Mount Hood 5/20/2014

Mount Hood

The day of the Mount Hood hike could not have been any better: clear sky and cold. I started my hike (solo) at 5:50 AM. (I really wanted to start at daybreak, but I only hit the sack at 1 AM, so I wanted my sleep). Temp was in the low 30s which kept the snow all good and frozen. I hiked on a Tuesday when not many people were on the mountain. I made the mistake of having breakfast before I left; for the first hour of the hike, my body’s entire energy was directed towards digesting food.  Therefore, my breathing was heavy and I felt a lot of discomfort. After that, things got better. I had micro spikes -3/8” (not real crampons) on my boots. That really helped with my hike on the frozen snow.

Mout Hood

At about 6:30 AM I could spot a group of 7 hikers all the way up on the final ascent, from the Hogsback toward the Old Chute. There were also two guys hiking very close to the ski lift, about .5 miles ahead of me. About 1:45 hours into my hike, the operators of the ski lift decided to start the lift. Darn! – I said. I could’ve waited and used the lift for the 2 miles. As I passed the top of the ski lift (I was hiking about 0.25 miles to the right of it), I also passed the two hikers who were hiking very close to the lift. I kept going up and the slope started to be more and more abrupt. At one point, it became quite difficult to hike with my small micro spikes. Lucky me, I came across and followed a nicely frozen track of foot steps. It looked like the foot steps were made the day before, when the temp was probably a little bit more above freezing. They were a bit sunk in but, fortunately for me, they were frozen and I used them as steps. I followed these foot steps until they were not visible anymore.

Mount Hood

When I got to Crater Rock, one guy was coming down. I talked to him a bit. He was telling me how he and his friends attempted to hike two days before, but, there was such a blizzard (read my post on Mount St Helens from two days prior), that they got all confused and lost even before they reached the top of the ski lift. They made the smart decision to turn back. It took me 2:45 hours to get to Crater Rock. This hiker was really impressed with my time. He did not say how long he needed to get to Crater Rock, but I did not care. As far as I was concerned, I was not going fast enough, and it looked like I was going to slow down even more from there on. As I continued to the Hogsback, I could see the group of 7 hikers descending, all of them clearing the Chute at this point. I could also spot two hikers that were making their way to the right of the Bergschrund Crevasse toward the Pearly Gates. This year, that route looked very dangerous and I could tell, by the lack of tracks, that not many hikers were going up Pearly Gates, as of yet.

Pearly Gates

When I reached the Hogsback, three of the seven hikers were already there and resting. It did not take much to tell them that I was hiking for 3:10 hours so far. They told me that they left the Timberline Lodge at 12 midnight. It took them 7 hours to make it to the summit. I did not say anything, but that seemed like and awful long time. To be hiking for 7 hours, starting at midnight, and only be 2/3 done, it’s a strenuous thing. While I was sorry for them, the multi-point question came from them: do you have an ice pick? No. I realized at that point that I totally, entirely, irresponsibly forgot to bring one. Well, they said, that is bad. The Chute is all ice and it will be very dangerous to go up that way. One girl was even nice enough to almost give hers to me. However, because I was not from Oregon, she figured I was not honest enough to be trusted with mailing it back.

Old Chute hiking down

So, I continued toward the Old Chute having their best wishes. The hike from the Hogsback to the Old Chute was not bad. All these hikers going up and down in the past two days left a very nice hiking trail in the snow. Mid-way to the Old Chute I met the other 4 people in their group. One guy also asked me about my ice pick. I felt like an idiot. I had second thoughts. The rest of the hike looked so difficult, that actually I considered going to the Chute and decide there if I can keep going up or not. The guy said “I’d give you mine but I still need it to go down”. In actuality, from that point on, going down, nobody would’ve really needed an ice pick, but I couldn’t say anything. It wasn’t his fault I did not bring one. The funny part is that this guy also asked me if I was from Oregon. When I said no, he replied with “have a safe trip.” I think people from Oregon don’t particularly trust other people. I kept going up and, in about a couple of minutes, the guy yelled at me. I turned around and he offered me an ice pick. He had two and he figured that, from that point on, he really did not need two of them anymore. Well, my friend, the distance between us was about 50 yards by now. I wasn’t going to hike down and back up for gold, let alone for an ice pick. I said that’s ok, thank you. He replied with strong words: “it will save your life. If you slipped, there is no way you can stop until you hit the fumaroles down there.” He was right; if I slipped, I was a goner. The snow was so frozen and the incline so steep, I couldn’t stop until I hit the rocks down in the fumaroles. Nevertheless, I did not hike down to get the ice pick.

Old Chute

I continued on to the Chute. I got to the Chute and that’s when I realized that I had never seen a steeper ice wall that I had to climb without gear. Needless to say, I had never hiked on ice before in my life. But, I took it a step at the time (one can easily establish my novice idiocy here.) In many instances I had no grip, nothing to support myself except the micro spikes on my boots. It was scary. I had a few instances where I slipped a few inches and I really thought that was it. Easy and with a lot of attention, I made my way up. I remember every step I took on that Old Chute, but I hope everyone gets the picture, and I don’t have to engage the drama writer in me. Once I cleared the Chute, there was just an easy, maybe 100 yards walk, to the summit.

Summit of Mount Hood

The day was beautiful, with sun and clear sky. All white, puffy clouds were below the summit, which made for a beautiful view. In the distance I could see Mt St Hellens, Mt Rainier and Mt Adams. The two guys, who were hiking via Pearly Gates that I mentioned before, were already there. They got there a few minutes before me. They said they left at 4 am. I looked at my watch and I realized that it took me 4:45 hours to the summit. I could not really enjoy my time on the summit. I took a few pictures of the panorama, I asked the guys to take a few pictures of me, I took a few pictures of them, and I was ready to hit the road. All I could think of was how was I going to hike down that horrendous Old Chute without an ice pick.

Clouds

So, I figured it out (hunger is the best cook.) I did not have and ice pick with me but I had trekking polls in my backpack. I brought them up to use when hiking down. So I took them out, I did not extend them but rather kept them short. When I got to the Chute, I used them to stick them in the frozen snow as deep as I could. That did not provide me with much anchor, but, it provided just enough stability so I could keep my balance while moving slowly. I would not take a step down unless I had both polls jammed all the way to the hilt in the frozen snow. Anyway, I eventually cleared the Chute and from there, everything was just going downhill.

Bergschrund Crevasse

By this time of the day, the snow started to melt a little bit, so it made the footing more stable. I hiked down greeting hikers going up. Below Crater Rock I decided to slide down on my back since it was much easier to stop if need be. I caught up again with the 7 hikers that I encountered going up. Boy, these people were moving slow. I kept sliding down as much as I could toward the Loge, since there was no danger anymore. I wished I could slide all the way to the lodge, but the snow was melting a lot in the sun - so much so that it slowed me down to a total stop. I hit the parking lot after exactly 6 hours and 18 minutes from when I started, and 6.64 miles, round trip.

Hogsback

My recommendations, besides the right hiking clothing: do not start hiking before the brake of dawn. Have crampons and at least one ice pick. I used 5 bottles of water but, keep in mind, that it was a cold day. All the food I ate on the mountain was energy food. No whole food.

Mount Hood

Comments

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Diesel - Jun 21, 2014 7:30 pm - Hasn't voted

Re:

There you said it: you are bitter because you are too old to hike/climb anymore. Well, such is life. You became the old man that starts every sentence with: back when I was young ...
Keep following my posts and be amazed at how lucky I am on my hikes.
So long

Fairley8 - Jun 21, 2014 9:49 pm - Voted 1/10

Re:

So using your logic: When Alex Honnold free solos big walls in Yosemite with no protection or gear, everyone should be doing that instead of using ropes and setting pro because "it's not a big deal?"

Show me a written report and photos of these "hundreds" who climb hood in sneakers. I'm sure you'll pull a photo or two off Google of the one or two people who climb hood that way each year.

As I said earlier, stay in Ohio and out of the mountains until you learn to respect them.

Brian C - Jun 20, 2014 11:09 pm - Hasn't voted

Excellent commentary!

Keep it coming! Haha.

Glad you enjoyed Hood. You should go check out Jefferson or Rainier. I'm looking forward to your next report!

BC

Diesel - Jun 21, 2014 7:43 am - Hasn't voted

Re:

Greetings Brian C,
Even if I detected the sarcasm in your "haha", I appreciate not acting like an RA. Looking at the spectacular ascents and climbs you did, I have to admit that what you are doing is light-years away from my abilities or interests.

Although you suggestions go hand in hand with the " haha", I will decline the idea of going up the two mountains. I went to scout Mt. Rainier only a week before the group of 6 were lost in the avalanche. I determined before the tragedy that I was not interested in that hike. Pointing to the hate mail I get, those 6 people were well trained, had all equipment necessary, knowledgeable guide and yet, tragedy. God bless their souls. One commentator called them "adrenaline junkies", remark which still bothers me. However, dying doing what you like is a lousy consolation.

I will stick to my hikes, no more than class 3, maybe a few moves of 4.

Best regards,
Diesel

solarjinx - Jun 22, 2014 10:57 am - Voted 5/10

Beginner's Two Cents

Okay, so I just read this trip report and the comments that followed and here's my two cents. I am a beginner to mountaineering and I just climbed Mt Hood this past weekend. I have spent the past year buying all of the proper gear that I would need on a mountain climb and let me tell you what, mountaineering is a damn expensive passion! In addition to the proper gear I have also been conditioning my body by training on strenuous non-snow covered mountain hikes every weekend. In addition to that, I spend all of my spare time watching mountaineering films and video clips and reading books and websites such as SP. So, in other words, I'm taking the sport of mountaineering very seriously.

Okay, that being said, back to my two cents: I truly hope Diesel is an internet troll. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he never even climbed Hood. All the pictures he posted could be plucked from the internet for all we know. Here's why I hope he's just trolling us. When I was climbing up and especially down the Old Chute, my inexperience put all the climbers underneath me at great risk. I was very aware of this fact. One mistake on my end would've resulted in me losing my grip on the ice face, sliding crampon first into other humans, and sending us all crashing into the fumarole below. The thought of this terrified me and it made me realize there is way more to mountain climbing than I could ever learn while sitting at my desk. I hit the Timberline trailhead at 2am and reached the summit at 9:30am. I don't give a shit if I was slow by Diesel's standards, his pompous attitude means nothing to me. By the time I reached the summit I was thoroughly exhausted and my body hurt in places I didn't realize existed. While standing there looking down the Old Chute waiting for my turn to down climb, I gathered my thoughts and concerns and hoped like hell that an arm or a leg wouldn't cramp up during my descent and cause an accident. I even made those around me aware of my concern and gave a huge amount of space before down climbing. The other climbers were super cool and gave me tips and encouragement (and drew straws on who would descend beneath me).

In my opinion, the above description of my Mt Hood climb is true mountaineering. Diesel's nonchalant description of "hiking" up Mt Hood without a care or regard to anyone else sort of pissed me off. If he had been above me while I was going up or down the Old Chute and I looked up and saw him using microspikes and trekking poles, I might not have ever climbed a mountain again. As a novice I had plenty of concerns of my own, but seeing him put my life in danger could've been enough to end my interest in climbing forever. I'm really glad we didn't choose the same day to climb. I agree with all the other comments: this is an excellent trip report on what NOT to do.

P.S. And Diesel, I already know what you're thinking and the answer is yes. I did in fact register and become a Summit Post member just so I could comment on this thread.

Diesel - Jun 22, 2014 11:45 am - Hasn't voted

Re:

Greetings solarjinx,
It was very nice of you to show so much passion about my hike.
No need to be condescending though. You can disagree with me without being insulting.
No two people are the same. When I mentioned the hiking times it was just for the record. I read somewhere that there is a record of 2.5 hours to hike Mt. Hood. Now, that is something to brag about. I am never competing with others. You should not compare to others also. I cannot relate to your experience. I most of the time hike alone. I never get cramps or get exhausted. I also don't make assumption about people I don't know and doubt their statements just because I can hide behind the screen
Good luch with your "mountaineering". I'll stuck to hiking for now. I'm not as brave as others.
And since you like PS, let me just at least tell you in the end (I said this a lot on this page but you care not to notice so you can be accusatory with no reason) that when I hiked Mt Hood there were no hikers behind me or ahead of me. If I would've slipped I wouldn't have hurt anybody. Feel better now? On no, I did not mean for you to answer. Please don't. It was just a rhetorical question.

solarjinx - Jun 22, 2014 4:06 pm - Voted 5/10

Re: Re:

Since I am almost positive you are nothing more than a troll, I will give you just one more moment of my time before moving on. Here are a few things I'd like to point out:

The word condescending means having an air of superiority. In my comment I clearly stated that I am a beginner and it was my first time to the summit. I am far from being superior, unless of course you factor in how prepared I was for my climb, because in that sense I was definitely far more superior than you.

The only thing I said that was remotely insulting was that I didn't give a shit about what you might think about my 7 hour ascent. In your trip report you definitely made it apparent that your time spent hiking (and everyone else's) was important to you. I call bullshit on you saying it was only for the record and here's why. You mentioned how you caught up with the 7 hikers and "boy they sure were slow" and also "it took them 7 hours to make it to the summit. I did not say anything, but that seemed like and awful long time" you also added the "he was really impressed with my time" in there just for good measure. Oh, and you also just mentioned the 2.5 hour record and said "now that's something to brag about". Yeah dude, we get it, you hike with ferocity.

As for your micro spikes. At the top of the ski lift you said "At one point, it became quite difficult to hike with my small micro spikes" but then when people started calling you out on using them in the Old Chute you defended the micro spikes by saying "they worked out perfectly". You also defended yourself for not wearing a helmet by saying none of the other 15 people you saw that day were wearing a helmet. Again I call bullshit. Most people wear helmets.

You said I shouldn't compare myself to others or make assumptions about people I don't know. Well guess what, we're all getting to know you pretty well here at Summit Post. Go back and read the stuff you said about Oregonians and explain to me how that isn't making assumptions about people you don't know? Go back and read what you wrote about people not needing an ice axe during their descent (just because you don't) and tell me how that isn't comparing yourself to other people? Now I will be insulting: you are a complete ass in general, irregardless of anything that has to do with hiking or mountain climbing.

Your inability to accept harsh criticism in a situation where you clearly said yourself that you were ill prepared and inexperienced flat out amazes me. You think everyone is attacking you, but they're not. This website's main purpose is to inform and provide knowledge for people (especially beginners like me) but unfortunately I learned way more from reading the comments than I did from your actual trip report.

That being said, I'm still grateful for your trip report and if those really are your pictures they are very good. Here's an example of something I did learn from you: you climbed Mt Hood in May, I climbed it in June. In that short amount of time the bergshrund crevasse has completely opened up and is now twice as wide and a very menacing sight. I could hardly believe it when I saw it. Needless to say I opted out of going anywhere near it. Instead of going up the Hogsback I cut down the left side near that fumarole, over a small dirt patch, and then straight up to the Old Chute. I wanted nothing to do with the bergschrund, haha.

Anyway, I wish you well on your future hikes and/or climbs. Just because we don't get along here at Summit Post doesn't mean I want something bad to happen to you out there in the wild. Be smart, stay safe, and enjoy!

P.S. It's true, I really do like post scripts ;)

Diesel - Jun 22, 2014 6:14 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Re:

Thanks to Summit Post featuring my TR I managed to have my 15 minutes of hate! Nice going, Diesel!

PS: you misunderstood what I said about the hiking time. I said that I read somewhere that someone hiked Mt Hood, round trip, in 2.5 hours. That was a good time to write home about. My time was 6:18.

jblyth - Jun 23, 2014 10:51 am - Hasn't voted

What a joke

Troll on Diesel!

Diesel - Jun 23, 2014 11:20 am - Hasn't voted

Re:

Let me get this straight: almost everyone here calls me names and I am the troll? Funny. And who is calling me a troll? Users of the Summit Post that don't have absolutely no posts on their page, no pictures and no identity of any kind. If you guys don't agree with my hike just move on. Don't get stressed about me. But unlike any if you, I can prove I hiked Mt. Hood.

brrrdog - Jun 23, 2014 1:59 pm - Hasn't voted

Seatbelts

You know what I find amazing? That cars have these seat belt thingies. For decades people drove without them and lots of people survived while driving. Then for decades more, cars did have them but nobody wore them or wore them wrong, and still lots of people survived while driving a car. AND THEN, they made it a law to wear a seat belt and yet lots of people still survive all the time while driving their cars. It's crazy how much effort we put into these seat belt things, when all the while most drivers seem to be able to take a drive with no seat belt all the time without dying.

TrueScotsman - Jun 23, 2014 5:50 pm - Voted 1/10

Re: Seatbelts

Stellar logic...

Let's see, studies have shown that seat belts reduce the number of crash related injures and deaths by 50%.[1] Also, since the introduction of seat belt laws, the fatality rate has steadily decreased.[2]

So by your reasoning, it is a good idea to drive around without a seat belt? When not wearing one increases your risk of serious injury or death by 50%? To be frank, this has to be one of the most idiotic attempts at reasoning I have ever seen.

If one has the capacity to mitigate risk and harm to oneself, and then chooses not to, then this is nothing short of natural selection running its course.

If you wish to have a shortened life, then not wearing a seat belt and climbing on glaciated peaks without the necessary equipment is a fine way to do this. Please though, while you are on the moronic quest for self-devastation, do not put others in harms way.

From my perspective, there is no pity or kindness lent to such ideals, only profound confusion and disgust.

Regards,
TrueScotsman

[1] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Final regulatory impact analysis amendment to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. Passenger car front seat occupant protection. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 1984. Publication no. DOT-HS-806-572. Available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs/806572.pdf External Web Site Icon. Accessed December 13, 2010.
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year

Diesel - Jun 23, 2014 8:03 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Seatbelts

Don't look at me! I'd never drive without the seatbelt on! I don't think it helps anything though. I know two people (an adult and a kid) who died in two separate accidents. They both were bucked up. Anyway, tomorrow I'm buying a helmet. On Saturday I'm hiking Middle Palisade and the chute to the summit is nothing but loose rock. Now that's where one needs a helmet, not the sissy Mt Hood! C'mon, that was funny!

TrueScotsman - Jun 23, 2014 8:49 pm - Voted 1/10

Re: Seatbelts

You'd never drive without a seatbelt, though you don't think it helps anything? And you based this off of two instances?

Of course people still die in accidents, even while buckled up, but statistics definitively show that they save lives.

At least you're buying a helmet, it appears that you aren't so thick headed so as to not need one.

solarjinx - Jun 23, 2014 10:55 pm - Voted 5/10

Re: Seatbelts

"Now that's where one needs a helmet, not the sissy Mt Hood! C'mon, that was funny!"

Agreed. You are beginning to win me over, Diesel. A silly sense of humor is huge in my book ;)

And by the way, you were right when you said earlier that at least you are writing up trip reports (regardless of how poorly they are received). I give you massive amounts of credit for doing it. First chance I get I will sit down and write my own trip report for Mt Hood, that way the next time I speak my mind I will at least be able to prove I was there too.

brrrdog - Jun 24, 2014 1:12 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Seatbelts

Sorry TrueScottsman, that was me with the sarcasm dialed to 10. I found it a little disturbing that diesel kept talking about how he made it down fine despite not having an ice "pick" - a false cause fallacy. I decided to have a little fun and talk about all the people that weren't injured driving cars with no seat belts, willfully ignoring the stats that went with them. I apologize for the confusion.

Of course with even greater irony, mr diesel has declared that he never drives without a seat belt. By the numbers, I'd guess he has a better chance of not getting in an accident than he does of not falling and sliding down a 40 degree slope. Seems like he should take the ice "pick" and skip the seat belt.

Diesel, I'm no expert. I've only climbed hood twice. I'm a lot like you where have to get on a plane in order to take up the challenge of a mountain. But I do my best to make up for that, by doing lots of reading and flatland practice. That said, I've never heard or read anybody proclaiming that crampons and ice axes are "optional" gear. Frankly you really are doing a lot of people a favor - hopefully they'll read your trip report, then get to the comments at the bottom, and say "man I don't want to be that guy"

If you're timing is correct, you must be an amazing athlete as 2:45 to crater rock is a great time. But without the necessary gear, you're missing out on the respect for that and instead you're one step above the guy climbing with blue jeans and a jansport backpack.

Finally, I read a lot of accident reports as part of my learning. On the easy routes, 99 times out of 100, there's always something that the person does that makes the accident no surprise. If you fell and it was reported that you had no axe, everybody would pretty much say "well duh."

workmanflock - Jun 24, 2014 3:58 pm - Voted 7/10

Amazing Athlete

Meh, his time is good, not great, that's it. 2000-4000k per hour is not that hard for people that put a lot of effort into their cardio. If you want to see exceptional athlete google Killian Jornet, I imagine he's done this route in sub 2 hours. Deisel is right about people being slow and wrong about most everything else. Still, this was a fantastically funny trip report.

Diesel - Jun 24, 2014 5:01 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Amazing Athlete

Greetings workmanflock,
Indeed the story was meant to be funny, to make fun of myself. That is the reason I wrote about what I thought and how I went about things. I am a happy person and I like to present myself in a funny way where the joke is on me. However I had no idea people would read my TR, let alone to get worked up about it. I manly wrote the TR to make my wife laugh and give her ammunition to make fun of my ignorance when life presents me with new things and thoughts.

You are right when you say I was wrong about everything else. That's how I wanted to come out. I could've written the story differently and get only thumbs up. But then, where would have been the fun in that? I probably live under a rock since I did not expect so many people to tell me how to live my life. I’d never ever tell anybody I don’t know what to do. It's an unusual world out there. No wonder I hike alone all the time.

As for my thought on hikers being slow, it was not to make fun of them. Far from me that thought. I just know how difficult it is to be on your feet for so long. I've done hikes up to 12 hours long. It is not the difficulty that will bring you down but rather just the fact that you are on your feet for so long. Nobody walks around for 10-12 hours at the time on a regular basis. For myself I would consider very dangerous to walk 7 hours and only cover 4 miles. Anyway, I'd probably never hike Mt Hood in 2 hours. That is indeed a guy in perfect shape. I'd say that he probably skied back down. So long.

workmanflock - Jun 24, 2014 5:09 pm - Voted 7/10

Re: Amazing Athlete

I didn't assume you were making fun of them. Being slow just puts people at risk if they have to turn and bail quickly.

My primary advice for you would be to be careful. Your trip exemplifies perfect conditions. I'd done scores of routes with little precautionary training/equipment. When I finally hit something that was out of the ordinary it almost killed me. I adjusted by learning. You might get lucky with good conditions 99 out of a 100 times but that one time you don't and you'll regret not going home to your wife.

You are clearly in decent shape but you should consider the objective hazards a bit more, they might be primarily a non issue but it only takes once. I carry a lot of extra crap these days that never gets used but every now and then it makes a huge difference. Case in point - 8 am freak snow storm on the Grand Teton, I pulled out a gore tex jacket and pants and hunkered down, it would have been hypothermia otherwise. I hadn't used this gear for two years before this. The mountains are capricious and bluebird days lead to false complacency.

In any event climb on and enjoy just cover your ass.

Edit - I don't tell people on trails what to do either, no one likes that.

Fairley8 - Jun 24, 2014 11:12 pm - Voted 1/10

Informative video

Hi Diesel,

Here's a video on the history of climbing Mt. Hood. It's got some good info and is a fun watch if you're interested.

http://youtu.be/TuqEoDnmfdo

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