| South Spur Climb June 8th, 2003  There are hikes that you don’t even consider until you are in the car heading for the trailhead and then there are those that seem to sit atop your ‘to do’ list for years as the timing never seems right. Well Mt. Adams, the ‘forgotten’ mountain, is one of those later hikes and last weekend we finally got it done. This one took a little extra effort – for starters squeezing 16 hours of driving and 18 miles of difficult hiking (nearly 7700ft!) into a regular weekend meant that we had to forgo a night’s rest.
Well that’s not entirely true – we did nap for two whole hours at the Latourell Falls parking lot. Back in 2000 we photographed the waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge, going east to west and by the time we got to Latourell Falls we had only one shot left. We had no shortage of film this time around…. Back on the road to Trout Lake, we paused often to take in the postcard worthy views of Mt. Hood and later Mt. Adams. Had to stop at the Ranger station for a pair of Volcano Passes as the Northwest Forest Pass isn’t enough for this hike. The road wasn’t open and we had to hike in an extra three miles from the Morrison Creek Campground. There wasn’t all that much snow on the road however the only other parking area is at the Cold Springs trailhead, which is still completely snowbound.  The ranger insisted we needed snowshoes for the approach but that really depends on what time you get started. The snow stays pretty firm until about noon and turns into complete slop around 2pm. We started at 9:30 but with full packs and 4500ft of elevation gain the six miles to the Lunch Counter took about six hours (OK we stopped for pictures a lot but it was still a really tough slog). Hiking around the Lunch Counter was particularly miserable, as the many rocks seem to heat the snow and cause extreme post-holing. Fortunately it’s possible to find dry camp spots and their number will only increase as the snow recedes.
The views that day were somewhat disheartening as a thick haze had set in making Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood nearly invisible. As the evening progressed however the haze captured the dying light and we were treated to a glorious sunset. Perhaps it was a sign…. That night the wind picked up and ensured that we would not get any sleep on this trip. However as the sun rose we stifled our protests as we were greeted with a beautiful clear sunrise.  What started as a slog the day before became a delightful trek in the mountains. At 6am the snow was firm and perfect for crampons. We were able to march up to the top of Piker’s Peak in just over two hours. Views were superb with Mt. Jefferson and even the Sisters making an appearance on the southern horizon. Mt. St. Helens was lovely as small cotton ball like clouds filled the valleys that surrounded her and kept her menacing scars well hidden. Conditions were excellent with clear skies and a soothing breeze that was broken by gusts just at the top of Piker’s Peak and the far side of the true summit. The summit hut is little more than a stick pointing out of the snow right now but it served as an adequate podium where we could salute the triumphant ascent of our fifth Cascades volcano. However before we could get too full of ourselves the views of Mt. Rainier interjected and we were instantly humbled. I guess it’s time to buy a rope or else find another hobby.
 The thrills didn’t end with the summit. The glissade track back down from Piker’s Peak to the Lunch Counter is legendary. We planned our whole day around this event and dropped into the chute right at 11am. We don’t think we could have picked a better time, as it was not so icy that you bruise your backside and not so slushy that you wind up soaked. We slid 2000ft in about 10 minutes - Fantastic!
Post-holing back across the Lunch Counter to our tent wasn’t fun but we made great time on the way out cutting our time in half. Totals: 18 miles, 7667ft - 9.5 hours up, 5 hours down and an experience that was unforgettable. Q | 
