Mt. Adams Round-The-Mountain (Truly)
This copped title is from Mike Woodmansee's book, "Trekking Washington." Mt. Adams "round the mountain" trail doesn't go round the mountain. There is a rugged no-man's land on the east side, seeing few visitors with approximately 5 miles of terrain extending from the viewpoint overlooking Hellroaring Meadow to a minimal trail on the far side of Avalanche Valley. On this 2 day trip (full photo set here), day one started from the Cold Springs campground (where I truck camped the night before) and proceeded CCW on good trail through the lovely Bird Creek Meadows area, ending on an overlook at 6500 feet. It took me nearly 8 hours to negotiate this approximately 5 mile section, starting with a sketchy descent into Hellroaring Meadow, a strenuous climb on the other side to the left of Little Mt Adams, then on to the Ridge of Wonders.
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