http://www.littlewomenfamily.blogspot.com/2013/07/angry-goats-and-my-first-summit.html
To read about Grant's adventure climbing it last year and to see the path we took, see...
http://littlewomenfamily.blogspot.com/2012/09/grant-summits-mount-adams-july-2012.html
Our friend, Daren, really wanted to climb Mt. Adams in preparation for Mt. Rainier and we thought it would be great to have another person along to keep us safer (see angry goats post... LOL!) so he came with us. We left early Tuesday evening after work and drove to the trailhead. We camped there that night, right next to the last bathroom we would see for almost 3 days!!!! Lesson #1- Don't take your toilets for granted... LOL!!
The next morning, we woke up early and started our climb. Where we had camped and the first mile
or so of our climb was full of trees which had been destroyed by a fire. Grant was shocked at all the destruction, as last time he had climbed it was right before these fires. It was sad... but cool to see the new life which had begun to grow. There was black trees right next to cute little purple flowers and green grass. In some areas, the heat had obviously been so hot that the trees had just bent and curled. Also the winds must've moved the fire quickly through because sometimes you would find a tree that was burnt next to one that wasn't or trees that were only partially burnt. And the trails obviously had to be recleared after the fires because there were downed trees along the sides of the trails. It was all very interesting to see and Grant had to remind me that we had lots more to take pictures of (he was worried about the battery lasting, since we only had one. He is smart... it did end up dieing towards the end.)
After about a mile or so, we stopped for a bit of a longer break (a half an hour or so.) We rested and ate some snacks (loaded trail mix, granola bars, gatorade, etc.) It was a beautiful little spot on some rocks. The only problem with these longer breaks was that each time we stopped again, our bodies had to readjust to climbing in the elevation... or at least, that is what it felt like. It was always tougher for that first 15 minutes of climbing after the longer breaks.
We were able to find a little river on our way up to filter water from (as well as some water run-off from the snow, higher up the mountain) to refill our water bottles, which gave us plenty to drink without having to carry it all up.
We passed by several rock structures with sticks coming out the top (pictured in the photo of me below) and assumed they were to mark the path of which way to go.
Right before we started walking on the snow, we saw a group of about 6 people trying to find a
safe way down the side of the mountain (not sure why I didn't think put two and two together right then and there that this was going to be a difficult climb.) They kept trying to go down paths that would lead to a cliff. It was very easy for us to see where each path led them from where we were standing below. However, they didn't have the same perspective from where they were standing. (We had also talked to 3 guys who had just come down from there and told us the right path to take.) Grant yelled up to the people, who were to the right of the snow and trying to walk down that rock cliff, and told them to walk across to the left all the way until the rock stopped and then come down the dirt path and across the snow path. This was a much easier way and because they listened, they all made it down much quicker and more importantly without any injuries. It made me think of how our parents (and leaders) have been down paths and can see things in a different perspective than we can. When we listen to them, it makes things easier on us and keeps us out of danger.
As soon as we entered the snow, we climbed my least favorite part of the whole mountain... the crescent glacier. I pretty much hated this part. I am afraid of heights and refused to look back on the scariest heights for Grant to take pictures and didn't dare take any pictures of my own either. So you can't really tell from these pictures just how steep/scary it was. We ended up doing more switch backs in this part, however that wasn't much better because I felt like I was going to tip over. Anyway, thankfully we made it through safely. (Although I didn't realize it then, going down this was worse.)
Here are some other people's pictures, which I found online, of the crescent glacier.
Lesson #3- Just keep swimming... or hiking! ;)
Next, we hiked the part that I like to call, "The Neverending Snowfield." LOL!! It seriously went on... and on... and on... and on... I would see a ledge and think, "Oh! We are almost there! I can totally do this!" I would hike faster, to get it done. However, as I would get closer to that ledge, so that I could see over it, I would see another huge part of the snow field. This happened like 4 times!! I was feeling very discouraged! But I was still very determined! I started to make little goals for myself-- just make it to that dot or just make it 15 more steps... and then when I got there, after a short rest, I went just 15 more steps... Plus, every once in a while, I would get a little surprise... like when I saw this beautiful little butterfly that flew around me and then landed right in this giant snow field, right in front of me. Or when I turned around and saw the gorgeous view behind me and realized how far I had come.
Below- Daren, with Mt. Hood in the background, looking like he is sitting on the edge of the world... only when you walked closer, more snow would appear.
When I could finally see the end, I decided to write encouraging notes in the snow for Daren, who was behind me. (Daren only has 1 fully functioning lung and was struggling to have enough breath at the high altitudes, so he had to take more breaks to catch his breath. It is seriously so incredible to me that he did that very difficult climb with 1 lung!! It was super tough with 2!!)
When we made it to the top, we ran into some climbers that we had seen earlier in our climb. The girl, Christina, who recently moved to America from Sweden, was not ready for this kind of climbing and her friends were college football players and practically ran up the whole entire mountain!! It was seriously insane. One of their Dads, Chris, was helping her and they decided to stay at "Lunch Counter," while waiting for the "crazy" boys to summit and then come back down. We hung out with Chris and Christina, who were actually from the same town as us. I found out that Chris's boys had two of the same violin teachers as me growing up and that my Youth Symphony conductor had died... sad! It was cool hanging out with them... it is always fun to meet new people on the mountain. For dinner that night, I chose chicken teriyaki with rice (which was the same thing Daren was having) and Grant had chicken breasts and mashed potatoes. It was so good!! Seriously, the flavor of Mountain House meals is great!! They are freeze dried meals and super light and super yummy!! Perfect for mountain climbing!
We set up our tents and slept at "Lunch Counter" for the night. There were several tent sites around, which consisted of rock walls to block out the wind, which someone had obviously worked very hard to build. The view was pretty incredible too, and it was nice to be off the snow for a while. The only problem was the lack of trees... especially when it came to needing a little privacy. Let's just say I had a little problem with a peeping Tom when I was trying to take care of business. Yeah! Luckily, the guy was so far away that I never had to see his face.
1 comment:
Wow! This is such a cool adventure! And even cooler that you got to do it all with your hubby!
I think it's great that you took time to write all of this down. You'll love re-reading it in the future and your girls will love reading it too!
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