Hard Core

A little peak inside the crater of Mt. St. Helens
We made it. Karlena and I at the top of Mt. St. Helens

In order to climb Mt. St. Helens, you have to obtain a permit. The only way to do that is online. The fee is $15 plus a $7 handling fee. Only so many permits are given per day which means that you have to purchase it in advance without knowing what the weather might be like on that particular day.
September 17 was the chosen day for Karlena and I. It was the only day that worked with our schedule.
As it turned out, that day was rainy. We arrived the night before to camp at the trail head. It was cold, windy, foggy and rainy the night before at the trail head. The next morning the weather had not changed.
The elevation of Mt. St. Helens is 8,365 feet. The climb is 5 miles up/non technical. However, it is steep and the timberline is low so a majority of the climb is on volcanic ash. Once at the top, we did see some blue sky and the fog rolled in and out of the crater which was pretty neat to see. It would be great to climb it again on a clear day so that you could see the whole crater and the surrounding landscape.