[TR] Mt. Hood- Coconut Slurpee 9/26/2004

[ivan]

Climb: Mt. Hood-Coconut Slurpee

 

Date of Climb: 9/26/2004

 

Trip Report:

So clearly this route must have been climbed before but I’m too damn tired to find out what it’s called. Rob (Hanger) and I decided to call it Coconut Slurpee, after the picket swallowing crap that laughingly made up the first belay. Feel free to tell me whatever it’s really named.

 

A hundred cars in the cloud cap lot at 3 AM…hmm, this is not a day for fucking around in the icefall w/ the Mongolian hordes. Rob and I hoped to find something distracting in the vicinity of the north face. I reckoned it was going to be way too hot to make anything ‘round there practical or safe, but a brother can always hope, right? Turns out there was plenty of crap raining down all the gullies and most of the nascent seeps below the Cooper spur, but one sweet looking route looked mostly complete and free of mortar fire. The route ended up as one full 60 meter pitch, but too bad, you can’t go and climb it now as we destroyed all of the ice in climbing it. Well, maybe it’ll get cold…I hear winter’s coming.

 

Bottom anchor was horseshit. First screw seemed more likely to get me killed then save me; while the ice was very solid, it wasn’t really attached to anything and I figured if the column broke off, the screw would stay in and just drag me down w/ 300 pounds worth of fuck-water. About 15 feet of vertical ice, mostly not even remotely solid, then easing to easy ice/styrofoam snow, then a terrifying 30 feet of 75-85 degree ice, frequently hollow and unsupportive, much of which was surmounted by stemming out onto the volcanic mud which tightly constricts the ice. Enjoyable sketchy anchor uptop in shallow Styrofoam, waiting to get yanked face-first down the route if rob lunched badly. Pretty quick climb up and traverse back over to the spur. Chatted w/ a man at the end of the spur trail, complete w/ 12 gauge shotgun. Laughed to see at least 50 people spread out down below on the elliot, like flies on shit.

 

Awesome day. There’s something really cool about ending the day, being able to look back up the hill and see your footprints making the complete circuit where no one else went.

 

Rob, you gonna get off your ass and give us some pix? no one's even gonna understand where the hell this thing was...

 

oh, yeah, and i'm wondering if i'm gonna go snowblind...after dropping my shades down the pitch i fried me corneas i fear...in the mirror i kinda looked like i've had a bit too much

 

 

Gear Notes:

4 screws, 1 worthless picket almost lost in slurpee

 

Approach Notes:

blah, blah, moraine, blah, blah, talus

[Gaper_Jeffy]

First screw seemed more likely to get me killed then save me; while the ice was very solid, it wasn’t really attached to anything and I figured if the column broke off, the screw would stay in and just drag me down w/ 300 pounds worth of fuck-water. About 15 feet of vertical ice, mostly not even remotely solid, then easing to easy ice/styrofoam snow, then a terrifying 30 feet of 75-85 degree ice, frequently hollow and unsupportive, much of which was surmounted by stemming out onto the volcanic mud which tightly constricts the ice. Enjoyable sketchy anchor uptop in shallow Styrofoam, waiting to get yanked face-first down the route if rob lunched badly.

 

Sweeettt!!! Excellent prose.

[Ducknut]

The face looked wonderful yesterday. Good job on the slurpee.

 

Laughed to see at least 50 people spread out down below on the elliot

 

There were about 4 different groups of kids and instructors practicing ice climbing on the Elliot. They looked like they were having fun learning to swing tools.

[Chriznitch]

coo

 

[ivan]

The face looked wonderful yesterday. Good job on the slurpee.

 

looked cool, but we saw some big stuff rolling down all over the face. climbing the n face couliors would very likely have resulted in a sudden facial reconstruction.

 

figured those had to be classes...reminded me of the matanuska glacier in alaska

[Ducknut]

The face looked wonderful yesterday. Good job on the slurpee.

 

looked cool, but we saw some big stuff rolling down all over the face. climbing the n face couliors would very likely have resulted in a sudden facial reconstruction.

 

figured those had to be classes...reminded me of the matanuska glacier in alaska

 

I should have used a different term than wonderful. The face was inspiring, awesome, stark. I couldn't help but think of the stories of the ski descents of the couloirs.

Edited September 27, 2004 by Ducknut

[Hanger]

Pics are up...go check 'em out

[ivan]

these good folk don't take well to directions man (that n' there lazy as hell)