billbob Posted September 25, 2009 Posted September 25, 2009 FYI - Called the Hood River Forest Service asking if the road up to Cloud Cap might open this year, my new buddy said yup, prolly in about a week So looking forward to this, many thanks to the hard-working folks at the Hood River FS. Quote
Frikadeller Posted September 25, 2009 Posted September 25, 2009 Really! Cool.I got the impression from the FS web site that the road would not be open this year at all. Too bad it's too late for some Snowdome skiing. Quote
ivan Posted September 25, 2009 Posted September 25, 2009 fawk yeah! shit, i was figuring hte n face this year would just have to be a bitch! Quote
snodger Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 from the FS web site: CLOUD CAP ROAD RD #3512 : WILL OPEN AT DAYBREAK TOMORROW - 09/29/2009. No woodcutting permitted. Please stay on road or Tilly Jane trail #643. Absolutely no off-trail or off-road use allowed in the burn area. Quote
sparverius Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 This is great news. Now pray for ice in the gullies Quote
shortstow Posted October 4, 2009 Posted October 4, 2009 you pray for the ice and I will pray it stays open Quote
snodger Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 Made the drive up yesterday. There was about 6-8 inches of snow at Cloud Cap campground. The car tracks were melted out on the way down and from what I saw the road seemed good. Theres a lot of little signs along the road showing where the FS either has or intends to add more gravel (signs said "4 loads 3/4 rock etc) and a bunch of new water bars accross the road but all in all the same old drive. A lot of trees along the road have been cut but there are still many that could close down the road after a storm... Couldn't see much above the first ice fall because of clouds, so can't comment on ice formation. On another subject; anyone ever notice that on google maps there are a few lakes shown up around cloud cap. One even is named: "Pollalie Pond" What the fuck?? We noticed it this w/e, Check it out for yourself: googlemaps Strange the way they're just pasted over the terrain, someone been building dams up there? Quote
John Frieh Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 Thanks for the update! If anybody else heads up there and/or gets a pic of the N face from the glacier or the hwy please post here. Thanks! Quote
Frikadeller Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 On another subject; anyone ever notice that on google maps there are a few lakes shown up around cloud cap. One even is named: "Pollalie Pond" What the fuck?? We noticed it this w/e, Check it out for yourself: googlemaps Strange the way they're just pasted over the terrain, someone been building dams up there? I saw that a few years ago when I fist started scouting the area via google earth. It also shows up on the USGS tope maps. If you go to the area labeled "Polallie pond" you'll only find a huge ravine. I am sure you have seen it if you take the trail from Tilly Jane hut to the cooper spur trail. Now, it is possible that that area might have had a dam on it 100 years ago. In one of my Mt. Hood history books they mention a wooden flume that went up high in the north side that collected water and transported it to the farms in the Hood River Valley. Could this have been one of the collection points? It is also feasible that the pond and dam where the victims of erosion that swept it all down hill, as seeing that ravine seems to get bigger and bigger every year. It is even swallowing up the trail that goes right along the edge of the ravine. I have no proof of any of this, just pure speculation. Quote
snodger Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 It also shows up on the USGS tope maps. If you go to the area labeled "Polallie pond" you'll only find a huge ravine. I am sure you have seen it if you take the trail from Tilly Jane hut to the cooper spur trail. Now, it is possible that that area might have had a dam on it 100 years ago. In one of my Mt. Hood history books they mention a wooden flume that went up high in the north side that collected water and transported it to the farms in the Hood River Valley. Could this have been one of the collection points? It is also feasible that the pond and dam where the victims of erosion that swept it all down hill, as seeing that ravine seems to get bigger and bigger every year. It is even swallowing up the trail that goes right along the edge of the ravine. I have no proof of any of this, just pure speculation. Really, it's on USGS maps? I know from experience that its all a big ravine there as you say and figured that perhaps what they were showing was the dotted line snowfields that show on older quad maps, I could easily imagine that ravine being full of snow 40-50 years ago. Not sure though why they'd add a name to it. Interesting theory about the dam, I was just joking when I mentioned it. Seems like a irrigation diversion dam would be a lot smaller than what they show? Another theory of mine is perhaps that it was a joke put in by whoever made the maps for google. I could imagine them laughing as they waited for someone to notice... Quote
eldiente Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 Yeah! Good news. I'm too weak to make that hike in, two thumbs-up for my Subaru. -Nate Quote
Frikadeller Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 [quote=snodger Really, it's on USGS maps? Another theory of mine is perhaps that it was a joke put in by whoever made the maps for google. I could imagine them laughing as they waited for someone to notice... You know what, I am full of shit. I checked the USGS Topo, and it shows a snowfield there, and not a pond. Nor is it labeled as "polallie pond" on the USGS map. Ooopps sorry. For some reason I thought I had seen it labeled on a topo as that... Another point of interesting labels, look at google maps terrain function, and look at the palmer glacier. They have the label in the white river... So maybe your theory might be closer to the truth. They are playing a sick joke on all of us. But just for shits and giggles, maybe if you run into any of the Crag Rats or member of the Nordic club, they actually might have a better grasp on the history of the area, and might know why it is labeled as "Polallie pond"... Quote
YocumRidge Posted October 6, 2009 Posted October 6, 2009 The road is open and the Mazamas successfully had an ACR on the Elliot Glacier (ice) last Saturday. I am recovering after the surgery so could not make it but my friend's comments might be helpful to whoever is heading up that way: "The road going from Cooper Spur all the way up to Cloud Cap was 10 miles of crap. There are steep dips in the road…at least 20 of them and I lost my muffler in one of them! Never found the muffler on the way out so my car is LOUD now…some tweaker must have picked it up and got a hit off it turning it in for scrap metal! The road washed out this past spring and instead of driving along at 30 or 35 mph, it was half that and was in marginal condition". Elliot Glacier 10-03-09 Quote
pdk Posted October 9, 2009 Posted October 9, 2009 "The road going from Cooper Spur all the way up to Cloud Cap was 10 miles of crap. There are steep dips in the road…at least 20 of them and I lost my muffler in one of them! Never found the muffler on the way out so my car is LOUD now…some tweaker must have picked it up and got a hit off it turning it in for scrap metal! The road washed out this past spring and instead of driving along at 30 or 35 mph, it was half that and was in marginal condition". Perhaps your buddy could have picked his muffler off the road when it fell off instead of leaving it in the middle of the road for someone else to clean up after him. dumbass. The road is in good condition. There are a lot of dips in the upper part of the road put in by the road crews to divert water. I would advise against passenger cars - you need decent clearance to get over some of them. Quote
Water Posted October 10, 2009 Posted October 10, 2009 is he sure the muffler broke off? you know you can break the pipe or get a gap around the catalytic converter or if your engine mounts are loose the car can make an insane amount of noise without ever having lost a part, every time you hit the gas. but if you left a muffler in the middle of any road, forest service to neighborhood street, short of trying to get someone to the emergency room, you're an idiot. (unless you don't want it anymore). Quote
snodger Posted October 12, 2009 Posted October 12, 2009 I would advise against passenger cars - you need decent clearance to get over some of them. Don't know about that; my toyota alltrac has pretty low clearance and made it fine, so did a suby forrester that was there... Quote
Farrgo Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 (edited) I would advise against passenger cars - you need decent clearance to get over some of them. x2. My civic made it up yesterday without bottoming-out or taking an hour. Edited October 13, 2009 by Farrgo Quote
Farrgo Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 Had a look at the N side of Hood yesterday. Hopefully a lot will change with this storm cycle but it was dry out there. Observations: There are three ice climbs formed off Cooper Spur. All climbs appeared Wi4/4+ give-or-take a half grade. Nothing in N Face gullies Elliot Glacier Headwall is bare There is a water ice line formed off right of the Elliot Glacier headwall, appeared Wi3 Coe Icefall is currently in difficult condition. It is a serac maze with mandatory Wi5 N Face. Water ice line visible off to center right. Coe Icefall and Elliot Glacier Headwall Quote
DonnieK Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 alright, alright, I formally withdraw my statement about passenger cars and clearance....those dips seemed a bit deep for a car, but we were in a truck, so it wasn't an issue for us. Here's to hoping for ice on the headwall...... Quote
John Frieh Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 Thanks for the updates all Keep them coming! Quote
PaulO Posted October 26, 2009 Posted October 26, 2009 Took the boys hiking up from Cloud Cap onto the spur a ways Saturday. The road is AWESOME. LOTS of new rock especially on the upper 5-6 miles. The lower half is smooth sailing, none of the old ruts or bumps. The upper half is also smooth EXCEPT those darn drainage ditches re-cut nice and steep sided in several places. My old Sentra made it easy even jumping a few camo ditches! Snowed out by tomorrow night? Quote
PaulO Posted October 26, 2009 Posted October 26, 2009 Sorry thought this was a thread on the road I will see if I have a picture or 2 this evening. Quote
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