JasonG Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 Trip: Mt. Hood - Reid Headwall Date: 12/5/2011 Trip Report: There are enough TRs on this route in the database, so I don't need to bore you with the minor details. What folks do need to know, however, is that the route is in stellar shape right now! Trent and Mr. Sepultura rendezvous at my house on Sunday afternoon and we make a leisurely trip south to Timberline in Trent's trusty Vanagon, Speedy. The wind was pretty strong upon our arrival and we endured a fitful sleep in the van, hoping things would calm down. Serenaded by yahoos honking horns and spinning donuts in the overflow lot, we didn't get a lot of sleep and the 2am alarm was a bit of a shock. We got hiking about 3, and it was cold, though not horribly windy anymore. We reached the saddle a little before six in the dark, and were pretty excited to find Adam's cave. This meant we could chill out of the wind, eat some food and gear up for the long day ahead. Emerging from the cave, we dropped to the Reid and traversed over to the start of Leuthold's. A few years back, I had climbed the Reid variation that ends up on the West Crater Rim, and wanted to go for the longer variation that tops out on the summit ridge. From the base of Leuthold's we went up and slightly right to gain a gully, then mostly went left when presented with options. There was a lot of ice, water ice, and we probably could have left the pickets and brought a few more screws. Weaving through rime towers, it was spectacular climbing that went on and on! We topped out on the summit ridge a little before noon and enjoyed the new found warmth and strange lack of wind. Glorious! We followed the tracks from the weekend down, going a bit west of the regular route (I think). Strangely enough, we had not come across another party on the entire mountain! A short ski back from the top of the Palmer lift finished the day, and we began the long trek back north. We stopped in Kalama for dinner and were treated to quite a show by the local drunks. Playa Azul!! Good times! Gear Notes: Skis to the top of the lifts, screws, 60m half rope, second tool, helmet! 1 Quote
sdizzle25 Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 awesome! had a similar climb of the reid with nothing but water ice last february, probably the best time i have had on hood. How was the glacier? pretty manageable? Quote
Dasan Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 Looks like a great climb. How solo-able do you think this would be? Any good spots to rest while on the west face? How was the climbing, bomber foot and axe placements? How many screws did you bring? Quote
spionin Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 great trip report and outstanding photos! way to grab the great weather, too! Quote
iceaxe23 Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 Great photos and superb trip report! What camera were you using? Quote
DPS Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 Wow, great photos! Of the eight different routes I've done on Hood, RGH stands out as being the most enjoyable. I liked it better than the North Face. Quote
leora Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 Thank, you, guys for the write up. Although now that you've told EVERYone that it's in such good shape, we'll likely have a lot of company when we head up this weekend, planned before we saw this. . . leora Quote
JasonG Posted December 8, 2011 Author Posted December 8, 2011 Thanks everyone! Here are a few answers: -5 screws -Canon T1i -OK solo if you are solid on WI, though beware of falling debris. Easy glacier travel right now. Quote
KaskadskyjKozak Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 Thanks everyone! Here are a few answers: -5 screws -Canon T1i -OK solo if you are solid on WI, though beware of falling debris. Easy glacier travel right now. pickets too for running belays? Quote
JasonG Posted December 9, 2011 Author Posted December 9, 2011 The parts that would have taken pickets didn't seem that steep or sketchy so we pretty much just climbed without pounding pickets. We were hoping to simul-solo most of it, but the water ice had us keeping the rope on. Quote
sepultura Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the great trip Jason and Trent...here is one more shot-Jason cresting the summit ridge. http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/uploads/3601/IMG_01392.jpg Edited December 9, 2011 by sepultura Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.