Mountaineering

When a person travels to a location that is greater than 8,000 feet, they must do so at a speed that allows their body to acclimatize to certain changes, such as decreased air pressure, low humidity, and greater exposure to ultraviolet rays. Typically, full acclimatization can take as much as five days. If a person does not fully acclimatize to the higher altitude, it may cause a condition known as altitude sickness. The three forms of altitude sickness are acute mountain sickness, high altitude pulmonary edema, and high-altitude cerebral edema. Many people enjoy activities that allow them to get outside and take in some fresh air, but hikers, skiers, and others who are traveling to great heights must educate themselves about altitude sickness when planning their trip. This knowledge is important so that they can prevent or recognize it, and know what to do if they or one of their companions should become ill.

After my scouting trip via snowmobile on Thursday afternoon, I decided to head back to Olallie Lake Scenic Area on Saturday to climb Olallie Butte. I have wanted to climb Olallie Butte in the winter for some time as I prefer snow and ice to dust and rocks. Olallie Butte is a shield volcano situated in the Oregon Cascades between Mt Jefferson and Mt Hood. At 7,215 feet tall it is the tallest peak between Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson. Most of it lies on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation land except for the Western flank where the trailhead is located.

My friend Cari has been wanting an introduction to alpine climbing, so we decided to head up to Mt Hood for a day of training. My original plan was to take her to Elliot Glacier on the NE side of Mt Hood, but the road to Cloud Cap Inn is still closed due to falling tree hazards. Instead, we drove up to Timberline Lodge and hiked up above the Palmer ski lift to where the slope is steeper.

I had been planning to climb Mt Hood the weekend of June 1st, but was instead blessed with a new baby boy! I quickly canceled my plans and as it turns out the weather wasn't that great anyway. I made the same plans the following weekend for a solo climb of Mt Hood's South route Pearly Gates variation. The weather forecast was looking perfect for Friday night into Saturday morning. My plan was to drive up to Timberline Lodge Friday night after work, sleep for a few hours in my car, then start climbing around 1:30 AM on Sunday morning.

I have always found Mt Jefferson (Oregon's second tallest peak) to be one of the best looking of the cascade volcanoes when it is snow covered. This weekend I decided to take an exploratory trip up the SW Ridge climbing route. My goal was not to summit, but possibly get as high as the "Red Saddle" a couple hundred feet below the summit pinnacle. The weather was forecast to be warm with winds around 45 mph. I hate wind, but decided to go anyway. It has been a while since I last climbed and I have been eager to get out again.

After vacationing in Mexico last week, I was eager to get back in the snow. The weather was forecasted to be beautiful with temperatures in Portland hitting the upper 70's Saturday. My friend John and I planed to snowmobile around Mount Saint Helens and the Plains of Abraham. Mount Saint Helens (50 miles NE of Portland, Oregon), an active stratovolcano, is famous for its eruption on May 18, 1980. Now only 8,363 feet tall, the mountain previously stood at 9,677 feet tall. The Plains of Abraham on the East side of Mount St. Helens is a popular destination for snowmobilers.

After working in Redmond the past couple weeks, I got to come home Wednesday and had Thursday off. The weather forecast was not great, but I was eager to get out and do some hiking on my day off. The snow level was forecasted to finally come down to around 2,500 feet. I decided to go hiking in the snow to McNeil Point on the West side of Mt Hood. Normally this hike would have amazing views (so I hear), but not this trip due to the weather.

Everything lined up almost perfectly for me on Monday. I worked Saturday, so I wouldn't have to work on Monday. And the weather forecast was calling for clearing skis on Mt Hood, Oregon's tallest peak at 11,249 feet. I packed up my gear and headed to Timberline Lodge for a solo climb of Mt Hood via the South route. The temperature has been warm the past couple weeks, melting all the new snow that fell in October below 8,000 feet, so I wasn't sure what it would be like on the upper mountain.

The first snows of the season were predicted to fall at pass levels this weekend. I have snow fever and decided to go hiking up Mt Hood (11,249') Saturday morning even though it would likely be whiteout conditions. I planned to hike up the standard South route from Timberline Lodge (6,000' elevation) as far up as I could safely go (likely around 8,000' - 9,000' in elevation). Temperatures were predicted to be in the low 20's, dropping into the high teens with high winds and several inches of snow falling throughout the day above 4,000' elevation.

I finally got smart and waited for nice weather for my third attempt of Mt Adams. While not a technical climb via the South Spur Route, weather often plays a role in the success or failure of climbers on this route. My first attempt was in July of last year and we turned around after spending the night at high camp. The weather cleared before bed, but came back in overnight with visibility only a hundred feet or so.

Mt Rainier is the 5th tallest mountain in the Continental United States and highest in the Cascade range, standing at 14,410 feet tall. It is about 54 miles Southeast of Seattle, Washington. Mt Rainier is the most topographically prominent peak in the lower 48 with 13,211 feet of prominence, even more than that of K2! It is also the most glaciated peak in the lower 48 and considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.

With the 4th of July off from work, I headed to the Mt Jefferson Wilderness for a solo hike to Jefferson Park and a quick climb of Park Butte. It's about a 5 mile hike one-way to Jefferson Park along the Whitewater trail #3429 and Pacific Crest Trail #2000. The Whitewater trailhead is at the end of Whitewater Rd (NF 2243) about 60 miles East of Salem on Hwy 22. It is a popular area later in the season, after the winter snows have had a chance to melt. As such, there are wilderness restrictions on camping locations and campfires in the Jefferson Park area.

Due to a poor weather forecast, we (Matt, Loius, and I) canceled our plans to climb Mt Rainier this weekend and instead opted for a day trip on Mt Adams. We anticipated skinning up Adams as far as the "lunch counter," but didn't have high hopes of summiting due to the poor weather prediction. Mount Adams is the second tallest peak in Washington, towering over 12,276 feet. The South Climb Route (our planned climbing route) begins near Cold Springs Campground on the South Climb Trail # 183. This route gains about 6,600 feet in elevation over approximately 5.7 miles.

The weather this weekend didn't turn out as good as we hoped, so we canceled our plans to climb Mt Rainier and decided to ski Mt Hood and maybe summit if the weather cooperated. Our plan was to skin up from Timberline Lodge along the standard South route to the Hogsback. From there we planned to evaluate the weather and possibly climb to the summit via the Pearly Gates (which use to be the standard route to the summit before the Hogsback shifted to the left (West). In either case, we would be able to enjoy a long ski down.

On Saturday morning Matt, Louis, and I drove to Pole Creek Trailhead for a weekend of ski mountaineering in the Three Sisters Wilderness and hopefully a summit of Middle Sister. Middle Sister (10,047') is the shortest of the Three Sisters, located in Central Oregon. The Hayden Glacier North Ridge route starts from Pole Creek Trailhead near Sisters, Oregon. It's about 14 miles round-trip, so it makes a nice overnighter or a very long day trip. The trek starts off on Pole Creek Trail # 4072 and then follows Camp Lake Trail # 4074 before heading above treeline West toward Middle Sister.