I wanted to post some basic information and a few photos from a trip I did 2 years ago. Mt Adams is located in Washington state and is a dormant volcano. It is 12,274 feet high making it the 2nd highest peak in Washington state.
I climbed it in 2016 and you can too! It is one of the few peaks that doesn't require technical skills. However, you still need to do your research and plan properly for this type of activity. Make safety a priority and you'll be sure to have an adventure worth remembering. Failure to plan will result in less than an ideal experience.
I advise people to rent or borrow crampons, use appropriate footwear, use strong sunscreen and wrap around sunglasses, and to bring appropriate layers of clothing. Don't forget to train your body with hikes and stairs with weight. Altitude is a factor. To avoid altitude issues, hike high as much as possible before attempting this peak. Stay hydrated and nourished. Also at REI I purchased some pills with 4 electrolytes; calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. After the first day, I thought I was done. I took two pills before I went to bed and woke up ready to take on the world.
Recommended time of year is June to August. I went in the final week of July and it just so happened to be during a meteor shower. Replicate this if possible!
This can be done in one day, however, I recommend doing the 2 day trip like my friend and I did. Permits are issued day of and you just need to stop in at the ranger station as its on a first come first serve basis. To avoid possibility of not getting a permit, I recommend going on a Monday through Thursday to pick up your permit. Fridays and Saturdays are popular.
One downside to this trip is that there are no restroom facilities and its at high altitude..... meaning you will receive a waste bag or two and should you need to defecate, you will need to do so in a gray matter bag, seal it up, and pack it out with you. By some odd stroke of luck, neither my friend nor I needed this option while we were there.
We got a late start on day one, I recommend not following our lead. You will arrive at the trail head and park. The trail leads up and up and the views are terrific of Mt St Helens and Mt Hood to the west and south. Mt St Helens erupted in 1980 and an entire side of the volcano collapsed. Its silhouette is visible in one of the photos I uploaded.
Once you get into the snow you might feel lost because there isn't really a trail, but just head in an upward northly direction and you'll get there soon enough. Your destination is a place called "lunch counter" at around 9000 ft. You'll know your there because you'll find arranged semicircles of stacked rocks that clearly were built as wind breaks. Come nightfall you'll be happy someone built them.
An important thing to note; there is NOT a water source on Mt Adams. You can melt snow, but make sure you bring enough fuel if you are planning to do this as an option or you can hump in all the water you want up 3000+ feet of elevation, your call.
Start early in the morning the next day, this is when the crampons come into play. I also recommend an ice axe. If you slip, you'll be able to self arrest. Please, do yourself a favor and watch some youtube videos on self arrest and practice this technique. We didn't fall... but some girl with inappropriate footwear and wearing shorts did and she slid down a 45 degree slope after dropping her ice ax for about 300 to 400 ft. Even if you are uninjured, its ground you have to make up.
after you get to the false summit around 11,000 ft you might feel the grips of despair as the summit looks far off. Don't give up, keep going.
If you reach the summit, you will remember it forever and on a clear day you can see all the way from Mt Baker in the north to Jefferson peak in the south. I think you can see 6 or 7 other peaks.
Now you get to glisade down if conditions are right. Remember to take off your crampons before you do this. Use your ice ax as a rudder to steer, sit on your put and slide down the mountain! Please don't stab yourself with your ice ax, that would be embarrassing to explain to others.
Once you get back to lunch counter, I recommend packing up and getting the fork off the mountain as mid day sun makes it unbearably hot. I was literally on the summit at noon and back to my truck by 3 and back home 5 hrs drive away for a late dinner.
Enjoy. Research. Be safe. Do it solo or with friends.
