Mount Adams // Summer Alpine Climbing in The Cascades

After a successful and exciting climb up Baker (click this link to read about it), I was ready to strap on those mountaineering boots and get up Adams. Well, actually, I was not ready since I had lost feeling in my upper foot on Baker and still had numbness in my big toe a month later… But, alas, you get the point. I was eager. Ready. Enticed. Genuinely looking forward to getting up on a mountain again and challenging myself to accomplish another mountaineering task. Before climbing Baker, I knew alpine climbing would be something that I liked, tolerated, accepted. But, I didn’t know that it would become something I am so excited and thrilled about. I mean, being cold, wet, hot, frustrated, elated, sore, tired, pumped, stoked, bummed, all in one climb? Does that sound exceptionally fun to you?

Growing up around people who sought after outdoor adventure and after working in the outdoor industry, I had an understanding that alpine climbing was inherently difficult. As I said in my post about Baker, its very mental, too. Some people have asked me “why do it if its so hard?”. But like, wait. Isn’t that the point? It is truly invigorating to see what my body and mind are capable of. To push limits with myself and keep the challenge high. Life is boring if its easy (in my option at least) and striving after the hard stuff keeps things fun. It also humbles you. It shows you (aka me) that your arrogance can be higher than that mountain at times. That nature is bigger than you, and its better than you. It isn’t altered (for the most part) it doesn’t succumb to peer pressure, it doesn’t care what the next mountain over looks like, it just is. Nature shows you that you’re tiny, that in the grand scheme, you probably do not matter much. I’m learning this and also loving it. Also grateful I have so many close friends who enjoy being outside with me and push me to do the hard stuff. To this day, it isn’t the mountains i’ve climbed that have been the hardest, its always comes back to what I am telling myself. For example: backpacking in Yosemite. I very unexpectedly started my period (tmi?) out of no where while we were hiking in the hot hot heat and miles away from camp. It was the worst. I think I started crying. I then got mad at Hailey because I suddenly became hella cranky and thought I couldn’t finish what we started and was pissssssed. But I wasn’t in pain (okay maybe a little) and could still carry on. A quick lil readjustment of my attitude and BAM! We made it to camp. We survived. Or like when I went mountain biking for the first time and was way too psyched out about it. My bud Gunnar took me up Galbraith and knowing how freakin’ amazing he is at biking, I automatically thought I would majorly suck. That being said, I kept telling myself I couldn’t do it. But when he took off below me and the encouraging words “you got this shelbs!” faded down the trail, I had to believe that I had it, because there were not any other options. In the end, I didn’t suck (okay, yeah I kinda sorta did just ask Gun) and I made it down the damn mountain on some of the hardest tracks. People, believe in yourself. Tell yourself that you are capable. Say thanks to your body for being able (if it is) and yeah. Just do the damn thing.

at the trailhead!

So, we did just that. We went up Adams and we did the damn thing. Heres the story:

Our adventure began when we took off from Olympia around 8pm, headed straight for Hood River to catch some shut-eye and wake up early the next morning to get on the road towards Mount Adams. We arrived in Hood River around 10:30 and snuck into an overly full campsite and slept in our car while Cannon pitched his one man tent in the grass. It was a little weird but a little hilarious. We left before sunrise and went to starbucks to hydrate with some caffeine.

We made it to the trailhead around 10am, packed our packs full of necessities (avocados, chocolate, cameras duh) and threw those suckers on our backs. I had been training with a 30b pack all season, but every time I hit the trail (besides Baker) to camp, I was always surprised with an ultra light pack. It was dreamy. But Adams did me dirty with that extra camera weight. And probably that avocado, too. We hit the dusty trail heading straight for Adams. The trail started off on what I assume was an old logging load. It was a nice easy grade and a great warm up before we started gaining quite a bit of elevation. In comparison to Baker, Adams was hot and dry. There were a lot of flies and a lot of dust all up in my face and in my throat. Hailey, Cannon and I stopped for lunch after a couple hours of hiking and it proved to be a nice lil breaky break before we continue on up past the Lunch Counter, a popular place for people to camp before summiting. We hiked up sketchy scree and uneven rocks and even traversed the snowfields a bit. We scouted out camping spots and landed one fairly high up, around 9,600 feet. The wind had been a concern, but it was very pleasant and we were thrilled with the prospect of an easy night on the ridge!

The view from our campsite. Can you spot Hood?

Hailey and I boiled snow to drink and made a yummy dinner while Cannon set up camp. To be clear we are not typically into those typical gender roles, but they clearly played out in this scenario. But, when man makes camp, that also means man blows up sleeping pads. Yay. Thanks, Can. We ate tacos and phad thai. But really, I highly recommend backpackers pantry phad thai. Both Hailey and I have been to Thailand and have ate A LOTTTT of phad thai. And this stuff is just really damn good. We make sure to pack up an extra lime, and it makes it even better. 10/10 would eat again. In fact, we always bring it on our trips. And I always look forward to it. Wow, honesty hour?

We aimed to be in bed by 6pm, resting before we caught a quick glimpse of sunset at 8, and then fell asleep before waking up at 2am. Unfortunately, Hails and Cannon didn’t sleep super well. However, I slept like a happy baby. Cannon had put a hot water bottle in my bag and I was so cozy I slept straight until 2am.

Sunset on Adams, with Adams' shadow casted off into the distance.

In the wee hours, we woke up to an almost full moon and a sky full of bright stars, illuminating the snow fields in front of us. I ate a quick bite to eat, drank a full liter of water, and felt ready to rumble. We bragged our gear and made our way across the rocks to where the snow met the pebbles. Crampons were strapped on, and we took off for the summit. It was out goal to be at the false summit (Pikers Peak) by 6am as the sun rose, and to be at the top an hour and half after that. We dug our crampons into the ice and carried on with our head lamps lighting up the icy snow below us.

The ice was the biggest difference between Baker and Adams. I knew Adams was going to be colder, but it was smooch more Icy than Baker. That being said, Baker had just received new snow just a day before we got up there, leaving a nice new layer of soft goodness. Adams, on the other hand, probably had not seen any new snow in quite some time. It took a considerable amount of energy to stick the crampons into the ice rather than the snow at Baker. Since we were going up the south route of Adams, which gets a ton of sun, the snow creates these big pockets, which is a pain in the butt to step around and up onto. Baker felt like I was climbing stairs, Adams felt like I was skipping steps and going for the dang gold.

The whole time that we were climbing, I had a Kings Kaleidoscope song stuck in my head. It's one of my favorites and always encourages me to keep going because Jesus kept going and that Jesus traversed the trail before me. Good motivation, right??? You can listen to it right here.

It goes:

When my heart is weary, when my soul is weak When it seems I can’t traverse the trail before me I survey the glory of your agony And I find the will to fight for what’s before me Cause you ran the race enduring for your glory

I fix my eyes on you, the founder and the finisher of our faith I fix my eyes on you, the solace in your suffering is my strength

As I fight to follow, you’re my righteous guide And you train me to delight in all that’s holy Heal my broken body, cure my crooked stride Throw off every weight and sin that clings so closely I will run the race enduring for your glory

You help me breathe, you’re the only life I need You died for me, you’re the only life I need You help me breathe, you’re the only life I need You died for me, you’re the only life I need

Hailey Cannon and I made it to Pikers Peak at 6:07, just in time to watch the sun crest the horizon and bring a bit of warmth to our faces. Ah, that felt so good. The biggest treat? looking down at what we just came up. Now that, that was empowering. It was a beautiful sight to see. The colors of the sky were rich and bright and unbelievably stunning. The snow started to soften up as the rays hit it. And coincedently, my soul started to soften up, too. It was as deep climb up to the falsie summit and I was starting to feel discouraged. However, we went across a nice flat section and came up to rocky ridge that led to the top.

The adrenaline was pumpin’ through our veins as we released our crampons from our boots and started up the chossy rock below our feet. Only another hour of climbing and we would be there!! The long awaited summit, so so close. I was so proud of us, in that moment, and the whole time. We were strong, eager, and kept on moving even though it hurt like hell at times. I kept saying “ I am so proud of us!!!” as cannon would laugh at my remark and Hailey would say “yah!!” Because really, this was our climb. I was so so glad my bestie was there with me. Cannon unfortunately turned on some Eric Church (don’t look him up, pls) and it made me want to turn around out of desire to get out of hearing distance of his music but, I carried on. I persevered.

Hailey near the top.

As we approached the top, we all walked together in a line, headed for the top. It felt like we were football captains, hand in hand, walking across the touch down place or whatever it is. It was magical. My people, on THE TOP OF A FREAKIN MOUNTAIN. Pretty tight.

hailey being a boss and boiling water

We hugged a bunch, cheered, a couple “f*ck yes’s” came out, tbh. We were so thrilled. But first, we needed COFFEE. I am not a coffee drinker, but I am when I am camping. Especially when it involves a pouch of hot cocoa. Cheap mocha’s for the win. We boiled hella snow, made breakfast, drank some h2o, and ingested our caffeine. Then, hails and I made Cannon and take pictures of us. Because, summit of adams calls for more than 2 quick photos. We had the whole top to ourself for about an hour as well hangout. It was legit! Literally on top of a freakin’ mountain by ourselves!!!! Super rad. It was a really clear day so you could see the Sisters, mount Jefferson, Mount Hood, Rainier, St. Helens, you name it. You could have probably seen more but I didn’t have my glasses on… It was stunning. What a moment. We did it!! It was awesome looking out at Rainier and talking about our hopefully ascent that we have planned for next year. So cool.

We took off for the bottom around 8:30am, and after trudging through the snow, made it back to our camp around 10:30. Hailey and I attempted to glissade, which was easy on the knees but rough on the butt if ya know what Im sayin’. Cannon, however, copped a SLED from some dude. So, needless to say, he had it wayyyyy easy as he gently slid down to camp unharmed. Us, on the other hand, were slow and steady. We pack dup camp, made a quick lunch, and got on the trail. All we had in our minds was 1. how hot it was 2. how burnt we were getting. 3. beer. 4. more beer. 5. ice cream.

We took off below and kept a crazy pace as Cannon was literally running down the effing mountain. Look, that is hard to do when rock is falling out under you and you re carrying a 30lb pack. Hailey and I remained a team though. Girls rule, boys drool. We reached the car at 2pm and I wanted to kiss the ground with my chapped and blistered lips. Funny how you can be on the trail for a little more than 24 hours yet you feel like you have been out there for a week. We are pretty pathetic, if you ask me.

What came next? A pit stop at Full Sail to indulge and relax, then to Portland REI and Salt n Straw, then home to Oly. Wowzers A long, long day. But it was rad. So rad. Rad enough that I would do it all over again.

2 out of 5 cascades volcanoes done! I’ll be back to officially summit Baker, but for now, I feel pretty damn good about our accomplishments! Next year: Rainier, St. Helens, and Baker again. The following year: Glacier Peak, perhaps. That one is a beez, though.

Lessons learned: Always pack an avocado. And a lime. Wake up in time to watch the sunrise from the top. Keep going even if you are slipping. High five your best friend on top of a mountain. Always push on. Don’t give up. It’s always worth it. Always.

Details of the climb:

MILES

Day1: 4(ish)

Day 2: 9(ish)

ELEVATION GAIN

Day1: 3,500

Day 2: 3,200

HOURS *hiking* ON THE MOUNTAIN

Day1: 4

Day 2: 10

Boom, there it is. We did the damn thing. Second highest peak in WA state.