What you need to know to climb Mount St. Helens

  • By Anne Farrar The Washington Post
  • Friday, June 26, 2015 3:10pm
  • LifeSports

An hour before sunrise, the engines start to turn over in the Lone Fir Resort parking lot. Headlamps slowly pop on as the cars creep out onto the misty road one by one.

I had pulled into the lot at dusk the night before. Lone Fir is a popular layover for hikers on their way to climb Mount St. Helens. Not being much of a planner — and having no desire to sleep in my car — I ponied up for the last room at the chipper little lodge. The atmosphere was part college campus, with 20-somethings putting up tents and playing Frisbee, and part family destination, with kids and dogs chasing each other through the grounds.

At Lone Fir, climbers can pick up their permits and log into the climbing book prior to their ascents. Permits are required year-round, but between May 15 and Oct. 31, only 100 climbers per day are allowed up the steep slopes, which makes them a hot commodity.

The permits are released the first week of February. Because the best summer climbing is usually from July to mid-September, those permit dates are snapped up first.

But if you’re like me, your travel plans aren’t in place five months in advance. That’s why purmit.com, a website that allows climbers to buy, sell and trade Mount St. Helens climbing permits, was created. (The site is an offshoot of cascadeclimbers.com, a clearinghouse of information about climbing in the Pacific Northwest.) I went through the buying and selling process a couple of times. Last year, about three weeks prior to my climb date, I bought a permit for July 3. Emails exchanged, $22 sent via Paypal and voila! Permit in hand.

But, of course, my travel plans changed.

I sold the July 3 permit in no time to a thrilled climber from Seattle. And within 48 hours, I had a new climbing permit in hand for the next day.

Lucky for me, the climbing community is too congenial to condone permit-scalping — just in case, the website’s rules stipulate that permits be sold for the purchase price.

The dense, misty atmosphere in the early morning made the 15-mile drive from Lone Fir Resort to the Climbers Bivouac a slow one. Anxious to get on Monitor Ridge trail, the point of entry for the mountain’s summer climbing path, I negotiated every turn with care. A rocky dirt road led me to a parking lot packed with tents, cars and a few recreational vehicles. As dawn crept over the horizon, the campground began to stir.

The first couple of miles on the Ptarmigan Trail — the only summit trail that survived the volcano’s 1980 eruption — wind through dim forests that muffle your footsteps. A quiteness overtakes the hike as dawn slowly improves visibility and burns off the mist that’s settled on the forest.

The Loowit Trail Junction, at 4,800 feet, marks the point at which climbing permits are required, and the crowd thins accordingly.

As you continue up the trail, the tree line falls away and boulder fields emerge in front of and above you. Negotiating the field’s rough, ashy surfaces requires alpine scrambling — wedging your feet, hands and knees into crevices for leverage and using brute strength to pull yourself over large boulders and rocks. Although that means you won’t need a rope, harness, headgear or climbing shoes to navigate the slopes, rocks and scree that you’ll encounter, scrambling can be a bit challenging for a new climber.

The second half of the trail is about 2,500 feet long and marked with white wooden poles about 50 feet apart. By aiming for the next pole, climbers can slowly make their way up the field. There is a rough path, but most people opt to leave it for better handholds or more interesting routes.

Scrambling is a bit like doing a puzzle — but it can be physically and intellectually challenging. One boulder may be easier to climb but will take you to a spot where the next four boulders and rocks are harder. The need to negotiate each step while thinking ahead makes scrambling more difficult than hiking a groomed trail.

On the upside, the view during the boulder-field climb is spectacular. On a good day you can see see Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson and even Mount Hood. It’s beautiful to watch as the sun lifts the clouds and clears the horizon. After a rest, the last 1,000 feet to the rim are just ahead.

Past the boulder field, the mountain is covered in ash. The eruption blanketed the area in 230 miles of it, and pumice. The ash layer on the upper slope ranges from a couple of inches deep to a sloping mass, not unlike a sand dune. Once on the incline, it’s two steps up and a slow slide back. It’s slow going and physically the toughest part of the climb. If you’re lucky there will still be some snow on the upper slope. Even if it’s slushy, it makes for better climbing than the ash.

Climbers who reach the summit get an unobstructed view of the eruption’s aftermath, a pit more than a thousand feet deep. It looks like giant fingernails scraped the side of the mountain. Standing carefully near the lip of the summit, it’s possible to see puffs of smoke and pumice emerge from the volcano as it continues to bubble, slowly rebuilding the interior of the mountain.

As each climber slogs his or her way up the last 100 feet, others cheer them on. My Independence Day climb was especially celebratory as small fireworks, champagne and American flags were pulled out of packs. Lying on the rim of the crater, meeting new climbers who soon became friends and sharing stories of past climbs made for a leisurely break before heading back the way I’d come.

But receiving an email a few days later from the Seattle climber who’d bought my July 3 permit was even better. He’d had an awesome climb under a clear blue sky and wanted to share photos. As luck would have it, so did I.

Where to stay

Lone Fir Resort, 16806 Lewis River Rd., Cougar, 360-238-5210, lonefirresort.com

The resort’s Pizza Cafe is a great place to load up on carbs the night before or celebrate a successful climb on your return. Rooms start at $95 per night; RVs and tent camping accepted.

Climbers Bivouac, https://1.usa.gov/1wsJOLc

The site is the trailhead for the Monitor Ridge climbing route and offers parking, tent areas, fire grates and toilets. Running water is not available and a valid Recreation Pass ($5 per day) is required.

What to take

Be prepared for a long day of climbing. Plenty of food and two to three liters of water are recommended, as well as sturdy boots, a first-aid kit, trekking poles, gloves, sunscreen, glacier glasses or sunglasses and plenty of layers. Long pants or boot gaiters to protect legs on the upper portion of the mountain are advised, as well as hiking in pairs. It’s mandatory to sign in and sign out for safety. And don’t forget your camera.

Information

The Mount St. Helens Institute is a wonderful place to start planning your climb. www.mshinstitute.org

The U.S. Forest Service’s Web site shows climbers where they can purchase permits and provides up-to-date information on road alerts and weather conditions. http://1.usa.gov/1A3e8HT. To buy a permit on short notice, try www.purmit.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.