Pesky Rangers
Pesky Rangers
Anyone been bothered by rangers while climbing St. Helens? Heard yes, and no. If so, do they ask for your permit?
Re: Pesky Rangers
I also have this question.
Also, how does the route to the "true" summit (west of a popular Monitor Ridge route) look like? Some maps show it, some maps don't. Is it used often, and is it more difficult and dangerous than a standard Monitor Ridge route?
Also, how does the route to the "true" summit (west of a popular Monitor Ridge route) look like? Some maps show it, some maps don't. Is it used often, and is it more difficult and dangerous than a standard Monitor Ridge route?
Re: Pesky Rangers
From what I've read, it's about 125 ft higher, steeper, and all ash. I have a couple friends going in 2 weeks and they have no permits. I'm curious if I have to bail them out of jail!!
Re: Pesky Rangers
I have made 124 trips up St. Helens and more than half were during permit season I have been checked maybe a dozen times. Sometimes on the mountain sometimes at the 4800 ft level. I could share my climbing without permit knowledge with you but I would have to kill youJewelle wrote:Anyone been bothered by rangers while climbing St. Helens? Heard yes, and no. If so, do they ask for your permit?
Just wait till after labor day and check the web site spots are open through September and October. You can purchase them the day before and have a relaxing trip.This shows month to month permit availability http://www.active.com/availability.cfm? ... CHECKSSO=0.
Last edited by Roy on August 8th, 2010, 8:56 am, edited 3 times in total.
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura
Re: Pesky Rangers
You can take the Butte camp trail to the western side and go up its a great early season trip with a glissade that rivals Adams. No particular dangers just a little steeper and very loose scree later in the season. Or you can leave the climbers bivouac and go west on the Loowit until the butte camp junction and head up. The route is skied more than hiked I believe either way you go your going to add three to five miles to your trip.romann wrote:I also have this question.
Also, how does the route to the "true" summit (west of a popular Monitor Ridge route) look like? Some maps show it, some maps don't. Is it used often, and is it more difficult and dangerous than a standard Monitor Ridge route?
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura
Re: Pesky Rangers
I heard they are raising the permit price to one thousand dollars to offset the cost of the new detention facility at the climbers bivouacJewelle wrote:From what I've read, it's about 125 ft higher, steeper, and all ash. I have a couple friends going in 2 weeks and they have no permits. I'm curious if I have to bail them out of jail!!
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura
Re: Pesky Rangers
That's awesome!! I hope it has TV and hot food. Thanks for the info. I'll tell them to take their chances.
-
Splintercat
- Posts: 8333
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
- Location: Portland
- Contact:
Re: Pesky Rangers
"I heard they are raising the permit price to one thousand dollars to offset the cost of the new detention facility at the climbers bivouac"
__________________
Yes, it turns out that was in the fine print in Arizona's new immigration law... carry your papers!
__________________
Yes, it turns out that was in the fine print in Arizona's new immigration law... carry your papers!
Re: Pesky Rangers
I wouldn't do it when the the snow is gone. The route is all pumice then.
The west route is great early in the season: you get to have solitude, kick steps straight up, and glissade down. There's water at Butte Camp too. My friend and I did it that way on an early July weekend several years ago and did not see another party on the route.
The west route is great early in the season: you get to have solitude, kick steps straight up, and glissade down. There's water at Butte Camp too. My friend and I did it that way on an early July weekend several years ago and did not see another party on the route.
Re: Pesky Rangers
On your question about pesky rangers...
The answer is a big 10-4. I had to laugh when I read your question, it brought back my memories of Ranger Rude. It was September 1991 (yes, in a galaxy a long, long time ago), and we were camped below the permit line with our permit in hand ready to get a start for the summit the next morning. It was somewhere in the 6 pm hour and we were eating dinner and this jack-donkey strolls into our camp and starts kicking our fire logs all over the pumice field saying that our fire ring was too risky in terms of starting a forest fire. I thought the scattering of burning embers was a unique twist on the Smokey the Bear concept. Then he explained that the signage had been posted for convenience and we were actually camped at just over the elevation limit of 4800'. We would need to create a whole new campsite, and if we didn't like it, we could take it up with his boss the next day. I let him know that I planned to do just that (and did via letter, since his boss did not show up at the trailhead as promised). Yes, it was an interesting display that I have never seen repeated. I doubt you will run into the same situation, but you are likely to be asked for your permit. Happy climbing.
The answer is a big 10-4. I had to laugh when I read your question, it brought back my memories of Ranger Rude. It was September 1991 (yes, in a galaxy a long, long time ago), and we were camped below the permit line with our permit in hand ready to get a start for the summit the next morning. It was somewhere in the 6 pm hour and we were eating dinner and this jack-donkey strolls into our camp and starts kicking our fire logs all over the pumice field saying that our fire ring was too risky in terms of starting a forest fire. I thought the scattering of burning embers was a unique twist on the Smokey the Bear concept. Then he explained that the signage had been posted for convenience and we were actually camped at just over the elevation limit of 4800'. We would need to create a whole new campsite, and if we didn't like it, we could take it up with his boss the next day. I let him know that I planned to do just that (and did via letter, since his boss did not show up at the trailhead as promised). Yes, it was an interesting display that I have never seen repeated. I doubt you will run into the same situation, but you are likely to be asked for your permit. Happy climbing.