Mt Adams 2020 Labor Day T-Bar
I call this trip a T-Bar because I hiked up, turn left/north, camp, retrace my steps back past where I came up, camping to the south, and then back. The first night's camp was in the area below High Camp and the second camp was way to the south off the Round the Mountain Trail, midway between the Shorthorn and South Climb junctions. I had planned a third night but really high winds were forecast and heavy smoke moved in, so my planned last night at Crystal Lake was dropped.
Going up the Riley Trail, the ponds were really scummy this late in the summer.
Mt Adams Pinnacle from near Riley Meadows.
The PCT heads out into the debris basin that Adams Creek goes down.
The log and rock crossing of Adams Creek.
After Adams Creek, I turn right and hike cross-country through grassy hills and modest forest and found this camp at about 6500 feet.
Looking out at the peaks of the Dark Divide with Mt. Rainier poking up above the layer of smoke.
There was no stream or creek nearby, but I found this melting snowbank nearby. It took 5-10 minutes to fill my cook pot.
At about 6pm as I was getting ready to eat, a few mountain goats came out into the valley below to have their dinner.
More of their friends joined in.
Later it seemed they had left and then I heard a sound to the left - they had moved close. This is like 20 yards from me and my camp. I've never had goats come that close. They were in the area for about two hours.
Sunset from camp.
Adams Creek crossing in the morning.
Smoke moved in and I could barely see the mountain from the PCT.
More wildlike - find the pika in the middle of this picture. I saw another one nearby right after.
Mt Adams from Horseshoe Meadow - the smoke had cleared.
I've seen this peak and some day I'm going to hike up there. It's zoomed in, so is actually many hundreds of feet up.
Descending the PCT through a burn as fall colors start to develop.
