Mount Saint Helens

I took the Worm Flows Route up the south slopes of Mount Saint Helens on June 9th, reaching 7500' near sunrise.  This is about 800 feet shy of the summit, but I had to turn around due to increasing wind speeds which caused white out conditions.  The trail up to treeline was very scenic, as dense forest gave way to rugged lava canyons, cliffs, and eventually tubes.  Above treeline, I scrambled up the crest of a lave tube for a while, and then traversed over to an expansive snow field.  The hard packed snow became more steep, but was firm and didn't show signs of avalanche.  I then encountered worsening weather, and soon decided to turn around since I was climbing alone.  Back near tree line, I turned around to face the mountain, and witnessed the south slopes glowing in a milky haze as the morning sun shone through an overlaying cloud deck.  Mount Saint Helens is still one of the most beautiful mountains in the lower 48, at least when viewed from its south side.

On Friday, June 8th, I viewed the north side of the mountain from Johnston Ridge.  Low clouds obscured the inside of the crater, but I was still able to gain an appreciation for the massive devastation caused by the 1980 eruption.