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Base Camp
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: June 15, 2003
- Miles Hiked: 8.0
- Elevation Gain: 5,300'
- Hiking Partner(s): Dan
Robbins
- Description:
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Mount
Hood is Oregon’s tallest mountain standing at 11,239’.
It is located approximately 50 miles east southeast of Portland,
and is arguably considered the second most climbed glaciated peak in the
world next to Mount Fuji. The
primary climbing season is April through June with the class 3+ south
side route being the most utilized.
I would consider this a grade II climb with moderate snow
steepness. Many novice climbers use this mountain as a training ground to
gain experience and prepare for more difficult climbs such as Mount
Jefferson and Mount Rainier. With that being said, Mount Hood is still a serious mountain
as evidenced by the May 31, 2002 disaster that killed three climbers and
injured several others after they fell into a crevasse.
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I
actually spent a portion of this past Spring trying to organize a
backpacking trip to Wyoming; however, things didn’t work out and by
the middle of May I was back at square one.
Scrambling to find a trip to go on, I contacted Dan Robbins
regarding Mount Hood and asked if I could join him on his climb.
After exchanging two or three emails, we had two climbs planned
and were set to attempt Mount Hood.
Our first outing took us to the Lost River Range to summit an
Idaho 12er and become more familiar with using crampons on steep
terrain. The trip went well
as we felt comfortable climbing with each other and tagged the top of
Lost River Peak. As a
result of our personalities not clashing, our newfound experience on
snow, and the overall success of the climb, we decided to continue with
our plans for Mount Hood.
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Dan
picked me up on the way out of town on Friday morning and we stuffed his
car to the gills with more gear than you could shake a stick at.
The drive went surprisingly fast as we spent most of the time
talking about mountains. We
picked up a few last minute groceries in Hood River before heading south
on Highway 35 for our first obscure views of the mountain.
The summit was covered with clouds and the sky was overcast.
The temperature was definitely dropping and by the time we
reached the Timberline Lodge our shorts and sandals were not appropriate
attire. In order to enhance
our climbing skills and knowledge, we decided to take a basic
mountaineering course offered by Timberline Mountain Guides.
So we checked out the lodge, which is located at the base of the
mountain, made sure we knew where to be in the morning, and went back
down to find a camp ground.
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We
found Steel Creek Campground right at the entrance of the road that
takes you up to the lodge which was only six miles away.
We spent the evening hanging out and preparing for our class the
next day.
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We
met for the class at 9:00 on Saturday morning and were playing in the
snow by 11:00. Although Dan
and I were pretty much prepared shortly after we arrived, it took a
while for our classmates to acquire the appropriate gear and get
organized. The course
covered topics such as learning how to walk on snow, how to use an ice
axe, self arresting, and rope travel.
Also throughout the day, we snacked and hydrated as much as
possible. Even though we
didn’t utilize Timberline Guides to assist us to the summit, the
instructors were helpful outside of the class by answering all of our
questions and giving us a few tips to help prepare for the next day.
The conditions were forecasted to be excellent with clear skies
and cool temperatures.
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After
entertaining the idea of knocking out a couple of thousand feet and
setting up a high camp, we decided to simply hike the entire trip in one
shot. We had good luck
finding an eating establishment after class and ate the “Mount Hood”
omelet at the Huckleberry Restaurant in Government Camp.
After this, it was back to Steel Creek Campground to organize our
packs, prepare for the climb, and try and rest.
Sleep didn’t come easy, and the shut eye we did get was fitful
at best. The fact that it
was still the early evening and we were anxious for the challenge of
Mount Hood made it difficult to sleep.
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Dan
woke me shortly after 11:30 to a starry sky and clear conditions.
After we put on our plastic boots and clothes, we headed back up
to the lodge to begin our journey.
It is possible to purchase a snowcat ride to the top of the ski
area which eliminates two miles and 2,500’ of elevation gain, but we
started from the bottom at 6,000’.
We dropped off a form at the climber’s registry and started up
the mountain shortly after midnight.
Because of the full moon, we weren’t required to turn our
headlamps on during the entire time on the mountain.
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I
began with a base layer on the top and bottom, shell pants, a technical
fleece top, and fleece gloves and hat.
Although I donned my shell jacket when we stopped for breaks,
this is basically what I climbed in until right before the Hogsback.
(The Hogsback is a narrow ridge of snow that connects Crater Rock
with The Chute that exists between the Pearly Gates.
The Pearly Gates are two towers of rock that create The Chute
that leads to the summit.) At
that point, the shell went on to cut the wind and stayed on until we
were back down below the Hogsback.
It was key for me to keep an even pace to avoid overheating and
then cooling too much when we stopped.
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Dan
on the other hand wore his base layer, insulating layer, and shell layer
after our first break. I
couldn’t figure this out at first, but after giving it some thought,
the fact that his only head covering was a climbing helmet was probably
the difference. Because a
lot of heat is lost through the head, he may have required more clothing
since he wasn’t wearing a fleece hat like I did.
Either way, we both found what worked for us individually.
The right clothing and speed, along with forcing each other to
eat and hydrate regularly, allowed us to remain strong and comfortable
throughout the day.
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Anyway,
although the initial section of the climb was rather routine, it allowed
us to enjoy the moonlit views of Hood and get into a steady pace.
The first half of the hike follows the eastern boundary of the
Mount Hood ski area to the top of the ski runs.
It was at this point that we saw our classmates cruising up the
slopes in the snowcat. They
departed from the lodge at 2:00 and sprang out of the snowcat fresh and
ready to go. We were now at
8,540’ and stopped again shortly to strap on the crampons.
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The
next section of the hike became somewhat steeper but didn’t require
much in terms of concentration. We
simply made our way up the hard packed snow.
After passing our classmates while they were on their first
break, we motored up to the base of Crater Rock and took a short break.
The smell from the Devil’s Kitchen was strong and made Dan feel
nauseous. I also felt
slightly sick, but that was mostly from my body not wanting to eat
nasty tasting energy bars in the middle of the night. The thing
that really saved me and allowed me to maintain my blood sugar levels
was the Power Bar Power Gel and GU Energy Gel. If it wasn't for
all the carbs packed into this small easily digested food, I may have
had a much more difficult time.
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We
passed between Crater Rock and the Steel Cliffs and began to traverse
our way over to the Hogsback. As
I said earlier, this is when I put on my shell jacket along with my
climbing helmet. I also put
my trekking poles up and started using my ice axe.
It wasn’t long before we were on top of the Hogsback looking at
the crux of the climb. We
debated for five minutes about roping up before I finally suggested we
free climb it and fall in behind a rope team of four that was getting
ready to depart. Dan agreed
and off we went. Several
times on the way up we were stalled by the rope team ahead of us as I
followed behind their end climber.
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The
snow was extremely hard and there was a well defined path all the way up
to the bergshrund. The bergshrund
is a large crevasse or crack in the ice where the glacier is
pulling away from the mountain. The
trail then led across a snow bridge to the left of the bergshrund, and
then switch backed to the right above the large crevasse.
The climbing became steeper at this point and although I was
actually ok going up, I became concerned about how we were going to
descend it. Dan asked how I
was doing, and I admittedly said I was a bit on edge.
He felt as though we were doing great and wouldn’t have any
problems. This reassured me
and we pushed on.
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Well,
Dan was right, about 5 minutes later we were on top of Oregon enjoying
the views. It took us 6
hours to go the 4 miles and 5,300’ to get to the top.
The summit was a bit windy and cold, especially on your hands if
you took your gloves off. We
snapped some photos, relished our accomplishment, and started to make
our way back down 20 minutes later.
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The
Chute between the Pearly Gates and the area above the bergshrund were
much easier to down climb than I anticipated.
We simply used the frozen plunge steps of previous climbers that
provided very secure footing. Before
we knew it, we found ourselves back on the Hogsback.
I had already drunk all three quarts of water that I packed
along, but wasn’t concerned as it was all downhill from here.
We decided to call our dads and wish them a happy Father’s Day
and also say hello to our wives. The
rest of the descent was uneventful with the exception of some
glissading.
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I
was certainly tired when we were done, but given the fact that I had a
relatively heavy pack on and wore plastic climbing boots with crampons
all day, I actually felt pretty good when we finished.
I probably would have felt even better if I didn’t have to
double as Dan’s Sherpa. Between
carrying the rope, retrieving his water bottles, and getting his camera,
I didn’t think I was ever going to get a break.
However, I would have drawn the line if he had asked me to hold
his blue bag for him while he relieved himself.
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We
drove back to Boise on Sunday afternoon and were in town by 7:30.
Neither of us was able to get to bed very early, so with the
exception of the 2+ (?) hour nap on Saturday night, it was pretty much a
sleep free weekend. Nevertheless,
we were back at work on Monday morning only 25 short hours after
summitting Mount Hood.
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It
may seem like a bit of overkill to discuss things such as clothing
layers, hydration, climbing pace, and team support when it is “only
Mount Hood”, but the fact that we did all of these small things and
paid attention to the details contributed to a successful climb with
calculated risks and plenty of energy in reserve.
- Maps:
- Click here
to view a 2D
map of the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
- Mount Hood from the north.
- Mount Hood from the south. This photo
was taken from the Timberline Lodge parking lot.
- This is a close up of Hood from the parking
lot.
- This is the same photo as above with an approximate
route traced in.
- Dan snapped this photo the Saturday evening at around 6:30. We
were getting organized and preparing for our
climb that night.
- This was taken from just below Crater Rock
towards the Pearly Gates. You can see people ascending the
Hogsback. Most of the photos I took were on the
way down as a result of light and having the summit behind us.
- Taken from on top of the Hogsback, we are
looking up at The Chute and the Pearly Gates.
- I was standing on top of the snow bridge when I took this photo of the
bergshrund.
- We are now above the bergshrund getting ready to climb The
Chute up to the Pearly Gates.
- Pay dirt. Here I am posing for my summit
shot.
- Dan and I on the summit with Mount Jefferson
in the background to the south.
- A view of Mount Hood's massive shadow from
the summit.
- This was taken from above the crux of the climb looking
down through the Pearly Gates. You can see one climber coming
through the Pearly Gates along with others in the distance making there
way up to the Hogsback. The ski lifts are also visible further
down the mountain.
- We made it back down through the Pearly Gates and were watching a rope
team ascend the Hogsback. You can also clearly see the bergshrund
as they approach it. Notice the climbers on the far right taking
the "Old Crater Route" to the summit.
- A shot of the Hogsback from just above the bergshrund.
- Illumination Rock on the descent.
- A final photo of me on the White River Glacier with Crater Rock, the
Hogsback, The Chute, the Pearly Gates, and the Steel Cliffs in the
background.
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