[TR] Mt. Adams - South Route Solo Ski Descent (Go Pro Stills) 7/1/2013

[lukeh]

Trip: Mt. Adams - South Route Solo Ski Descent (Go Pro Stills)

 

Date: 7/1/2013

 

Trip Report:

Headed down around 11k ft from the summit of Mt. Adams in late June/early July 2013 (lower quality Go Pro still). I ended up skiing Baker, Adams solo, then Rainier solo in 2013 for the first time. I don't ski well but I'm learning and getting better. I switched from snowboarding to save weight/quicken the transitions. I still love snowboarding. Click pic for a larger version.

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Mt. Adams was my first solo “mountaineering” experience (2009). It felt empowering to climb a mountain on my own for the first time. It was in November when the mountain was covered in ice, and the approach was in bad weather (high winds, blizzard-y snow, a few puddles). I was alone on the mountain while I setup camp under the Lunch Counter (9k ft) after the sun disappeared. A full moon came out that night as the skies cleared. I found something for myself that I’d continue to seek out for the next 5 years. I was fascinated with how the stars and moonlight interacted with the rocks, ice, trees, and mountain streams. I enjoyed reflecting on the shadows and watching how they move under the massive expanse of the universe. I also like Mountain House-brand freeze dried mac ‘n cheese.

 

I called my then-girlfriend from my tent as I was looking out at the glowing upper mountain against the backdrop of stars. I tried to describe the profound affect it had on me, but I couldn’t really do it justice. It had to be experienced. You had to go out there, roll around in the snow, eat some of it, then spit it back out to really “get it”. Seriously though I wanted to share it, but there was also something attractive about the solitude. Robert Frost writes about this idea of the allure of darkness. How tempting it is to let it swallow you up, to give into it completely, but how we resist it, instead trying and live life outside ourselves.

 

The next day I ended up meeting some cool new people, climbing with them, and getting some amazing light and clouds for photography. It was also the first time I had written about a climbing experience, which I found I liked.

 

In other words, Mt. Adams has some significance for me.

 

Back to 2013: My plan after June's Mt Baker North Ridge climb was to continue the recovery from my Nov 2012 bouldering-related ankle injury by going up Adams as fast as possible. I hadn't been back since the fire had scarred the landscape. The bare, blackened trees at the lower elevations contrasted with the blue sky and white clouds and snow-covered upper mountain - a visually inspiring start to my climb.

 

I went up fairly quickly to 10k feet - 3 hours of skinning before developing a bad case of altitude sickness. It put me on the ground for an hour. I also lost my sunglasses when I switched to goggles. I tried to get things under control with food and water, but it didn't help. Earlier I blew past some guys lower down and I saw them passing me now. One said something about "you shouldn't overdo it because that's what can happen" (referring to me) to his friend. I wanted to tell him to f-off, but all I could do was drool and make an "uhgh" sound as I lay sideways, completely immobilized on the steep slope halfway up to Piker's Peak. I tried to flip him off but in my confused state I mistook my middle finger for my thumb, so it looked like I was drooling, moaning incoherently, and giving him a thumbs up. What a pathetic sight. A lot of people were on the mountain so  I tried to appear like everything was OK as best I could - hoping to to avoid the barrage of concerned questions. It mostly worked, but there were a lot of people. What a contrast from my 2009 trip. I knew the AMS would either pass or I had the strength to descend if needed.

 

Eventually I rested enough and continued to the summit, the the feeling of nausea/headache slightly reduced. I think the problem was that I drank nothing until the Lunch Counter (9k ft), and was going full steam. I had brought a nalgene vs. a camelbak and paid for it. Constant sipping helps me avoid AMS on fast ascents vs. more sporadic nalgene gulps.

 

The descent from the summit (12,281ft) to Piker's Peak (~11.5k) was pretty icy and choppy, but doable. I had mounted a Go Pro on my pole, and another one on my ski. The Go Pro on my ski fell off around 11.5k ft and thank god someone saw this. I dug around for 10 minutes and recovered it. $400 mistake averted.

 

Piker's (~11.5k ft) back down to the Lunch Counter (9k) was the most enjoyable part of the trip due to the good, corny snow. Visibility then started to suffer as the clouds moved in a bit lower. Below the Lunch Counter visibility worsened and the snow became heavy and uneven. It really sucked to ski in this stop-and-go stuff, especially with my limited skills. I went too far right and found myself off-route near some cornices. The cornices cliffed ahead of me so I back-tracked and pushed off the first cornice. I skied left of this cornice on a steep slope toward a few other straggler climbers. I triggered a small avalanche in doing this. I skied clear and watched the snow continue moving for a while, listening to the varied hissing sound of a minor avalanche. I needed to get lower as I still felt like shit, so I ducked out early before the avalanche had finished performing.

 

I found an entry back onto the main route a bit lower. I was questioning whether or not I could make it to the car due to my lowly, waterless state. I finally reached the dirt/rock walking trail amongst the scorched trees. A group of two men + two women my age were nice enough to give me just a little bit of water they had left. They also offered scotch and company to the car, but there was no way I could swallow alcohol or interact coherently with people. I let them go ahead. When no one was looking I forced myself to puke there between some of those blackened trees that inspired me earlier. Doing this reminder me of the scene from Zoolander where Matilda said she was bulimic and Zoolander asks her if she can read minds. After puking I felt better and made it back to the car where recovery finally began.

 

The long drive back seemed to go quickly. Despite the altitude sickness, I was happy I made the trip. I'm always happy I make these trips, even if I'm solo and even if things don't go as planned. A few moments of joy within hours of misery somehow makes it all worth it. I was also able to capture some Go Pro stills I thought looked interesting.

 

Heading up to the summit. Go Pro still (all are unless specified differently).

 

 

 

About 12,000 feet, almost there. Ski crampons came in handy here.

 

Headed down just below the summit. Go Pro mounted to the front of my ski.

 

 

 

Visibility drops toward 9,000, getting me off route.

 

About to bite it up near the summit. Will the two people in the distance laugh at me? Or will they laugh *with* me? Answer: A. Not a big slapstick fan.

 

The distance.

 

Scorched earth. Phone pic.

 

The drive back into Oregon. Mt. Hood hiding behind clouds to the right. Phone pic.

 

Approach Notes:

This was back in July so everything was good.

Edited January 27, 2014 by lukeh