Ptown_Climber1 Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Trip: Mt. Adams - North Ridge (the rematch) Date: 8/12/2007 Trip Report: The fate of my last attempt to summit Adams via North Ridge had been gnawing at me for some time. At home, at work, on the tennis court....I knew I had to get back up there and close the deal. So once again my climbing companion Dean, along with a new addition, Sebastian (a veteran from Leuthold climb back in April), asked Mother Adams if we might be worthy of a date with her cranky, chossy, temperamental daughter-North Ridge. This time, she grudgingly obliged. The trip started out on a major downer when, just a few miles out of Randle, we hit a deer. Dean's car suffered some major body damage, and the deer died moments later....we all felt like crap. Some locals heard it and came out with a tractor to haul it away. Our only solace was the hope that they'd at least get some venison steaks out of it; apparently that's illegal, but hate to see the deer killed and not used in some way....anyhow, that sucked, but fortunately was not a portent of things to come. Arriving at the trail head about noon Saturday under blue bird skies, things looked good for us this time around. We set out for our high camp....now, this is the thing-the lake at 7,500 feet is pretty and provides a good late season water source, but in my opinion is too low of a base camp for North Ridge. I really thought getting up higher and on the ridge would give us a better chance for success, also condidering the most recent weather forecast calling for an incoming system. Problem of course, is that there's no more snow left within easy reach of the ridge! Sooo, crazy as it sounds, we filtered a couple gallons of water at the lake in the empty water jugs we'd brought along, and hauled them on up to North Ridge saddle at about 8,800 feet. Yeah, it sucked for that hour and a half, and I think we all were likely privately cursing the idea at the time. But it paid big time dividends in the forms of an absolutely beautiful, fit-for-a-king bivy high on the mountain with a bird's eye view of all surrounding peaks, as well as a much needed head start on the next day's climb. Sebby actually packed up a few Sierra Nevadas....I can't imagine a more beautiful place to enjoy a cold one at sunset. Slept under the stars....meteors galore...the milky way...wow. 5 AM wake-up call reveals clouds moving in...."Oh crap, not again", I think. Some warm oatmeal, a little tea, and we sally forth around 6:30. The route was pretty straightforward; like Couloir said, every time it seemed like things dead ended, a little scouting around would reveal a passage to the next section. This actually was a lot of fun, and kept my attention away from the lenticular cloud cap that was slowly forming over the summit ice cap. I can see why many folks don't like this route in late season. It WAS quite messy and loose in spots; although it only really bothered me when we had to come back down it. The views of Adams glacier, when they opened up, were outstanding. That things is a mess right now....remind me to tell the story of the guy that was trying to solo it Sunday morning...yikes....I told him I'd heard it was pretty much impassable up high, but he wanted to have a go....I'm sure he didn't make it, but I was relieved to see his tent gone from the lake, so he fortunately survived it. By the time we topped out on the ridge, the winds were raging to the point where gusts were capable of knocking you over if they caught you by surprise or in an awkward place....the seeds of doubt as to whether we were going to make it were being planted. Visibility was narrowing, winds were blasting us mercilessly, and the sulphur fumes at 11,000 feet were making us all a little queasy....the saving grace was that the clouds would periodically open up a window so we could see where to go....the last 0.4 miles were navigated with help of gps. I think we were all wondering if the turn around point was near, but when the altimeter indicated we were a mere 300 ft lower than the summit, we knew we had to be close!! Alas, I glimpsed the summit rim, and then the old lookout up there....we'd done it.It was 11:45. We had the summit to ourselves. Saw a couple folks coming up from Piker's Peak, but they evidently turned around. After a fifteen minute snack break using the the old shack up there as a windbreak, we slapped on the crampons for the descent back into the surrounding whiteness. It was quite icy going down the the summit slopes. As we began our descent of North Ridge, winds accelerated, and snow began to fall. It wasn't really sticking, but still, it seemed like the mountain was ready to have us part company. Route finding back down the ridge was a little hairy at times, but it is marked here and there. One nervous moment was had when, in the midst of the deteriorating weather, Dean dislocated his knee cap (ouch!)....he set it back in place and limped down. Apparently it's not the first time it's happened for him. Finally, at around 3 PM, we reached camp. We had ducked back under the clouds somewhat, and the mountain, apparently appeased, relented her winds long enough for us to make some coffee and tea, eat a couple snacks, and pack it on out of there. It was 8:15 by the time we got back to our car. A small celebration was had with the help of a few Sierras and some good reminiscences on the darkening road back out to Randle. It was a successful, memorable outing. You just can't beat the views or the solitude found on the north side of our Cascade volcanoes. I really enjoyed the route (although it is quite long), but if I was to do it again, I think descending south side would be key. Back to Portland by midnight, deliriously fatigued, but grateful for another awesome mountain adventure. A few pics.... Quote
Couloir Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Veddy-NIIIce! :borat: Yes, it's a fun trip. And there really is nothing better than some good adult beverages and a great view from that ridge. Good job! Quote
NShighlander Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Thanks Kris for the leadership! Actually I didn't dislocate my knee, I was just playing the card hoping to be carried down that nasty ridge! Can you believe they didn't fall for it! Great adventure, looking forward to the next! Couloir, thanks for the beta on the route, your name came up often on the climb! Quote
shortstow Posted August 24, 2007 Posted August 24, 2007 I think I am going to have to look into this route for next year Quote
mbiundo Posted August 16, 2008 Posted August 16, 2008 (edited) Good job, loved the shots, see you up there next year. -Marc Here is a panoramic for others interested in the route... Edited August 17, 2008 by mbiundo Quote
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