[TR] Mt. Adams- Adams Glacier 6/25/2006

[Gary_Yngve]

Climb: Mt. Adams-Adams Glacier

 

Date of Climb: 6/25/2006

 

Trip Report:

Aaron, Josh, Justin, and myself were eager to get on a northside volcano route, having been shutdown Memorial Weekend from our plans to do Liberty Ridge. We only had two days and weren't feeling extra-burly, so we settled on Adams Glacier.

 

We drove down there, not bothering to check conditions, only to find snow on the road around Takh-Takh Meadows. No problem, we had a 4wd Pathfinder and were in the mood for some rallying. Partway through the snow, we high-center the vehicle. Not deterred, we jacked up the vehicle and dug out all the snow. Then we had the brilliant idea that with a good start, we could push through the remainder of the snow. About ten feet later, we were high-centered again. By now we had wasted well over an hour, so we decided to leave the car there and walked the mostly dry road to the TH.

 

 

We got to the Divide TH a little over a mile later and blundered by walking along an old road instead of the old trail. We passed some local yahoos who were shooting their pistols at trees in the direction we intended to go. They offered to shoot at something else. We ended up too far west and fought our way through hot talus before the terrain eased.

 

 

Nice meadows led us up the slopes of Adams, and we were soon in the Adams Creek drainage, where we should have been from the start.

 

 

We stopped at a small stream near the creek that was running clearer and stopped to fill up. We stumbled across some lucky bastard's cache (later learned it was Pa Hummel) and let it taunt us for fear of bad mountain karma.

 

 

We continued up the snowfields, noticing some cool freeze-thaw? cones?/penitentes? along the way.

 

 

At 7400 feet, we set up camp near a mediocre water source and chilled out.

 

 

We pondered such inventions as "Atkins water" as we prepared and ate dinner and studied the route. A large group of skiers, mere dots from our vantage point, descended the NFNWR.

 

The sun slowly set to the NW on one of the longest days of the year, and we relished the views, both the alpenglow of Adams

 

 

and the subtle shades of the rolling ridges interspersed with larger peaks.

 

 

We set the alarm for 3AM and went to bed.

 

Around 4:15AM I stirred, noting that it was getting unusually light outside for 3AM. I looked at my watch and was horrified to see that we had overslept. I mumbled something to Aaron how I didn't hear the alarm and dozed off again. A few minutes later, Aaron roused everyone up. We quickly got our shit together, put rocks on our overnight gear, and started stomping up the snowfield. We could see a party at least a third the way up the route.

 

 

We got a little higher and roped up when we started seeing signs of glacier activity. Light was just starting to hit Rainier.

 

 

Soon we were at the fan at the base of the route. We again spotted the party above.

 

 

St. Helens was getting sun now. We were occasionally able to see thin wisps of farts from it, though we were more aware of a general sulfurous smell either coming out of Adams or one of my partners.

 

 

We climbed the route as two ropeteams of two, with the second ropeteam clipping the first's gear, and I took the first stretch of placing gear. "Where's our fourth picket?" "Everyone was supposed to carry in a picket." "I said I wasn't carrying a picket because I was carrying a rope." "I guess we don't have a fourth picket."

 

The snow had frozen nicely overnight, and the great conditions allowed us to travel fast. I didn't place the first picket until a few hundred feet up after crossing a crevasse.

 

 

We were rapidly approaching the party above us.

 

 

Now sunlight bathed most of the land, though we were still in the shade.

 

 

We continued up, approaching the cliffs above us.

 

 

The ice cliffs offered solid screw placements on our leftward traverse past them.

 

 

The traverse up-and-left went on for a while, but we soon bypassed the ice cliffs and reached easier terrain.

 

 

There we met up with a team of three Mountaineers, some of whom we knew. We exchanged pleasantries and reracked gear. Just then, the sun rose over the north ridge, silhouetting Bruce from the party of three.

 

 

 

We paralleled each other the next few hundred feet up the route

 

 

before pulling ahead and reaching the summit plateau a little before 10 AM.

 

 

 

 

 

We tagged the summit,

 

 

which was shared by about 30 people, mostly with skiis. I was told it can get more crowded. We then headed back to our packs on the summit plateau and trudged across it to the North Ridge.

 

 

On the way down, we ran into Sky, who had just gone up the Lava Glacier, and the Hummels, who were coming up the North Ridge. We chatted, making reference to the Guinness, and continued down, meeting up with the party of three again (who had declined the summit). We took our time on the rubble on the lower ridge and crossed onto soft snow when we had the chance. I ran ahead so I could sneak a dip in the lake.

 

 

We got back to camp, lounged around, and finally packed up. Once again, we passed the Guinness on the way out, wondering if its owner had forgotten it and it was ok to booty. But we left it. This time on the way out, we followed the left side of the creek directly and quickly to the trailhead -- much better than our way in. We then hoofed it down the road, noting it was much more melted out, and arrived back to our car, relieved that it wouldn't need more digging.

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

used: 3 pickets, 4 screws

 

shoulda had: bulletproof vest, thinking caps, beer

[AllYouCanEat]

That Guinness shot is awesome! It was nice meeting you all. The ski down was incredible on day two. Fun stuff.

 

I think this shot shows you guys at night. The lowest 3 dots are climbers.

 

 

I think that this is your team or the other team in front of you.

 

BTW great pictures. That alpenglow one you have is great.

 

Here's one I took from the lake:

 

 

Sorry my old man littered your climbing route with ski tracks and didn't bring you a beer. I'll have to teach him better etiquette

[zoroastr]

Incredible Pix! Thank You.

Edited July 1, 2006 by zoroastr

[Gary_Yngve]

Nice reflection shot!

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Awesome pictures as usual!! I really like the alpenglow shot. Thanks for posting Gary.

 

Reminds me of our trip during the same dates last year. Higher amounts of snow are visible in your pictures, but

not a lot more I guess. A huge serac broke, setting off a thundering avy down the glacier. Looks like things were

calm up there this time .

[XXX]

Nice job Gary! love the pics they look good.

[fenderfour]

The shot of the five climbers below the ice cliff is awesome. Thanks for the great TR.