I am taking a trip to Welches Oregon in August and just wanted to know if anybody had any advice on climbing Mt. Hood. I have read online that climbing it in August can be dangerous due to falling rock and ice. I am looking to climb from Timberline lodge but as of yet I have not been able to find any good info on routes etc. If anyone has any good input on this it would be great. I would also like info on what type of equipment I will need and how to get it there, crampons, ice axe and such. I don't know how the airline would react to an ice axe in my suitcase if you know what I mean. Thanks, Shawn
Mt.Hood
- Thread starter Darwin
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Peakbagr
Well-known member
We did it late one summer as the hiking/climbing trip was already planned. Figure on needing good boots and a good sized pack with "extras". We climbed the dog route, leaving at 11pm and climbing thru the night. Above Crater Rock we waited for a little bit of light to start forming, cramponed and roped up, got across the 'schrund, and then up the chute to the summit. We watched the sun rise from up top, spent about 90 min there all by ourselves. Went down by a slightly different route. We had to cross the bottom of another chute, and as the sun warmed the slopes above us, we had to make a run for it 100 yards with pebbles, rocks and boulders flying by after falling 700'. You could see the larger ones and hear all the rest. Exhilerating and dangerous. We put on rain pants the rest of the way, sliding down snowfield after snowfield, using the axes as breaks and steering.
What a ball.
It would be better to go very early in the season as last in the summer it is dangerout with the rockfall.
What a ball.
It would be better to go very early in the season as last in the summer it is dangerout with the rockfall.
H
Holdstrong
Guest
Shawn I will be in Portland in either August or September myself and I am also planning an attempt on Hood. Unfortunately I think I'll be alone so I will be looking for a guide service.
Please do post what you find in your research and I will do the same.
Please do post what you find in your research and I will do the same.
The Hogback Route is straightforward and obvious from the Timberline Lodge parking lot. You can purchase a topo map at the Lodge. The falling rocks can be unnerving, but not *that* dangerous. We witnessed a boulder the size of a VW roll by; totally silent. We also opted to climb unroped, to move faster, the crevasses are pretty easy to see.
I don't think getting an ax on a plane would be a problem if it was part of 'checked' baggage. (not in your carry on)
Wear a helmet and keep your eyes open...
I don't think getting an ax on a plane would be a problem if it was part of 'checked' baggage. (not in your carry on)
Wear a helmet and keep your eyes open...
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Thank you peakbagr and Bob for your insight and trip reports. I am going August 5th through the 11th if you are interested in a partner Holdstrong. Oh by the way where do I get an m.l.u., from what I hear they require it at timberline. Sorry for putting the original post in the wrong place peakbagr.
--Shawn
--Shawn
Peakbagr
Well-known member
Bob,
You may have descended a different route or different time of day than we did. Those 100 yards were some of the most dangerous moments I've ever had in the mountains. The snow all around us was pockmarketed with "bullet-holes" from the rocks and they were whizzing by us at terminal velocity. All 4 of us had many close calls in the short time we were exposed.
You may have descended a different route or different time of day than we did. Those 100 yards were some of the most dangerous moments I've ever had in the mountains. The snow all around us was pockmarketed with "bullet-holes" from the rocks and they were whizzing by us at terminal velocity. All 4 of us had many close calls in the short time we were exposed.
Guinness
Active member
Hi Darwin,
I have been up there on two occasions, June and August. It gets quite warm there during the summer months. On the August trip it was 105 at Timberline Lodge the previous day! I would strongly suggest starting at midnight to take advantage of the crusty surface that forms. Leaving the sign-in room just off the parking lot, move toward the east (right) of the ski slopes. At the top of the slopes (8500’) there is a groomed walkway and you will find a starting point going up the short snow wall.
Travel the snowfield toward the right side of Crater Rock. Here the snowfield is normally stable and crevasse free. As you move along the right side of Crater Rock, the Hogsback will become prominent. The Hogsback forms toward the Pearly Gates, which is the final push to the summit. The Bergshrund splits the Hogsback and may be very significant in August. We had to traverse around the left side in August and jumped over it in June. There is normally a well-defined path showing the preferred routes.
Once you leave the summit, care should be taken, as the sun will start to change the crusty surface into mash potatoes. Anti-balling plates for your crampons will help with the buildup. Descending Pearly Gates down to the Bergshrund is where you will have to be very careful with each step. The warmth of the morning will start the rocks moving. You will see definite chutes where rocks pop out. They can be all sizes and you can feel like a bowling pin so keep a careful watch out. If the Bergshrund is large, many rocks will drop into it. After that, enjoy a great Glissade down the snowfield.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/recreation/climbing/index.shtml
Once back at Timberline Lodge, stop in at the Blue Ox and celebrate!
I have been up there on two occasions, June and August. It gets quite warm there during the summer months. On the August trip it was 105 at Timberline Lodge the previous day! I would strongly suggest starting at midnight to take advantage of the crusty surface that forms. Leaving the sign-in room just off the parking lot, move toward the east (right) of the ski slopes. At the top of the slopes (8500’) there is a groomed walkway and you will find a starting point going up the short snow wall.
Travel the snowfield toward the right side of Crater Rock. Here the snowfield is normally stable and crevasse free. As you move along the right side of Crater Rock, the Hogsback will become prominent. The Hogsback forms toward the Pearly Gates, which is the final push to the summit. The Bergshrund splits the Hogsback and may be very significant in August. We had to traverse around the left side in August and jumped over it in June. There is normally a well-defined path showing the preferred routes.
Once you leave the summit, care should be taken, as the sun will start to change the crusty surface into mash potatoes. Anti-balling plates for your crampons will help with the buildup. Descending Pearly Gates down to the Bergshrund is where you will have to be very careful with each step. The warmth of the morning will start the rocks moving. You will see definite chutes where rocks pop out. They can be all sizes and you can feel like a bowling pin so keep a careful watch out. If the Bergshrund is large, many rocks will drop into it. After that, enjoy a great Glissade down the snowfield.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/recreation/climbing/index.shtml
Once back at Timberline Lodge, stop in at the Blue Ox and celebrate!
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Peakbagr
Well-known member
When we climbed Hood, we were with a guide and did not descend thru the Pearly Gates. Came down a very steep snow slope on the opposite side of the summit and after dropping 700' to 800' traversed back around and came under a very dangerous rockfall. It sounds like the route you described is much safer than the one we took off the summit.
You'll find a lot of beta at www.cascadeclimbers.com (or is it .org?) and also at summitpost.com
I'm giving Hood a try in mid-July, and i'll try to post the rockfall situation on this thread, unless a rock renders me incapable of typing.
Ice axe in checked baggage is no problem...i've done it a couple times recently. Fuel canisters, stoves, and even matches are the big no-no's.
m.l.u.'s aren't mandatory, but if you require any rescue assistance, without an m.l.u. you are 100% liable for any $$ they decide your rescue cost. that's major $$.
if you do try this in August, leave EARLY. as in, be packed up and ready to take the first step of your DEscent as the sun rises.
I'm giving Hood a try in mid-July, and i'll try to post the rockfall situation on this thread, unless a rock renders me incapable of typing.
Ice axe in checked baggage is no problem...i've done it a couple times recently. Fuel canisters, stoves, and even matches are the big no-no's.
m.l.u.'s aren't mandatory, but if you require any rescue assistance, without an m.l.u. you are 100% liable for any $$ they decide your rescue cost. that's major $$.
if you do try this in August, leave EARLY. as in, be packed up and ready to take the first step of your DEscent as the sun rises.
