Summiting Mount St. Helens

Simmy & I signed up for Mt St Helens climbing permits this year. I scheduled it for late August so we could get a chance to train and prep for the climb. I had no idea what I was in for and like most things that leave an impression on me, that sounded about right. The day of the hike started early with a 3:30am drive to the mountain. I had no frame of reference for what the next 10 hours would be like. It was a long day to say the least; Aside from the physical fatigue, I think the core of the experience is about overcoming a mental barrier. I don't know if my body would agree with that assessment. The hike to timberline was fairly straight forward, but the scramble through the boulder fields was killer. I remember just trying to locate the next pole and getting fooled several times by the false peaks. The final obstacle between a determined self and the summit is a scree field that seems to go on endlessly into the distance. You only appreciate the scale of the task when you see tiny ants (people) walking around the rim from the base of the scree field and get some perspective on what stands between you and the summit.

From Summiting Mt St Helens

The weather was absolutely perfect; I could not have asked for anything more. The sky was clear and we had amazing views of Mt Rainer, Spirit Lake and the crater. The scale of the crater and the idea that you are on an active volcano is a humbling experience. Seeing a couple of rock slides in the crater and not being able to hear them reinforced the scale of what we were looking at. It was magnificent. I read a quote from Sir Edmund Hillary that read "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." -- I have a new and very personal appreciation of that now.