We saw 9 toads of all things, a beautiful sunrise, lots of rocks and rising sulfur, and made it home in time to watch our son compete in BMX.
We have been planning this day for months. We originally secured a permit for Monday, June 28th which turned out to be the record-breaking day in the 110's. We cancelled last-minute and purchased a new permit for Tuesday, August 3rd when my husband Rob could get off work (and we could get childcare for our kids, ages 3 and 4).
Aiming to beat the heat and catch the sunrise, we woke up at 2:00am, left Portland where we stayed with friends at 2:30am, arrived Climber's Bivouac at 4:00am and started hiking at 4:13am.
The biggest surprise of this hike? The toads! We saw no less than 9 large toads during the dark 2.1 hike through the forest. I screeched a few times, having almost stepped on a few, and I think I scared any wildlife near us, except the frogs. From there, the ascent went fairly slow and steady as planned. As my husband likes to say: “Slow is steady, steady is fast.”
We didn't see anyone until the scree section, mostly climbers coming down. For me, the real highlights of this climb were:
 * Beautiful sunrise over Monitor Ridge
 * Arriving at the summit with Rob. This was his 2nd time, having climbed Mount St. Helens with his wrestling buddies 20 years prior
 * Meeting a Mt. St. Helens Institute Volunteer who immediately recognized my Six-Pack of Peaks shirt. She is completing and aims to finish the challenge in the next 1-2 weeks.
 * Finishing with only a minor scrape from slipping up against a volcanic rock face. Again, I screamed because it was unexpected.
It was a little smokey from the wildfires in Oregon, but not too bad, just limited visibility from the crater rim.
Overall, a good day! We are tired but have dreams of toads croaking in our ears… and we feel fulfilled.
RESOURCES
For other hikers looking to climb, here are a few of my recommendations:
1. Trekking poles – I found these essential for the scree and downhill
2. Long socks –Â helps to prevent rocks from invading your feet area (gaiters work too)
3. Real food for the summit –Â we had Subway and that went a long way in re-energizing us
Also, for anyone who is interested, here are the times we clocked:
4:13am – Started at Trailhead
5:10am – Out of the Woods (2.1 mile Permit Sign)
7:00am – Weather Station
7:15am – Scree
8:04am – Summit!
8:30am – True Summit
9:55am – Weather Station
11:05am – Into the Woods
11:58am – Arrived at Car
Total Time: 7 hours and 45 minutes
Responses
Love the highlights (the volunteer doing the challenge especially) and the timeline breakdown. Great hike log, Kristin.
Congratulations on your summit!
Thanks, Jeff! It felt good to finish the challenge on one of my favorite mountains with my favorite person.