This past June 1st, I had the pleasure of co-leading a student graduation climb of Mount Hood, part of the Intermountain Alpine Club's fantastic free mountaineering instruction program. It was an unforgettable day of determination, effort, and triumph with six of this year’s students. We captured many moments throughout the climb, and I'm excited to share our journey with you!

Timelapse

Some of us arrived as early as 6 PM the evening prior, eager to catch some rest before our alpine start. The night offered an unexpected bonus: a high chance of Northern Lights. Anticipating this, I opted to sleep outside with my tripod prior to our climb, my camera snapping away, and hoping to capture the elusive colors. They eventually graced us with a spectacular display, making for an incredibly memorable start to the trip. The colors were still in the sky as I took my camera down to begin up the mountain at 1:20 AM.

It was then that our group of nine – six students and three leaders (instructor Ken Stoops, myself, and Dana) – began our ascent from the parking lot at 5880 feet.

View of the objective from just above the climber’s parking lot

Less than two hours later, six of us were together at 8440 feet, taking a short break. With three leaders, we had the flexibility to break into smaller groups if needed, and everyone was equipped with radios to ensure constant communication.

Soon after, Chris, Henry, and I found ourselves in a smaller team as the other two leaders handled some minor setbacks with another part of the group. One individual ultimately decided to descend back to their car as they were feeling some sickness. As the sky began to lighten, we were treated to a breathtaking pre-sunrise view, complete with a beautiful cloud inversion below us.

When we reached the Devil's Kitchen, a significant and often odorous feature located in the East Crater of the volcano, a few other groups where resting. We paused there, gladly taking in some much-needed calories, preparing for the next push. From there, some climbers continued on towards the Hog's Back, another key landmark on our route.

5:22 AM: Morning alpenglow on Jefferson, the Sisters, and Broken Top. Diamond Peak also faintly visible on the right.

Looking up from our vantage point, we could see early climbers making their way up the Old Chute, the steepest section of the route leading to the ridge. Henry and Chris were making excellent time, already approaching the Hot Rocks, another distinctive area on the climb.

One of the unexpected joys of mountaineering is the camaraderie you find on the slopes. This morning, I crossed paths for at least the fourth time with two new Nepali friends, Depen Bhattarai, an Everest-summiting guide, and Pasang Sherpa. It's always a pleasure to share a greeting or a brief chat with fellow climbers.

As the sun rose higher, Mount Hood cast a dramatic, elongated shadow across the landscape, a classic sight on a clear morning. We were also nearing the top of the Hot Rocks, and this marked the latest season I had ever experienced them melted out on Hood; on previous climbs in April and December, this feature had been covered in snow. Looking back at Crater Rock, it became evident that Hog's Back truly is just a massive expanse of snow and ice.

Looking at the back side of Crater Rock and the top of the Hog’s Back

With smiles forming bigger on their faces, Chris and Henry were now nearing the Old Chute. At this point, we started discussing our options, considering venturing to the right of the popular ramp due to other climbers using it. The unoccupied "1 o'clock couloir" looked like a promising alternative.

We then began making our way into the couloir just east of the Old Chute, pausing to discuss our options for the safest and most efficient ascent. I found a good position to photograph Henry and Chris as they began to ascend, with Henry truly demonstrating a rhythm of pioneering parts of our route. It was 6:46 AM, and the climb was becoming more technical and exciting.

Chris was clearly enjoying himself, still comfortable and confident with a single ice axe. We surveyed the ice formations on the spines separating the different access points to the ridge. We noticed other climbers momentarily visible in a notch above, moving along the ridge, making that an option to consider. However, after Henry got a closer look at some larger ice steps required to reach that notch, we decided to pivot to "Plan B."

Plan B involved traversing over a section of the spine that would connect us to the upper stretch of the Old Chute. The sunlight hadn't quite reached the sometimes-overhanging ice, making this short traverse an okay option.

At 7:08 AM, we reached the knife edge, and the summit was in sight! We could see three climbers sitting on top. All we had to do was walk in the ice trench, formed by thousands of previous climbers, to reach our goal.

This was also our first views to the north. The views of Hood's companions to the north – Rainier, Adams, and St. Helens – were breathtaking.

I was instantly reminded of folklore I’ve heard over the years of these geographic giants as mythic figures in Native lore: siblings, rivals, and lovers caught in a tale of jealousy, beauty, and eruption that shaped the Cascade Range itself. Loowit (St. Helens), the beautiful maiden, sparked a rivalry between Pahto (Adams) and Wy'east (Mt. Hood). Their conflict led to the destruction of the Bridge of the Gods, a punishment from Takhoma (Rainier), the elder mountain, separating them forever. Each peak stands alone, forever bearing the marks of this ancient drama.comprised of the three prominent stratovolcanoes. Standing on Hood and looking at Saint Helens, Adams, and Rainier brought to mind some of the Native lore I have heard of over the years.

And then, we were on the summit! Henry and Chris were full of energy, hamming it up for the camera. Our new Sherpa friends joined us once again, and Pasang Sherpa even gifted me a Himalayan Pilsner – a truly unique summit experience! In my three climbs of Mount Hood, the summit has always been a pleasant, social place, filled with shared triumph and friendly faces.

After a bit, Henry and I hopped back over the knifes edge in preparation to see and photograph the rest of our group coming up.

The photo above is looking down from the knife edge with much of the middle of the route unfolding below us. Climbers move from Hog's Back towards the Devil's Kitchen, still in the mountain's shadow. The top of the ski lift is visible in the distance, and many small "people-dots" making their way up or down the Palmer Glacier and the slopes below.

A fuller view of the knife edge, or catwalk, from the top of the Old Chute

Looking north, the Eliot Glacier stretched out below, with two skiers taking a rest just above a dry rock patch in the middle. It's always a stark reminder of the sheer scale of this mountain.

Henry and I waited above, cheering for three more of our teammates who were now coming up the chute: Dana, Nicole, and Alan. Their faces, as they topped out, were a mix of exhaustion and pure joy.

Alan, one step from topping out the Old Chute

Around 8:45 AM, six of us were together on the summit, enjoying another 45 minutes of social time and well-deserved rest before preparing for the descent.

By now there were more people up top. As the 6 of us headed back down the ridge above the Old Chute, we saw how the knife edge and the chute itself can become a bottleneck, as this is essentially the crux of the climb, and the flow may only be as fast as the slowest person.

Henry was the first to take the plunge down the chute. Another group of three climbers jumped in between us, but Dana was right behind, beginning her descent. We witnessed one minor mishap: a climber coming up the chute lost their footing and slid down about 15 feet. Thankfully, the snow here had enough grip and resistance to allow for a quick arrest, and they were back on their way in no time.

Above photo: Zoomed far to the southwest, the Zigzag Glacier is spread out, its run-offs forming the Zigzag River to the right and the Little Zigzag River to the left. The Pacific Crest Trail snakes horizontally along the tree line transition.

A new summit friend, Ryan, was prudently down climbing what I believe is referred to as the 2 o'clock couloir, another access point to the lower slopes.

Joy (bottom right) coming up with the others in our group going down

As Alan, Dana, Emily (an acquaintance who showed up on the summit), and Nicole were down-climbing, Ken and Joy were now climbing up! In addition to co-leading the climb, I also wanted to document it well with photos so here I joined up with Ken and Joy.

I had few good spots for angles, where I could photograph and observe the action of climbers on both sides, always using careful discretion to avoid dislodging any ice, snow, or rock. The photo below shows one perch that some of the previous photos were taken from. My backpack is also pictured in the far bottom right, anchored to a picket on the west side of the Old Chute, another spot previous photos were taken from.

Joy and Ken made their final steps to the summit, bringing our team's total to eight out of nine climbers reaching the top today, a fine success! We took photos on the summit before heading down.

Then I got to meet Nova, the Golden Retriever, as she scaled the Chute with ease! Nova and her owner were headed to the top of the chute where they planned on turning back. It was perfect timing that I could boot-ski down the ramp on the west alongside them both.

Ken and Joy were safely back on the Old Chute, I headed down to check on the others further down the mountain. Many of us moved quickly by glissading and boot skiing, making for a fun and efficient descent.

Various snow trainings happening on the foothills

It was an incredible day on Mount Hood, a true testament to the dedication and spirit of our student climbers. If you know someone looking for beginner mountaineering courses, you know where to send them.
Thanks for joining the adventure!

Mount Hood: A Graduation Climb with the Intermountain Alpine Club

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