WageSlave Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Trip: Mt. Hood - Leutholds Attempt Date: 10/12/2008 Trip Report: This cold snap after some warmness made it seem like alpine ice might actually exist in Oregon. Got up at 2 am to drive up to Hood with Aili (sisu) and scout out the West Side of Hood and maybe go up Leutholds or the Reid Headwall. Got up to the Illum. saddle around dawn, roped up and headed down across the Reid Glacier. Everything is nice and open, but blown around powder has filled up some of the smaller crevasses and Aili got a leg into one of them. Everything is covered in nice fat blue plastic ice. At the bottom of Leutholds, we watched some unexpected watermelon-sized rockfall come down and the clouds closed in. Decided to wait it out for 15 to see if the winds and clouds went away at all and it only picked up. We turned around cause we're wusses that don't like rockfall or whiteouts. No photos from the adventure cause the camera batteries don't like the cold one bit. But holy crap, so much alpine ice everywhere! The Reid Headwall and the Leutholds are in and are looking plenty thick. If anyone from PDX wants to go back up next weekend, shoot me a PM. Gear Notes: Brought a bit, only used a tool each and the rope. Approach Notes: Dodge snowboarders in plaid unitards. Seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad_A Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Fuckin' good for you guys. Nice way to get after it early-season style. Never a bad decision to call it in deteriorating weather. Thanks for the report; I'm sure someone around here will be wanting to go check things out because of it. Cheers, Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WageSlave Posted October 19, 2008 Author Share Posted October 19, 2008 As of this morning there's not one bit of decent ice left up there. Its all gone for a while. Stupid warm temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkrhnk11 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I've never crossed over onto the Reid this late in the season. Was the drop down steep? Seems like it would be without any snow on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnf Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Steeper, but it's not a rap or anything. The "drop down" isn't the problem the complete lack of snow and ice on the routes is. Here's the one pic I took Sun. Yocum looking prime... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkrhnk11 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Oohhh Yeah.... Real prime indeed. Why is it that the only time I feel like climbing Yocum is when I've been drinking? Probably the only time I have the balls. Thanks for the pic. Makes me want to slog up right now and check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 When in good condition, Yokum Ridge is not necessarily a terribly difficult or dangerous climb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkrhnk11 Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Really? I always heard that even when in good condition it was hard to protect. There was one guidebook entry i read that went so far as to call it a "suicide" route. I guess it all depends on the conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 When in good condition, Yokum Ridge is not necessarily a terribly difficult or dangerous climb. what he said the next time i'm after it though i'll be skipping the first gendarme and just going strait for the by-pass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Adkins Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Very good report and it makes me happy that, even if only briefly, there is some local ice to get after. Can I safely assume that, after the first of the year, there's more to be had in the area you climbed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WageSlave Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 Yeah, thats a safe assumption for sure. Hell, there's probably a bunch more ice up there right now. I'd say just go for that hike up the ski track and check out whats up on the mountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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