shanahan96 Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 has anyone driven up the road towards the cloud cap campground recently? how close to the trailhead can you get? thanks jamie Quote
ivan Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 dunno but goign that way this weekend - i'm planning on having to hoof it from the ski area but not concerned - even from there it's just 2 hours or so to tilly jane/cloudcap. you only gain a 1/2 hr to hr if you can get as far up the road as the 2nd gate, which i'd say is damned unlikely watcha planning on doing? wanna plan a moon-tower party at tie-in rock?!? Quote
shanahan96 Posted May 23, 2008 Author Posted May 23, 2008 we're hoping to climb cooper spur next week. if you could report the conditions of the area and the road, we'd really appreciate it. thanks jamie Quote
Sanchez Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 Dudes, the road is closed not far after the Tilly Jane Trailhead, sorry but you're humping the 3 miles to TJ the old fashioned way. I've been looking to get up this route as well, just can't find anyone crazy enough to do the 8 mile one way slog with me... Hiked up to 8.5k three weeks ago with the dog to scout it out, route was A+++ and could have been done ropeless and cramponless. Of course four 90 degree days and some warm rain can change things quickly... planning on bringing some ice screws and two tools if I go. Quote
shanahan96 Posted May 23, 2008 Author Posted May 23, 2008 someone on summitpost said that his roundtrip to the shelter was ~7 miles on the 18th. where does this put the road closure? jamie Quote
jstownsley Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 I really should get a GPS. That was me on summitpost. There is a fork in the road where to the left a gate blocks you from the resort I suppose. Follow the road to the right for maybe a mile to a small parking lot. A trail marked 'ski trail' leads out of this lot, I believe the sign said 2.5 miles, to cloud cap I presume. Quote
billbob Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 Hey Sanchez, did you need to use snowshoes? How was that hike in? Quote
jstownsley Posted May 24, 2008 Posted May 24, 2008 Snowshoes were helpful sunday. Saw maybe 3 other parties and they all wished they had brought some. Decent snow in the shade but once you're out of the trees it was soft. Much softer above 6k. Nice standing glissade conditions above that. Quote
robertjoy Posted May 26, 2008 Posted May 26, 2008 I thought everyone who climbed Cooper Spur or Sunshine routes on Hood climbed it by doing a bivy at the Tilley Jane cabin. If you hike up to the cabin the night before with no cooking gear and no sleeping bag, just your regular climbing gear plus stove to melt snow, you can have a fire in the iron stove downstairs that puts enough heat upstairs to let you endure sleeping in your winter gear wrapped in a space blanket. A "bivy" at Tilley Jane is well below the timberline, but the extra hour so of ascent on climb day sure beats hauling tent and sleeping bag from the car up to a high cam" and they over the mountain. Quote
ivan Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 did most of this route today - approached in foul weather y-day and bivied in the stone shelter at 6700 - cleaned all the snow out of the shelter and cut in a sweet bench - the continous sound of pounding rain on the metal roof all night made me happy not to have wandered up to the tie-in rock area to spend the night in a snow cave in the cloud murk - great booting conditions on the upper spur - some slide activity, made much more intimidating when climbing in the total white-out above 9k. nobody on the mtn on the n side on memorial day! i'd say bivyign in the tilly jane hut is practically worthless - you've only gained 2k and 2.5 miles from the p-lot? why not just do a light weight bivy at the stone shelter or in a cave higher up? or just do the whole thing in a day? snowshoes are pointless currently and no doubt will be for folks interested in the spur for the rest of the season - really interesting part sand/part snow fields in the meadows around 6k Quote
Sanchez Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 Nice work Ivan, that shelter was totally buried when I was up there a month ago, I just saw the roof poking through a big snow drift : ) Can't wait to take another shot at this route, I failed my first attempt 3 years ago, and want retribution! Quote
billbob Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 Cooper Spur Pics From Climber Hut Sunday afternoon Cooper Spur Ridge to Tie-In Rock, Memorial Day Tie-In Rock Tourist Ivan heads into the shit Tie_in rock, Ivan continues up. Ambient air temp ca 46F, sounds of thunder to the East, way out of my league. I had thought "Yeah, well, it's my first attempt on this route so no big deal to bail in these conditions". Right. Ivan returns after reaching ca. 10,500' and says he solo'd it on his first attempt. Then he runs back to the hut, packs, and runs all the way back to the bottom of the TJ trail. Damn kids these days! Quote
Sanchez Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 Wow!!! Wild cloud pics! Last time I made it above Tie in rock, I stopped to munch a cliff bar and take a quick break when all of a sudden a marmot darted out of a little snow cave and ran right between by legs. It scared the absolute shit out of me... what the heck do those things eat up there?! Quote
godskid5 Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 they eat your food if you arent watching closely, found that out the hard way!! Quote
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