Free-Solo Climbing Mount Hood
Its at dawn's break when the arctic world around me begins to come alive. The sun illuminates the rocks and begins to melt the ice holding everything in place. Always stunned by the beauty, my eyes water. Alone, with the silence of the snow and vastness of volcano territory: this is my happy place. A zone in which I can push my mental and physical abilities to prepare and execute a plan. I am at home in the mountains.
"Were you scared, living in your car: traveling and climbing alone?" -Anonymous Human
"Yes. But did I love it, duh." -Me
In an effort to summit and ski as many volcanoes as possible during a 21 day span of time in May, I attempted a few peaks solo: no partner, no ropes, or climbing protection. My entire trip, in this respect, was also self-planned and self-guided. I have been ski-mountaineering around Cascade Range volcanoes for 3 years and Mount Hood specifically for over a decade. In order to successfully summit a plentiful amount of peaks, I was required to religiously track the weather, plan ahead monetarily, and stay fit and well fed months prior in training.
I got a good ole' alpine start to many of the missions. Literally outrunning the sun to the summit. I would make fun goals along the way to help guide me through my goals. Not having to wear sunglasses until I get to the summit is a lively one. This was my second successful time completing that mission on Hood alone.
The snow bridge crossing the Bergschrund separating the climbers from the Hogsback Ridge and Pearly Gates summit access is always changing. One week prior when I was up on Hood, this crack in the ice was not as prominent. When crossing on this occasion, the snow was quickly melting holes in the boot-pack.
As I reached the summit the stillness of the air and lack of human contact was eerie. Typically, when climbing Mount Hood, you are waiting in a conga line of individuals waiting their turn to reach the summit. The danger in this lies within the overall crowd and lack of experience using gear (axes and crampons). I have witnessed could-have-been-fatal falls from people whose crampons came right off their feet while climbing through the Pearly Gates. This is due to lack of experience as opposed to danger of the sport. I typically feel much safer while I am on a mountain compared to the drive to the trailhead. Because cars are dangerous, yo!
Prepared, alive and well, I reached the summit of Mount Hood: marking my decade plus volcano vacation in Oregon.
Waxing the boards on Mt. Hood as I wait for corn. This was a special time on the volcano as I was the only one above the crater on the Hogsback Ridge. Mount Hood is the second most frequently climbed volcano in the world. Therefore, the lack of human contact was astounding. All other parties had descended and no one else had yet reached the crater on the south face. The sun was rising over the rime-iced rocky towers. Upon realizing I was the only person existing in the volcanic crater, I sat pleasantly in the presence of the gentle winds and warming snow: my peanut butter sandwich mixed with the scent of the sulphuric gases. I watched the smoke create ripples through the air as I became incredibly immersed in the present. This is skiing.