St Helens summit hike... kids? dogs?

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drivingon9
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St Helens summit hike... kids? dogs?

Post by drivingon9 » January 5th, 2018, 1:20 pm

Hi Everyone,

Looking to get some advice from anyone who has done the St. Helens summit hike. Specifically, I'm wondering how doable it is with younger kids and dogs.

For reference, my kids are 11, and 12. They've done a lot of hiking with me, including 12-14 mile treks. They hiked all the way to the top of Munra Point with me when they were 6 and 7, came back down and wanted to run around and play at the river some more (when I just wanted to go home!). My pup (german shepherd) has easily done 18 - 20 mile hikes with me.

Having said all that, I know little about St. Helens, and having a hard time getting specific enough details to see if I should try taking them with me this summer.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Anyone summitted with kids? Dogs? Thanks!

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Bosterson
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Re: St Helens summit hike... kids? dogs?

Post by Bosterson » January 5th, 2018, 2:02 pm

You didn't specify when you were planning to go, but Helens requires lotteried permits for the dry season. I'm not sure if you need separate permits for kids, but if you were lucky enough to get a permit for August or later, and the weather turned out to be good for your permit date, your kids should be fine if they're as hardy as you say. There's nothing tricky about Monitor Ridge, just a little talus walking a few short, easy lava scrambles (there is no fall potential), and a fair amount of elevation gain. The first 1/3 of the hike is trail through forest, the middle 1/3 is user trail along rocky lava ridges, and the upper 1/3 is an ash hill with intermittent lava rock areas. The only thing to watch out for up top is to make sure your kids don't walk out onto the lip of the snow cornice at the edge of the crater, but if they didn't fall off the top of Munra, they should probably be fine.

Not sure about dogs (they might not even be allowed). Some of the lava bits may be too rough for dog paws; I'd probably leave the dog at home for this one. If you were to do a trail hike (like around the Loowit), that's a different story. :)
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drivingon9
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Re: St Helens summit hike... kids? dogs?

Post by drivingon9 » January 5th, 2018, 2:08 pm

Thanks for detailed reply.. Yes, I'm hoping to get permits for later in the season to avoid combating snow/ice/cold as much as possible..

Those were my two concerns about the pup : whether they're allowed and the lava rocks.. I'll probably leave her home, as suggested.

Thanks, again. Kids have been excited to try this since I mentioned it to them, so I think we'll give it a shot! (assuming we can find permits).

EThiker
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Re: St Helens summit hike... kids? dogs?

Post by EThiker » January 7th, 2018, 7:15 pm

I think kids can do it, if they are well prepared. I have seen many people who of about average fitness do it, so your kids should be fine, fitness-wise. Just note that this altitude and exposure more than most other "comparable" hikes (e.g. Mount Defiance), so you need to pay extra attention that the kids are well protected against sun, cold, and dehydration.

I have met an old dog at the summit whose human told me he's done it several times. I myself would be concerned with paws though... Depends on how tough your dog's paws are.

Permits are very hard to get for summer weekends. If you can swing a weekday you have a much better shot. There's an official (I think?) resale market, and in the past our extra weekend permits (due to people canceling) were not hard to get rid of.

If you aren't able to get a permit for St. Helen's, you could consider South Sister, if you haven't done it already?

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Guy
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Re: St Helens summit hike... kids? dogs?

Post by Guy » January 7th, 2018, 7:40 pm

Yeah South Sister is a good alternative if no permits. I seen a 5YR climb the South Sister all the way to the top unaided by her parents and I struggled to stay ahead of a 7 year old girl on St Helens a few years ago :)

Re Dogs, Assuming you know your dog well as it seems to be dog specific, for most it's no problem but I've also seen people on both mountains carrying their 40lb plus dogs down because their paws are too cut up to walk any more. If you are not sure - dog booties!
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kepPNW
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Re: St Helens summit hike... kids? dogs?

Post by kepPNW » January 19th, 2018, 3:59 pm

Chiming in with mostly the same, and a twist...

Kids who are fit and able to think before moving will be fine. There is potential to seriously injure yourself through the lava boulders if you're not paying enough attention and a foot goes between some. I think I come down bloody myself, maybe half the time, simply from banging knees or shins into them.

Dogs face another challenge not yet mentioned. In addition to the sharp lava, they'll be breathing an awful lot more ash than you will. That'd be my biggest concern, really, especially if they have paw protection. (And yes, they are allowed everywhere outside the northern restricted area.)
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retired jerry
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Re: St Helens summit hike... kids? dogs?

Post by retired jerry » January 19th, 2018, 4:23 pm

Yeah, I would be slightly more skeptical of kids on Monitor Ridge trail. Be prepared to turn around if you decide it's too much. Scrambling around over big boulders is different than mileage on a normal trail. That would be a great experience for 11/12 year olds to climb up to the crater and peer over the edge.

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