Well, spent all weekend up there doing a solo overnight (first one). My body is WRECKED today. I'm not an athlete, but I'm in pretty good shape. I hurt basically everywhere.
Some notes:
1) First time to Mt. St. Helens... WOW. That is all. If you haven't been, you need to go. Especially up the FS25 to FS99, just beautiful and not too many people. Seeing the blast area and Spirit lake is very very cool.
2) ELK! They're everywhere. I know its spring and they've got no worries, but I saw animals all the way there (Eatonville) and when I arrived, both inside and outside the unit. I probably saw 20 bulls and 40 cows/calves, no big herds, just groups of 2-8 or so. Actually, maybe I saw more than that, but it was quite a few
3) Walking on pummice sucks. Also, there's some pretty sketchy areas where I can see that lots of pummice has sloughed off and if it were to have happened when I was on it, it would've been certain death, like legit death.
4) Saw the first cougar prints of my life, a little bit hair raising.
5) These elk are like mountain goats. Things that my 28 year old self, with trekking poles, could physically not traverse for fear of toppling down the hill when the loose gravel gave way...were littered with elk paths. I would've thought mountain goat, but I saw elk on them.
6) No matter how you slice it, the haul out is going to be brutal, I already feel sorry for my friends
7) There is no cell service from basically Morton to the top. On the way down its about 2 hours before you can send a text message.
Did i say elk everywhere? I'll try to post a few pics tonight or tomorrow.
