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So Im climbing Mt. Adams for the 1st time in 2wks (July 10, 11). This will be my 1st Alpine hike and my 1st overnight hike.

Im hoping some of you guys who are experienced can give me some general advice on what to expect, necesities to bring, etc..

My background: Im very inexperienced as I just moved to Oregon last year. Ive been to Crater rock on Hood (Hot scree conditions), Cooper Spur on Hood, and climbed the South Sister last August. Unforuntelay Im a 260lb man carrying a good amount of muscle, but Im in good shape as I workout 5x week.

Thanks

Yea man, get after it.

I don't remember much. I was there in winter and had a long ski in.

General Rule: Go Light. You really don't need much but good sense and caution in the learning curve. Keep an eye on the weather and don't gas yourself out above tree line.

Enjoy!

I remember the cruddy weather turned us back on our first summit attempt.

Case you should be overcome by whiteout conditions, always bring snow goggles.

Best of luck!

Do people bring water for the whole 2 days or do they melt it at lunch counter?
Does everyone bring dry food, if so how can i get all the calories I require from that?

What you want to do is go as light as possible ..

I remember bringing freeze-dried meals and dried fruit.

Not bragging, but I lived in the PAC-NW, hiking in the Cascades
for 8 years and never did I contact Giardia or any illness from
melting snow or occasionally drinking from streams.

Have fun!

I've climbed with dozens of climbers in Washington, nobody filters their water after melting it from snow. You will need to melt snow. Yes, just do a freeze dried dinner and bring candy bars and other stuff you like to eat. Don't worry so much about what the calorie counters say...just keep your tummy full and you will be fine. Your better off focusing on your water. Drink, drink and drink some more. I've done Adams several times via the south spur route, it should be perfect for you. Getting to the lunch counter isn't too committing and little can go wrong. From there, you can follow the glissade trench up even in a white-out. The route is obvious. The only place you need to watch yourself is from the false summit to the true summit. The winds can be rough and people have been disoriented on the gentle traverse if it's cloudy. As long as your weather up there is decent, it's just a slow stroll at 12,000 feet. If your climbing in the early hours, an ice axe and crampons could be needed as the snow will be firm. (In reality, you should have them anyway but the reality is that many if not a majority don't have them when climbing Adams in the summer). It gets a bit steep for some just before the false summit. If the snow is soft, you may not even notice. The good news is that you can turn back at any time without needing a rope partner, just being at the Lunch Counter will be a good first "overnight alpine experience"
I have a webpage with a bit more info <a href=http://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_climbing/south_cascades/mount_adams_038.htm>http://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_climbing/south_cascades/mount_adams_038.htm</a>

great info, much appreciated guys...so do you add anyhting at all to the melted snow, like tablets?

Keep the info coming please, Im learning lots

Bring a stove. The biggest key to staying safe in high elevations is sleep, hydration and nutrition. Eat well and often (once every 2 hours or so), drink not only water but electrolyte mixes and sport style drinks. When it is cold outside put the drink inside your coat to keep it warm. Also bring a heavy duty trash bag to shovel snow into so that if it heats up and the sun hits the outside of the bag the inside will melt the snow. It is a nice surprise to have two new gallons of fresh water.

As for ice axe and crampons my rule of thumb is if there is snow there and it is summer you should always bring them and if you find a safe slope which there are tons of on Adams take ten minutes to review self arrest. I actually find it fun to review my skills and over the past year have become very confident with snow when my axe is in my hand. That being said I like to self arrest when I am stopping a glissade just to keep it fresh. Adams is where I got my start into the volcanoes and I have been addicted to climbing volcanoes ever since. Good luck and have a great time.

EastKing wrote:Eat well and often (once every 2 hours or so)

En route I prefer to eat smaller portions but often. I keep some high energy food handy in a chest pocket that I can take a bite from and put it back without having to take any of my gear off except gloves. Cliff bars or other granola bars, pastries that don't fall apart easily etc. Then on rest stops a bit more like a sandwich.
I find a drinking bladder system essential to stay properly hydrated. Keeping bottled water in my back is just enough of a burden to not do it often enough as it's too easy not to drink enough anyways. At least put your water and possibly food in the top pocket of your partners pack and vise versa so you don't have to take off your pack to get to it.

Geez, I failed to mention the importance of water.

You can do bad things to your body - it's essential to keep yourself hydrated.

Yeah, take a portable stove for melting water. It's only for three days tops, right ??

Is rockfall or icefall any concern? The S Spur looks pretty safe, and most people seem to skip helmets, but I haven't been there in person to see.

Its only gonna be a 2day event.

Is their a place to buy powdered electolytes that mixes with water?

The grocery store. Gatorade packets.

I prefer Clif Shots and clean water bottles, though.

From what Ive heard, their is no icefall or rockfall danger. In fact Ive heard ice ixe and crampons are necessarily a necessity, it just makes the climb to the summit alot easier (crampons), and the iceax is used primarily for controlling ur speed on the glisade down.

Can anyone whose been there in the summer confirm this.

TheViper wrote:From what Ive heard, their is no icefall or rockfall danger. In fact Ive heard ice ixe and crampons are necessarily a necessity, it just makes the climb to the summit alot easier (crampons), and the iceax is used primarily for controlling ur speed on the glisade down.

Can anyone whose been there in the summer confirm this.

First off, there's plenty of snow to melt water if camping at the Lunch Counter (recommended). If you get an early start (recommended), and since we have gotten a lot of snow until recently, I think taking crampons and an ice axe a wise move, provided you know how to use them. The snow can be very firm to icy in the morning. No, there is no ice or rockfall danger unless there is someone above you on the slope and a klutz.

This is a good beginner's climb and the views are super. Keep an eye on the weather, however.