6/20 - Mount Hood 11, 245'

Susan's account of the morning's climb – Susan's third attempt of Mt. Hood: The alarm worked, (1 AM) and so we fired up the stove in the bunk room for hots before heading out to start our climb. On the snow at 0150 AM and Jon set a steady easy pace. The moon to the south was bright; Saturn, too. We climbed due north, Ursa Major and Cassiopeia flanking the mountain, and headlamps of other climbers above us and to the left of us. We stopped a couple of times on our way to the summit, and as we approached Crater Rock breathed in the sulfur smell of the fumaroles on this dormant volcano. We climbed past Devil's Kitchen on the knife edged snow bridge called the Hogsback.  The vents were breathing their fiery stench and it caught in our throats. Crampons and helmets were donned, trekking poles switched out for ice axes, water and chocolate downed in preparation for the final push to the summit. Winds were calm as we watched the dawn break, and admired the triangular shadow the mountain cast on the lowlands to the west.  We watched a cluster of climbers above the Hogsback on the way up to the Old Chute to the west of the Pearly Gates. We heard a woman scream. Not good. Everyone above us stopped climbing for several minutes. We slowed a bit to allow things to get sorted above us. The cluster broke up and continued to move toward the summit, roped together in groups of 5. In my gut I was thinking that the woman's scream was indicative of someone's distress at the angle of the slope they were traversing, and the yawning fumaroles of the Devil's Kitchen directly below. Bleached bones came to mind. We passed a pair of climbers sporting a 40 ft. coil of ancient looking Gold line, and one of them wearing some classic old Reichle leather boots and crampons to match, the two of them tied together with a bowline on a coil around their waists. A history lesson right there on the Hogsback. The way things were done in the 30s to 50s. Hard core. We had opted to leave our 8.5 mm dynamic kernmantle weave nylon climbing rope and mil spec climbing nylon harnesses back at the car. We moved toward the steeps and passed a spattering of fresh blood on the snow were the climbers had stopped before us. The mountain was raining down small bits of ice, and we assumed correctly someone had gotten nailed. We moved efficiently through this area, and I must say it was a bit unnerving seeing the blood on the snow (yes, I know, I'm a nurse, but hey!) Jon led as we got to the base of the chute. It's 50 degrees of steep ice and snow, and was congested with people, who were kicking loose ice bits above us. I didn't want to be there, and so Jon suggested we climb another chute further west a few yards, but that looked at least 5 degrees steeper, beyond my comfort level. We opted to climb up past the large group, I think 10 at least, on their left and moved quickly past this apparently novice group roped together and guided. We topped out on the summit at 6:45 AM, got the obligatory summit photos and all the while I was thinking – " How am I getting off this mountain?!"

We congratulated and were congratulated by other climbers on the summit, and watched as the roped and guided groups topped out, with looks ranging from terror to exhilaration to How am I getting off this mountain!? (that's an easy one for me to identify…) There was a woman in the group with a bruised and swollen eye, with a butterfly bandage on her upper cheek. This was apparently the victim of the earlier icefall. I gave them all applause and congrats as Jon broke out the hot apple cider that he had carried up in a thermos to share with me. It was ambrosia. So, my third attempt at Mt. Hood and finally got to the top!!! Thanks, Jon.

Maybe this should be kept a secret, but I have experienced vertigo on really steep stuff before, and on the climb up all I looked at was Jon's boots. If I had started swinging my head around to take in the view I might have tipped over and tumbled down into Devil's Kitchen for breakfast.

As calmly as I could, I managed to ask Jon not to descend too quickly, and to stay close to me. I didn't want to have to look up to route find, and just wanted to follow the leader with my focus on the next step only. Big steps were cut into the chute, great for a long legged man, but a bit much for me. I concentrated on keeping a balanced stance, placing the spike of my ice axe only when I was in a balanced position with my left leg leading down. My thighs were burning, and I was tensing up, breathing too quickly (OK –hyperventilating, as I have done before when in a perceived dicey situation). Jon stayed relaxed and chatty, encouraging me to stay loose (too late!) telling me I only had 15 more feet of the steep stuff, (liar!) reminding me that my crampons were really biting the steps ( who's he kidding?) and that the traverse was just up ahead and I was sticking like Velcro (Oh God , I hope!). The thighs were flaming out and I never looked beyond the next step until we got to the traverse across to the Hogsback were I discovered I had a really silly smile on my face.   From then on I was home free and we motored down the mountain as fast as we could, with the Timberline breakfast buffet (which closes at 10 AM) goading us on. We met up with a couple of individuals who had skinned up to the Hogsback on skis, one of them a young man of about 20, who told us he planned to ski off the summit of every Cascade volcano. I asked him where the heck was his helmet! Sounding just like a mom and he pointed to his pack and said "thanks, Mom".  Jon and I glissaded when we could, until his shell pants tore beyond repair, and I let a water bottle tumble out of my pack and into a crevasse (no rescue today), we plunge stepped and even ran down the mountain and to breakfast and hot showers. Blistering morning (literally) and I was wiped out with fatigue. And next thing I know my climbing partner is asking me if I want to climb Mt. Jefferson tomorrow, just for kicks. Where is the Ibuprofen?

Jon's version: I woke up at 1 am, Urggg! Ate a light breakfast, yummy kinda! Climbed up the mountain, whoopee! Climbed down, phew! Ate a big breakfast, yummy! Showered, damn I smell good! The End

Seriously though, Susan's version is a lovely account of our climb and puts the reader right there in the action. The climb was actually quite nice, not too physically tough but challenging. It was nice to top out on this one!

The large roped groups were part of the lung foundation fund raiser, they were definitely novice climbers and I wanted to get around them as quickly and safely as possible. There were two lines of roped climbers being guided, clogging the main chute. We quickly passed them on the left side and I chatted briefly with the guide as I passed, I wanted him to know that I wasn't pushing by but did want clear of their group, he totally understood and we exchanged a few pleasantries. Once on the summit we took the obligatory "hero shots" and got a drink while waiting for these folks to top out, once they were clear we smartly made our descent, there were other parties on top too and I wanted to descend with a clear route both below and above, we'd already seen what the ice fall could do.

As we descend it was surprising how quickly we made progress, I originally had no idea that we'd be back in time for breakfast, but with only 1,500' to go it became apparent that we were indeed making fine time. That's when we sped things up and made it back to the lodge by 9:15am, perfect timing for the breakfast buffet…2000 calories well deserved

Now it's time to rest up fro the next adventure, Mt. St Helens. I need to do a little research as to the approach route, last time I read it was 4 – 5 miles of snow covered road to the trail head…..memories of Adams? I hope not! 

Oh, and about "The Suz's" account; she rocked Hood! We flew up the mountain this morning as we climbed at a steady rate of more than 1000' per hour. Just think, in bed at 1 am, starting to climb at 1:50 am and standing on the top of Mt. Hood, 11,245' a 5,245' elevation gain by 6:45 am, terrific!