Our group of four did the classic Adams south climb, overnighting at Lunch Counter and making an alpine start. It was our first time climbing Adams.
We went on a sunny weekend with a forecast for good weather - a draw not only for us but scores of other climbers. We arrived at the trailhead parking lot mid-day and it was packed, but we still found good parking spaces. When we left Sunday afternoon, a considerable number of spaces had opened up.
Snow began above 8000'. Snow-free campsites at Lunch Counter were abundant. Warned by descending hikers that Lunch Counter was dry, we filled our water bottles at Morrison Creek and then melted snow in camp to replace what we drank and used for dinner.
It was dead calm overnight, not even a whisper of wind, and the stars were brilliant. We set out from camp before dawn and reveled in the sunrise colors as we made our ascent. We wore crampons on the way up Pikers Peak and also used trekking poles and ice axes. Shortly below the top of Pikers Peak, enough snow had melted to expose a wide band of loose rock. It was nasty to cross, and the one place where I felt apprehensive about not having a helmet. But after that, it was smooth sailing to the summit. Run-off under ice near the summit served as another water source, saving us the time and fuel of melting snow later.
Views were breathtaking - a Who's Who of all the major peaks in Washington and northern Oregon. I thought I could make out a faint outline of the Sisters to the south.
By mid to late morning when we made our descent, the sun had softened the snow enough for us to remove our crampons. Glissade chutes made for a rapid descent down Pikers Peak.
If you still plan on doing Adams this summer, I'd recommend going soon before too much more snow melts away!
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