Winter in that year started very early, and for the last climb in the season we chosen Mt Adams. In the middle of October the party of three of us started in the direction on the mountain.
Mt Adams is second highs mountain in Washington state. It is stratovolcano 3,743 metes of altitude covered by nice glacier.
After eight hours drive (I lived in Vancouver in those days) we spent short night in motel and at 8 am were at ranger station to buy climb permits. But from October climbing is free (not many idiots want to climb in winter conditions), so we picked up shit bags and drove by dirty log road to the trailhead though the rainy forest.
But on trailhead elevation (1600 meters) was nice and sunny , and all clouds and rain were below us.
We took out backpacks and started.
Somebody got a Sherpa!
View on Mt Adam ahead. Well, actually it is a false summit. Real one is behind false one.
Mt St Helens on the horizon.
Our aim:
Snow started very early that year. Flowers are still blooming.
Going up
At elevation 2500 we decided to camp.
Supper with sunset view.
It was the stormy night with strong wind and freezing rain. But at 5 am storm calmed down and we started our climb.
Storm covered soft snow with thick ice crust.
At elevation 3700 meters we found little kinglet. These little birds live in the forest and never fly to the mountains, but looks like night storm brought pod of them to the glacier and freezing rain covered them by ice crust. It is quick death, but this one was still alive. We couldn’t leave him just to die, so, we put him into pocket for slow defrost and took with us without hope that he can survive.
On my hand:
It was sunny, but very windy on the top.
We passed false summit. Real one in front of us.
We are on the summit. Cold and windy.
Mount Hood:
Mt Rainier
Closer
Top of the Mt Adams
Some icicles from the top:
By the way, the object of our rescue work came to life, cleaned all ice from himself and moved into warm glove that was in the pocket.
When we returned to the camp, we decided to check how he feels and put glove with him in closed tent. Kinglet felt pretty well, flied in tend and even couched a fly.
In the tent:
We put him in the camera bag and took in this improvised cage down to the forest where he flew away.
Typical boys red cup. Girls don’t have such.
Mt Adams from below:
