Mount Hood is a massive glaciated stratovolcano located in north central Oregon, in the Cascade Range. The huge mountain boasts over 7,000 feet of prominence, making it visible for up to 100 miles away. It’s the tallest mountain in Oregon, and Hood’s attractive appearance and hulking prominence make it a very popular goal for mountain climbers, reportedly attracting up to 10,000 visitors each year! But climbing Mount Hood is not an outing to be taken lightly. Mountaineering skills and tools are needed in the glaciated terrain, and there are deaths on the mountain almost yearly.

After postponing twice due to bad weather forecasts, George, John (Team R & R) and I hit the road on a warm Thursday afternoon. We made the drive to Sherwood Campground, where we made camp, and tried to catch a couple hours of sleep before our 12-midnight alarm. Sleep was fleeting, and we packed up and made the 30-minute drive to Timberline Lodge, where we signed our climbing permit, and started hiking just after 1am. The early start is to avoid rock fall which is prevalent later in the day, but with the warm day forecasted, we were hoping it was early enough.

The first half of the climb was a grind as we followed the climber’s trail that traces the east edge of the ski runs. Definitely unique to be hiking up snow in the middle of the night with a few snow cats out grooming the runs. Apparently if you hire a guide, a cat gives you a ride to the top of the ski runs, cutting the work almost in half. Not my style…

Once above the ski runs and the noise of the snow cats, our spirits improved. The sun was not still far from rising, and we could see bobbing headlamps from climbers out in front of us, the silhouette of the upper mountain, and stars shining down on us. A very cool and surreal setting I won’t soon forget.

After about 3 hours of climbing, the grade steepened to the point we decided to put on crampons. Up we went, arriving at Devil’s Kitchen just in time to watch some large rocks careening down the slope from Crater Rock, narrowly missing a couple other climbers. Now we were awake!

From the Hogsback, we could see a various climbers above us. Most were headed up the Old Chute, others were making their way through the Pearly Gates. After some discussion, we opted for the gates and headed up the Hogsback. About this time, we were treated to some cool views of Hood’s shadow extending to west behind us.

The bergschrund at the top of the glacier no longer had a snow bridge, so we had to do an end-around to the right side. A bit spooky to cross, then some pretty step snow above. All of this kept us on our toes, but the crux was still yet to come. Once at the opening to the right gate, we waited what seemed like forever for a climber above us to clear the crux section of water ice that had formed above us. When it was finally our turn, it became obvious why it had taken the prior climber so long. Talk about pucker factor!

I’ve done a fair amount of snow climbing in my life, but never ice. George rightly had two ice axes to help navigate this section. He went slowly and carefully, working to get axe holds and foot holds. George and John are both very skilled mountaineers, and next I watched John swinging his axe in search of ice that would hold him. Again, very carefully. Now it was my turn. My stomach was in a knot as I gained a ledge/pocket in the ice. There was no turning back form here, and I did my best to emulate John’s form, swing the axe to find solid ice, then pulling myself up. It probably wasn’t much more than 20 feet of ice, but it felt more like 200!

Once above the ice bulge, it was smooth sailing up to the summit. Views from the summit were spectacular, and we could make out several other cascade volcanoes in the distance. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and our spirits were high. But we still had to get back down.

We had no interest in descending via the Pearly Gates, so we traversed west along the summit ridge, heading for the Old Chute. Along the way, we passed another party with a guide who suggested we descend the One O’clock Couloir as an easier alternative to the Old Chute. We looked down the steep couloir with trepidation, but eventually decided to go for it.

I guess it was my turn to lead, so I tentatively stepped into the couloir. The snow was steep but firm, and I made a slow careful descent facing inward toward the mountain. While waiting at the bottom for John and George, I watched another climber trying to cross over a rib from the Old Chute. I could tell he was out of his element, and he ultimately lost his footing and then took a 50’ slide before self-arresting after skidding over some rocks. Someone had actually died in this area just a couple weeks earlier, so this guy was very lucky. Another surreal scene I won’t soon forget.

Once out of the couloir, the steepness relaxed a little bit, but we still had to be very careful with our footwork as we made our way down the snow slope. Soon enough it was time to hike past the various fumaroles with plumes of sulfur dioxide gas, up and over the Hogsback, the back down to Devil’s Kitchen. From there, we descended a bit further and stopped for a well-earned lunch break. Lunch was highlighted by George diving headlong to grab his food bag a split second before it would have been gone for good down the White River Glacier. Never seen him move so fast!

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. The sun was shining, and we were plenty warm as we made our way down to the top of the ski runs, and then watched the resort skiers doing their thing as we made a leisurely descent. The parking lot was visible from way above, and seemed to take forever to finally get down to it.

Climbing Mount Hood had been a fantastic experience and amazing adventure. Not a mountain to be taken lightly in my view. Round trip was just under 8 miles and 5500’ elevation gain in 10.5 hours round trip.

Map of the route, 7.5 miles and 5500' gain round trip.	Signing the climbing permit at 1am.	Snow cat leaving us in the dust.	Surreal scene with climbers headlamps and stars.	Making our way up through Triangle Moraine.
View of the upper mountain from Devil's Kitchen.	On the Hogsback. Old Chute to the left, Pearly Gates on the right.	Near the top of the Hogsback, climbers in the Pearly Gates above us.	Just me and Hood's shadow.	Circling around the open bergschrund.
Climbing steep snow above the bergschrund.	John pausing while waiting for another climber in the Pearly Gates.	George about to tackle the ice bulge in the right-hand gate.	Above the ice bulge, and headed to the summit.	Group shot on the summit of Mount Hood.
St Helens, Rainier, and Adams from the summit of Mount Hood.	Steep down climbing in the One O'clock Couloir.	Leaving the couloir, big snowfield below.	Making our way down the snowfield below Old Chute.	A pair of climbing studs.
Descending to Crater Rock.	Sulfur dioxide steam as we prepare to climb over the Hogsback.	Daytime view of the upper mountain from the Hogsback.	Still a long way down to the parking lot.	Heading back down the climber's trail.
Map of the route, 7.5 miles and 5500' gain round trip.Signing the climbing permit at 1am.Snow cat leaving us in the dust.Surreal scene with climbers headlamps and stars.Making our way up through Triangle Moraine.View of the upper mountain from Devil's Kitchen.On the Hogsback. Old Chute to the left, Pearly Gates on the right.Near the top of the Hogsback, climbers in the Pearly Gates above us.Just me and Hood's shadow.Circling around the open bergschrund.Climbing steep snow above the bergschrund.John pausing while waiting for another climber in the Pearly Gates.George about to tackle the ice bulge in the right-hand gate.Above the ice bulge, and headed to the summit.Group shot on the summit of Mount Hood.St Helens, Rainier, and Adams from the summit of Mount Hood.Steep down climbing in the One O'clock Couloir.Leaving the couloir, big snowfield below.Making our way down the snowfield below Old Chute.A pair of climbing studs.Descending to Crater Rock.Sulfur dioxide steam as we prepare to climb over the Hogsback.Daytime view of the upper mountain from the Hogsback.Still a long way down to the parking lot.Heading back down the climber's trail.