[TR] Mt. Hood- Coe Glacier 8/1/2004

[boonecounty]

Climb: Mt. Hood-Coe Glacier

 

Date of Climb: 8/1/2004

 

Trip Report:

Heading from Bend to the airport in Portland to pick my up my friend the Hunter, I realized I was driving by the sprawling plantation of Dick Pumpington in Terrebonne, Oregon. The Limo was in the drive so I figured he was home. I gave him a call to see if he had any route suggestions for my friend and I. His secretary patched me straight through to the speakerphone at the pool. Pumpertino was in and had just climbed the Coe Glacier on Mon/Tue. Ricardo highly recommended the route saying it was perfect plastic and that it took great screws.

 

Upon his recomendation the Hunter and I drove up to cloud cap saddle on Saturday evening and crashed out. We awoke at midnight and busted out of camp at 1am. We hiked up onto snowdome and then across and down through a saddle to the Coe. We reached the icefall and picked a line up the middle. First pitch was excellent thunker ice taking great screws. We then clawed our way through some ice fall debris and up to the next wall. This pitch was thoroughly excellent taking great screws on good ice. We simulclimbed for a while through crevasses until we reached a crux section at approximately 9000ft. Here I turned the lead over to the Hunter who had had crampon issues the entire route at this point. (New Boots + crampons + living in Missouri + inbread redneckedness= crampon malfunction) He finally straightened out his crampons, we doubled the ice floss and he lead a super fun pitch. From here the difficulties eased to steep snow and snow bridge crossings over monster gapers. We ended on the top of the snowdome and hauled ass down the mountain. The snowdome was perfect for boot glissading. We arrived back at cloud cap saddle around 10 hours roundtrip for some quesadillas and a nap. Thanks Ricardo Pumpington and Billy for this suggestion before we head to the North Cascades. Great route, with snowbridges melting out it will get spicier with time.

 

I have some great pics, I just have to figure out how to submit them.

 

Gear Notes:

1 ice floss 8mmx60m

2 pickets

7 ice screws

runners

Black Prophets & Sabretooths

 

Approach Notes:

Usual Approach

[Alpinfox]

 

 

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[Billy]

What was Ricardo wearing while he was sitting at the pool?

[MisterBeer]

I was unsuccessful in arranging a meeting with Mr. Pumpington to discuss our possible onsight of the Coe Glacier route. Apparently, he was out of town on some very important business. So, relying on the beta given by Boonecounty, Iian, Hal Burton, and I decided to depart from Cloud Cap at 3am, Wednesday morning.

 

Our departure was slightly delayed since I was forced to drop one of many Rumsfelds for the day off. The approach was the usual heinous slog, but it went by quickly enough. Downclimbing the moraine onto the Coe was particularly crappy.

 

We simuled the first few steep sections, then dropped into the icefall. Hal Burton took the lead, Iian belayed, and I had a chew. The ice was surprisingly hard, a few dinner plates came off. Hal ran the rope out to the top of the icefall, Iian and I followed.

 

We simuled the rest, with me leading. I promptly led us to an enormous crevasse on the the left side of the route, with a large (50ft or so) vertical, but not overhanging, wall. Possibly if Dick Pumpington had been there, he could have led it. But since, I am not Dick Pumpington, I opted to skirt around it to the right. From there we topped out and followed Boonecounty's melted out but still visible tracks on to and down Snowdome.

 

We did not bring the icefloss. Instead we had the brown rope, which has endured many trips up the south side of Mount Hood. It's a good thing no one fell.

 

Attached is a pic of Hal leading.

[WhiteKong]

I believe Mr. Pumpington was wearing his normal poolside attire, a leopard skin banana hammock