Trip Report
Mount Adams/South Spur
Enjoyed a one day climb of Adams for Labor Day weekend. Encountered sun, sleet, snow and had a fabulous time.
Tess Wendel
- Tue, Sep 6, 2016
- Mount Adams/South Spur
- Climbing
- Successful
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- Road recommended for high clearance only
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A couple inches of new snow fell on our way down obscuring the boot path. Glissade chutes were icy and bumpy.
Camped at the Cold Springs trailhead on Saturday night. Temps dropped below freezing so we were happy to have a tent. Hit the trail around 6:15am and enjoyed cruising up the sandy trail with the sun lighting up Mt Hood and the burned forest area around us. Stopped for a snack where the trail peters out right below lunch counter and watched the clouds start to surround us. Encountered a small traffic jam below Pikers Peak with some folks trying to hike up glissade chutes rather than boot path more to the right while others were trying to glissade. We did not glissade because it was icy and bumping and chutes have definitely been mucked up.
Reached Pikers Peak a bit after 12pm and then the summit at 1:10pm. Lookout hut was covered in snow and rime. The clouds lifted for the last 100 feet to the summit and the winds died so we had views to the north towards Rainier and comfortable summit napping weather for about a half an hour. Once those 30 minutes had passed it started snowing and white out conditions ensued. With a small amount of route finding we made our way back to the car by 5:30 putting us in at a little over 11 hours roundtrip.
Photos by Michael Telstad
