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over the hills and far away
Canada
708 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2009 : 2:24 PM
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Almost on a whim, Geoff, Brandon and I decided to road-trip down to southern Washington on Friday to tackle this 12,000+ foot volcano. It was a bit of a crazy trip... Here was our time-frame:
1) Crossed the border in Sumas at 6pm Friday
2) Arrived at the trailhead 3:30am Sat morning. All three of us napped in Brandon's Suzuki Swift for a couple hours, completely bagged.
3) Started hiking at 6am Sat morn
4) Summitted by noon
5) Back to the car by 4pm
6) Crossed back into Canada at 1am Sat night/Sun morning.
With gas and meals/munchies we each did this trip in under 50 bucks.
Summitting Mt Adams was not what I expected. I knew it was not a technical climb (via the southern main route), but I did not expect it to be so easy, nor for the mountain to be swarming with hikers. We were reminded of old pics from the Chillcoot Trail, Yukon, during the gold-rush days, with people lined in single-file, slowly trudging up the snow slopes. It was very crowded on the summit, and on the hike down it's no exaggeration to say we passed over 100 people heading up to make base-camp: the young, the old, the beautiful, the obese. I made note of a few bizarre things we saw which I didn't catch on film:
* people with crampons attached to running shoes, slopping through soft afternoon snow.
* a dude playing guitar on the summit
* a nice group from Tri-Cities who told us, "This is our first hike!"
* A group of three Mexican-Americans wearing the fanciest gear ever, but who were having a very hard time. The one fella's face was so white with sun-screen I swear he'd have survived a nuclear blast.
* people wearing shorts and jeans on the summit. (I was bundled up, and still chilly...)
* a dog on the sub-summit.
* a father with two young sons, all with their own ice-axes-- very cool.
So in a sense we were disappointed with the crowds and the ease of the hike. We were sort of hoping for more of a mountaineering experience. However, after telling the father and sons that there were almost 50 people on the summit, the father said something that changed my perspective: "Well that's 50 people that love the mountain." To me that captured the essence of why we were all there. Whether one had crampons unnecessarily attached to tennis sneakers or $400 mountaineering boots, or one's face was so painted up with sun-screen he looked like a Mexican-mime, or whether one was burning up in a tanktop with no hat, woefully unprepared, we were all there because we love being in the mountains, challenging ourselves to take another step towards the summit. In the end, Geoff, Brandon and I decided it was a great little trip, if somewhat of a whirlwind. Here's a few pics:
 Mooooo.....
 Mt St Helens at about 7am.
 Mt hood appears to be floating off in the distance.
 Nothing but a rubble heap...
 Mt hood from the sub-summit.
 Looking down from the sub-summit
 Reinier from summit.
 Reinier.
 Summit Plaque.
 The Hordes...
 Myself, Geoff, and Brandon. Brandon brought the flag-- was pretty fun watching people wonder where the hell we were from.
 Bumslide from Heaven.... A 1500+ foot bum slide drops from the sub-summit. I was behind Geoff, but the bloke in front of him stopped abruptly for no apparent reason, causing a traffic jam. Geoff almost ate my boots for lunch, and I whacked myself in the head with my pole while arresting.
So if you're looking to bag a big mountain, and don't mind a strenuous but easy slog, check out Mt. Adams. Bring your mule! Bring your tuba! Heck, bring your Uncle Muchacha from Whoknowswhere! Just don't bring others down....
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Edited by - Candy Sack on 07/19/2009 6:44 PM
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Calgary, AB
Canada
252 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2009 : 5:58 PM
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Great views and pictures. Looks like a fun trip down. Did you start at the Cold Springs trail head? If so, how was the signage and road to Cold Springs? Might be in the area this w/e.
What were the temps/wind like on top? |
Edited by - Eco on 07/19/2009 6:09 PM |
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over the hills and far away
Canada
708 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2009 : 6:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Eco
Great views and pictures. Looks like a fun trip down. Did you start at the Cold Springs trail head? If so, how was the signage and road to Cold Springs? Might be in the area this w/e.
What were the temps/wind like on top?
Thanks for the note. Yes we started at Cold Springs. Honestly, it was dark in the middle of the night and we were tired, and I was passed out in the back seat a lot, but we used a road map and directions from Googlearth. The ranger station in Trout Lake, where we got permits, might be useful for info. I know we took a wrong turn once on gravel, but easily backtracked and found the right way. The drive to the trailhead is pretty. Brandon said it was about 4-5 degrees at summit, but it was windy so felt much colder. I needed gloves and to be bundled up- however, some people wore shorts, so go figure... |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
21 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2009 : 7:00 PM
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| Great TR Clayton and funny too. Another great adventure under our belts. Thanks for taking the time to do this up. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
517 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2009 : 11:01 AM
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It can be a bit of circus up there! Same for any volcano that has an easy road access.
If you want solitude and more of mountaineering experience climb Adams in March, April or May, nobody up there and with weather a bit more harsh even the Suksdorf Ridge can be quite challenging.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/runningclouds/149714077/in/set-72057594139967495/
The South Ridge attracts 99% of the traffic. SW chutes or Avalanche Glacier share the same trailhead (and the final summit bit) but offer solitude and and a bit more technical challenge.
The N side has some long glacier climbs that see very few people. |
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Ladner, BC
Canada
1176 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2009 : 11:51 AM
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The next time I go there, i'll take your advice and bring my Tuba....and my skis.
neat to see it with less snow. Great job on your timing... that's tough to do!
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Portland, Oregon
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2009 : 11:55 AM
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| Yep, Adams is a zoo on weekends. For more solitude, the Mazama Glacier or North Ridge may be a better bet. You'll get 1/1000th the amount of humanity until you get to the summit. |
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north vancouver, british columbia
Canada
605 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2009 : 3:18 PM
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Good stuff thanks for sharing!
Running clouds is correct you can find peace and quiet on the north side!
Nice ski routes to! |
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2009 : 10:55 PM
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| I think you're from BC, hurray! Great report of an area I'd like to visit even though it's well trodden. |
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Mt Adams: Among the Hordes...
