Our Volksvegan Adventure

Well, it certainly feels good to be back on the road. We left Boise and headed for Mt. Adams in Washington. We had some trouble filtering the grease we got in Middleton because our grease filtration system was running slow. So we decided to ditch it and look for some filtered oil on the road.

We camped out near Trout Lake Washington, near the base of Mt. Adams, and headed to the trailhead the next morning. The hike up was pretty easy until we got to Crescent Glacier, where we had to hike across the ice using our trekking poles for added traction. Juneau loved seeing snow, of course, and was far ahead of us as we hiked up. We got to a flat area below the false summit, called the lunch counter, and found a sheltered area to set up camp. We got to watch the most amazing sunsets the two nights we were there. The sun set behind Mt. Saint Helens and dipped into a sea of clouds that surrounded us. We lucked out with beautiful warm weather most of the time we were there, so thankfully we didn’t freeze as we camped above 9,000 feet.

The next day we headed for the summit, straight up a steep face and across several glaciers. It was a steep climb but we made good time. We hiked up to one side of the mountain that was covered in glaciers with deep crevices cutting into them. Seneca mentioned that the snow fields seemed to have melted a lot since he climbed it a year ago, and during the day all the glaciers were slushy and meltwater flowed down the mountain. We finally made it to the false summit, Piker’s Peak, where we stopped for a rest before crossing another ice field and heading up the steep climb to the summit, at 12, 276 ft.

We finally reached the top of Mt. Adams and had a spectacular view of Mt. Hood, Mt. Saint Helens, and Mt. Rainier from the top. There was a beat up old fire lookout that we sat on for a snack as we watched clouds rolling by below us. This was the highest mountain I have ever climbed, and the view from the summit was simply amazing. The climb down went pretty quick, especially since we slid down some of the snow fields on our butts! It was cold the next morning when we got up, and winds were whipping all around. For pictures of our climb and the view, check out our Mt. Adams photos on flickr.

The next day we hiked down from our camping spot and headed straight for the Full Sail Brewery in Hood River for a congratulatory beer and lunch. Then we headed for the Ochoco National Forest near Bend, where a regional Rainbow Family Gathering was taking place. We spent a few days camping with our Rainbow Family before heading to Bend and the Deschutes Brewery. Our next stop is Eugene, where we plan to check out the town and hopefully a couple of communities nearby. Then we’re heading South to California!