Mt. Saint Helens
Mt. St. Helens - 8,365'/2,550m
Oregon Peak Adventures offers climbs on three routes on Mt. St. Helens:
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Dome Building
In September 2004, a new cycle of dome building began in the crater of Mt. St. Helens. The USGS estimates that the equivalent of a pick-up truck load of lava was extruded under the dome every minute. The St. Helens Monument managers closed the mountain to climbing October 2004 and reopened it on July 21, 2006. We climbed on that day and have documented the changes since. See the photos below. The USGS estimates that this dome building cycle ended in March 2008. While the appearance of the dome isn't changing much day-to-day, it's still an amazing sight with steam releases and rockfall in the crater.
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| Dome prior to September 2004 |
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| Dome July 21, 2006 (Old dome is in the back on the right) |
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| Dome August 22, 2006, Photo by Matt Bedrin |
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| Dome September 6, 2006 |
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| Dome September 6, 2006 |
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| Dome rockfall and ash cloud, September 13, 2006. Photo by John Waller |
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| Dome September 22, 2006 |
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| Dome September 29, 2006, Photo by Monty Smith |
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| Dome October 13, 2006 |
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| Dome June 8, 2007 |
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| Dome May 19, 2008 Photo by Chris LeDoux |
In October 1792, British Captain George Vancouver named St. Helens for his friend, Alleyne Fitzherbert, Baron St. Helens. A Klickitat Indian legend relates that the mountain was initially an ancient woman whom the Great Spirit turned into a beautiful maiden called Loo-wit-lat-kla, "Keeper of Fire". Loowit lived on the Bridge of the Gods and tended a fire source for the Indian tribes on both sides of the Columbia River. Two brothers, chiefs of their respective tribes, became enamored of Loowit and led their tribes into war over her. The angered Great Spirit destroyed the Bridge of the Gods and it crumbled into the River. The two Chiefs, Wy'east (Mt. Hood) and Klickitat or Pah-to (Mt Adams), were turned into mountains, as was Loowit (St Helens).
St. Helens began forming 40,000 to 35,000 years ago during the Ape Canyon Eruptive Stage. The 9,677'/2,950m summit was formed in the Kalama Eruptive Period, A.D. 1480 to 1857. On May 18, 1980, the north flank collapsed in a massive landslide. A major blast cloud destroyed 230 square miles of forest, accompanied by 800 degrees F. pyroclastic flows and mudflows from the melting glaciers and snow pack. The ash column boiled-up for over nine hours, reaching a height of 60,000'/18,293m. Fifty-seven people died and property damage was estimated to be over $1.5 billion. When the ash cleared, the 8,365'/2,550m high point was located on the south rim of a 2,000'/610m deep, 1.5/0.9km by 1 mile/0.6km crater. In September 2004, a series of earthquakes presaged the movement of new lava into the crater, resulting in the US Forest Service closing access within a five mile radius from the Crater. A new dome building cycle began, lasting until January 2008. Today, the new dome continues to grow very slowly. See the USGS Website for updates on the current status.
We climb the Swift Creek Route in Winter and early spring, and the Butte Camp Route during spring when there is still snow on the mountain. Monitor Ridge is a snow climb early and gradually becomes a rocky trail/scramble by fall.
To see a real time image go to the VolcanoCam.