Trip report by: Bill DeYoung
"I would definitely recommend this trip to a friend."
Went to MSH on 4/30. A fabulous day in every respect. Climbed to the crater rim via the Swift Creek/Worm Flows route.
Photos: [Top] lone skier heading west toward Monitor Ridge; [Bottom] group preparing to ski, board and glissade down.
The day was perfectly clear and warm (60's). The views to Mt Adams and Mt Hood were great. There were probably 15 other people that I saw, most were climbing up to ski or board down. I stashed my snowshoes and poles by a tree and climbed with my iceaxe. The snow was soft, but there were steps kicked in all the way up. The rim is heavily corniced, but I risked getting close enough to look into the crater and beyond across Spirit Lake to Mt Rainier. The cornice at the true Hellens summit must have been over 50' high and there was a cornice to the east almost as imposing.
Took pix, snacked and geared up for the slide down. Snowshoed out through soft, slippery snow.
The shock of the whole trip was seeing--hearing--4 snowmobiles go up the Worm Flows to the crater rim. Took me a while to get over that.
TH is at the Marble Mountain Snopark (2700'). 15 minutes from Cougar, 3 hrs from Seattle. Road was clear to the park (FR 83 is going to be closed the first of May for repair--don't know how long,) 10' of snow around the lot. The trail is clearly marked. Gradual ski/snowshoe trail 2.5 plus mi, to 4200' then it gets steep for the next 2.5 mi to the rim at 8200. 4.5 hrs up, 2.5 hrs down. This time of year, call for info on roads and conditions.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. Any trail can become very dangerous in winter conditions. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions. Please read Terms of Use.
4/99