While spending three days in Government Camp and Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood's southern flanks for the 50th anniversary annual meeting of the Mountain Rescue Association (our SAR team is one of about a hundred teams that belong to the MRA and I'm the Intermountain Region chair) I skipped one morning activity and climbed the volcano instead.
I'm glad I did! I took the ski lift up 2 miles and 2,000 feet, then went another 2 miles and 2,500 feet to the top. There were some semi-steep sections where crampons and axe came in handy, and the views from the top of the surprisingly-steep north side and five or six other volcanoes in the distance were stunning.
< A climber walks along Hogsback Ridge with the lush Oregon forest beyond.
Another highlight was meeting Maynard and his son and Holly and her father. We exchanged emails and sent each other photos we took that we couldn't get for ourselves.
> Holly and her father climb below Hogsback.
< I climb the 45 degree slope between Hogsback and the summit ridge.
I learned that these volcanoes are made of boulders and ash, and as the sun warms the ice holding them together, sometimes big chunks come rolling down. On the 45 degree slope between Hogsback Ridge and the summit, a 3-4' ball of ice came whirring by and flew right between Maynard and his son 40' below me. I wonder if that got their hearts beating, or if it all happened too fast to think much about it until the mini comet was long gone.
I first went to Hood years ago while working in Eugene for a few months, but that was October and without more snow to hold the mountain together, it was too dangerous. I went half way up Rainier instead and camped at Camp Muir.
> Maynard and son climb the final steep chute before the summit ridge.
Click any photo to see a larger view.
P.S. the conference was also awesome, especially being surrounded by many of the original greats of American mountaineering and mountain rescue.
While spending three days in Government Camp and Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood's southern flanks for the 50th anniversary annual meeting of the Mountain Rescue Association (our SAR team is one of about a hundred teams that belong to the MRA and I'm the Intermountain Region chair) I skipped one morning activity and climbed the volcano instead.
I'm glad I did! I took the ski lift up 2 miles and 2,000 feet, then went another 2 miles and 2,500 feet to the top. There were some semi-steep sections where crampons and axe came in handy, and the views from the top of the surprisingly-steep north side and five or six other volcanoes in the distance were stunning.
< A climber walks along Hogsback Ridge with the lush Oregon forest beyond.
Another highlight was meeting Maynard and his son and Holly and her father. We exchanged emails and sent each other photos we took that we couldn't get for ourselves.
> Holly and her father climb below Hogsback.
< I climb the 45 degree slope between Hogsback and the summit ridge.
I learned that these volcanoes are made of boulders and ash, and as the sun warms the ice holding them together, sometimes big chunks come rolling down. On the 45 degree slope between Hogsback Ridge and the summit, a 3-4' ball of ice came whirring by and flew right between Maynard and his son 40' below me. I wonder if that got their hearts beating, or if it all happened too fast to think much about it until the mini comet was long gone.
I first went to Hood years ago while working in Eugene for a few months, but that was October and without more snow to hold the mountain together, it was too dangerous. I went half way up Rainier instead and camped at Camp Muir.
> Maynard and son climb the final steep chute before the summit ridge.
Click any photo to see a larger view.
P.S. the conference was also awesome, especially being surrounded by many of the original greats of American mountaineering and mountain rescue.