June 1, 2013, Mount Adams via Cold Springs TH
6/1/13
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2625
5
We made a hasty attempt on Adams this morning after learning yesterday that the Cold Springs Trailhead and South Climb Route are now open. Even though there are conflicting posts on the Gifford-Pinchot website stating that the climb is still closed; and the ranger station has signs also stating this fact...it is actually OPEN.
The road to the actual trail head is free of snow, but a high-clearance vehicle would be VERY helpful for the last 5 miles. We drove in Friday night, leaving Seattle at around 6pm. After some shenanigans in Trout Lake trying to find the ranger station and being confused about the multiple postings at said station indicating that the South Climb is still "closed," we eventually made our way up the Adams Recreation Road. We made camp at a pull-out 4 miles before the trail head at around 11:30pm. At this point, the skies were clear and full of stars and a nice aurora display.
We were skinning by 5:30AM with dark clouds rolling in overhead, though the sunrise was still shining brightly on Mt. Hood. By 7:00AM we met the first party of skiers bailing on the climb due to RAIN at 10,000ft. We were optimistic though, and decided to push on. We met an additional 2 parties who bailed shortly thereafter due to similar conditions. However, by 8:00AM the clouds started to clear overhead and we found some filtered rays of warm sunshine. This was short-lived though and it began to snow at around 9,000ft. Dark clouds were also blowing in from the direction of Helens and we opted to flip it while we still had some visibility.
By the time we got back down to Trout Lake, it was sunny and warm, though the clouds still remained up in the high country. The skiing was pretty good, with firm conditions on the way up and soft corn most of the way back down. I cannot comment on the snow above 9,000ft though, but heard from others that things were pretty firm higher up.
BTW- the drive from Seattle to the Cold Springs TH is very long, and I would not attempt this again in the future without a really stellar weather forecast.
Pics to follow...
The road to the actual trail head is free of snow, but a high-clearance vehicle would be VERY helpful for the last 5 miles. We drove in Friday night, leaving Seattle at around 6pm. After some shenanigans in Trout Lake trying to find the ranger station and being confused about the multiple postings at said station indicating that the South Climb is still "closed," we eventually made our way up the Adams Recreation Road. We made camp at a pull-out 4 miles before the trail head at around 11:30pm. At this point, the skies were clear and full of stars and a nice aurora display.
We were skinning by 5:30AM with dark clouds rolling in overhead, though the sunrise was still shining brightly on Mt. Hood. By 7:00AM we met the first party of skiers bailing on the climb due to RAIN at 10,000ft. We were optimistic though, and decided to push on. We met an additional 2 parties who bailed shortly thereafter due to similar conditions. However, by 8:00AM the clouds started to clear overhead and we found some filtered rays of warm sunshine. This was short-lived though and it began to snow at around 9,000ft. Dark clouds were also blowing in from the direction of Helens and we opted to flip it while we still had some visibility.
By the time we got back down to Trout Lake, it was sunny and warm, though the clouds still remained up in the high country. The skiing was pretty good, with firm conditions on the way up and soft corn most of the way back down. I cannot comment on the snow above 9,000ft though, but heard from others that things were pretty firm higher up.
BTW- the drive from Seattle to the Cold Springs TH is very long, and I would not attempt this again in the future without a really stellar weather forecast.
Pics to follow...
Thx Garrett for this report. Looks like you made the most of what the weather gave you.
Can you comment more on the road conditions? Sounds like you guys had to stop 5m short of TH because of snow on road? Would a high clearance vehicle had made it to the TH? How far were other folks making it up the road?
Can you comment more on the road conditions? Sounds like you guys had to stop 5m short of TH because of snow on road? Would a high clearance vehicle had made it to the TH? How far were other folks making it up the road?
The road is snow free all the way to the trail head at 5,600ft because there has been some plowing done up there. However the plowing is minimal, so you might have to camp on snow (or mud as we saw some folks doing) if you park at the TH the night before your ascent.
We camped down lower because we were told that there is limited parking at the trail head, and we found a nice dry pull-out that had been cleared of fire debris. There are burned and downed trees everywhere up there, so camping options are few even lower on the mountain.
Most folks that drove to the TH were in high ground clearance vehicles (we were in a jeep wrangler), but one guy did make it in a corolla. I am sure he bottomed out quite a bit though, as the ruts and potholes are huge.
We camped down lower because we were told that there is limited parking at the trail head, and we found a nice dry pull-out that had been cleared of fire debris. There are burned and downed trees everywhere up there, so camping options are few even lower on the mountain.
Most folks that drove to the TH were in high ground clearance vehicles (we were in a jeep wrangler), but one guy did make it in a corolla. I am sure he bottomed out quite a bit though, as the ruts and potholes are huge.
Thank you.
Thanks for the beta on the road and parking. Did you guys need ski crampons for your early start?
Ski crampons were not necessary, but one of our group members used his at one point. If we had been on steeper slopes, I probably would have used them too. Definitely bring them along.
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