Mount Adams (WA)

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pbakwin
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by pbakwin »

I'd go early season & ski it!
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RoanMtnMan
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by RoanMtnMan »

We climbed and skied the SW chutes in Dec of 1997 or maybe it was 98. I do remember the approach taking forever or perhaps I was just young and impatient. We took 2 days due to the fact that we were all coming from sea level. I recollect that the conditions were remarkably safe for that time of year. A vintage photo from that trip. That's right, skis and snowshoes, that is how I rolled back then. :-D

Image
Last edited by RoanMtnMan on Fri Dec 07, 2012 10:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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lordhelmut
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by lordhelmut »

Dammit, due to this thread, I'm yearning big time for some Cascade descents. Thanks a lot you jackasses!
lazy climber
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by lazy climber »

One of the issues with doing Adams or a lot of the other Cascade climbs is that the trailheads are under snow till sometimes late June early July, great climbing but you may have to hike in an extra 3-5 miles just to get to the TH and the weather can still be iffy that time of year. "Summer" does not start here till after the 4th of July. If you want to do St Helens it has become a big pile of rocks by mid June and permits are $27 a day and it is only for that day, no "rain checks". Hood may still be OK by mid June, depending on our winter.

If you have skis then getting in early is not too bad and there can be some great runs, it makes getting up the "road" worthwhile.
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--bb--
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by --bb-- »

I found Mt Adams to be a fun hike, even though I yearned to be on Rainier once on the summit. A friend and I set out from Seattle in the AM on an early September day. Took South Climb Trail #183. We started early afternoon and hiked /camped below the "Lunch Counter" at dusk. Good views of Mt Hood and Helen's. We didn't need crampons until just above the lunch counter and below Suksdorf Ridge. Was pretty windy on summit that day. PM me if you'd like more details.
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by Rick Canter »

Hi folks,

Does anyone have an elevation profile of the Cold Spring/Lunch Counter/Pikers Peak south-side route up Mt. Adams, WA? I am on a team in August hoping to make it up.

Thanks, Rick
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spiderman
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by spiderman »

We were up on Adams earlier this month. It was a very bad snow year for that peak.

The summitpost page is quite accurate. The steepest section was near the top of the slope between Lunch Counter and Pikers. The 30 degree estimate sounds about accurate. Some people started late when the snow softened, and had no problems making it with no crampons and no ice ax (not recommended). I personally preferred an earlier start to avoid roasting in the mid-day sun. It was one of the easiest Cascade volcanoes that I have been on; a relaxing 1.5 day stroll if the weather is nice.

http://www.summitpost.org/south-spur/155590" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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kaiman
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by kaiman »

Rick Canter wrote:Hi folks,

Does anyone have an elevation profile of the Cold Spring/Lunch Counter/Pikers Peak south-side route up Mt. Adams, WA? I am on a team in August hoping to make it up.

Thanks, Rick
I was on Mount Adams on the 8-9th of July and climbed it solo via the South Climb route. Just to echo spiderman's comments the summitpost.org page is pretty accurate: http://www.summitpost.org/south-spur/155590. The trail starts at Cold Springs at 5,600 feet and climbs for 2 miles before crossing Morrison Creek at around 7,000 feet. Treeline is at between 7,500-8,000 feet and the Lunch Counter is reached after 4 miles and sits at around 9,000 feet on the Crescent Glacier below Pikers Peak. The 2,500 feet from the Lunch Counter to the top of Pikers Peak (11,657) is the crux and averages about 29-33 degrees (yes I was curious and measured it). From the top of Pikers Peak you descend slightly (maybe a 100-150 feet or so?) and then continue up the ridge to the summit at 12,276. Round trip the route is 12+ miles and +-7,000 feet of vertical.

I did it in two days, hiking in the evening before and camping above Morrison Creek. The next morning I started at 4 AM and was on the summit around 9:30, stayed on the summit for 45 minutes or so and was back at camp near Morrison Creek around 1:30 PM and back at the trail head by 3:30-3:45 PM after packing up camp. Most people hike 4 miles in and camp at the Lunch Counter, but it is windy and there is no reliable water sources after Morrison Creek so I chose to camp lower (it is also more scenic IMHO). The trail from Cold Springs to where you get on the Crescent Glacier is well maintained and laid out well and aside from the Pole Creek Trail to Middle and North Sister in Bend, Oregon is probably one of the best approach trails in the Cascades I've been on.

Once on the glacier you will follow the obvious route around the Lunch Counter to the base of Pikers Peak. The morning I was there the snow was firm until about 8-8:30 and was getting totally soft on my descent at 10-11 AM. You could probably get away without an ice axe and just use trekking poles, but will definitely want crampons for the glacier in the early morning (and the descent) and an ice axe as well especially if you plan to glissade on the descent (I would highly recommend this, it only took me about 20-25 minutes to get to the bottom of Pikers Peak on the way down and was way easier then trying to plunge step for 2,500 feet).

As spiderman points out it is one of the easier Cascade volcanoes, but the climb to the top of Pikers Peak is steep enough to get your attention. If you haven't spent much time climbing on glaciers, just take your time and be careful and you will do fine. It also might not be a bad idea to find a snow patch/field somewhere in Colorado before you go and practice self-arrest. Also Oregon and Washington were in the 90s while I was there and the Cascades have had one of the worst snow years on record this year so things may be a bit icy by the time you get there in August.

All in all it is a great trip and I would highly recommend it. Personally, I was pretty drained by the time I got back to my truck but I had just soloed Mount Saint Helens and Mount Hood a couple days before so my energy resources were already zapped. Anyway if I have time I'll try to post some pictures tonight. Otherwise, good luck and have fun!

Kai
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"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."

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Rick Canter
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by Rick Canter »

Thank you, Kai, I appreciate any further resources. Your description above is the most detailed I have found online.

I am in Maryland, so no chance to practice with the axe until I am "live". Crampons ready to go. It is impossible to tell what condition the route will be in until we arrive. Snow happens there in August and so far it has been an exceptionally dry, warm year there. This may make up for my Mt. St. Helens trip, where we were stopped short of the rim due to a cornice, and enjoyed long glissades, in a season I expected to be near-dry. Mountains, so unpredictable.
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kaiman
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by kaiman »

Rick Canter wrote:Thank you, Kai, I appreciate any further resources. Your description above is the most detailed I have found online.

I am in Maryland, so no chance to practice with the axe until I am "live". Crampons ready to go. It is impossible to tell what condition the route will be in until we arrive. Snow happens there in August and so far it has been an exceptionally dry, warm year there. This may make up for my Mt. St. Helens trip, where we were stopped short of the rim due to a cornice, and enjoyed long glissades, in a season I expected to be near-dry. Mountains, so unpredictable.
No problem, I'm glad to help. It sounds like you have some experience in the Cascades so you should have a blast. You could always practice self arrest around the Lunch Counter if you think you need a refresher...

Just an FYI in case you are going back to Mount Saint Helens during your trip to Mount Adams - Mount Saint Helens is bone dry from trail head to summit and makes for a long scree slog with some easy Class 3 scrambling thrown in in the middle. The cornice on the crater rim has completely melted to below the inside of the crater and even the small snowfield/glacier to the left/west of Monitor Ridge is pretty much gone. So no need for snow gear. Also watching the rockfall inside the crater from the summit was pretty spectacular.

One last thing, another place to look for beta on Mount Adams before your trip is the Washington Trails Association Trip Reports page: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports. It seems to have new reports a couple times a month. Just do a search for "Mount Adams".

Onward and upward,

Kai
"I want to keep the mountains clean of racism, religion and politics. In the mountains this should play no role."

- Joe Stettner

"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."

- Andy Kirkpatrick
lazy climber
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by lazy climber »

We had a dry winter and it has been hot here, no rain for several weeks, I was on Baker the end of May and it looked like July/August snow conditions, Helens has very little to no snow left on it and Hood is fairly dry as well. I drove thru Hood River a few weeks ago and Adams had snow up high but I would guess you could hike to the lunch counter and maybe hit a bit of snow just below there and if you wanted could maybe hike some of the way to Pikers Peak on dry ground.

I would figure on dulling your spikes with walking on rocks a fair amount, should still be a nice time.
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kaiman
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Re: Mount Adams (WA)

Post by kaiman »

lazy climber wrote:We had a dry winter and it has been hot here, no rain for several weeks, I was on Baker the end of May and it looked like July/August snow conditions, Helens has very little to no snow left on it and Hood is fairly dry as well. I drove thru Hood River a few weeks ago and Adams had snow up high but I would guess you could hike to the lunch counter and maybe hit a bit of snow just below there and if you wanted could maybe hike some of the way to Pikers Peak on dry ground.

I would figure on dulling your spikes with walking on rocks a fair amount, should still be a nice time.
See my posts above (I was on Adams 11 days ago). There is actually quite a bit of snow down below the Lunch Counter and Pikers Peak is fully covered. No need to cross dry ground and dull your crampons. The snow is pretty firm in the early morning and softens up pretty quickly once the sun rises but makes for nice glissading. I'd expect it to stick around until early August when the OP will be there.
"I want to keep the mountains clean of racism, religion and politics. In the mountains this should play no role."

- Joe Stettner

"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."

- Andy Kirkpatrick
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