First Snow Camp - Helens and Back Again

[RayC]

Packed up all the snow gear and set out for my first snow camping experience. The ol' pack must have been 80 lbs...I haven't embraced the whole "ultralight" thing. What's the point if you don't bring all your awesome gear? The extra long snowshoes paid off on this one.

People seem to like instant gratification, so here is the money shot:

My new home for the night was pretty sweet. If only my daughter could be here to see this!

I don't know how, but the tent just popped up on its own. I think Chuck may have had something to do with that. At least I carried the shovel

This was the first spin of the new Hilleberg Keron GT. Man do I love that vesitbule (can you tell?). Frankly, better than summer camping - you get a place to sit in the tent! It feels more like a home I guess.

Mt. Hood looked great. You know, I never would have thought it acceptable to say "ni-nights" to Mt. Hood before my daughter was born. Now it just seems like the right thing to say before a mountain goes to bed.

Chuck and I survived the night great. We hit the trail by 6:45 and beat the hoards of day-trippers.

This pictures is for those of you that loved Where's Waldo. That seems like a long time ago now. Can you find the tent?

Here is the route. Below maybe 5500 or 6000 ft snowshoes would have been really nice due to the massive post-holes.

Mt. Adams looked really big from Helens.

I hear from a nice couple Justin and Charlie that the true summit is along the ridge and another 50ft up. I think I'll call it good here.

It really hits you while you look out at the crater the shear volume of material that left the mountain when it exploded. Really, there is not much left...you climb and climb and it just stops on an edge and you look out at this hollow shell of what used to be an 11,000 ft mountain. Pretty amazing.

We were with the first few people at the summit, but the large groups started showing up pretty quickly thereafter. It was a good day for the permit collectors I think.

I believe that membership of the Mazamas requires a picture of yourself on a glaciated peak. They say Old Snowy in Goat Rocks counts... but there wasn't any snow so I count this as my first real summit. It was Chuck's first as well:

Thanks for listening, and as always, don't forget the sunscreen. (btw, SPF 70 smells like paint).

Ray

[kepPNW]

Awesome!

One of my most favorite places!

[cfm]

I love your tent too

[rainrunner]

Great report, very interesting tent, and congrats on the summit! We were over on Hood being blown away.

[miah66]

Excellent TR! Those are some great shots of a memorable climb! Thanks for posting.