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 climbing mount hood - south side route ALAO Reach The Summit Climb june 26, 2005 sorry, but this page will load very slowly on dial-up!
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click photo to enlarge Beautiful Mount Hood the day before the climb click photo to enlarge  The 3rd team of RTS fundraisers at Silcox Hut click photo to enlarge  Stacy Allison on the summit of Mount Hood click photo to enlarge  Matt and Stacy with the shadow of the mountain click photo to enlarge  The north face of Hood and the Washington volcanoes click photo to enlarge  The 1st RTS climbing team reaches the summit click photo to enlarge  TMG guide Matt Cline in the Pearly Gates click photo to enlarge  Stacy Allison and the shadow of the mountain click photo to enlarge  Climbers head through the Pearly Gates click photo to enlarge  Timberline and the south side come into view click photo to enlarge  Mount Hood and Silcox Hut after the climb |
The Event: My 10th summit of Mount Hood came during the American Lung Association of Oregon's (ALAO) Reach The Summit climb that rewarded 47 fundraisers for generating over $170,000 in donations to the group. I had spent most weekends in the first half of 2005 volunteering for the ALAO, so the climb was a reward for me to, in a way. This was my second year serving as the Training Coordinator for the program, but it was my first climb with one of the fundraising groups. The highlight of the day was being fortunate enough to climb with an outright legend - Portland's own Stacy Allison - although she wouldn't like me saying that about her. Stacy is the first American woman to have summitted Mount Everest and she is also the honorary chair of the Reach The Summit (RTS) event. Climbing Hood is obviously a lot easier than Everest, but Stacy still was able to display her incredible mountaineering prowess...and she was nice enough to climb slowly for me. :) More to come in the story below. The Mountain: Mount Hood is generally climbed in May through early July, but people do climb the mountain year 'round (if they know what they're doing). Late in the climbing season, it may be tough to find decent snow at lower elevations and the route to the Summit can be treacherous due to higher temperatures and/or obstacles such as rock fall and open crevasses. Weather can also be sketchy in Oregon, but on a day with high pressure over the Pacific Northwest, one can see a long way...to Cascade Range mountains like Mount Rainier (102 miles away) and Diamond Peak (130 miles away). The South Side route is heavily traveled and you see rope teams using running belays and solo climbers all in the same area. There are everything from first time climbers teathered to guides to long time veterans looking to bag a summit. The Route: Due to a poor winter, the snow below 8,500 feet was essentially melted out, but that didn't matter...I was able to catch a sno-cat ride to the top of the ski area. From there on up, the snow was deep and provided a multitude of routes. View the climbing route! Instead of descending to Timberline, I only needed to make it back to Silcox Hut, so this was the shortest Mount Hood climb of my career. Not a bad thing, since I was not in the best shape of my life (too much work...also the reason I haven't been keeping up with updates to this website). The Climb: Several climbers, including Stacy and myself, spent a short evening sleeping at Timberline Lodge (though I barely slept). We met at 11:30 PM in order to catch the sno-cat to Silcox Hut, where the fundraisers were bunking. The skies were totally clear and, thanks to a late moon rise, they were filled with millions of stars and the blur of the Milky Way. Not a bad way to start a climb! We boarded the sno-cat and made our way to Silcox Hut, about 1 mile North of Timberline Lodge. The first group of climbers left in the cat for the top of the ski area while we waited for the second group to go. By 1:15 AM, we were ferried to the 8,500-foot mark on the mountain and, after gearing up, left for the summit. The snow was firm in spots and soft in others, so the inital part of the climb was tiring. Plus, starting off halfway up the climb was really disorienting...we were at upper landmarks before I even was warmed up! Very different that a full climb from Timberline Lodge. The fundraisers were in groups of five, with one of those climbers being a guide from Timberline Mountain Guides. The teams climbed slowly and Stacy and I were becoming cold waiting for them. We continued to press on and caught the early teams just before reaching Triangle Moraine (9,600 feet). Several RTS teams shared a break at the moraine before pushing on to the Hogsback. By this time, the moon had risen and we barely had to use our headlamps. By the time Stacy and I made it to the Hogsback, the wind had picked up and the temperatures were quite cold. Fortunately, one RTS team nicknamed "Team America" (after the recent movie...you know..."America F*ck Yeah") was going faster than the others and they were ready for a summit push just as we were about to freeze. The snow was extremely firm and there were gargantuan steps heading up the 40-degree pitch. This made the ascent quite easy, though we did need to cross a small gap in the Bergschrund crevasse at about 10,800 feet. As the twilight was building, we made it through the Pearly Gates and arrived on the summit 2nd and 3rd for the day. We arrived just in time - at 5:15 AM - to see the sun rise over the Columbia River to the Northeast. It was my first sunrise summit ever and it was spectacular! The Washington Cascades were popped out and we could see all the way to the Cascades in Central Oregon. Quite a bonus for what was a poor weather climbing season! After admiring the view, talking with a few other climbers and congratulating Team America when they arrived on the summit, Stacy and I became cold and made our descent. The way down was difficult on my knees due to the firm snow (think going down about a thousand steps) and it was a bit harrowing due to the difficulty of gaining purchase with my ice axe. However, I made it down safely. The descent was uneventful and we made it back to Silcox Hut by 9:45 AM, which was quite slow for such a short climb. However, we spent a lot of time waiting for the other climbers, so I don't feel too bad about it. At the Hut, we enjoyed a waffle breakfast before being driven (yes, driven) down to Timberline Lodge. That evening, the ALAO threw a celebration party and the whole thing was probably the most fun I've ever had climbing Mount Hood! I hope you enjoy the photos. Thanks for taking the time to share in the event. -- Matt |
click photo to enlarge The South Side crater of Mount Hood click photo to enlarge  Matt takes a break at Triangle Moraine click photo to enlarge  The sun rises over the Columbia River click photo to enlarge  The Washington Cascades silhouetted by the sunrise click photo to enlarge  The north face of Hood shines in the morning sun click photo to enlarge  Matt and RTS climber Sarah on the summit click photo to enlarge  The incredible specter shadow of Mount Hood click photo to enlarge  The mountain's shadow from the Hogsback click photo to enlarge  Mount Jefferson and the clouds in the valley below click photo to enlarge  The Central Oregon Cascade Range volcanoes click photo to enlarge  10 hours after the climb, the weather changed! |