the dust on the monitor ridge route. Permits required after April first and they go fast.
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grantrs 5 years, 10 months ago
Always a great, challenging hike. Nothing technical when done in summer/early fall. Make sure to bring plenty of water as there are no water sources. If it is going to be a hot day try to start as early as possible. Once the sun rises the upper stretches can be brutal in the heat.
https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/e6abf134327279e1b6fb81610d04c1d3/?layer=caltoporelief,stamenterrainhd,OpenLandscapeMapHD
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