[TR] Mt. Hood - Eliot Glacier/Sunshine Route 05/31/2024

[jstluise]

Trip: Mt. Hood - Eliot Glacier/Sunshine Route

Trip Date: 05/31/2024

Trip Report:

We set out on Friday afternoon from the Tilly Jane Trailhead with Mt. Hood as our objective via the northside Sunshine Route. We had cool temps and blue skies which made for a great approach, but the forecast was calling for weather to move in Saturday afternoon with a significant amount of precipitation Saturday night into Sunday. The goal was to camp high on route Friday, summit Saturday morning, then descend the same route and get out before weather hit.

 

Mt. Hood on the drive in from the north:

 

Sunshine Route (Anderson Rock & Horseshoe Rock):

 

We met two climbers at the trailhead who just finished a car-to-car of the Sunshine Route that morning so they were able to provide beta on the route. Conditions sounded great. They chose to descend the south side of Hood to their second car at Timberline and drive back to the trailhead, but said descending the route would be fine. This inspired confidence because while descending the route isn't unheard of, most parties will carry-over to avoid the downclimb. We considered a carry-over, but preferred to keep pack weights low on summit day.

After leaving the trailhead we made our way up the dry ski trail to the Tilly Jane A-Frame where we first encountered snow. From there we followed the footprints in the direction of the Cooper Spur Trail and soon we were at the Cooper Spur shelter for a quick break before making our way towards the Eliot Glacier. A large cairn marked the start of the climbers trail down the moraine which we followed to begin the glacier crossing. The snow was quite warm by then which made for some deep steps while crossing the glacier, but at least we weren't postholing. No glacier gear was needed here. A short time later we were ascending the ramp on the climber's right of the glacier which put us on the main approach to the Sunshine Route. We climbed further to 8,450' where we decided to set up camp for the night. After making some water for the following day and having a bite, we tried to get some sleep. We were the only party on the Sunshine Route.

 

Eliot Glacier:

 

The morning came fast and the temp dropped into the mid-30s with an increasing breeze. We reluctantly got up and were back on the move at 6:30a, but this time with lighter packs and donning crampons. There was still a view of the upper mountain and summit, but the clouds were moving in quickly. We continued upwards towards the first steep feature of the route: Anderson Rock.

 

Base of Anderson Rock with Horseshoe Rock above:

 

Typically one would skirt Anderson Rock to the climber's right but as we were informed by the other climbers, there was already an established boot pack directly up the center because of the nice snow coverage. We took advantage of the steps from the previous parties and started up Anderson Rock. I had a single axe ready while my partner had one tool. The lower portion was steep snow which made climbing easy and secure, but higher up where the slope steepened (50+ deg) and had thinner snow coverage it turned into ice. I retrieved my tool for more security while my partner managed the icy section with his single. The ice had good purchase so after a bit of front pointing we were through it and on the more gradual slope leading up to Horseshoe Rock.

 

Just finishing Anderson Rock:

 

The bergschrund below Horseshoe Rock was filled in and looked to be passable at several locations which opened up many options for the ascent. Once again, the previous parties went straight up the middle and we could see the boot pack. We considered following, but were unsure if we would encounter similar icy conditions at some point. We opted to take the route to the climber's right of Horseshoe Rock thinking that would avoid any icy slopes. We remained unroped and after crossing the 'schrund we had a short traverse to gain the slopes to the right. The snow was just right and allowed for easy steps and axe plunging as we continued up the steep slopes (45+ deg). I used my axe and tool and my partner had two tools. With the snow conditions we had one could get by with a single axe, but I didn't mind the extra point of contact with both of us soloing.

Fortunately we did not encounter any ice. The upper section did have a light crust, but it did not impact our climbing. With one step and axe plunge at a time, we cruised up the slope towards Cathedral Ridge. We did take a more direct route which put us on 55+ degree snow just below the ridge, but this could have been avoided by meandering climber's right slightly. Nevertheless, we were soon on the ridge and had nothing but easy climbing to the summit. By now the clouds were moved in but we still caught the occasional glimpse of the upper slopes.

Soon we were on the main summit ridge where we encountered a couple parties that were climbing the main south side route and after a quick traverse we reached the summit in the clouds. We took a short break for pictures and food and water before making our way back down.

 

Summit Ridge:

 

Summit:

 

By this time the upper mountain was fully in the clouds so we had poor visibility and had to rely on following our tracks back to where we gained Cathedral Ridge. We started the downclimb, facing into the slope and retracing our steps one at a time. Foot. Foot. Axe. Axe. Repeat. In short order we were crossing the bergschrund again and at the top of Anderson Rock. By this time the snow/ice had softened up so the upper section downclimbed fairly easily. After that it was off to the races and we plunge-stepped back to camp.

 

Downclimbing Anderson Rock:

 

Under the occasional light rain shower we packed up camp and started our descent out of the weather and back to the trailhead to complete a successful Mt. Hood trip! The Sunshine Route was great. Not super technical but the steep snow kept it interesting. And the views (when we had them) we're amazing. This was my first time on Mt. Hood and am wondering why it took me so long to get down there. I'll be back!

 

Weather moving in:

 

Approximate route up Anderson Rock and Horseshoe Rock:

 

Day 1
2:00pm Start
Tilly Jane Trailhead (3,820') to Camp (8,450'), 5hr20m, +4,630'

Day 2
6:30am Start
Camp (8,450') to Summit (11,249'), 4hr30m, +2,800'
Summit (11,249') to Camp (8,450'), 2hr00m, -2,800'
Camp (8,450') to Tilly Jane Trailhead (3,820'), 2hr45m, -4,630'

Gear Notes:
We brought 4 pickets and a few screws. We each had two axes. If we pitched it out the pickets would have come in handy. Screw(s) would have been useful for protecting the icy section we encountered on Anderson Rock, but the ice could have been avoided by going climber's right around Anderson Rock. If you manage to stay only on steep snow, a single axe could be enough but it wouldn't hurt to have a second just in case.

Approach Notes:
Approach via Tilly Jane and Cooper Spur Trail, then turn right at the Cooper Spur Shelter to cross the Eliot Glacier (moraine crossing marked large cairn). Cross Eliot Glacier and ascend snow ramp on right side at ~7,500' to gain the slope to the main route.