Mount Adams (BP4/G1)

ADAMS

Where: Just past Trout Lake WA, in the Goat Rocks Wilderness

Leaders: Ken Stoops, Ellen Edwards

Description: Many climbers discount Adams entirely because of its low technical grade, but I am here to tell you (forgive the language), that to a one those climbers are damn fools! In high contrast to Hood, where you can see the parking lot for hours; the minute you step onto the trail from the lot in Adams you feel ensconced in wilderness. In contrast to Rainier where the entire park is like a naturalist disneyland, Adams is underdeveloped and spare by comparison. Lack of crevasses aside, self arrest and aware navigation skills are paramount, it’s also a haul at over 7mi one way to the summit. And while the bootpack is usually in, the second day push is a sustained 2000 feet of 35 degree climbing, a path you can descend in about 12 minutes on the way down the best glissade chute in the PNW(maybe the world). The camping at Lunch Counter is very well maintained, vast, and if you happen upon a hot day; the closest to a beach party as mountaineers usually get to, with people sunbathing in bikinis and trunks at the right time of year. The car trip is 4 hours and you’ll be back by midday or so the next afternoon. If you want to just get into the alpine and see what all this about with little objective danger but everything else, including goats, this one is for you! In addition while you won’t be on them, there are climbs of all sorts on the backside and less climbed areas of Adams that are gnarly that those other folks forget about. Ask Jim Croslin, I think he’s done them all.

Summit Post: https://www.summitpost.org/mount-adams/150198 

Cal Topo: https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=46.20237,-121.49105&z=14&b=mbt