The summit that started it all. When 2024 began I had no knowledge of SOTA and only a vague familiarity (but zero interest in) ham radio. For whatever reason, YouTube began to feed me some video about ham radio and a volcano. I vehemently ignored it, perhaps even clicking the “not interested” option, but the algorithm persisted.
Finally I gave in and my eyes went wide with curiosity—there was a guy scree-surfing on top of a windy Mount Saint Helens with a handheld radio talking to someone else [turns out] on another summit. I didn’t know what I was watching, but I knew that I wanted in on it.
About 16 months later and here I am leaving the Climber’s Bivuoac trailhead with three partners, a ham radio license and a rough plan.
The ascent up Saint Helens can be broken into 3 segments: the forested trail, the boulder field, and the sand/ash climb. With headlamps and snacks, we started right at 5:30AM hoping to reach the boulder field before sunrise.
Route-finding is not a problem, with tall wooden poles marking the way up. We kept a consistent pace up with only a couple of short breaks to occasionally take in the view and swap out clothing layers.
It took us a bit under four hours to reach to the top where we had to then hike along the edge to get up to the true summit.
Using my Anytone 878 and a Smiley 2M whip, I made 11 FM contacts and easily activated my first volcano. We sat down to eat our sandwiches and just look out at the other mountains, feeling lucky on this incredibly clear day.
Finally, it was time to head back down. We had a bit of a drive ahead to our hotel in Hood River… and the beers & burgers at Pfriem Brewing were already sounding pretty damn good.
