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Climbing Mt. St. Helens, an active volcano

climbing Mount St. Helens National Monument

What’s it like at the summit of Mt. St. Helens? Want to see for yourself what it feels like to look into the mouth of the most active volcano in the continental U.S.?

Sure, you can get a permit to climb the 8,365-foot summit by yourself. But a better way might be to hook up with experts who know what they’re doing. Each year, the Mount St. Helens Institute hosts several field seminars on and around the volcano. Are you a bird enthusiast or a geology buff? There is probably a seminar for you.

But if you want to get a spot on one of these excursions, move fast. The institute announced today the dates of 10 seminars, starting June 7, 2008. These are popular excursions so sign up early.

The guides for the seminars include geologists, photographers and bird experts. Space is limited to about 10 people per seminar, with some exceptions. To register, go to the Mount St. Helens page on active.com.

For more information, call the institute at (360) 891-5107.

— Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

(Photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

This entry was posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 6:29 pm by Hugo Martin and is filed under National Parks, Outdoors & Adventure, Pacific Northwest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

2 Comments on “Climbing Mt. St. Helens, an active volcano”

Bix Dugan Says:
March 18th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
A group of friends and I climbed St. Helens in 2002, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants the full experience. It is very achievable for casual hikers– maybe the equivalent of two trips up Mt. Si (a popular Seattle area day hike). It requires permits, and camping at the Hikers’ Bivouac area is recommended for an early start (you can sleep in your car). You also want to bring poles for dealing with the ash-like rubble as you get closer to the crater rim.
Joel Says:
March 19th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
As if your inbox is not full enough with my meanderings today. Remember when we talked about MT St. Helens? here is our opportunity.