Christmas Eve Hike - Mt. Adams

C

CanDo

Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
913
Hey everyone,

Christmas eve, I got up north with a buddy and we climbed Mt. Adams. Most of it anyway, the going up was SLOW so we had to turn around before the summit. We'll be back though! I thought some of you would enjoy pictures, so I'll post a few here and link to an album.

Me at the trailhead:

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Approaching the tree line:
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My friend trekking on the ridge:

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We were breaking trail for this hike. There was a bunch of fresh snow on the ground and in some places the drifts were deep. I fell in down to my belly button in some places. Like I said, slow progress. This is me snowshoeing up.

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The adjacent Mt. Madison which I climbed last year:

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My friend taking in some of the sights. Overlooking the King's Ravine:

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The only life we saw was this Gray Jay. This is the southern edge of its range. It flew right to us, because it was hungry, I think, and happily devoured some of my oatmeal.
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Did I mention that there were some good views?
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I've gotta fly to the store to pick up a new compass before the blizzard arrives, but can post some more thoughts later. Since we were talking about clothing earlier, I should mention that I'm wearing the Arc'Teryx Beta AR, and it was AWESOME. I think I'm going to exchange for one of their longer-cut models, but the general fabric and design was simply great.

All pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/collins...authkey=Gv1sRgCMrf3PCEr-G3iQE&feat=directlink

Best,

Mike
 
Oh, and to make this somewhat knife-related, the tool of the day was my CS Recon 1. LM Wave in the pack, but fortunately, didn't need to come out. Recon chopped ice off of one of the trail signs, cut open a package of cheese, and cut cord to length.
 
Looks like it was an exceptional day in the Presidential Range. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:





Big Mike
 
Damn that looks cold! I HATE the snow, better you than me out there. But if you want real cold, come out here in the winter with the fog! 30F and 100% humidity+windy and <50ft visibility. I know I wouldn't survive long in your backyard, lets hope I don't ever have to! I'll stick to the 1000+ miles of waterways here as I am more likely to get lost in that.

Beautiful pictures, though.


-Xander
 
Xander,

Sounds like fun out there. The presis get pretty chilly though, among other things.

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The sign doesn't exaggerate: in fact, some may say the worst weather in the world. 231mph winds were recorded two miles south of Adams: http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/recordwind.php

Rime ice can form quickly and heavy. A foot of ice coating everything just overnight. I wouldn't survive long in those sorts of conditions above treeline either. I only go if the weather looks good, and get down into the trees if it starts looking bad. That said, I've been on a ridge in 50mph wind with hurricane force gusts and it was pretty awesome.


fast14riot said:
Damn that looks cold! I HATE the snow, better you than me out there. But if you want real cold, come out here in the winter with the fog! 30F and 100% humidity+windy and <50ft visibility. I know I wouldn't survive long in your backyard, lets hope I don't ever have to! I'll stick to the 1000+ miles of waterways here as I am more likely to get lost in that.

Beautiful pictures, though.


-Xander
Click to expand...
 
Thats some awesome pics, and looks like a great day.
That sign will make you think about your gear and preparedness a bit, huh?:D:thumbup:
 
Kudos to you for having the sense and maturity to turn around when it was time to do so. Thanks for posting, great pictures!
 
Absolutely amazing CanDo. Possibly the best pics. I've seen posted here.:thumbup: I'm biased though, I've hiked the Presidentials on several occasions over the years and they are one of my favorite mountain ranges of all time.

Bean
 
You really captured the winter wonderland scenery, just beautiful. Sounds like you two had a good day out and the sense to make sure you didn't get into trouble.
 
Huh. I just got a severe case of dejavoo.

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Only when I was there this summer, it was a little warmer :D But the White Mountains are every bit as pretty in the winter. Thanks for sharing :thumbup:
 
CanDo, that reminds me of....looks just like...., Alright, I've never been anywhere even remotely like that place. I live in Central Texas and live my winter adventures vicariously through folks like you:). A few trips to mountains in New Mexico have given me a taste of cold trails though! Thanks for sharing the photos and be safe. Take care and God bless.
 
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