Mt Adams (12,276), via South Spur route
When: Saturday, July 20, 2019 to Sunday, July 21, 2019
Where: trail head is located at Cold Springs Campground, NF-500, Trout Lake, WA
Maximum Party Size: 12
Difficulty: S1
Driving distance: 300 miles round trip (3hr 30min)
Hiking distance: 12+ miles round trip.
Elevation gain: 6600 ft
The South Spur route on Mt. Adams is a fantastic climb with minimal technical terrain but a considerable amount of gain and mileage. With a summit elevation of 12,276’ this peak is taller than many of the cascade peaks, including the 11,239’ Mt. Hood.
From the trailhead the climb starts by weaving through trees and eventually onto the rocky ridges that encompass the mountain. This will lead to the lower snowfields and then to the large flat snow covered area called the lunch counter at around 9400’. We will camp overnight at this point so we can get an early alpine start and climb to the summit the next day.
After enjoying the sights from the summit we will (fingers crossed) enjoy a few thousand feet of glissade descent on the way back to camp, then pack up and hike out. We will drive home that same day.
There are some sections of steeper terrain so an ice axe and crampon skills are a must...as well as snow camping skills and gear. With that in mind, for anyone that is looking to get into the world of big snowy mountain climbing, this is a great place to start.
https://www.summitpost.org/mount-adams/150198 - Summitpost descriptive link