I CLIMBED MOUNT ST. HELENS!!!

It's been a week. My legs have finally stopped reminding me with every step, but I can officially say I CLIMBED MOUNT ST. HELENS!! It was, truthfully, one of the hardest things I've done in a long, long time, but it was incredible.

My friends, Matt and Jen, called me in the middle of last week and asked if I wanted to go with them. During Peak Season (basically April-October), they only allow 100 climbers on the mountain per day, and passes sell out almost as soon as they go on sale--in February. So this was a lucky turn for me. Matt's dad and brother were going to go, and for various reasons they both had to bail at the last minute, so they had an extra pass. I only had a few minutes to think about it because they were about to sell them online, so for some reason, I temporarily lost my mind and agreed to do it.

My awesome climbing buddies and I at the top! Mt. Rainier in the background, and the crater behind and below us.

Jen is a year older than I am, but I worked on a retreat with her in college and so I knew her a little bit. Matt is my age, and he and I ran a retreat together in college--he is one of the most amazing people I know, and he has always been a super good friend to me. I haven't seen them since they got married, so it was a real treat to spend the day with them, especially since I've never had the opportunity to hang out with them as a couple. They are fantastic people, and they were fabulous to climb with.

Matt and me, stopping in the boulders for a photo op! We were above the clouds for most of the day--so incredible!

Most people train for these kinds of climbs, but obviously, with less than three days notice, I was not exactly prepared. Luckily I've been working out with a trainer over the summer and so I felt like I could probably handle it. I was worried about holding them up, but Matt and Jen were totally wonderful and didn't mind taking a moderate pace.

Matt and Jen picked me up just after 4 AM and we made the drive to pick up our passes and get on the trail. The office opens at 6, and we made it about 5:40, so we were right on schedule. We picked up our passes and headed up to Climbers' Bivouac. We got on the trail about 7:10 AM. The climb is about 10 miles round trip, and it took us almost exactly 10 hours from the time we left the car to the time we returned.

Morning fog through the trees--so beautiful! And this was the "easy" part! :) This was our first stop before we hit the timberline.

The first 2-ish miles are a pretty gentle hike through the forest, gaining about 1000 feet in elevation. It gets a little steep toward the end, but not too bad at all. Once you hit the timberline, that's where it starts getting tough.

This was a quick stop between the "easy" (smaller) boulders and the huge boulders where you climb, climb, climb. Our buddy, Tom, who we met on the trail, took this photo for us--we caught up again with him at the top, where he told us the next day would be his 64th birthday! Happy birthday, Tom! This was also the very SMALL stretch where we opted for short sleeves--it wasn't long before the wind forced us back into our long sleeves and long pants and sometimes coats.

The last 3-ish miles gain 3500 feet in elevation. About 2 miles of that are straight up a giant boulder field. You are literally climbing and scrambling, mountain-goat style, up giant rocks. And it is steep. This part is actually, surprisingly, not THAT tough to go up--it's coming down that gets you here. It's steep enough that it's difficult to see your route until you're right on top of it, so you have to backtrack when you get into a situation you can't get out of--the rocks are too big, no good path, etc. Once you hit the timberline, there is really no marked path--as long as you're going up, you're going in the right direction.

Some of the crazy bouldering we had to do! Just keep heading up...

Jen took this photo because she said it looked hard core! :) She wasn't too far ahead of me, but you can tell how steep it was!

The long, awful stretch to the top--but isn't the view amazing?

After you get out of the rocks, the last stretch (which is probably a bit less than a mile, but feels like about 100 miles) is like climbing the biggest, steepest sand dune you can possibly imagine. Especially the last several hundred yards--it's thick with sand and scree and ash. If you've ever played on sand dunes, you know that climbing them is tough--it is basically two steps forward, one step back, as the sand shifts and slides and you go backwards. It's crazy to be trudging through the ash and realizing how it got there--it really hits you that you're climbing a volcano!! You basically have to use trekking poles for that last stretch, and I used my arms to climb just as much as I used my legs.

The right side of the crater (looking down into it).

The lava dome in the bottom of the crater. That whole side and top of the mountain basically either blew into ash or slid down into that lake. You can see the steam coming up from the lava dome if you look close. Crazy.

The three of us at the top.

The hardest part is that last stretch, especially since you can see the top the whole time, and it just never seems to get any closer. Plus after living at sea level for awhile, that 8000 feet elevation starts to get to you a little bit. When you FINALLY crest the top, it's CRAZY--there's maybe a 3 food ledge, and then it drops off into the crater. There is no denying where you're standing when you're peering over the edge, watching the steam rise up from the floor and looking at the lava dome. It's insane. And it's incredibly, unbelievably beautiful.

It was an amazing, incredible experience, and I tell you what--this is no "hike," this is definitely climbing a mountain! Thanks to Matt and Jen for taking me along, and for sharing an awesome experience with me. I'm so glad I did it, and I may just do it again someday...but in the meantime, cross that off my bucket list! :)