Mount Adams

My best friend Craig Campbell and I decided a few days in advance that we wanted to climb Mount Adams on Monday and Tuesday the 12th and 13th of August. Craig had attempted the climb several times before but had to turn back due to the fact that his climbing partner had gotten altitude sickness; however, Craig finally reached the summit in the early summer doing a solo ascension. Thus, I had considerable trust in Craig's climbing abilities and was confident that we could make the summit this time around.

The one thing that kept me from making the climb was my lack of gear. Luckily, my good friend Ryan Rhoten had just made the climb with his daughter and some other friends and had some gear for me to borrow, including: crampons, ice ax, trekking poles, sleeping bag, pad, etc. I was very grateful for Ryan's help. Craig was able to get me a climbing backpack from our buddy Dan Cannon to which I am also very grateful. We were ready.

The night before we left, I had Craig come over so that he could go over my items and assure that I had everything I needed. He also helped me pack my bag so that the essential things were easily accessible. I felt ready and excited.

The next morning after running a few preparatory errands, we left. We got to Cold Springs base camp at around 3:00 pm. We slumped our heavy packs on our backs and began the long hike up to lunch counters which lied at about 9,000 ft of elevation. The sun was high up in the sky and fell upon us with intensity. I was sweating almost immediately. As we slowly went upward, we passed many people with friendly faces who were headed downward. "Happy summiting!" one guy exclaimed. It so often appears that those who seek refuge in nature are people of friendly dispositions who have a superior sense of morality. The people we passed encouraged us upward and seemed so joyous to see others who shared the same love of nature that they do.

We stopped every 30 minutes or so to ingest a few calories and drink water. This is a strategy that Craig had learned from Powell McClean during a beginners ascension of Mount Rainier. It is incredible how quickly the human body burns energy. This strategy assures that the body has the energy it needs in order to continue the journey upward.

As we climbed we passed the massive Crescent Glacier which slopes downward at a very steep angle. Craig and I passed by the glacier on its west side as we climbed up some very large boulders. As we looked behind us we could clearly see the beautiful Mount Hood at a distance. Due to the late summer heat, most of the snow up to this point had already been melted, except for the Crescent glacier, of course. At one point, as we rested we spotted a white animal in the distance. After contemplating what it might have been, we came to the conclusion that it was a mountain goat. We could see it digging itself into the ground and lay down to rest for a time. What a beautiful sight!

We continued upward. After about 3 hours of climbing, we finally came to the snow covered face. We sat down on some rocks to strap on our crampons. The crampons that Ryan had lent to me were quite seasoned and were more difficult to strap on. The spikes on the bottom were a bit dull and the straps were made of leather. The straps seemed to be way too long and I had great difficulty figuring out how to strap them down enough that they were out of my way as I walked. After great effort, I finally managed. Craig had just purchased himself a brand new pair of crampons, so he was waiting for me patiently.

As we stepped onto the snow as was filled with gratitude for what I had strapped to the bottom of my feet. Without crampons, the steep snowy mountain side would be difficult to walk up. With crampons, however, the climb was enjoyable. Climbing on the snow added to the experience a sense of authenticity. It wasn't until this point that I realized that I was actually climbing a MOUNTAIN.

As the elevation level continued to rise, so did my heart rate. I could definitely feel the difference between being at 8,500 ft compared to sea level.