My date with a mountain

The day is set.

On Monday the climbing permits for Mount St. Helens went on sale. I had heard that these are the outdoors equivalent to scorching hot concert tickets, when they went on sale I bought mine.

I thought about camping out, in a sleeping bag, in front of the ranger station. But then I realized they were only sold on the Internet. So I just waited in my house. I know, lame, but warm.

Once the ticket sales window opened, I got my day. That day is June 6. Actually, Jeff Hudspeth from the Just South of North Bullpen will be joining me on this adventure. So we will be keeping track of our training and updating the readers on if we'll make it to the top or not.

(also, the dates aren't set in stone, but we'll be doing the entire 93 miles of the Wonderland Trail in mid-summer. that's the one that goes all the way around Mount Rainier. Yeah, it will be epic. And we'll keep you updated on that too)

But back to Mount St. Helens.

Here is the route we will be taking. The Monitor Ridge Route from Climbers Bivouac.

This route gains 4,500 feet in five miles to the crater rim at 8,365 feet elevation. Although strenuous, this non-technical climb is suitable for people in good physical condition who are comfortable scrambling on steep, rugged terrain. Most climbers complete the round trip in seven to twelve hours.

We are shooting for closer to the seven. And with the right training we will get there. Wait, what am I doing writing a blog? I should be hiking! June will be here before I know it. Oh well, I'll start tomorrow.