jfmctlaw

How do you guys put pictures on your posts? I attached one to the above post, but it is not diplayed. It is however shown as an 'attachment' and you can d/l it. Do you just copy and paste? I'm running Netscape 7.2/Mac OSX 10.3.9

My crew and I climbed Mt. St. H on 8/23. I had never been there before, and even though I did a lot of research, certain information was unclear. So here's what I learned. You can drive your car right up to Climber's Bivy (CB). It's a dead end cul de sac (circle) with some very basic campsites and fire rings. There are also 2 small wooden buildings housing a toilet each. More importantly there is no water at the Bivy. Bring all the water you need to camp and climb. I saw no water on the climb... yes you could melt snow up higher but that means a stove and fuel and a pot. There is no garbage dumpster at CB, so you carry yours out. In hindsight I would camp elsewhere like Cougar Bay (showers, running water, dumpsters) and drive to CB in the AM. When you come down in the eve (exhausted and filthy), you go back to a nice campsite (and shower) if you like. I spoke to a ranger about the dearth of facilities at CB. He said at one time there was water at CB but somehow the well didn't hold up. Anyways it's the bare minimum. The climb itself is very straight forward. The hardest part IMHO occurs just after you pass above tree line. There are some boulders you have to work through that are challenging for people not used to balancing on a rock point and then moving to the next pointed rock, but young kids can do it. I'm saying this just so you know, it's not a TRAIL hike. The view is great, but there is dust and ash flying around up top depending on the winds. My camera shutter got stuck due to the ash but luckily my daughter noticed and we manually opened it thereafter. $22 does seem outrageous to climb a mountain. Hopefully something good is done with that money.

I went up Mt. Adams with my kids (12/13 yo) on 9/1/06. We had crampons/ice ax/ski poles and used them (our first crampon outing). But I also saw a guy fly by us in the AM who was in just regular hiking boots. He summited. You can get to the top without crampons now. You just climb up the ridge West of LC from Crescent Glacier on up. The trade offs are, crampons climb more efficiently on snow than boots on loose rock (and the rock is loose above LC, but crampons add weight and you lose time on transistioning to them/off them. You also need to unpackage/package your crampons. The Mountain Shop had no point protectors to rent to us. It was a headache dealing with the crampons. They are sharp and will cause damage to your head or other gear. Plus you only use them from LC up. If I was to climb this wknd, I would probably leave them and the ax behind. Trekking poles are sufficient. On a good note, you can still glissade down from Pikers Peak to the top of LC. It took us 2hr 15 mins to get back to our Crescent glacier camp after climbing up 8hrs up that day. I was stunned. Not much glissading in the White Mtns of NH, at least not in the summer time.

9800 feet is high enough for AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) to kick in. Do you drink coffee or other caffeinated substances? Do you drink alcohol or smoke? Did you drink plain water or a sugar/salt mixture of some kind during the hike? (Hyponatremia - electrolytic imbalance and exacerbated by water intake alone.) I'm in my fifties and I was just on Mt. Adams a few weeks ago (no TR yet, but I will). I live on the East Coast and although I ran up Mt. St. H a week before and did other short day climbs in between, all of these factors can slow you down (altitude kills speed). Just my thoughts. But congratulate youself on the outing. It was better than sitting home. Better luck next time.... for us all.

This pass is still for sale. You can PM me.

Here's a link for further info on the pass: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/recreate/nwpass.html

I live in CT and just got back. I have a NW Forest Pass ($30 annual fee) for sale. It is good until August 31, 2007. The pass is good for anyone. It is not in my name. I'd like $20 for it. Northwest Forest Pass– a new regional pass good at most USDA Forest Service fee sites throughout Oregon and Washington. An annual pass is $30, a daily pass is $5.

I plan on climbing the southern route on the weekend of 8/26. I will have my two teens with me. It's our first time on Mt. Adams. We are doing Mt. St. Helen's on 8/23. Sorry we can't do anything other than the southern route unless I felt it was appropriate for us as a group. We are 'newbies' on snow travel.

Flying into Portland. Thanks I'll look them up on the web and give them a call.

This would be our first time on Adams. I'm flying out from CT w/my 2 kids (13&14). They have great endurance. Looking for any other appropriate parties for that weekend. We dont' smoke, we like wildlife. Not looking to race up and down, but enjoy the whole trip. An early AM start is fine. I'm looking to rent appropriate gear so let me know of any good local outfitters for crampons.

I'm flying out from CT w/my 2 kids (13&14). They have great endurance. Looking for any other appropriate parties for that day. I have my permits. We dont' smoke, we like wildlife. Not looking to race up and down, but enjoy the whole trip. An early AM start is fine.