My team of seven met at Mazama Lodge Saturday evening for dinner and a pre-climb briefing. We finally had a favorable weather forecast after postponing the climb the previous three weekends due to weather or high avalanche conditions. The forecast of partly cloudy skies and light winds allowed us to proceed despite the “ice fall” incident two days before where two climbing teams were hit by ice above Crater Rock. That incident got TV coverage and one woman had to be transported by toboggan after receiving a large scalp wound.

After dinner, most of us were in our bunks by 7:30 p.m. for our pre-climb nap. I think I had my best pre-climb sleep ever; getting 3-4 hours of good sleep before the midnight alarm.

It appeared to be a busy night on the mountain as we registered in the climber’s cave at 1 a.m. Mike Rudy and Scott Phillips had departed two and one hours earlier respectively and there was a large stack of completed climbing registration forms. It was a moderately cold night with light winds. The mountain was clearly visible despite the moonless sky. The lights of climbing teams and several snow grooming machines lit up the mountain.

We departed the parking lot at 1:13 a.m., two minutes ahead of our scheduled departure time. The climbers trail lacked a boot track since the sno-cat obliterated them while making its hourly trips to the top of the Palmer Chair Lift. However, the snow was soft due to the frequent tilling of the snow machine and allowed for easy travel without crampons.

We made slow steady progress reaching the top of the Palmer Chair Lift as the first signs of dawn were appearing in the east. Mike Rudy’s team made radio contact with us. We learned that they were at the Hogsback and roping up. Scott’s team was half way between us.

We all felt the cold after putting our crampons on. A fabulous boot track led us to the lee side of the ridge. The reduced wind and our activity brought feeling back to our extremities as we made our way toward Crater Rock and dawn overtook the mountain.

We joined Scott’s climb team at a nice flat terrace near the base of Crater Rock. Scott was getting his group roped up here and we did the same. I put five climbers on a 60m rope and myself and Mark Olson on a 50 footer. Mark and I were the only ones to have summited Hood before … Mark had done it 40 years ago as a teenager. We left the staging area ahead of Scott’s team.

After arriving at the Hogsback, I scanned the area to try to determine where the recent ice fall incident had occurred. Several debris fields were apparent but nothing on the scale of what had been reported by the media was readily apparent. The debris fields were all snow chunks of softball size and smaller with no rock or dirt. The most obvious debris field was in the Devil’s Kitchen and came from the bergshrund or above. Later, while ascending the “old chute” we noted a large patch of ice missing from the West Crater Rim and an associated debris field below it. This chunk of ice could have calved off and the debris would have crossed the climbing route. This scenario makes the most sense to me. Judging the scene after the fact, this fragile chunk of ice must have disintegrated immediately as it calved because it did not create a noticeable travel path in the snow below it; just hundreds of small chunks of ice in the debris field.

We made our way up the old chute on excellent snow; firm but not icy. Two basic routes were being employed. The first was what I will call the standard route that goes direct to the summit ridge and a second through the last gully that “cuts the corner” slightly. We chose to use the standard route and set four pickets at the top of the route where it was steepest. A “trail” along the summit ridge was well defined and made for an easy stroll with light wind, clear skies and great views of St. Helens, Rainier and Adams to the north and Jefferson and the Three Sisters to the south. Mike’s team was descending the “last gully” as we passed by above him on the summit ridge.

We took lots of summit photos but stayed on the summit for less than 30 minutes before heading back down. Scott had left his pickets for his return trip, each well marked with a climbing wand. I like this idea and will employ it in the future. We utilized his pickets and extended the route with our own on the descent. The Hogsback was windless and warm. We unroped, reapplied sun screen and took a long rest break before heading down.

Climbers were allowed to proceed at their own pace and regrouped at the top of the Palmer Chair Lift and the Magic Mile Chair Lift. The sky took on a high overcast during our descent and this shaded us from a normally fierce June Sun, making for a very pleasant walk down. We arrived back at the cars a little after 1 p.m.

We reconvened at Mazama Lodge to collect gear and distribute summit certificates before heading home.

Participants were Steve Dougherty (leader), Ryan Hatch, Brett Milliken, Mason Smith, Mark Olson, Max Ritchie, and Jason Kabbes.

I put up a few pictures on my blog, check them out here:

http://www.maxtrax.org/2011/06/13/mt-hood-high-above-the-clouds/

Looking forward to climbing with you guys again soon...

Be Well, Max Ritchie