Mount Hood
| Oregon |
Elevation: 11,239'
Vertical Gain: 3,800'
Vertical Gain: 3,800'
Date: July 10, 2008
Time: 5:28AM
Time: 5:28AM
Weather: Clear
Party: Bob, Kevin, +8 more
Party: Bob, Kevin, +8 more
Kevin and I left the Glenn's Ferry campground on the 8th for an eight hour drive that wasn't as
scenic as I expected. Much of western and central Oregon was quite brown including along
the Columbia River. We got our first look at the impressive looking Mt. Hood looming above
the surroundings when we were still 70 miles away as we drove along the river. There was no
problem finding a site at the nearby Trillium Lake campground. We then checked out
Timberline Lodge and enjoyed Pizza at the Ratskeller in the small ski town of Government
Camp. The lodge is a depression era government funded project that is famous for its
year-round skiing and use in the exterior shots of the movie "The Shining". Our day ended
with a couple mile walk around Trillium Lake.
July 9 was snow climbing course day! We met at 8:00 in the Timberline Mountain Guides office
in the lodge and after meeting the guides and team and organizing gear we headed into a
nearby bowl for about four hours of education. We practiced different climbing steps, ice axe
use, and roping techniques. All the bright sunshine and fresh air left us ready for a nap in real
beds at the lodge!
Midnight was the time to get up after a couple of hours of sleep to meet at 12:30 with the
climbing team. The temperature was probably in about the 40's and clear with amazing stars.
The snowcat arrived promptly for the 1:00 start. It was big enough to seat the 10 of us plus two
more. The conversation was subdued as we bounced along for 20 minutes in darkness too
black to see anything. The climb started at 1:25, single file, without crampons. I was glad I
grabbed a couple of old ski poles to borrow as they came in handy. The first part was a steady
uphill slog of a couple of hours to the famous Hogsback. The headlamps illuminated the legs
and boots of the guy in front of you so you just try to use the same bootsteps. I had a sense of
big space to the right but couldn't see anything and trusted that our guide knew the way.
When the snow got a little steeper and firmer we switched to crampons and a little before the
Hogsback ridge we switched from trekking poles to ice axes. We took a break on the top of the
Hogsback and roped up there. On our rope was our guide Gabe, Mark and Kimberly from
Virginia, Kevin, and myself. We descended off the Hogsback, smelled the fumaroles and
started the steep ascent to the summit ridge. This is where is started getting light enough to
see the rocky outcrops of the cauldron and how far we came. The lights of Portland looked
close. A slightly nervous part was the 10 minutes along the summit ridge which was narrow
and where sudden 40mph wind gusts almost knocked us over. The sun popped over the
horizon along this stretch and it was awesome. I wanted to just stop and absorb but the rope
team continued. Mt St. Helens, Mt. Rainer, and Mt. Adams were all clear to the north and we
could see well past Mt. Jefferson to the south. The summit was reached at 5:28. The area was
big enough for both rope teams - we were the first teams of the day up - but with the wind and
risk of catching a crampon on a rope or something we didn't dare go near the edge where the
drops were steep and would be fatal.
After 15 minutes or so we went in reverse order with Gabe at the back and me leading the team
back down as we retraced the sequence. The other guide elected to belay his team down the
steep part although we were comfortable enough to walk it. It got warm on the lower part of the
mountain and the trek from the top of the ski area to the lodge seemed long. I had to put my
brain on autopilot as I trudged through the snow and watched Kevin disappear way up ahead
with another younger guy. We were finished with this six mile "hike" by 9:00 AM and after
returning our gear and saying our goodbyes we headed in for a two hour nap.
The rest of the day was nice and relaxed. For lunch we met my brother Jeff, who happened to
be on his own trip to Oregon and made plans to ski on Hood the same day. We went in the
pool and the hot tub, and took a half mile walk on the Zig-Zag trail to see a waterfall.
scenic as I expected. Much of western and central Oregon was quite brown including along
the Columbia River. We got our first look at the impressive looking Mt. Hood looming above
the surroundings when we were still 70 miles away as we drove along the river. There was no
problem finding a site at the nearby Trillium Lake campground. We then checked out
Timberline Lodge and enjoyed Pizza at the Ratskeller in the small ski town of Government
Camp. The lodge is a depression era government funded project that is famous for its
year-round skiing and use in the exterior shots of the movie "The Shining". Our day ended
with a couple mile walk around Trillium Lake.
July 9 was snow climbing course day! We met at 8:00 in the Timberline Mountain Guides office
in the lodge and after meeting the guides and team and organizing gear we headed into a
nearby bowl for about four hours of education. We practiced different climbing steps, ice axe
use, and roping techniques. All the bright sunshine and fresh air left us ready for a nap in real
beds at the lodge!
Midnight was the time to get up after a couple of hours of sleep to meet at 12:30 with the
climbing team. The temperature was probably in about the 40's and clear with amazing stars.
The snowcat arrived promptly for the 1:00 start. It was big enough to seat the 10 of us plus two
more. The conversation was subdued as we bounced along for 20 minutes in darkness too
black to see anything. The climb started at 1:25, single file, without crampons. I was glad I
grabbed a couple of old ski poles to borrow as they came in handy. The first part was a steady
uphill slog of a couple of hours to the famous Hogsback. The headlamps illuminated the legs
and boots of the guy in front of you so you just try to use the same bootsteps. I had a sense of
big space to the right but couldn't see anything and trusted that our guide knew the way.
When the snow got a little steeper and firmer we switched to crampons and a little before the
Hogsback ridge we switched from trekking poles to ice axes. We took a break on the top of the
Hogsback and roped up there. On our rope was our guide Gabe, Mark and Kimberly from
Virginia, Kevin, and myself. We descended off the Hogsback, smelled the fumaroles and
started the steep ascent to the summit ridge. This is where is started getting light enough to
see the rocky outcrops of the cauldron and how far we came. The lights of Portland looked
close. A slightly nervous part was the 10 minutes along the summit ridge which was narrow
and where sudden 40mph wind gusts almost knocked us over. The sun popped over the
horizon along this stretch and it was awesome. I wanted to just stop and absorb but the rope
team continued. Mt St. Helens, Mt. Rainer, and Mt. Adams were all clear to the north and we
could see well past Mt. Jefferson to the south. The summit was reached at 5:28. The area was
big enough for both rope teams - we were the first teams of the day up - but with the wind and
risk of catching a crampon on a rope or something we didn't dare go near the edge where the
drops were steep and would be fatal.
After 15 minutes or so we went in reverse order with Gabe at the back and me leading the team
back down as we retraced the sequence. The other guide elected to belay his team down the
steep part although we were comfortable enough to walk it. It got warm on the lower part of the
mountain and the trek from the top of the ski area to the lodge seemed long. I had to put my
brain on autopilot as I trudged through the snow and watched Kevin disappear way up ahead
with another younger guy. We were finished with this six mile "hike" by 9:00 AM and after
returning our gear and saying our goodbyes we headed in for a two hour nap.
The rest of the day was nice and relaxed. For lunch we met my brother Jeff, who happened to
be on his own trip to Oregon and made plans to ski on Hood the same day. We went in the
pool and the hot tub, and took a half mile walk on the Zig-Zag trail to see a waterfall.
An early view of Hood as we
approached from the Northwest...
approached from the Northwest...
...and a view of the South side,
which we climbed, from Trillium
lake.
which we climbed, from Trillium
lake.
Kevin strapping on his crampons
and heading back up.
and heading back up.
Sunrise on the summit!
The morning view looking back from
the Hogsback. You can see the large
crevasse at the top of the Hogsback.
To the left of the runnels is a climbing
team ascending towards the summit
ridge. The summit is off to the right.
the Hogsback. You can see the large
crevasse at the top of the Hogsback.
To the left of the runnels is a climbing
team ascending towards the summit
ridge. The summit is off to the right.
Looking down from the Hogsback.
The top of the ski area is finally in
sight in the mountains shadow.
sight in the mountains shadow.
The front entrance to the Timberline
Lodge. That is our window to the
upper right.
Lodge. That is our window to the
upper right.
Mt. Jefferson to the south from the
Timberline parking lot.
Timberline parking lot.
It was too dark to tell for sure but
this must've been our cat.
this must've been our cat.