Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September 8, 2002
The route was almost completely melted out; lots of scree. Not too windy but cloudy at the summit. Not very steep at all, but a lot of distance to cover in 1 day. Took me about 13 hours roundtrip. I'll be back next year for a harder route and more snow!
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September, 20, 2002
Camped at the Lunch Counter Thursday night were we encountered very high winds. At the time it seemed improbably that we would summit the following day. Lots of frustrating scree to wade through up to Piker's Peak which made it difficult. More high winds up at the false summit and above but nothing compared to the night before at the Lunchcounter. I would have prefered more snow but it was a fine climb.
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September 8, 2002
Pretty dry up there. I must have bad luck in the Cascades as this was my second summit there and I've still yet to have a clear or even remotely clear day. Entire cap was engulfed in cloud when I got to the top. Took my token photo at the Geological survey marker. Didn't realize there was a register at the old hut...
Scree slopes were loads of fun on the way up and sucked big time on the way down. It's amazing I didn't twist my ankle.
Humped up my tent and set up shop at the lunch counter. Good water supply in a glacial runoff - next time I'm bringing my filter though as it took way too long to melt and boil. Snow greeted us that night shortly after tent was erected. New tent and it held up well.
Didn't put on my crampons or ice axe for this mission. It was boots and poles all the way up and all the way down. Wish I had known as it was alot of extra weight to hump about...
Story and photos to come - watch for my website at www.spudstravels.com
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: August 16th, 2002
All in all a good climb. My party opted to do the whole thing in one day. The party consisted of myself, my dad, my uncle, and my roommate Lee.
We started from Cold Springs at 6:00 AM, beating the guy that was sleeping behind his truck. We made really good time until about 9000 feet when we started slowing down. My dad turned back at 9700 feet convinced that he would seriously injure himself if he continued. The next 800 feet or so were steep but still covered with pitted snow. The last 800-900 feet before the false summit was scree which proved to be very disheartening.
After taking a break on the false summit we hiked easily across the saddle and then willed ourselves up the last section of consolidated scree that preceded the summit. There was not much snow, and the snow that was there was highly consolidated. Didn't really need crampons at all.
By the end of the climb we had dubbed it the "death march" since we had gained 6600 feet in one day. We summited in 8 1/2 hours and made it back down in 3 1/2. For those that forget to bring their friend's ice axe like I did, you can rent an ice axe from the owner of the general store in Trout Lake for $10, however only one person may do so per day because there is only one hanging on the wall. Oh yeah, my dad has vowed to get in better shape for next year's climbing season.
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: June 23, 2002
Great 2-day climb! Our approach varied slightly from most other climbers as we ascended via a ridge slightly west of the main trail. This provided us with a secluded camping option to the west of the Crescent Glacier only 500 feet lower than the crowded Lunch Counter. The second day began with a short hike accross the glacier to reach the main route at the base of Suksdorf Ridge. Many cramponed footsteps later we reached Pikers Peak and eventually the Mt. Adams summit. The snow conditions were great and weather cooperated for the most part. The glissade from Pikers to the Lunch Counter was awesome!
Brian Jenkins - Sep 9, 2002 8:57 am Date Climbed: Sep 8, 2002
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September 8, 2002
9/8/02 Hiked in Saturday in a snowstorm. Bivied at about 7500 feet and enjoyed a clear, moonless but cold night. Started climbing about 6:30 am, had to stop at the edge of the glacier to melt water for the climb. Once we reached Pikers Peak a storm blew in but we continued on while some others turned back. Reached the summit about 1 pm but no views so just some pictures next to the completely melted out hut. Met a guy up top who had just climbed the north side.
Got off trail on the descent but once under the clouds we could see the Lunch Counter and it was a long hike out from there. Great day.
7/11/15 Solo climb from Cold Springs started at 5:30. Another lenticular came down and settled at about 9500 feet on up so no views at the summit at 11:50 am. 15 minutes up top with apparently the rest of Portland and Seattle who all decided to climb today, then down by 3:45 pm. Back in time for dinner with pizza in Portland.
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: August 8, 2002
Could not have asked for better weather. This was my wife's first Volcano and she did great. We camped below the lunch counter on dirt and enjoyed great snow on the hike to the top. Awsome views of Rainier and Hood.
Route Climbed: South Climb Date Climbed: August 11th 2002
The view was fantastic from the top ! My 12 yo daughter and I camped at the lunch counter , lots of great rock shelters ! Headed up at 630 am and summited at 12 noon , the ice slab below pikers was a blast to ascend ! returned to Cold Springs at 630 pm , what a wonderful weekend and a great mountain for training !
Route Climbed: South Slog Date Climbed: August 12, 2002
Left Cold Springs TH at 430am on Monday morning. Kept a good pace to the lunch counter to take short break. Pikers Peak is halfway melted out, so the last 800-1000 vert feet is all scree which is total crap. I would never go back this time of year as it is not that much fun. We made the summit at 11:15am and hung out for an hour as it was warm and we were all alone. Left summit at 12:15pm and arrived back at cold spring at 315pm. Long drive home and traffic sucked. Burgerville rulez.
Route Climbed: South Side Date Climbed: Jul 27-28, 2002
Standard climb up South Side from packed Cold Springs parking lot, bivy at Lunch Counter, summit and descent on second day.
Climbed on a weekend with a zoo of fellow weekend warriors. Large snowfield just below Lunch Counter, otherwise approach trail was snow-free. Choice of steps to follow clear to summit. Incredible winds at Piker's Peak (50mph+). Lenticular grasped summit all day, but was harmless and did not impede summiting. Incredible glissading possible down to ~7,000'.
A good word out to climbers who found/caught a friend's sleeping pad as it flew down the mtn and anchored it at a cairn... thanks.
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: July 15, 16, 2002
Arrived at "crowded" cold springs on July 13. Camped and hiked around until early morning July 15. Woke at 6:30, suposed to wake at 5:30. Arrived and camped left of lunch counter at around 11:00 were we found awsome camp spots and running water. July 16 woke at about 3:15 and left 9,000 ft at 4:45. Great climb in early morning. Crampons made climbing simple. My brother Josh, my dad Jack, and I arrived at summit at 8:00 and stayed for about half hour. Started glissading down and passed climbers on the way. We were the first ones up. Picked up camp and had a dinner. The rest is slush.
Route Climbed: south spur (mount feces?!) Date Climbed: july 17 2002
i climbed to the summit mining shack yesterday and was exploring the summit when i walked along the little ridge to the other side. there was the only windbreak of a few large rocks and such. when i sat down my foot moved a football sized rock, revealing a huge fresh pile of human feces. as i then looked around i realized i was in the middle of the summit toilet. i collected and packed out a whole blue bag of other peoples t.p. BOOOOOOO!!!!
look, i have failed to prepare correctly for daytrip forays into the wilderness and had to desecrate the land with my mess, but i have always been as responsible as i could be. either bury your shame deep as possible and ALWAYS pack out tp- thats never impossible.
Route Climbed: adams glacier Date Climbed: July 2001
Climbed with Peter & Robin. Warm weekend so napped for a few hours at base of glacier then began climbing just after sundown. Heavily crevassed - one snowbridge collapsed just behind me. Multiple large bergschrunds towards top. North ridge descent an ugly mess - hard to imagine why people were climbing up the thing.
Martin Cash - Oct 31, 2002 5:01 pm
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September 8, 2002The route was almost completely melted out; lots of scree. Not too windy but cloudy at the summit. Not very steep at all, but a lot of distance to cover in 1 day. Took me about 13 hours roundtrip. I'll be back next year for a harder route and more snow!
cjwhat - Oct 18, 2002 9:06 am
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September 6, 1998Long slog completed w/my brother, Mike.
rmjwinters - Oct 5, 2002 9:50 pm
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: July 1998Climbed in one day with a water bladder accident. Summit was cold and windy, but afforded beautiful views.
Otomax - Sep 29, 2002 1:30 pm
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September, 20, 2002Camped at the Lunch Counter Thursday night were we encountered very high winds. At the time it seemed improbably that we would summit the following day. Lots of frustrating scree to wade through up to Piker's Peak which made it difficult. More high winds up at the false summit and above but nothing compared to the night before at the Lunchcounter. I would have prefered more snow but it was a fine climb.
Spud - Sep 16, 2002 1:49 pm
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September 8, 2002Pretty dry up there. I must have bad luck in the Cascades as this was my second summit there and I've still yet to have a clear or even remotely clear day. Entire cap was engulfed in cloud when I got to the top. Took my token photo at the Geological survey marker. Didn't realize there was a register at the old hut...
Scree slopes were loads of fun on the way up and sucked big time on the way down. It's amazing I didn't twist my ankle.
Humped up my tent and set up shop at the lunch counter. Good water supply in a glacial runoff - next time I'm bringing my filter though as it took way too long to melt and boil. Snow greeted us that night shortly after tent was erected. New tent and it held up well.
Didn't put on my crampons or ice axe for this mission. It was boots and poles all the way up and all the way down. Wish I had known as it was alot of extra weight to hump about...
Story and photos to come - watch for my website at www.spudstravels.com
TNT825 - Sep 11, 2002 11:13 pm
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: August 16th, 2002All in all a good climb. My party opted to do the whole thing in one day. The party consisted of myself, my dad, my uncle, and my roommate Lee.
We started from Cold Springs at 6:00 AM, beating the guy that was sleeping behind his truck. We made really good time until about 9000 feet when we started slowing down. My dad turned back at 9700 feet convinced that he would seriously injure himself if he continued. The next 800 feet or so were steep but still covered with pitted snow. The last 800-900 feet before the false summit was scree which proved to be very disheartening.
After taking a break on the false summit we hiked easily across the saddle and then willed ourselves up the last section of consolidated scree that preceded the summit. There was not much snow, and the snow that was there was highly consolidated. Didn't really need crampons at all.
By the end of the climb we had dubbed it the "death march" since we had gained 6600 feet in one day. We summited in 8 1/2 hours and made it back down in 3 1/2. For those that forget to bring their friend's ice axe like I did, you can rent an ice axe from the owner of the general store in Trout Lake for $10, however only one person may do so per day because there is only one hanging on the wall. Oh yeah, my dad has vowed to get in better shape for next year's climbing season.
cluck - Sep 11, 2002 7:56 pm
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: June 23, 2002Great 2-day climb! Our approach varied slightly from most other climbers as we ascended via a ridge slightly west of the main trail. This provided us with a secluded camping option to the west of the Crescent Glacier only 500 feet lower than the crowded Lunch Counter. The second day began with a short hike accross the glacier to reach the main route at the base of Suksdorf Ridge. Many cramponed footsteps later we reached Pikers Peak and eventually the Mt. Adams summit. The snow conditions were great and weather cooperated for the most part. The glissade from Pikers to the Lunch Counter was awesome!
Brian Jenkins - Sep 9, 2002 8:57 am Date Climbed: Sep 8, 2002
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: September 8, 20029/8/02 Hiked in Saturday in a snowstorm. Bivied at about 7500 feet and enjoyed a clear, moonless but cold night. Started climbing about 6:30 am, had to stop at the edge of the glacier to melt water for the climb. Once we reached Pikers Peak a storm blew in but we continued on while some others turned back. Reached the summit about 1 pm but no views so just some pictures next to the completely melted out hut. Met a guy up top who had just climbed the north side.
Got off trail on the descent but once under the clouds we could see the Lunch Counter and it was a long hike out from there. Great day.
7/11/15 Solo climb from Cold Springs started at 5:30. Another lenticular came down and settled at about 9500 feet on up so no views at the summit at 11:50 am. 15 minutes up top with apparently the rest of Portland and Seattle who all decided to climb today, then down by 3:45 pm. Back in time for dinner with pizza in Portland.
mark1424 - Aug 25, 2002 12:29 pm
Date Climbed: August 18, 2002Earlier in the season would have been better since there is more snow coverage.
miztflip - Aug 20, 2002 7:57 pm
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: August 8, 2002Could not have asked for better weather. This was my wife's first Volcano and she did great. We camped below the lunch counter on dirt and enjoyed great snow on the hike to the top. Awsome views of Rainier and Hood.
mtndave - Aug 15, 2002 11:11 pm
Route Climbed: South Climb Date Climbed: August 11th 2002The view was fantastic from the top ! My 12 yo daughter and I camped at the lunch counter , lots of great rock shelters ! Headed up at 630 am and summited at 12 noon , the ice slab below pikers was a blast to ascend ! returned to Cold Springs at 630 pm , what a wonderful weekend and a great mountain for training !
scot'teryx - Aug 13, 2002 7:10 pm
Route Climbed: South Slog Date Climbed: August 12, 2002Left Cold Springs TH at 430am on Monday morning. Kept a good pace to the lunch counter to take short break. Pikers Peak is halfway melted out, so the last 800-1000 vert feet is all scree which is total crap. I would never go back this time of year as it is not that much fun. We made the summit at 11:15am and hung out for an hour as it was warm and we were all alone. Left summit at 12:15pm and arrived back at cold spring at 315pm. Long drive home and traffic sucked. Burgerville rulez.
mark1424 - Aug 4, 2002 7:17 pm
Route Climbed: South spur Date Climbed: August 2001nice views
patrickwang - Jul 29, 2002 12:37 pm
Route Climbed: South Side Date Climbed: Jul 27-28, 2002Standard climb up South Side from packed Cold Springs parking lot, bivy at Lunch Counter, summit and descent on second day.
Climbed on a weekend with a zoo of fellow weekend warriors. Large snowfield just below Lunch Counter, otherwise approach trail was snow-free. Choice of steps to follow clear to summit. Incredible winds at Piker's Peak (50mph+). Lenticular grasped summit all day, but was harmless and did not impede summiting. Incredible glissading possible down to ~7,000'.
A good word out to climbers who found/caught a friend's sleeping pad as it flew down the mtn and anchored it at a cairn... thanks.
Joe Hanssen - Jul 29, 2002 10:23 am
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: Summer '98Clear day, of clouds and people. Possibly the longest series of glissades to date. Solo
mattcrsbws - Jul 26, 2002 8:03 am
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: July 15, 16, 2002Arrived at "crowded" cold springs on July 13. Camped and hiked around until early morning July 15. Woke at 6:30, suposed to wake at 5:30. Arrived and camped left of lunch counter at around 11:00 were we found awsome camp spots and running water. July 16 woke at about 3:15 and left 9,000 ft at 4:45. Great climb in early morning. Crampons made climbing simple. My brother Josh, my dad Jack, and I arrived at summit at 8:00 and stayed for about half hour. Started glissading down and passed climbers on the way. We were the first ones up. Picked up camp and had a dinner. The rest is slush.
Fred Spicker - Jul 25, 2002 9:55 am
Route Climbed: South Spur Date Climbed: 18 July 1988Climbed solo - wish I had taken my skis!
AdamTreks - Jul 24, 2002 5:30 pm
Route Climbed: South Climb Date Climbed: August 2001Was a tone of fun. I'm going back to finish it soon. Definatly take weather into consideration!
pin money pete - Jul 19, 2002 3:39 pm
Route Climbed: south spur (mount feces?!) Date Climbed: july 17 2002i climbed to the summit mining shack yesterday and was exploring the summit when i walked along the little ridge to the other side. there was the only windbreak of a few large rocks and such. when i sat down my foot moved a football sized rock, revealing a huge fresh pile of human feces. as i then looked around i realized i was in the middle of the summit toilet. i collected and packed out a whole blue bag of other peoples t.p. BOOOOOOO!!!!
look, i have failed to prepare correctly for daytrip forays into the wilderness and had to desecrate the land with my mess, but i have always been as responsible as i could be. either bury your shame deep as possible and ALWAYS pack out tp- thats never impossible.
if you cant do either, stay in the campground!!!
BicRungee - Jul 10, 2002 4:11 pm
Route Climbed: adams glacier Date Climbed: July 2001Climbed with Peter & Robin. Warm weekend so napped for a few hours at base of glacier then began climbing just after sundown. Heavily crevassed - one snowbridge collapsed just behind me. Multiple large bergschrunds towards top. North ridge descent an ugly mess - hard to imagine why people were climbing up the thing.