Associated Press
VANCOUVER, Wash. — The sun has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest, but permits to climb Mount St. Helens have already sold out.
The Columbian reported that permits to climb to the volcano’s 8,363-foot summit are sold out until at least Sept. 27, as are the first two weekends in October — the final month of the season.
The U.S. Forest Service, which oversees the volcano, releases a set number of permits per year. Those are sold by the Mount St. Helens Institute through an online vendor.
Ray Yurkewycz, the institute’s executive director, says in the last few years, about half of the season’s roughly 39,000 permits are sold on the first day they’re available.
He says the demand is increasing.
In 2011, about 13,800 climbing permits were sold. Last year, the total was just over 20,000.
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