[moonspots]

I tried climbing Mt Adams last September with my son and both grandsons, but we turned around at the tent sites near Morrison Creek due to snow/rain/hail. Ok, that was a good exploratory trip. We'll get it next year.... So, I tried again this week (Monday, 8/7/2017) with my eldest grandson (he's 15 and full of energy). Dinner the night before was quite good, quite the relaxing place for a meal.

Trout lake Country Inn

Geared up and ready to go.

Parker and me at trailhead 183

thumbs up

trail along ridge west of morrison creek

Poor visibility until we go to around 8-9K.

morning view of Mt St Helens

car is about 5 miles that way!

We setup camp, had dinner (MH of one flavor or another - "ok", but not great).

Got up early the next morning and after another MH meal, off we went.

Tuesday morning start

However, this time we turned around at 10,029' (according to his iphone GPS). I don't know why, but I didn't "feel it". By 10K, my grandson was tired of it all also (but as is typical, he never said a word, just kept plugging along), but I didn't feel like continuing up the steep snow field so I asked if he wanted to turn back. "Yes" so we stopped, looked around a bit then went back down.

view from above tent site

Yeah, we only had about 2200' and maybe another mile to go, but hindsight now tells me that I had FAR too heavy a pack. So next time (if there is a next time), I'll only carry enough water to get to Morrison creek, then from there on I'll melt snow. And I have a much lighter camp stove now. So, we'll see...

Summit is another 2200' up, and about a mile distant

Parker and I decided to "call it" around 10K. Time to go back down.

As a 'burger and a good beer at "Everybody's Brewery" in White Salmon was calling to me, and I've seen the landscape from the top of 3 good sized WA mountains already, I "called it". About then he said "yeah, this isn't fun anymore". Last night he said "grandpa, I think I could do it again". I laughed as I've said the same thing each time after I've descend a mountain declaring "that's it, no more". I always seem to have big plans for more mountains to explore, so we'll see what actually happens. I now have all winter/spring/summer to prepare again as I didn't really do any leg/stamina preparation for this trip. I was busy with various family obligations, and I thought I was in good enough shape and so on. However, the trek back down this time didn't bother me at all as compared to my first summit descent (Rainier in 2012), so *something* is improving. It was a good experience though, I saw all the interesting tent sites along the trail up to the lunch counter that I've read about, we camped in one, and it was quite a fine place to setup camp. Tried out a new MSR Reactor stove (works GREAT), and an MSR water bag which worked out MISERABLY - (a letter to them is forthcoming - update: two letters sent with no reply beyond the automated "we got your e-mail"...hmmm). Regardless of how tight I tried to cinch up the small cap on top of the large one, it leaked! All over the contents of my pack the night prior to the climb. Fortunately I was in a motel with laundry (Trout Lake Inn - EXCELLENT motel), and was able to dry all before retiring for the night. And, by chance I saw a small silicone "gasket" laying on the ground as we were unpacking at the trailhead! It fit a waterbottle cap, so I used that for a cap instead of the factory one. Worked fine. Always something to be learned, it seems. Now, after thinking about it a bit, I believe a good part of the reason I turned back was that I just didn't feel like spending another night in the tent. We could have muddled our way to the summit, then back to camp by early afternoon/evening, stayed another night and the trip down would have been quite comfortable. So, yet another lesson learned. Onward! Well, as a bit of a "consolation prize", my son, brother and I climbed Spencer Butte in Eugene, Oregon the other day. And to make it a bit better, we hiked/climbed the west side trail (steep with rock scramble). And even though I grew up there, I had never even been to this small peak, so this was a good day. Another "peak bagged"! The good thing is that unlike the time years ago that my brother attempted it, we encountered no rattlesnakes!

[lookout bob]

Moonspots...I'm getting old too. ( 65) Not able to do things I used to take for granted. I do think there's a great benefit to listening to what ones body is telling you. I was out with WTA at Soda Springs near Bumping Lake crosscutting and notice I don't have nearly the former endurance on the saw. So, I listen and switch off cutting with others more often and sit down to admire the woods and the other sawyers styles of cutting. It's all good.

[Brushbuffalo]

I have hiked, climbed, and biked since before I was a teenager, which equates to parts of seven decades. Although I am not yet a totally tottering trembler, I have noticed that the familiar trails seem steeper, 30 pounds on the back is like the 50 pounds of old, and a twelve mile day is a pretty big day ( it used to be a cool-down after a 50 miler). However, I don't think I have ever enjoyed the natural world more than in these later years, physical infirmities notwithstanding. Part of this contentment derives from doing trail work, helping at trail races, giving novices a good taste of mountaineering, and in other ways giving to others in activities that have given so much to me.

[Mikey]

Conditioning at higher altitude will help. I assume that hiking at high altitude in North Dakota might not be easy to find. Remember that the atmospheric pressure decreases about 1" mercury for every 1000 ft increase in altitude so the about 12,000 ft Mt Adams has about 29.92-12 = 17.92" mercury pressure. Note that the air pressure in a commercial aircraft is supposedly kept at an air pressure equivalent to 8000 ft elevation. Experienced climber Pat Chamay died June 24 1968 of high altitude pulmonary edema on Mt Rainier at about 10,000 ft elevation.

[moonspots]

[PorcupinePhobia]

I think about this a lot. I'm less than half the age of the people in this thread, but my career allows me to talk to people of all ages in the last days or moments of their lives. There is always a common theme of "don't waste your youth" or "quit making plans and start making moves" which I try to take seriously. People are generally pretty honest when they know they are going to die. So. Get out and go. I'm trying to pursue my interests as actively as possible, while hoping I'm still game (and lucky enough) to have a crack at the mountains in another 30-40 years. I've run ultras with guys in their 60s, and I feel like I need to unlock the "secret". Anyway. I don't think I said any of that in an eloquent manner but that's what your post made me think of.

[boot up]

[moonspots]

[HitTheTrail]

The secret is to accept what your limits are becoming and keep getting out while trying to stay within them. That's one of the reasons I don't mind going on multi day solo trips. It makes you completely flexible and able to change your plan and/or completely bail if that's what's called for (I do it all the time). But the important thing is getting out. BTW, great TR.

[moonspots]

[HitTheTrail]

[Ski]

[williswall]