Mt. Hood May 96

Virtual Cascades

Summit of Mt. Hood

The summit of Mt. Hood is a very intense place to visit, but well worth the effort. Starting from Timberline Lodge at 6000 feet we climbed to a little over 8000 feet in stiff winds, but sky remained sunny. We attached our geo tent to the exposed rocky soil of an high ridge and sealed up out of the howling wind to rest for a summit bid in the morning. Mt. Hood Snows

Sometime after 4:00 a.m. we awoke and geared up in a gail force, bone chilling wind. The route above Palmer Glacier progressed up steeper grades with only the crunch of my crampons on ice and the whistling of my breath to keep me company. The climbing still wasn't too hard during this pitch, but it warmed me up for the real work ahead.

At 10,000 feet we came to the Devil's Kitchen, a heated volcanic rock dome with many sulfurous geothermal fumaroles that expose the Kitchen even during winter conditions. From this point Steel Cliff towered to the east as the route turned left up the Hog Back, a snow ridge several hundred feet high.

Up the Hog Back the steep head wall leading to the summit towered another thousand feet above. We found the common traffic jam of other mountaineers roping up to ascend or gearing down after descending to the snow ridge. My partner and I continued on up the steep wall of ice hewn steps leading along a gradual traverse back to the right toward the Pearly Gates.

The angle or the head wall increased even more as I moved deliberately but cautiously, anchoring crampon points and ice axe with each step upward. The fall line below ended in the huge crevase of the Bergschrund which has claimed other climbers before, and this instilled a healthy respect for caution in my actions. However, as my steps grew slower I climbed up through the rime ice encrusted Chute, and as this steep gully opened up again, the angle lessened and our goal came into sight!

Another ten minutes and we arrived at the wind blasted summit ridge at 11,240 feet. It was 10:00 a.m. and sunny as we looked down on the tops of clouds across the coastal valley to the west. The cutting wind did not allow much time to linger, however. We took pictures and ate a snack before roping up and beginning the slow descent back down the frozen slopes. As we descended the temperature warmed and we glissaded on our butts much of the way back to our lofty camp site. Mt. Hood is climbed by many people each year, and I'm sure every one who visits the summit joins me in bringing back memories that will never fade away.

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