Climbing Mount Saint Helens - My Favorite Volcano!

Mount Saint Helens is one of Washington's five volcanoes, which famously erupted in may of 1980. The summer climbing route up Monitor ridge is an amazing climb to the summit ridge of this volcano. It's such a diverse experience, forest, boulders and ash, a challenging climb for sure, but completely worth it. Enjoy!
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[@ernestlcolemanjr]

I think the hardest part of Mt. St Helens is getting a permit to hike it.

[@JosePlata]

This is seriously the best climbing video on Mt St Helens I've seen. I like how you staged yourself going up the Mt from the front and rear angles. Gives one s sense of what it might really be like. Nice job. I get winded going up and down Mt Tabor a few times lol. The cresting of the mountaintop was divine.

[@wanderingwashington]

Wow that is very high praise, thank you! I love this mountain and really wanted to capture it the best I could.

[@philipdutton9831]

Great video! Did St Helens in 2016, 17 & 19. First was the best as we got great weather like you did. The other two times we were clouded in from the monitor on up and cold. Good advice on the poles and gaiters. We didn't have poles on that first climb and when we got to the ash it was two steps forward and slide back one. Thanks for reminding me what a great experience that was!

[@ChesterChi3]

One of your best videos that I've watched so far. Very well done.

[@howardmishne4840]

Been there twice! It is the coolest view on earth and totally worth the brutal last hour.

[@wanderingwashington]

For sure, the mountain makes you earn this one, but you are so right, this summit could not be more worth it!

[@scottalpine]

Excellent video. Thanks for noting about putting gaiters on for the pumice and sandy conditions on the climb too. And great job pointing out the other peaks and the glacier in the crater. Hopefully if I can get in shape in time this might be my year for that climb.

[@wanderingwashington]

Thank you so much! Yes, it is a worthwhile climb. Good luck!

[@6ixtymiles]

Bravo! So pure... Good work.

[@rebeccahoffman4769]

Thank you for posting! This really helps me know what to expect and how to prepare!

[@wanderingwashington]

Thank you! Best of luck climbing

[@freelanceranami]

Wow amazing ❤️

[@NorwayHikesTrails]

Great hike up Mount Saint Helens. Thank you for sharing. Wishing you a wonderful week. Take car.e

[@wanderingwashington]

Thank you! So glad you enjoyed

[@navydogsadventures3500]

Great video! Back in 1992, I hiked into the crater. It was not very easy and quite dangerous but I couldn't help the urge. A lot of avalanches. I plan on hiking to Loowit Falls this summer from Lava Canyon. Have you ever hiked Mt. Adams?

[@hallahiking2933]

Great sunrise shots. Well done!

[@wanderingwashington]

Thank you! It's hard to beat a sunrise on a volcano

[@ndwknss]

Getting from the Bivouac Trailhead to the permit sign in one hour while staging those shots is pretty impressive great job! I know im late to the party here but just sum mitted recently and wanted to pop in and say hey!

[@wanderingwashington]

Thank you so much! And "hi" you are most welcome here Hiking in the dark makes me faster I don't know what it is haha

[@ndwknss]

@@wanderingwashington haha it's true I agree hiking in the dark does feel faster for some reason! Are you ever planning on doing a winter summit on St Helens? I summited via the sno park route and it was amazing!

[@tonyxu113]

Thank you so much for making this video (and all the other videos)! I was gauging the idea of climbing saint helens but don't quite know how hard it is and whether I'm up to it. Can't dream of a more informative video than what you made, as you broke down all the sections of the trail and explained all the difficult part clearly and even gave nice tips on how to deal with them. Again thank you for sharing this!

[@wanderingwashington]

Oh thank you so much, I really try to be informative! Building up stamina and plenty of water are the two biggest things for this climb. Hope you get up there one day!

[@tonyxu113]

@@wanderingwashington Did this last week and just want to come back and say that your advice of using gaiters and walk down on heels with vertical beach helped a ton! Personally I disliked the boulder field the most going both up and down, there were many different routes in between every 2 poles and I always felt like picking the bad route(and bad skill) seeing other people boulder hopping faster and more efficiently, it's a mental game. The view from the top easily worths all the suffering, though.

[@wanderingwashington]

That's awesome! Congrats on the summit. Yeah those boulders are a pain any way you choose. So happy the video helped@@tonyxu113

[@tonyxu113]

@@wanderingwashington Thank you! Your videos keep inspiring me to go on more of these fantastic trips!

[@alicezhu3675]

Thank you for making this very informative video! I am hoping to summit St. Helens this year. Can I ask how big of a backpack is enough for packing up all needed stuff for this hike? 40L? I’m a newbie in long hiking trails, so want to ask for your advice. Thank you!

[@wanderingwashington]

I carried a 22L daypack for this climb(as with all of my day hikes) Carried 3 liters of water, and of course the 10 essentials, plus extra gear for this specific route(gaiters etc) How big of a pack you carry is really up to you and what you personally need. However don't over-pack as that can be a bunch of unnecessary weight. Make sure you have the essentials, extra food and water, should be able to fit in a smaller daypack! good luck on the mountain!

[@vasiliskarkalas]

I was at Mt Saint Helen 2 days ago, my next goal is to get the permit and climb it. Thanks for sharing this video!

[@jacksonalonzo4903]

Are you by yourself? That doesn't seem like a smart idea to go by yourself. What if you got hurt? Did you have a hiking buddy with you?

[@sweeabn6736]

How long did it take you to climb it from start to finish when you started hiking. :)

[@wanderingwashington]

around 8 hours, about 7 hours of moving time and 1 hour on top. They suggest budgeting between 10 - 6 hours to climb this mountain, how long it takes will very much depend on your training, fitness level, and how often/long you like to take breaks I've found for most people ii ends up being 8 - 9 hours best of luck climbing!

[@sweeabn6736]

@@wanderingwashington Thank you so much. :)

[@tyronesmith3812]

hi