ashish Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I am a Houstonion. Looking for climbs within 5 hours from Portland or Seattle between September and November. I am a reasonably experienced hiker but novice climber looking to get some mountaineering experience. I will most likely be climbing solo, therefore, looking easy to moderate snow climbs (<45 degrees) or glaciers without much crevasse danger. I do not have glacier travel skills. My skills are limited to axe and crampons. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. I have found some options I thought were reasonable, but not sure how they are in fall season. Hayden Glacier: http://www.summitpost.org/north-ridge-v ... ier/155622 Hyas Creek Glacier: http://www.summitpost.org/hyas-creek-gl ... all/155582 Colchuck Glacier: http://www.summitpost.org/colchuck-glacier/162204 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobo Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 The mule routes on Hood, Adams, MSH, and the lower flanks of Rainier (up to Muir) will all fit that bill for that timeframe. Crevasses and bergschrunds are minimal to non-existent on the mule routes on all of those peaks. Just watch the weather forecasts carefully as you get further into the fall season. Hood is climbable and easily accessible at any time of year. Put that toward the end of your trip, or make it a repeat if you get on it earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashish Posted August 19, 2011 Author Share Posted August 19, 2011 Thanks a lot Sobo. That really helps. However, I am not familiar with the terminology "mule routes". Do you mean the standard/easiest snow routes? for example - soutside/hogsback on Hood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlpineK Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Yep, that's part of the definition. It's also a really popular route. Based on the time frame your talking about watch weather forecasts and have back up plans. White outs on big wide snow slopes are bad. It's easy to get lost. Make sure you have maps and compass bearings. Weather can move in rapidly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobo Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 ashish, Yes, mule route, dog route, donkey trail, conga line, etc. are all monikers for the easiest, most popular routes. And what Kurt said. Know how to use your map & compass and/or GPS. If you search the Mt. Rainier National Park's website, you can find a "cheat sheet" for magnetic and true compass bearings from the Paradise Lodge to Camp Muir which could come in very handy if you're caught in a white-out on the way. Along the way there is a wide snow slope where more than a few people have died when weather swept in on them. It's deceiving because it's so close to the lodge that on a clear day you could pick your car out in the parking lot. Similarly on Hood, the natural fall line will take you down and away to skier's right on the descent if you don't make a conscious effort to keep a slight trend to the left. Lotsa folks have ended up over in the Zig Zag Glacier area and got themselves into heap big trouble. And watch out for cornices on MSH. I think it was just last year, or maybe the year before, some guy walked up to the edge of the crater and in a fog/white-out, stepped right off the edge and fell several hundred feet into the crater. Don't be that guy... Pay attention on your ascent on the south side of Adams, and look behind you to see how things will look coming back down. Lots of people get "displaced" when descending Adams cuz it's a big wide mountain with lots of different ways to the bottom. My first trip up there 25 years ago, I got into the wrong drainage above the Crescent Glacier and ended up a lot further east than I should have been. However, I had paid attention on the way up, and realized that I wasn't seeing the same landmarks from the reversed orientation (of descent), and broke out the map and compass and performed a resection. That told me that I was way off route, and told me what I had to do to regain the proper descent route. It only cost me about an hour or so, but others have made similar mistakes wherein it cost them many days for us to find them (I'm in Mountain Rescue). And one more thing about Adams (although it applies to all mountains, but it seems to be specifically epidemic on Adams)... NEVER glissade with your crampons on, no matter how perfectly you think you'll be able to execute that unwise maneuver. We're constantly hauling people off Adams with spiral tib/fib fractures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamstress Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 The ranger station at Rainier will hand you a paper with coordinates for Muir. The Climbers Cave/Registration at TImberline on Hood has a card with the coordinates for landmarks on the South side. You might think about heading over to the other side and tackling the Sunshine Route, but I don't know it's current condition. I'd leave Hood till last anyway since it is most lkiely to pepper you with rockfall and has a more "urban" feel to it with the chairlifts and ski camps in full operation. Adams is still loaded with snow and is fun. Making that turn at the bottom of the south wall towards Crescent Glacier is the key to happiness. Getting a permit for MSH will be tough. Try the permit exchange on this forum. Don't miss the turn back into the forest at 5,000'. To the south, Jefferson and South Sister are nice choices. Shasts would be my choice, but it is a little further away than your parameters. If you like slogging up snow, we still have late spring/early summer conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobo Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 ashish, Click here for the Camp Muir compass bearing cheat sheet I mentioned above. Read and heed all warnings on the sheet, and remember to configure your GPS to the proper datum before departing. Click here for the South Side of Mt. Hood compass bearings. Many thanks to our brothers and sisters at PMR for this. Enjoy your stay out here and climb safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashish Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Thanks again Sobo and thanks Feck and Seamstress. This is very valuable info about conditions and safety since it is my first trip out to the Pacific NW. I usually go to colorado to feed my hunger for the outdoors. Now I have some options that I feel comfortable about. And yes Seamstress, slogging up snow is what I dream about everyday down here in hot as hell Houston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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