Mount Adams/Mazama Glacier

7/18-19/2015. We stopped at the ranger station to get blue bags and register for the climb. However we didn’t need to pay for Cascade Volcano Passes and instead paid parking and camping fees to the tribe as described in the Bill’s TR below. Given the low snow year the conditions in July were typical of September. The trail to the viewpoint (take the right fork at the very first unmarked intersection to follow the climber’s trail), through the meadows and up and down the moraine was completely snow free. After that we connected the snow patches all the way to Sunrise Camp where we found the perfectly flat large sandy field with about a dozen walled campsites. There was running water next to the camp. Next morning we scrambled over to the glacier, roped up and ascended the glacier through the middle. The steepest part of the glacier was bisected by a very large crevasse that went diagonally down on the climber’s right with a series of horizontal snow bridges. According to TRs from 2 weeks before there also had been a snow bridge in the middle but it had collapsed by the time of our climb. So we chose to cross on one of the horizontal bridges on the right protecting the crossing with a couple of pickets. Another possible crossing used by another party the day before was all the way on the right. However we considered that way more risky due to having to traverse/climb the steepest part of the glacier right above a crevasse. After that we ascended and crossed the glacier going west, dropped the ropes and harnesses at the rocky rib, crossed it and followed the snow patch to the upper end of Lunch Counter and the bottom of the South Side route (Suksdorf Ridge). There we joined the many hikers and followed the standard route to the summit. The descent was an awesome glissade all the way to Lunch Counter, quick traverse to the ropes, descent to camp, and then hike out to the cars by 5:30pm. All in all, it was a fun climb with a great team!