Our attempt at Adam’s was a short one.
Very short.
We weren’t 15 minutes up the trail when alinamouse started to realize that she was pushing too hard this early in the game.
We set our packs down, did some good stretching and hydrating, still hopeful that the mouse would feel better.
We continued up the next short stretch of trail slowly, testing to see if the mouse would adjust to the climb.
Shortly after, no more than 30 minutes total on trail, it was clear to the mouse that it would be a fruitless effort to push the 2 miles up to the desired camp feeling like this.
Adjusting to the needs of the pack, we decided to head back down to the car where we could camp for the night and try again in the morning.
It was not what we had wanted to do, but the safety of the pack is always our #1 priority.
After a good night sleep acclimating to the mountain, we were hoping that the mouse would be feeling better, but sadly she was still showing symptoms of AMS (acute mountain sickness) so it was out of the question for her to sleep at any higher altitude.
That did not stop us from hiking around and enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery.
We spent our morning walking around the campsites and trailheads picking up trash.
We always have extra trash bags on hand just for this reason, especially now during Covid while the parks are so underfunded and understaffed.
It felt good to do something other than sit and be upset about not getting to climb the mountain, and it felt amazing to leave the mountain better than we found it.
Alinamouse
Later that day, the rest of the pack including Roxy Doggo, AusFrog, and Sp0rk, made the 2 mile journey up the mountain to fetch us some much needed mountain water.
They returned empty handed, finding the steam completely dried up as seen in the cover photo.
Turns out it was a good thing we turned around, or we may have been in a pickle struggling further up the mountain to find water.
Overall, despite not doing much hiking at all, this trip was a success. We got to enjoy the mountain, get some altitude training, and no one got hurt.
Altitude illness (AMS) is not easily identified because it is a collective of various symptoms that can be different for everyone. The best thing to do is stop until symptoms resolve, and if they continue it is best to go down the mountain.
Having experienced AMS on a number of adventures, including the Wonderland, alinamouse being able to recognize the symptoms and make the hard decision to turn around before pushing through and making it worse, is a HUGE accomplishment.
We will be back in a few weeks time to attempt Mount Adams again.
So glad Alinamouse is okay and that you all have the experience to “turn back” when necessary. The mountain will still be there “next time” and thanks to the pack the mountain is a “better, cleaner” mountain. Love you all!