I sat at home for a few days and licked my wounds but soon was ready to make the most of the rest of my summer. After checking online, I was able to get a permit to climb St. Helen's that weekend. I had never done it and was excited to see it.
I drove up to the mountain but couldn't buy a parking pass because the office at the Ape Caves was already closed and I had no cash. I chose to camp at the "Climbers Bivouac" and leave early the next morning. But there was a bigger adventure in store for me...
At about 10:30 pm, I was awakened by someone calling on the emergency phone near the bathroom. He notified authorities that there was an 80-year-old man injured on the trail. The man had slid into rock while on his way down from the mountain, possibly breaking bones, possibly getting a concussion, and he was still a couple miles up the trail in the snow.
Upon hearing this, I volunteered (as someone with fresh legs) to help out and started up for the old man and his hiking partner immediately. When I reached them, I found the man was in pretty bad shape. He was being supported by his hiking partner but they had been hiking, very slowly, for about 16 hours. I offered a shoulder and also occasionally scouted ahead to find smooth paths through the snow banks. We arrived at the trail head at around midnight. I saw the unfortunate hiker off and tried for a bit to get to sleep but I quickly realized sleep was not going to happen. I also had a good sense of what the trail was like... so I started my hike at about 1:15 am.
There was plenty of time so I hiked carefully and slowly, arriving at the summit just before sunrise. It was pretty easy to climb up the volcanic rocks once I reached the timberline and it was just light enough to see the next wooden pole marking the route.
It was AMAZINGLY beautiful!
Like, really!!
I stood around and marveled at the breathtaking view and took way too many pictures. I was the only person up there, passing my first hiker on the way down. I enjoyed the solitude I did find myself wishing I had someone to turn to and say "Wow!".
I am so glad that I hiked up when I did! I was initially concerned because the parking lot/trail had only recently opened and there was plenty of hiking on snow. I didn't want to get lost, but it turned out the trail was pretty easy to follow even in the dark.
In hindsight, my only errors were:
1. I didn't have a warm enough clothes on... and because of that I left the summit while it was still early and...
2. I slid on my butt (without a trash bag) in the snow before it got soft enough, chewing my pants up a bit.
It was fun to watch clouds roll in from the ocean during the sunrise. They poured into the valleys below, creating foggy conditions by the time I arrived back at the car.
When I got home, I planned to hike Mount Adams the next weekend!
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