Mt Adams south side camp

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drm
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Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
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Mt Adams south side camp

Post by drm » April 17th, 2017, 4:47 am

In an effort (failed as it turned out) to camp somewhere that I could see at least some of the planets (all visible-to-the-eye planets are out now and Jupiter is out all night), I aimed for the road that leads to Morrison Camp and the South Climb. The goal was just to find a spot up a ways that would have such views, and as is often the case with these trips for me, camp on a melted out spot.

The road is still blocked by a snow berm right from the start, where they plow to next to that ranch. So I walked the first half hour before putting my touring skis on. They came off once after a mile for a section of melted out road, and then were on for good. So this is barely above 2000 feet. The snow coverage was fairly complete if thin, like a foot, and is thinner where the pavement ends. I had memory of a spot on a ridge that tends to melt out earlier than areas around it, but did not remember exactly how far up it was.

I ended up camping about 6 miles up the road, at the top of a switchback. It wasn't the spot that I remembered, but it kept the sun fairly long that evening, which is nice this time of year. I went up about a mile further but by then snow was getting really deep. I had a decent afternoon and evening at camp but it was getting cold and then one of those howling winds came up that makes for a bad night. The tent held fine but it's not pleasant being in a battered structure all night.

In the morning thin clouds moving in kept it from warming up too fast but the wind had prevented it from getting quite as cold as expected so the snow on the road was still soft, making for a reasonable ski out.
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Road 8040 camp
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What I could see of Adams through the trees

bushwhacker
Posts: 163
Joined: September 7th, 2009, 3:56 pm
Location: Troutdale

Re: Mt Adams south side camp

Post by bushwhacker » April 18th, 2017, 5:03 am

Well at least you got out. Cabin fever? I have managed to only get one over night in so far this year. Was watching the KOIN 6 weather this morning and they said that this time last year we were in the middle of a string of days where we were in the 80's :evil:

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