15.5 miles of hiking • 3250' elevation gain • 1 night
Solo ramble starting at the South Climb trailhead on Mount Adams, then winding east along Round The Mountain ("not really") trail over to Bird Creek Meadows. This early stretch was through burns for a couple miles, and then into the most glorious alpine meadows for the next few. Particularly once on the Yakima reservation. The trail of flowers didn't seem quite as good as what led up to it.
Anyway, from Bird Creek Meadows, I headed uphill take in the sights at Hellroaring Viewpoint. And at this point, I had a pretty good idea where I had to go, but I really wasn't sure how I'd get there. I believed Iceberg Lake was over the other side of the highest lateral moraine I could see. Someone had recommended climbing the moraine's ridgeline from the bottom up. Not good! I found a better way down, just plummeting over its side.
The "trail" off the moraine over to Iceberg Lake is "flagged" with a spray-painted orange "X" of all things! So, one more snowfield to cross, and there I was! Simply outrageous place to kick off the shoes, and enjoy a good soak. :-)
Then, it was just time to head back to the jeep, pretty much the same way I came. Helluva day on the mountain!
Anticipating another hike the next day, on the other side of the mountain, I then drove back down to Trout Lake and north from there to pitch a tent not far from Takhlakh Lake, which is where the next report begins. :-)
