EastKing Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Trip: Mt. Hood (attempt) - Old Chute Date: 4/20/2009 Trip Report: The short story: We were stopped on the Hogsback due to Adam and I coming down with a combination of altitude sickness and the effects of the sulfur fumes on Mount Hood. It stopped us on what was otherwise a well planned and well executed trip. Craig was staying strong but was a team player and headed down with us from the Hogsback. The plan 1.Head from Timberline Lodge at 10 pm. The reason for this is to avoid both avalanches and icefall 2.Summit the mountain at 5 - 6 am. Good enough to reach the summit at sunrise or a little before and then quickly escape before the morning warming. 3. Be back at the car by 3 pm. I am writing this plan down because clearly it is the safest way to climb Hood at least in the next coming weeks. The long story Mount Hood had been on my mind for months. In fact I became friends with Craig over this very mountain. I first discussed climbing Mt. Hood a while back and received a ton of good information from this mountain. Through that great information and probably weeks in planning we set up what I think was clearly one of the best plans on attacking this mountain. Redwic had two successful summits on this peak last year and his experience really helped us out on this trip. We were looking for another partner and my friend Gimpilator, who has summited all Washington volcanoes including Rainier three times as well as Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was the perfect candidate. He though was a little skeptical of Hood due to the large number of accidents on the peak. But with a lot of information, he quickly began to get pumped at the idea of going for this mountain. The news wasn't so hot at first. Avalanche danger was supposed to be relatively high. This is where Craig's experience and research played a huge role. Without a doubt all of us were going to bail on this mountain if the weather was bad or clearly was any possible danger. The main goal is that all of us have a great time and make it back safely, with the summit being secondary. Through research by Redwic we discovered that temps on the mountain were going well below freezing on the mountain and as long as we were climbing at night we would have a very stable snow layer. On this research the trip was a go. We headed down to Mt. Hood on Sunday afternoon and did some carb loading at the Olive Garden in Gresham, Oregon. Afterwards we got to Timberline Lodge and went to sleep from 7 pm to 9:30 pm. Before we left we had some strange guy seemingly trying to scare us off the mountain. we found him slightly suspicious and put all of our valuables in the trunk before we headed off to the mountain. With us were two GPS, two cell phones, two bivys and a sleeping bag and a rope in case of possible roped travel. Everything was going great up through ski lift. We were right on schedule because of Adam's great way of setting the pace. None of us even broke a sweat on the way up. We were not going fast and took water breaks whenever nessesary. It looked like a lock until 9800 feet when we started to hit the fumaroles right by Crater Rock. Maybe it was because of the recent snowmelt but man were they strong. It was at 10100 feet that Gimpilator started to get a little dizzy . We took a little break ironically right by someone's camp next to the fumaroles. Afterwards we continued to the Hogsback though much more slowly. It was here though that the fumaroles were really beginning to take there toll on both Adam and I. It didn't help that getting to the Hogsback this year is much steeper that in years past. I quickly began getting a stomach ache and also began to get dizzy. This is where common sense takes over and pride must go by the waste side. It was 4:00 am which was a great time BUT there were two dizzy climbers, 700 feet of elevation gain, and the hardest section yet to go. Keep in mind this is at night and once the sun pops up danger will start getting elevated. Without a doubt it was time to turn around. We probably would have made the top but would have put ourselves in great danger coming down especially being that severely dizzy. Without any controversy it was time to head down. The mountain will be there and if it not that there are 8000 others in the Washington-Oregon area. On the way down I was going keeping an eye on that tent but the they were up on the way back. I feared that they were dead from all the bad sulfur fumes. But they were ok. We did run into one person who made the summit and he said he was dodging a number of small icefalls but nothing large. That would not have been good with dizzy climbers. We headed down and did a number of icy glissades as plunged stepped back to the Palmer lift. Ideally these would be good around 9 am we were not on them at that point. Still they were fun and a safe way to practice some self arrest moves. The sun rose, giving us great pictures of Jefferson and Three Sisters and made the whole experience more meaningful. We made great time getting back and were back at the car 8 am. This was a great success in that as a group we knew that we all could trust each other have an amazing time and realize danger before it happens, It is clear that the intinerary was perfect and I would recommend it has a guide for anyone wanting to climb Mt. Hood. Keep in mind though Mt. Hood becomes much more dangerous by mid-June so I would strongly recommend doing this trip before then. We may have not gotten to the summit but we had a great time, merged together well and got down Mt. Hood very safely. Approach Notes: In the next couple of days while avy danger is high, climb this mountain at night. 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mtn.climber Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Good story Greg. Sounds like your group made the right choice by turning around. I summited via the Old Chute route last April, and the descent was scary due to the warm weather. Better luck next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skjos Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Great trip report. We saw you guys on the way down just below the crater (we were a party of three heading up). We left Timberline at 2:10 and summitted at 7:20, about an hour later than I would have liked, but not bad for the first climb of the season. The traverse from the Hogsback to the Old Chute was OK, but there was a lot of little ice particals sliding down the slope. We crossed the traverse as fast as possible with a spotter on the Hogsback, and then a spotter in the Old Chute. The guys in the camp (and one other climber heading up solo) summited right after us. Man Hell's Kitchen was ripe that day, I can see how that would put altitude sickness over the edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WageSlave Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptown_Climber1 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Wow, you guys made some pretty good time! I always wonder what the heck those guys are doing that I always see trudging up Palmer in the heat of the day (saw about a dozen or more heading up)....I asked one out of curiosity and he said he was going for the summit. I'm always amazed there aren't actually more accidents up there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldiente Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Depends on which route your doing or what the snowpack is like, but generally I don't mind getting a late start and topping out late in the day. Less people and softer snow for the ski down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanchez Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Hmm, trip reports about the south side are on thing, but trip reports about south side attempts, I'm not so sure... I feel like I'm being a dick, but on the other hand, maybe this could be compressed into a running thread about S Side conditions instead of a new essay every monday that tells us about the 2nd most climbed volcano in the world (that dogs, blind people, kids, 95 year olds climb every year)? And elevation sickness at 10k might be clue that climbing is not your thing. Sorry, thanks for the report, just had to chime in with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skjos Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 AMS at 10K happens, and it's no reason to give up climbing. I felt like crap my first summit of Rainier starting at 10K, but every subsequent summit I felt better and better. I was happy with the time for our first outing, second outing = Little T from Paradise... I can't wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WageSlave Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Hmm, trip reports about the south side are on thing, but trip reports about south side attempts, I'm not so sure... I feel like I'm being a dick, but on the other hand, maybe this could be compressed into a running thread about S Side conditions instead of a new essay every monday that tells us about the 2nd most climbed volcano in the world (that dogs, blind people, kids, 95 year olds climb every year)? And elevation sickness at 10k might be clue that climbing is not your thing. Sorry, thanks for the report, just had to chime in with that. Point. This ain't SummitPost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 you can do tr's for anything you want so long as they're funny and/or crass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanchez Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 (edited) Agreed, I withdraw my statement. My favorite was someone's Mt Tabor N Face trip report. I still crack up everytime I'm there running or whatever and I picture these drunk guys in climbing gear stumbling up the trail by the stairs. Or at least that's the vision I created in my mind from years of doing just that (having grown up in the area and done 95% of my underage drinking there). Edited April 23, 2009 by Sanchez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastKing Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) And elevation sickness at 10k might be clue that climbing is not your thing. When I did Adams last year I had experienced none of these symptoms. Which leads me to believe I need better tolerance of sulfer and to spend more time at higher altitudes (I am going to Camp Muir this weekend before Hood next weekend, and the Sisters and Shasta at the end of May). Another thing is to analyis my pack, which was a bit overkill (sleeping bag, bivy, harness. etc). We were thinking of roping up. I now know this is overkill. As for giving up, I don't ever believe in giving up on a passion that has given me nothing but joy or passion. I have gone to far, met way too many high quality friends, and shared way too great experiences to give in. Passion, practice, and common sense have brought me this far and will take me further still. Hopefully I will meet many of you on this site and be able to do some nice climbs with many of you. Edited April 24, 2009 by Greg LaSala Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 i doubt its the sulfur, that just makes the AMS more aggravating you should find your body has predicatable responses to changes in altitude - i handle any change up to 10k fine - have trouble sleeping at first after mmoving to that altitude - generally feel ill as a dog between 10-14 after about 24 hours, but feel real strong again after about 2 days - on bigger mountains, my snapback to altitude shifts improves the higher i go - my worst days on denali were all under 14k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frikadeller Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 I know what always helps me around those sulfur spewing volcanic vents, is a nice 7 minute break, and spark up a Camel Light! You never smell the sulfur after that, and you get a nicotine injection to boot! Are cigarettes considered "aid"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbob Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Ivan is a climbing ANIMAL, definitely not your average climber. Don't let him fool you. He can sing all the way up to the summit of Hood, only stopping to eat a frozen cheeseburger or two on the way. Henceforth I have taken to including earplugs in my pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Ivan is a climbing ANIMAL, definitely not your average climber. Don't let him fool you. He can sing all the way up to the summit of Hood, only stopping to eat a frozen cheeseburger or two on the way. Henceforth I have taken to including earplugs in my pack. what about when its pouring rain and blowing gale-force strong below silcox? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbob Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I still wear the earplugs, not taking any chances ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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