The first attempt to climb Mt Hood was made six month ago, in the beginning of October 2012. When I have climbed Mt Adams, St Helen and other mountains of the Washington State south, the tooth of Mount Hood always sticks out making clear that my climbing to this volcano is fated. The summer was busy with climbing to the mountains, which were in the top of my list, but sunny weather stayed surprisingly through whole September, and in the first weekend of October we decided to try Mt Hood.
The start of our travel was not smooth. In Saturday morning in spite of our intention to leave as early as possibly to avoid queue on the board, we stacked at home trying to find necessary staff. It is common thing that if you need something immediately it is disappeared in thin air. As a result, we spent three hours in the board traffic.
But if it was not enough, on the Blaine plaza we locked car key in the truck and spent more than hour waiting for AAA. Finally only in late afternoon we started to dive forward to Oregon where the Mount Hood has place. After eight hours on the road we found the motel room in the Rhododendron, which is in the 30 minutes drive from the trail-head.
Alarm-clock at 6 am and at 7 am we were on the trail.
Mount Hood at sunrise:
See the rectangle piece of snow by size of soccer field? This is functional ski trail! The ski resort on Mt Hood is open year around, but in the fall you can use only pretty small piece of the remained snow field, but there are still plenty of fans, which are glad to use even this.
Hiking up along the ski run (the parking elevation is 1800 meters). The chairs are on the left. It sound so stupid to walk where the other peoples ride:)
Hood is volcano, and as every volcano it is consist of loose rocks. But every volcano is different and Hood is the master of looseness. Last time he was erupted at the beginning of last century and from this time not a plant is appeared on its slopes. It falls into pieces only from the thoughts about it. You hike up on fluent scree and every your step up is compensated by two steps down. And a dust! You hike in the huge cloud of dust that covered you completely including your lungs.
Absolutely lunar landscape around:
Hiked above the ski run, finally came to the wild nature and stopped for breakfast. Sunny, but wind is icy, it is about 2600 meters above the sea level and fall. Just maked tea, as 15 (!) pairs of legs passed beside us. 15! And October is not a good season for Mt Hood climbing. By the way, in the ski lodge I read that Mt Hood is mostly visited volcano in America (by feet of course). Peoples comes by hundreds. Well, it is understandably. Yes, its elevation is 3420 meters, but the parking is on the 1800 meters, so pure elevation gain is only 1600 meters, that is possible make in one day without heavy backpack and days of approaches as on Mt Glacier of Mr Olympus. Maximum result with minimum expenses.
Came closer to the rocks.
Nice rock tooth from left side.
Behind us everything in fog and clouds.
Mount Jefferson appears from the clouds challenging to expand our routs to the south next year. юг.
Near the steep ascent directly to the crater.
South side of the crater is destroyed and a glacier appeared from it here.
Hood is fanny volcano from the climbing point of view. Usually you climb to the crater rim by the outer slope and then walk onto the rim to the highest point and don’t going in the crater at all (or doing it as a side option). But on the Hood you firs climb inside the crater and from it to the summit.
View from the crater to south.
It is even a lake in the crater. Under the ice and small, but real lake.
Climb on the glacier to the far slope of crater.
Nice crevasse.
Lake in the crater.
On this wall you should climb to get to the summit. It is less than 200 meters of altitude and required some scrambling, but not dramatic except permanent stone-fall. The rocks fall everywhere and every minute. It is common recommendation to climb Hood on the night when frozen water keeps rocks together. But this summer was surprisingly dry and warm, so not only all snow melted, but also most water evaporated leaved rock dry and loose even at cold temperature. We met guy who stated really at early night and came to the wall at 3 am. The rocks pertly fell. He tried one and other way, but finally decided that the life is more important ad turned down. All other public, which we men not even came to the wall, but only to the crater. We looked on this and decided the our lives even more important and now we better turn but and would repeat the attempt next year, but in the spring when most rocks are covered by snow and we can use ski most way. It was really pity to turn around so close to the summit, but be kicked by the heavy rock would be even more pity.So we decided to observe crater and go down.
Hood is quit alive volcano, it is warm and produce a lot of H2S.
This is not a smoke, this is volcanic gas.
The smell in the crater is really strong, I got awful headache to the end of the day and it took me couple more day to completely wash away the sulfur smell.
There are plenty of little hot fumaroles.
All of these yellow fields are hot and boiled water mutters under them.
Smoke is everywhere around.
The glacier is covered by sulfur and other volcanic garbage.
Yes, this is a ice.
More fumaroles
Looking for bigger fumarole
Warming up
Back through the gas chamber
Got down to the ski place. Hood in the sunset light.
“Capybara” lake and Mount Jefferson
Will do it again in the next season.
