Mt. Hood Summer Trip Report: 06.30.10
An approaching full moon typically signals an epic night of climbing. One month ago my brother Isaac and I attempted to climb Mt. Shasta under such conditions and failed - we vowed to return someday under similar conditions - and a month later with yet another full moon our plans for a second attempt were coming along nicely. Unfortunately the morning we were to head down to Mt. Shasta I began feeling ill and opted to cancel the trip. I then instead slept until noon. Now feeling rested and still eager to climb I was grateful to have such a mountain as Hood in my backyard.
Isaac and I set off for the mountain two hours behind schedule, but full of an amazing barbecued salmon dinner, arriving at Timberline by 2:00am. Conditions were clear, warm and light. Our headlamps remained turned off for practically the entirety of the ascent while a full moon illuminated the entire mountain. Lower down we passed several snow cats roving about with their bright headlights shining every which way and this felt like some sort of bad dream, but later up on the Palmer Glacier we found a bit of solitude. Other climbers began to emerge from the darkness as the day broke and to our expectations many seemed rather inexperienced. Making headway over the Hogsback and up the Old Chute we soon encountered a group of Four climbers who though roped together were not protected. Had one of these climbers fallen on this slope there would be little to no chance of an arrest or belay for any of them and all Four would be dragged a Thousand feet down toward a Fumarole. Ignorance is not bliss when playing with a mountain, and your life.
Working our way up through the crux was beautiful as we were surrounded by shimmering rime ice, but we knew this beauty came with its own price and that if we weren’t off the mountain soon we’d be playing dodge ball with falling ice. A minute later and Isaac rounded the summit ridge. Much to our delight the summit was empty. We spent a brief Fifteen minutes on top of Oregon without another sole in sight, just enough time to soak in the moment. The enjoyment lasts only so long as my mind is focused on the impending ice fall we’ll face on our down climb. Fortunately the ice fall had not intensified yet and we made a speedy and secure descent. After some fun glissades and a long downward slog to the lodge we’d completed our journey in exactly Ten hours.
Looking back and comparing this climb with our Winter ascent of Hood I find my confidence has grown considerably. I understand the risks and continue to keep an eye on all contributing factors to mountain dangers, but I am more comfortable with my abilities as well. Utilizing my own gear has also helped immensely, especially the Lowa Expert GTX boots and the Black Diamond Cyborg Pro crampons. Those crampons grip like glue, yet allow amazing maneuverability and are ultra light. Other gear notes: The Ten essentials, Ice Axe, glacier glasses, helmet, navigation, stove plus fuel (unused) and beta. Date of climb: 06.28.10.
