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The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., July 13, 1961, page 5

The following information(3 pages), gleaned by Mrs. Dorothy Clark of Roosevelt, concerns early day accounts of Mt. Adams and the surrounding country. This is an apt time for running these accounts since the Klickitat County Historical will hold a meeting Saturday, July 15, at Hollenbeck Park.

TROUTLAKE ICE CAVES Bickleton News, July 17, 1908
By Chris Guler

One of the attractions of Klickitat county is the lava and ice caves in the vicinity of Troutlake. Commencing about eight miles below Troutlake on the White Salmon and Troutlake stage route, they form a chain of caves over 22 miles in length. Some of these are open, some caved in while others are still closed. The largest of these caves, accessible to sightseers is the lava cave which is situated two miles south of the Troutlake Hotel. It is 40 feet deep, three-quarters of a mile long and 30 feet wide. Its walls are of lava and one can easily detect the grooves where the streams of melted lava flowed for centuries. The floor looks like a wavy stream of water petrified.Seven miles south and west of the hotel is probably one of the most interesting of the caves since it is of perpetual ice. The theory is that the ice is formed by a current of cold air arising from an underground glacier and coming in contact with the warm air from above, thus forming drippage of water. The cold current freezes this, forming ice continually. In bygone days the Indians took this ice and carried it on the packhorses over the mountains to The Dalles. The country where these caves are located is a gradual sloping valley forming a natural park between Troutlake and the Lewis river. It is a mistaken theory of tourists that these caves are found near Mt. Adams. This is not true for they form a chain from east to west in the level country beginning at least 30 miles south of Mt. Adams. This indicates that many ages ago another mountain existed from which these streams of lava had been flowing. This mountain is now entirely obliterated. Some geologists think that an immense lode of coal became ignited and made such a tremendous heat that the surrounding region melted, forming streams of lava and gases. Being confined under the surface, it caused the forming of caves. This theory seems plausible by looking at the different formations of the caves. In some instance, these gases probably became so strong that they forced their way out.

MT. ADAMS, Bickleton News, July 24, 1906
By Joseph Parrott

The mountain appears so near, yet for miles as we approach, it seems to recede as if some secret lies hidden there not intended for man to fathom. As we begin to ascend the gradual slope at its base, we enter an open grassy country noted for its splendid yellow pine trees suitable for the extensive manufacture of lumber, and for the grazing of thousands of sheep during the summer months. This grazing is controlled by government regulations in order to preserve the range and protect the timber from forest fires. As we near the mountain snow line, we notice the "camp robber" and other birds with various colored plumage and voice. Lower down we came to the pine trees and other dwarf evergreen trees. As we approach the timber line, we see deep-tinged variegated flowers which grow only at this altitude. We find near the snow line on the north a little mountain whose sides are red and vermillion in color. These sides are steep and composed of loose volcanic rocks which have been emitted through an explosive fissure, formerly a depression or crater in the center. There is also a smaller one west of Bird Creek glacier, south of the mountain. The northwest part of the mountain has been extensively carried away by the big Muddy glacier until these walls are perpendicular. These are thousands of feet high. Almost at the summit of the mountain there have been found specimens of petrified wood mixed with a stained cement. Alum is found in most of the glaciers of the mountain. These glaciers are the mills that grind the mountain rocks into powder which is carried away by the muddy streams that issue beneath these glaciers. On the north side where the Cypress glacier cuts away the basalt, there is a bluff of sandstone indicating its having been at one time deposited by some flowing stream since the particles are smooth and rounded. Sulpher has been found on the mountain sides. This is supposed to have been caused by gas explosions from the fissure or vent at the west point of the summit where there is a continual escape of sulfuric gasses. These come from unknown depths where there is still, no doubt, a latent heat requiring only perhaps a flow of water to give us an active volcano. This, however, is not likely to occur. The mountain can be reached by means of a lava ridge on the northwest and by a longer but not such a steep way on the south side. This ridge is believed to have been uplifted by a giant subterranean force of volcanic origin until molten lava ran down and cooled along its sides which in places have been cut away by glaciers. The flow gradually stopped and the fissure filled up leaving no crater at the top of the mountain. It should require six hours to go from the snow line to the summit of the mountain, as too much haste in rarified air is likely to make the venture a failure. A clear unclouded day should be selected to climb the mountain. The descent is quickly and easily made. The view from the topmost point where you can see the entire horizon for its grandeur and beauty is one not soon to be forgotten and is well worth the effort, time and fatigue spent. There are different ways to reach this mountain. One way, probably most used at present, is by Troutlake from Bingen and White Salmon. On this route there is a fine view of the mountain, also from the hotel and summer resort at Guler hotel and post office near the lake on Trout creek, which is noted for its fine fishing. North are the trails to Steamboat lake, huckleberry patches, its caves, Indian race tracks and the nigger heads that are across the Lewis river in a mineral belt. Here the scenery is unsurpassed, and berries, birds, bear and deer are plentiful. The mountain is reached by a rugged mountain trail beyond the reach of the tenderfoot. The mountain can be most easily reached from Glenwood by wagon as it can be taken up Dry creek almost to the snow line. From here it is handy to start from to the summit and handy to return to at night. In the near future there will undoubtedly be a wagon bridge near the wire bridge at the present crossing. When this is completed, Mt. Adams will be of easy access from the Columbia, Goldendale, and North Yakima. It has the best of camping with its unexcelled mineral springs whose waters are delicious to the taste and health producing to the invalid. Pure mountain streams, splendid shady groves, nice grassy meadows for pasturage, delightful scenery, gorges and falls in which trout abound are also found. On the west fork and the east fork, trout have been captured by the hundreds, and ideal camping and fishing places are found. Its continual varied scenery, its solitary lakes, hills, and dales, gorges and cliffs, altogether make Mt. Adams and its surroundings destined to become famous for its grandeur. It is not surpassed in this respect by any other place in the world.

ASCENT OF MT. ADAMS, Bickleton News, August 1, 1902

The topmost peak of Mt. Adams, 12,470 feet above the sea, has been successfully reached by the Mazamas, and the intrepid explorers are now on their return to Portland to tell of the remarkable ascent. The first party to gain the top was headed by L.J. Hicks, and L.E. Anderson of this city. Their party comprised 29 persons, four of whom were ladies. And to the credit of the ladies, it must be said that only one of them fell by the wayside on account of the extremely hard work. The three who withstood the trip were Misses Alice W. Morgan, L.V. Ayers and Christine Neilson. Six of the men did not continue to the top. This party left Camp Geer, at the timber line, at 4:30 o'clock Sunday morning, reaching the summit in 10 hours. The weather was very cold, making traveling difficult. The second party, headed by Professor Lyman reached the top in an hours less time than the other crowd of explorers. The descent of the mountain was comparatively easy since several miles from the top, the men could slide a quarter of a mile at a time. The first party made the descent in two hours.