jmo Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 going to attempt a hood climb this weekend. Where's a good place for a high camp on the south side? Anyone have any other route advice? never climbed hood before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 (edited) I would say the timberline parking lot. I think that the wind up higher would make for a less than restful night. If you really want to camp up higher I saw a couple tents among some rocks up and climbers right of the top of the palmer. Edited March 29, 2007 by Reid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 only problem with that is going 5000 vertical ft in one day and back down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 True and understandable. I felt plenty beat after that day. The upper part of the palmer (~8500' I think) is not in operation, but the snow cats do run up there during the night. Anywhere past the lift should be fine for camping. No designated or standard spot as far as I know since the terrain is pretty uniform until the crater. Â If you can, ski the lower half of the route. Only the top 1000' of the route has any kind of fall hazard and is difficult skiing. The rest is pretty easy. I'm a bad skier and I wish I'd done it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 thanks for the info. how does one get a snow cat ride? how's the avy and rockfall hazard in that area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 heh your on your own for the snow cat ride. I just meant that you should camp away from where they run so you don't get squashed or yelled at. Essentially zero rockfall danger and no more avy danger than that of the ski slopes. Â You're aware of the condition of the route this year right? Â http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/660671/page/1#Post660671 Â Enjoy the climb hope the weather holds for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 I've been reading the posts. thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryland_moore Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 jmo, I agree with Reid. Camp in the parking lot. 5,000' vertical, IMO, is a lot easier than hauling up gear, food, stove, tent, etc. to above the Palmer and climbing it the next day. Just do it in one day and start early. It will go by faster and you will enjoy it more. if you can't climb S. Side in one day, maybe you need to be in better shape? Â You won't acclimate in that time period, so why bother? it is only 2 hours or so more to get to the top of the Palmer added on to your summit day. Take skis or snowboard fordthe ride back down. No need to slog the whole way out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbob Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Having camped at about the 9,600' level to the right of Crater Rock prolly 10 times over the past two years, I can list some pros and cons thusly: Pros: acclimatization is somewhat improved, the scenery is outstanding if weather is good, summit day effort is less, and you get a more (IMO) "alpine experience". Cons: If the weather turns then you sleep poorly if at all, sometimes you choke on sulfur fumes from above, you have to carry a ton more stuff, setting up camp can take considerable effort since level sites are tough to find, and if the weather gets really bad you risk having your tent destroyed. Â In short, it really depends on what sort of climbing experience you are after and how much time you have. Did I mention that camping entails carrying a LOT more weight? Try getting to the top of the Palmer with a 50+ lb pack in 2 hrs. Try descending with that same pack in whiteout with ice, high wind, freezing rain, etc. Doing the overnight w/ skis is even tougher. Some people wait for summer before slogging up for overnighters. Some take the opportunity to practice w/ snow caves or just bivy sacks. The nice thing is that the S Side is a good place to practice such skills given the (relatively) easy bail out options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 For me, it will be that last chance to climb a volcano for a while, because I'm leaving the state soon. We've only got friday and saturday to try, and have to camp somewhere since we are coming from Tacoma. I'll do my best not to end up on the news, I'd rather live without a summit than get one. If we camp up high,I will probably end up digging either a cave or a large hole for a tent. the main reason for camping is our whole party probably can't do the whole thing in one day. with a 50% chance of bad weather, I'm starting to lean towards camping at the lodge and maybe using the sno cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortstow Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 Yeah, myself and a buddy went up over X-mas and we were going to use a tent but changed our minds to a snow cave. It stormed for 2 days and we never made it past the top of the lift. It sucked. High winds, white out, and of course cold. It was nice inside of the cave though. We decided to head down and just go from pole to pole on the ski lift (about as far as we could see). I am now going for the one day shot, seems to be way easier. Lugging that pack sucked. It was good training though for woeking on our snow cave. Just my thoughts. Have a good climb either way you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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