Mount Adams via Mazama Glacier

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Last weekend I climbed Mount Adams via the Mazama Glacier with The Mountaineers. After seeing the lunch counter and the masses ascending from it I am very glad to have had the opportunity to use the less traveled approach from within the Yakima Nation.








We hiked in from the trailhead near Mirror Lake on Saturday and set up in completely empty established sites at the base of the Mazama Glacier. The weather was warm and skies were clear besides some approaching wildfire smoke.










Wet left camp at 3 am and roped up where the snow started a few hundred feet above. It was necessary to navigate around or over several crevasses including one knife edge snow bridge over the bergshrund that a few of us found to be very exciting.  We dropped ropes and harnesses at the base of a long rocky finger and scrambled over to views of the lunch counter and Pikers Peak.








We ascended a mix of snow and lava rock to a mound of rocks below the false summit, where the true summit came into view. After a break behind the shelter of the rock mound, we stepped into heavy wind which persisted throughout the climb.










We reached the tattered summit hut to find it completely exposed, but filled to the roof inside with snow. After a quick visit to the summit we headed down, excited to see the glacial terrain we had traveled through in the dark that morning. A few small adjustments were made to the descent route and wet made it back to camp safely and efficiently, but not without a couple fun jumps along the way.



















Thanks again Bill for leading a safe and exiting trip!

Images

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