rockgirl77 Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Thinking about doing Hood via Cooper Spur this weekend, but the road to Cloud Cap campground is still closed. Anyone know how long it takes to hike the road in and what the conditions are like? Also, any recent beta on the route itself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 You won't want to hike the road. Its about 9-10 miles to the campground. You'll want to hike the Tilly Jane Trail up to the A-Frame. From there bear up and left through the trees until you hit the top of Polallie Canyon. Follow the ridge up above tree line and head for the Spur. The trail should be mostly melted out until you get up high. Takes maybe 90 minutes to the AFrame. Another 90 to get up high. Don't know what the route is like right now. Prolly in good shape. Let us know how it is if you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 I imagine it the snow cover might be getting pretty thin towards the top. Wear a helmet and get an early start. be especially careful on the descent as thats where most parties have trouble. A fall here is fatal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 i dunno...i remember reading about at least one guy who survived the slide all the way down onto the eliiot no joke about the helmet though...the lower spur shows ample evidence of stone-fall...only really annoying on the way down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 That guy show survived the slide all the way onto the eliot was carried down on an avalanche slough. I've talked to him a few times and the story is terrifying. Statistically, I think this route is the most dangerous on Hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 no more dangerous than playing piggie down by the river though, eh? shit rob, i find your new avatar persona intensely terrifying...might have somethign to do w/ having confronted a well armed dude like that in the appalachians. luckily my friend had a bow & arrow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 Avatar? Thats me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminal_Gravity Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 shit rob, i find your persona intensly terrifying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_SkyTramp Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Now it's 6 miles hike up the road to the campground now, and then probably 1.5 miles to where the tree line ends. We camped there this Sat as strong wind did not let us set the tent any farther. Next day we spent hiking around the spur, practicing belays and enjoying the unexpectedly good views. Yeah, we played slackers this time There is enough snow on the mountain but it gets soft quickly as soon as sun hits the slopes, no fun, really! Good luck! Maria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 You should have gone up the Tilly Jane trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climberbr Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 howdy i am thinking of cooper spur monday/tuesday next week. does anybody know about decending via the sunshine route and across eliot glacier? thanks for the good info on the road condition and hike in. bee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 the sunshine is an easy, enjoyable route, and doing a circuit on a mountain is always cooler than retracing your steps, but there are certainly very large crevasses on the elliot glacier which no doubt will be opening soon if they haven't already, so be prepared w/ crevasse rescue bullshit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducknut Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 I climbed Cooper Spur last night /today. Descended South Side. You can drive to about 5100 feet on the road to Cloud Cap. That will save you about an hour of climbing. The snow low on Cooper was wonderful styrafoam. Higher up it is widely variable due to temps, direct sun and avy debris. It goes from firm to wallowing deep powder in the matter of a few steps. Descending Sushine and crassing the Elliot could be really interesting with soft snow from the warm temperatures. How much time are you going to allow for a Cooper Spur climb and Sunshine descent? Thats a huge amount of hiking in one day. I'll bet that you'd need about 15-20 hours total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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