Trip report by Bill DeYoung
Drove to Trout Lake on Friday afternoon (7/18/98), bucking traffic 'til S of Olympia and stopping for food in Kelso--a victorian style bar/restaurant with a big stained glass window proclaiming "Yesler." Got to Trout Lake about 9:30 (6 hrs), wandered in the meadow and watched stars while we waited for the B & B we were staying at to finish their Dinner Theater event and then crashed.
Photos: [Top] Breaking camp on Mt. Adams; [Bottom] At sunrise, Mt. Adams casts a shadow on haze to the west.
We hooked up with the rest of the group at the ranger station, packed 7 of us into a pickup and headed up to the trail head at Cold Springs campground. The road is passable, but there are some deep ruts the last 5 miles and I'd recommend 4X4 if it got wet. The trail up onto the snow fields is clearly marked with viewpoints S to Mt Hood and E to Mt St Helens. We could clearly see a long line of climbers heading up to the summit--reminded me of Chilkoot Pass, it was that busy.
We chose a campsite about 1200' below the traditional camping site at the Lunch Counter--basically a level area at about 10,000.' Ours worked well, since we were a large group and were able to set up close to each other. Hung out reading, melting water and exploring the rocks and glaciers and watching the parade of climbers with skis, snowboards, dogs--you name it. It's a busy place.
We decided to head out before dawn to practice using headlamps and climbing with crampons. Stars looked to be the size of golf balls and the milkyway stretched clearly from horizon to horizon. The moon came into view about 20 minutes into the climb and the lamps weren't needed. Crampons were, however, as the temp had dropped to below 40 and the wind was now about 40 mph. The S side of Mt Adams is a non-technical climb for a steep, steady 2,000' from the Lunchcounter. After the sun hits it, the snow gets soft and you don't need crampons.
The sun rose as we approached the false summit at 11,000 plus. One of the most beautiful things I've seen was the shadow of the mountain on the clouds to the west. I could even see the wind blowing across the summit. After the false summit there's a level area--it goes down almost 100' actually-- and then back up for the final steep climb to the top. The summit is long and gently sloped. There were two parties dug into the snow and camped there. The wind continued at between 40 - 50 mph. It was hard to hear each other and stand up at times. Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens and Mt Hood floated above a cloud-sea.
The advantage of starting early is we had the summit to ourselves. The disadvantage--and it is significant--is that the snow was too hard to glissade and maintain control--not to mention hard on the butt. Too bad--there was a snow chute 3'deep, 2' wide and 2,000' long. Talked to someone who was there Aug 22 who said it was even deeper and faster. Also, the summit had lost about 3 feet of snow, exposing the roof of a fire lookout we saw no trace of.
Down and home with a stop for Mexican food in Stevenson along the Gorge Hiway.
Take I-5 S to I-205 and then exit before crossing the Columbia and take SR 14 to just before White Salmon and N on 141 to Trout Lake. Check in at the ranger station and then head up FR 24 to the Cold Springs Campground. The last part of the road is rutted and would be difficult to handle in wet weather.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. Any trail can become very dangerous in winter conditions. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions. Please read Terms of Use.