Mt Hood - Summit
Jon Carney and I arrived at the Timberline parking lot at 2:40am. We left
Portland with some drizzle coming down. ("Oh, no.")
We decided to punch up to Hood anyway - but weren't surprised when the
weather started turning ugly soon after our arrival at 6000 feet.
We snoozed and weather-watched in the car until about 4:45am
when we decided it was now or never. As it happened we slogged our way
up to the top of the Palmer lift (with about 100 yards of visibility
along the way) when the peeks of blue and sun that we had been waiting
for materialized.
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As soon as we reached the Hogsback, the skies lifted and the
remainder of the route was revealed. A couple of other climbers can be
seen on the route ahead of us - obviously undeterred by what must have
been pretty poor
visibility when they started up. The Hogsback Couloir is bracketed by
a rock feature known as the Pearly Gates.
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Full sunshine!! The gamble paid off. We stashed our skis where the
Hogsback meets the base of Crater Rock.
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The Devil's kitchen (a sulfur vent system) and the White
River Canyon below.
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Jon approaching the Pearly Gates. Rock features up here are enveloped
in FEET of rime ice. Warm temperatures during summer afternoons make
this area a bowling alley.
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The steep pitch approaching the Pearly Gates.
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Jon on the final summit pitch. Crater Rock behind and the cloud deck
at the 9000 foot level below us.
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On the final shoulder up to the summit.
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The Montgomery Ward's catalog summit pose.
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Jon bags his first Cascade biggie. He's all business. Mt. Adams is
the white bump in the distance to the right.
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Summit Mt Hood - 11,235 feet - May 23rd, 2000.
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Lunch with a view)
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Looking back down the Hogsback Couloir. Couple of climbers readying
themselves for their own climb up down there.
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Jon approaching our "getaway vehicles" for the descent from 10,500
feet to the Timberline lodge at 6000 feet.
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Enjoying a final hit of water before the ski off the Hogsback.
Unfortunately the cloud deck you can see below made visibility from
8500 feet to 7000 feet or so pretty sketchy.
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The cloud "girdle" that made the skiing a bit blind at times on the way
down. The summit can still be seen basking in the sun.
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