Forum Index > Trip Reports > Mount Adams, 7/15 & 7/16/06
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Opus
Wannabe



Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 3700 | TRs | Pics
Location: The big rock candy mountain
Opus
Wannabe
PostMon Jul 17, 2006 9:51 pm 
Second volcano down - first Baker and now Adams! Big thanks to Quark for spotting us the missing pieces of gear needed for ths trip! up.gif A very early start and we were on our way out of Seattle in a little hatchback crammed full of people and gear. Such a long drive... Eventually we reached the Trout Lake rangers and after waiting in line behind a large group of Microsofters getting their permits we were on our way up the bumpy road to the campground. Lots of cars in the camp so we grabbed the first pull out we could, which actually turned out to be fairly close to the trailhead start. Many people on their way up and alot of bear grass in bloom. We hit snow near the start of the Crescent Glacier. Climbing up the slope onto the glacier we jealously watched some of the previous climbers glissading down a chute, knowing we would have our chance the next day. The stripe of chutes running the length of the peak were visible all the way down at the base of the mountain!
About 500ft below Lunch Counter we ran into a ranger heading down and he directed us off to the left away from the counter where there was running water and more privacy. We snagged a primo sheltered campsite below a rock pile near to the water. After making camp we cooked up some dinner and ate the little birthday cake that was packed up for one climber! Then it was off to bed after a nice sunset over St Helens.
Next morning we were off for the summit around 5:45. Crampon trouble and altitude effects caused the group to split in two. I swapped crampons and we were soon off again chasing the rest of our party. By now lots of people were on the ascent. Several groups passed us, including two large groups of teenagers in shorts and tennis shoes. The snow conditions were just about perfect - firm but not icy - but we were still glad to have crampons.
At the top of Pikers we were nearly blown over by a brutal cold wind. There were many people here hunkered down in the rocks or checking out the start of the long glissade chute. We headed on down into the saddle below the true summit and the wind disappeared. One last push up to the true summit and we were on top ... along with a mob of other climbers! We found the rest of our party, posed at the Mt Adams summit obligatory photo point, and started our descent.
And now the glissades; oh those glissades! borank.gif The first one took us all the way down to the saddle below the summit. A quick walk over to Pikers and now we were ready for the big ride - all the way back down to near Lunch Counter. Wow what a ride! The chute was a good 2ft deep in places with excellent banked twists and turns! What took hours to ascent was only a few minute slide back down! It was all over too soon though... bawl.gif
We packed up camp and headed back. One last glissade down off the Crescent Glacier - a fairly scary one actually. At first it seems fine but it quickly becomes steeper and steeper into a very deep chute with no turns. My GPS recorded a maximum speed of 13.1mph! A long tiring drive back and we'd survived another Cascade volcano adventure. No injuries or accidents, just alot of fun and sweat. Two mountains down, two to go! The rest of the photos

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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore



Joined: 15 May 2003
Posts: 14152 | TRs | Pics
Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
PostMon Jul 17, 2006 10:28 pm 
Congrats! Good to see at least something of mine was on the summit, or near it, if it couldn't be my own self. I just can't deal with the crowds. I know that's a stupid reason, but I can't help it. Mt Rainier next weekend'll be crowded for you all; but that summit is so big, it likely won't be noticed much. I especially like the pic of folks on the summit with Hood in the background. Happy Birthday, Glee-sading E! up.gif

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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Opus
Wannabe



Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 3700 | TRs | Pics
Location: The big rock candy mountain
Opus
Wannabe
PostMon Jul 17, 2006 10:39 pm 
Well now you've got to go - you cant be beaten to the top by your own helmet! biggrin.gif Helmets came to good use on this trip - we were one of the few people to have them. Partway up someone yelled 'Rock!' and we saw a climber in a big group go down. Turns out it glanced off the helmet of one in our group before knocking the other guy over. Everyone was alright though. The only incident involved the rock survivor getting lost inside Azteca after we were seated. lol.gif

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torn_hike
Member
Member


Joined: 22 Jun 2005
Posts: 24 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
torn_hike
Member
PostTue Jul 18, 2006 7:53 am 
Quark: I couple of friends and I summited Adams on the Sunday/Monday of Labor day in 2004. We only saw 10 people the entire day going from the Lunch Counter up to the summit, even though the weather was perfect and the snow conditions were ideal. If you are interested in going there, you might want to try going to the top at the end of a holiday weekend.

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