Mt Adams, Washington

Yes, that’s right…. alien hunting!

Mt Adams has been my family’s summer retreat even before I was born. For those unfamiliar with the area, Mt Adams is located north of Hood River, Oregon and north of White Salmon, Washington in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Why Mt Adams? HUCKLEBERRIES!

If you have never tasted these sweet morsals, they are like a tart, wild version of blueberries. I suggest you try these little babies.

My parents started out by bringing the trusty ol’ camper: Stan. Here we go again…

To reiterate, no one can sleep inside even though it sleeps 5 because my dad snores too much. So where does that leave me and Nathan? The Car.

With campsites pushing full for the Solar Eclipse weekend, we decided not to bring a tent and try sleeping in my car for 2 nights.

Don’t worry everyone: we stayed in our own sleeping bags!

Car Sleeping 101: There are 2 things in this world that scare me: spiders and small spaces. Suddenly, I was consumed both. A massive spider crawled out of my sleeping bag, then a little one hung from my car ceiling. I started frantically not being able to cope with the worry of dying from being in an unventilated car.

Luckily, I have my spider slayer that calms me down with king sized otter pops the morning after.

Note to self: NEVER SLEEP IN YOUR CAR AGAIN. WORST NIGHTS SLEEP EVER.

Waking up to huckleberry pancakes made by dad and mom makes everything better!

We set off up the mountain again to find the prime picking spot. Huckleberries are dependent on the snow pack the winter before, and we had the greatest snow pack this year. Also, when we go picking, it’s usually mom, dad, and Nate picking… I’m stuffing my face with a years supply of these things. 20 for me, 1 for the bucket!

The bushes were flooded with berries!

After picking berries and having an old fashioned tailgate picnic, we decided to go hiking.

History Time: Mt Adams ice caves are a lava bed that was formed after Mt Adams last eruption in 550 BC.

As you enter the cave, the temperature drops over 20-30 degrees, which leaves icicles hanging from the ceiling of the cave.

In all my years of going camping here I have never been brave enough to crawl through a little set of cold, dark caves. Nathan decided it was time and there was no turning back. I was so proud to have conquered one of my biggest fears!

I can see the light!

Another great thing to do at Mt Adams is Goose Lake. Ton’s of people go fishing and hiking around the lake in the prime time of summer, and of course: PADDLE BOARDING!

Petrified trees sticking up in the middle of the lake from the original lava flow!

Not a bad view!

One of the best things about Mt Adams is how unpopulated it is. With growing crowds at Mt Hood, Mt St. Helens, and Portland, you can never seem to get away from the people. Mt Adams is one of the last sanctuaries in the PNW I can run away to.

But with its peacefulness comes mystery. People go to bed at 8, dead silence ensues, and all animals are quiet. When it’s 10pm at night and you can’t sleep, what would you do? Get on your phone, right? Right!

Never Search: What to do at Mt. Adams?

The first answer is “Top Alien and UFO Sightings in the World”. Mt Adams is home to 70,000 alien/ufo sightings. So of course Nate and I are going to stay up all night looking for these so called “Triangle UFOs”.

I still have yet to see an alien or UFO, but when it happens, I’ll be ready! Beam me up Scotty!