Heeeeyyy. I'm glad you guys had fun! I can vicariously enjoy the trip with all the great pictures. One thing thing the pictures probably didn't adequately convey (well, except maybe the picture of the stoves) was how freakin' cold it was. I'm glad I missed that part of it. I woulda froze my ass off.
Where is the camp in your picture Tazz? I can't find it.
We were the first party up, (thanks for all the trail breaking Randy) along with a guy named John who had climbed it about 15 times. I know I was a bit nervous about the summit cornice but John said "no worries, you'll know when your there". That pretty much turned out to be the case but in swirling fog it doesn't hurt to be cautious. It turns out stopped short of the actual summit but I'll let Matt tell that story. Anyway we spent lots of time at the summit as more and more people came up. Finally it seemed time to head down. I had been talking with other skiers about my lightweight ski setup so there was some pressure to perform. I was first off , feeling that everyone was watching me, and in the middle of my first turn I took a nice header. So much for the graceful departure! The best part of it all is that we got first tracks down the mountain and I got more turns in than I have in the last 20 years. I loved it, I'm rehooked, and may have to consider getting a real ski setup again.
Thanks to Tazz for setting it up, Dicey for the suggestion and everyone else that made Saturday night so much fun.
Life is like a bowl of cherries...And I popped a lot of cherries this weekend! First time hiking in snow. First overnight in snow! First time getting out with cool peeps. But I'm getting ahead of myself....
Friday night...Mark and I drove down after (his) work Friday night (I had the day off, woohoo!). We "roughed it" in Woodland, organized and packed our gear, and scouted the place for some good post MSH grub. Although admittedly, at the time it was not our intent. But it just worked out that way.
Saturday morning...we headed to Jack's to pick up our climbing permits, where we met Tazz. Unplanned, but a pleasant plus! PiB, Randy, dicey, and don b were en route so we decided to stick around and wait for them. Actually, Mark and I ordered some to-go breakfast burritos, which took a while and by the time PiB and passengers were there. So it worked out. And soon we were on our way to the Marblemount Sno-Park! That's where we met Hkr Dean and Dennis. A pleasure to have met you, sirs!
Okay, so my first hike on snow was not all that bad. Woohoo! And on the way up, a strange woman clad in teal called out, "Is that Mark and Yet?" Whoa...we're famous? Turns out it was AB baby! Yeah! Been wanting to meet this woman for years and now I have! It's just getting better and better. She was toting the Attitude Couple along. The more the merrier. 'cept they were on their way down and we were on our way up. But I was not about to go up there without AB! There was no contest, they went back with us. Up to the camp site we hiked. I only got stuck in one spot, the same spot where Jeremy just flew on by me. Showoff. (His wife said it, not me.) I didn't know how to get over this one little hill of a bump of snow, so I just stood there for a few minutes while Mark, Jeremy, and Tisha tried to be encouraging, while throwing technical terms at me such as kick steps and stuff. And staring. Well alrighty then. Please turn around, you're all making me self-conscious! Yes, I actually said that. Eventually, I made it up. Before the sun went down. Reached camp. Woohoo! Pitched tent. Yeah! Set up the thermarest, spread out the sleeping bags, and promptly settled in. I was wet and cold! But eventually, all the laughter from outside the tent drew me out. That and I could feel my toes again.
The happy group turned ecstatic when Matt and Tom showed up. Wet as can be, but a welcome sight they were.
Eventually, my toes got cold again. And back inside the tent. Soon, it was time to cook. Warm beverages. And Mac and Cheese. Mark did all the cooking. Thanks!
Night time fell upon the mountain. Which only meant more fun. Tazz's giggles from Randy's tent lulled me to sleep like a lullaby.
Sunday morning...I wish I could say morning came quickly, but the truth was, I woke up a few times in the night shivering. But morning did come. But I refused to move until I have had two cups of good coffee sweetened with hot cocoa and marshmallows. When I did venture out, it was dry, and there were happy people everywhere!
This time, we didn't huddle under the lovely tarp. We just huddled right outside of it.
Eventually, the group that would head up to the summit, did. AB, PiB, and I partied. Yeah!
Actually, PiB napped, AB and I packed up, and we attempted to find good glissading spots.
Finally, AB and I decided to head down and maybe hang out at Jack's while waiting for the others. PiB headed down with us, but soon left the yakking AB and Yet behind for quite an adventure. At some point, AB and I missed a tiny turn and ended up somewhere we weren't supposed to be! We eventually found our way back to the Marblemount Sno-Park, with the detour adding probably a couple (?) of hours to the trip down. We changed into comfy clothes and waited for the rest of the crew, who would arrive only an hour later.
I made many friends last weekend.
My first snow overnight was wet and cold. And I'd do it all over again.
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 800 | TRs | Pics Location: The Quah
Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:10 am
Great TR and pictures, Yet, but since when did we become the "Attitude" Couple ?!
-------------- "Forest 101: These big wood stick things are called trees. The big rocks are called mountains, and the little rocks are their babies." Elliott from Open Season
Saturday. Genesis 6:12. “The sluices of heaven opened, and heavy rain fell on the earth.”
Earlier in the week, the forecast was for 80% probability of precipitation on Saturday, but I decided to go anyway, figuring I could at least meet some new people at camp. Before leaving town Saturday morning, the forecast became more definite, 100% precipitation. The forecast was accurate. It was raining when we got out of the car, raining while we hiked to camp, raining when we arrived, raining while socialized, raining while we cooked dinner, raining when we went to bed, raining during the night. To keep us entertained, there were occasional variations like freezing rain or melting snow.
Tom and I arrived last at camp, to find ten people huddled under a tarp slung between trees – Tazz, AB, Mark, Yet, Don B, Randy, Dicey, Putz, Jeremy & Tisha. Thank goodness that Janet had brought the tarp, or we’d have been doomed. When we set up three stoves to melt snow under the same tarp, the results were predictable, at least three pots of water accidentally kicked over.
I spent the night enjoying brief dreams about warm things – space heaters, fireplaces, hot air vents, hot tubs. In between I woke up to the cold reality. I had hoped to make my wet gloves become dry and warm by keeping them inside my sleeping bag. Instead my sleeping bag became damp and cold. Meanwhile a pinhole leak deflated my thermarest and deposited me onto the cold snow. About every half hour I blew the thermarest back up returned to another brief dream of warmth.
Sunday. Exodus 13:21. “By day a pillar of cloud to show them the way.”
Sunday morning it was NOT raining! The summit was still beclouded when we got up, but the clouds were rapidly thinning. So we geared up and started marching up the mountain.
Soon our group was intermixed with a Mountaineers group that had camped uphill. Randy, Don, and one of the Mounties did a great job of kicking steps all the way to the summit. Dicey and Mark skinned a ski path all the way up. And a long ragged chain of people followed. As we ascended the sun broke through and we were above the cloud deck for most of the time. The route itself was a moderate slope all the way, and we reached the crater rim in 3.5 hours, at 11:30am.
All the way up, the peak produced a veritable “pillar of cloud” marking the summit. I don’t know if it was the shape of the mountain or the heat of the lava, but there was a column of cloud continually rising up out of the crater.
Unfortunately, the same cloud obscured the crater itself from sight. The rim cornices also kept us back from the edge. Still, it was sort of a mystical experience standing in the volcanic cloud and watching pieces of the rim appear and disappear out of the mist.
After roaming around the rim a bit, glimpses through the mist showed that the higher summit was still some distance away to the west. I wanted to be able to touch the true summit, so I trekked over there, though everyone else elected to stay behind. I took about 25 minutes to hike to the summit, with a drop of about 150 feet along the way, and a careful path well back from the rim to avoid the cornices.
The summit itself was upwind from the cloud, but I couldn’t get close enough to look over the edge without too much risk from the cornices. Next time, I’m bringing a rope and belayer so I can look down into the crater. I hiked back to our original arrival point and found hordes of skiers, but everyone from nwhikers had departed already.
After a quick bowl or soup and cup of tea, I jogged down the softening snow and caught up with the last of our group arriving at camp. Then it was another jog down the road to the cars, dinner together, and home.
Thank you to Tazz for organizing the trip and to everyone for being a great group to meet in the rain.
-------------- "Matt, you are truly full of it. But you take great --- pics, in spite of that." Scrooge
Joined: 02 Mar 2002 Posts: 1901 | TRs | Pics Location: ex Kennewick, Wa & Lehi Utah
Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:51 am
Yet
Quote:
Hkr Dean. YW! Was nice to meet you after reading your TRs for a while now. I didn't realize it was actually you at the TH or I would have fawned all over you. Must remember to do that next time
Thanks Yet, being fawned over would be OK when you have the great attitude that you have (first big overnight hike, in the rain no less).
Here's a shot of you and P.I.B. at the TH.... you guys have great smiles
What a wild weekend it was. Weather sucked as you all can see.. I stayed a second night and froze my ass off for the lovely and fun company of all the whacky mountain dwellers.
Down in snow and rain..sucks, not recommended in a small tent. MSR Microzoid sucks in snowy rainy weather.
Yets brownies rocked.. they put a huge smile on my face as did she..was great meeting you sister! We shall work on our map skills together..hehe
Schmidt ATTitude- You folks were awesome..thanks for keeping me company for most of the hike up and down. ( twice..DOH), sorry you got too wet and couldnt stay the second night.... we shall get out again soon!
JVesquire, was great meeting a fellow tri citian at the trail head , sorry I didnt get to say goodbye in the morn..I believe I was sleeping as you guys glided away silently in the morning...
Crwdog, sorry we didnt really get to meet..glad you took a chance and did the climb to camp...crappy weather put a big damper on the plans..eh.
Bill (winowingwlkr?), great to meet you briefly..I hope you get to make it to a social where people actually show up..haha..hence the nickname of the Mt. St. Helens anti social.
Beware of Deans friend Dennis, he might try to lure you into his 2-person tent to play a little grab ass. He informed me in the morning that HikerDean has some tight glutes
Matt was great to finally meet you..love your rim tea shot ...great pictures!!
Was great to see all the familiar faces..Mark, Randy (homey), Putz, Tazz< Dicey, Don. B, and Tom.... you guys made me smile even though I was miserbly cold and wet.
Some photos.. my camera did not come out too much cause of the precipitation
-------------- "If you're not living good, you gotta travel wide"...Bob Marley
Thank you AB girl for your additions! And yes, we shall have to practice on our map skills. Looking forward to the next adventure!
Wow, has it been a week already?
This thread rocks just like the MSH social did! With each person adding their own story, like pieces to a very colorful, comfortable, and well-used quilt.
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I woulda froze my ass off.
Still laughing Matt!!! Thanks for the laughs again. 
It is there just have to look real hard. If I find it I will label it ...heh!
And soon we were on our way to the Marblemount Sno-Park! That's where we met Hkr Dean and Dennis. A pleasure to have met you, sirs!
(His wife said it, not me.) I didn't know how to get over this one little hill of a bump of snow, so I just stood there for a few minutes while Mark, Jeremy, and Tisha tried to be encouraging, while throwing technical terms at me such as 
