Team: Chuck, Pete, Mia, Dawn, Nikki, Dave, Rick, and Lisa
Total Elevation: approx 5500ft
Time to Summit: 3.5 hours
We summited Mt. Hood on July 3rd at 0630am. There were 8 of us on this trip. Chuck and Pete who were our climb leaders. Mia, Dawn, and Nikki (our token Canadian). Then there was Rick, Dave, and I who recently graduated from the Glacier Climbing Course.
I carpooled down with out Canadian contingent from Enumclaw Sat Morning. We all arrived and took off around 2pm. Late start but we only had 2700 ft to climb to base camp. At Base Camp there was already a snow platform and with a little bit of work we had a space big enough for 4 tents. We set up camp and ate our garp. Chcuk and Dawn had packed up a whole cheese cake. It was quite a treat after the climb. Wow, no wonder their packs looked so heavy. Mia brought cookies. Hmmm. I decided to give the Mountain House Mac n Cheese a try. 900 calories of saturated fat to get me to the summit the next day. The guys I climbed with the weekend before assured me it was the best meal out of all the choices. Well, it was ok but I definitely thought the chicken and rice that Dave was eating looked more tasty. I think I'll try that next.
We got to bed at 9pm. Somehow I thought we got to sleep at 7:30pm so on that assumption I thought I actually got more sleep than I really did. We were up at 0130. A slow start got us on the snow and climbing at 3am. It was a perfectly clear evening and the wind was calm. I new we'd lucked out and would make the summit this time. We crossed the large snow field up to the crator. We passed the 1st Fumeral and the smell of sulphur grew stronger. We rounded a front point on the crator and came to Hogs Back. A thin ridge between two fumerals that led up to the Pearly Gates. We took a break there and then began our climb to summit.
Hogs Back and the Pearly Gates is really the only treacherous part of the whole climb as there weren't any crevasses on the approach. We opted not to rope up because it was actually more dangerous being roped up then not. Chuck said just remember you need to self arrest in the first 5 seconds. Hmmm, ok, I wasn't totally confident in my self arrest skills but its amazing how fear can be a great motivator. We crossed over the Berschrund. A large crevasse at the base where the glacier meets the mountain. There was a solid snow bridge over it. Then it was a narrow steep side hill climb above the Berschrund to the Pearly Gates. The Pearly Gates is a steep narrow valley between two peaks on the summit. There are shallow steps carved out of snow up part of it. In places the snow was loose corn snow. There were only a couple of teams ahead of us this early. We made our way up the Gates to the flatter area before the summit, took a break and let everyone meet up and then we made the final few feet to the summit. It was incredible. Blue sky, the sunrising in the sky. Shadows of other climbers on a snowfield. Views of Mt St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams to the north and views of Mt. Jefferson and the Sisters to the south. We took time out for summit photos, food, and celebration. Nikki held up her Canadian Flag for a photo of her with the flag. 45 minutes later we were ready to descend. We decided that since it was pretty steep in the Gates that we would use a running belay on the way down to ensure that even if someone fell they would not fall to their death.
Two weeks ago one rope team had collided with two other rope teams. One person had died and others were injured. On the descent it was easy to see why this happened. Teams came down and up like it was a walk in the park. Had only one team ascended or descended at a time through the gates probably no one would have died two weeks ago. It seems like no brainer but obviously not something people were willing to do. As we descended there were a lot of climbers coming up and a few coming down. We took the high side because we had a belay which was more reliable than the climbing teams and solo climbers. It took about an hour to do the belay down but it was a great opportunity to learn a running belay and an extra safety net. Pete and Chuck did a great job.
After the Gates and Hogsback we took a break and basked in the warm sun and then made the easy descent back down. We glissaded quite a ways down some fun glissade chutes. Not quite as good as mt. bike descent but fun none the less. We made it back to camp in good time, packed up, and headed out. Back down the freeway to the parking lot.
Mt. Hood is an interesting and beautiful mountain. Its not a hard climb but the ascent and descent towards the top is challenging. Seeing the fumerals toward the summit, the shadow of Mt. Hood on the landscape, and the surrounding mountains were awesome. Chuck and Pete did an excellent job of leading the climb. A fun group to climb with.
The Start |
Getting Our Gear Together |
Canadian Contingent |
Dave on Freeway |
The Team on the Freeway |
Dawn and Rick |
Nikki and Mia |
The Team at the Silcox Hut |
Pete and Mia on the Slopes |
Palmer Lift Ascent |
The Locked Port-o-Potty |
Jefferson and the Sisters |
Base Camp |
Route to the Summit |
Crator Edge |
The North Face Tadpole |
Chuck |
Surrounding Cliffs |
Gourmet Chicken and Rice |
Mia with Terriyaki |
Dawn Housekeeping |
Noodle Party |
Glamour Shot |
Afternoon Light |
Clouds |
Mia |
Chuck, Our Leader |
Climbing Essentials |
Evening Light |
Tadpole View |