"Kings is a leg burner. Incredible workout, very shaded 90% of the trip, not hot at all. No views until the top 1/2 mile, but great forest incline trail. Watch footing on the way down, this should be on your training hike list. It is a workout. " — puddlepirate • May 12, 2019

"Joined hundreds of other people up the regular south route. Started at 1am. Was at the hogs back at approx sunrise. Went through the right side pearly gates which were pretty busy but good foot holds due to all the traffic. Wonderful views of the surrounding areas including Helens, Rainier, Jefferson and Adams. Descended via the same route. Great and sunny days and was even able to wear a tshirt on descent. Fantastic time. " — MarkJPerkins • May 11, 2019

"Part of a 2 Cascade volcano road trip with CSMC and birthday ascent of Hood. Rick and I had bagged Mt St Helens in the heat on Thursday. We met the others at a roadside pull off Friday evening and bedded down for 4 hrs. I didn't sleep. Up at midnight and on our skis by 1:30am heading straight up the line of head lamps in 8C perfectly clear night. Passed endless groups of people thru 900m elevation gain in under 2 hrs and then switched to crampons as the ski cramponing was getting steep. Left the skis on the Hogsback and proceeded up Pearly Gates with the masses to summit around 6am just after sunrise. Waited for other party members to appear and enjoyed stellar bluebird morning looking north to previous summits of St Helens, Adams, and Rainier...and south to future summits Jefferson and the Sisters. Descended to Hogsback and waited in sun for an hour for snow to soften. Gave up at 9am and skied crud for 95% of the descent until hitting slush near parking lot. Laid down on thermarest for hour and a half while waiting the others to return. Hit lunch (felt like breakfast) at Charlies in Gov't Camp and then headed for Hood River. Home in Calgary Sunday evening after a mountain bike rid..." — alexjoseph • May 11, 2019

"Started up at 1:00am local time. Kept on following the trail of lights, which for a while I thought was related to the ski lift. Once the light came around it was a long line to the Pearly Gates. We're people dying to get in? haha. It was busy and a constriction point. From Crater Rock col, it was bucket steps to the top. The snow was hard which was good for the folks on foot. No one skied from the summit. That would likely have been suicidal. From Crater Rock Alex and Rick skied down and they said it certainly was survival skiing. Late in the morning we were walking off the last part by the ski area and the snow had gone unsupportive and I longed for the trudge to end." — BertB • May 11, 2019

"Left Pole Creek TH at 5:30 and hit snow within one mile of the trailhead. Snow conditions were good enough to just walk on top until breaking out of the trees on the glacier approach. Skinned to the saddle @ 9:30 and grabbed some breakfast. Ridgeline up Middle was melted out enough to follow for about 200' then skirted west on the face to reach really nice suncups and rocks to follow up to the summit. No wind at all on the summit, perfect day - 10:45am. Rode out Hayden Glacier on perfect snow. Back at the car by 1:45pm. " — oregon-mt-goat • May 10, 2019