MOUNT HOOD

'Mount Hood' (called 'Wy'east' by the Multnomah tribe), is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc in northern Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of the city of Portland, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties.
Mount Hood's snow-covered peak rises and is home to twelve glaciers.^[4] It is the highest mountain in Oregon and the fourth-highest in the Cascade Range. Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt,^[5] though based on its history, an explosive eruption is unlikely. Still, the odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7 percent, Volcano Hazards in the Mount Hood Region, Oregon W.E. Scott, T.C. Pierson, S.P. Schilling, J.E. Costa, C.A. Gardner, J.W. Vallance, and J.J. Major so the USGS characterizes it as "potentially active". The mountain is sometimes informally described as "dormant" ("asleep").
Timberline Lodge is a National Historic Landmark located on the southern flank of Mount Hood just below Palmer Glacier.^[6]
The mountain has six ski areas: Timberline, Mount Hood Meadows, Ski Bowl, Cooper Spur, Snow Bunny and Summit. They total over 4,600 acres (7.2 mi², 18.6 km²) of skiable terrain; Timberline offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America.^[7]
Mount Hood is part of the Mount Hood National Forest, which has 1.067 million acres (1667 mi², 4318 km²), four designated wilderness areas which total 189,200 acres (295 mi², 766 km²), and more than 1200 mi (1900 km) of hiking trails.^[8]

Contents

Geology

Glaciers

Origin of its name

Climbing

Climbing accidents

Hazards

Incident history

See also

References

External links

Geology

The glacially eroded summit area consists of several andesitic or dacitic lava domes; Pleistocene collapses produced avalanches and lahars (rapidly moving mudflows) that traveled across the Columbia River to the north. The eroded volcano has had at least four major eruptive periods during the past 15,000 years. The last three occurred within the past 1,800 years from vents high on the southwest flank and produced deposits that were distributed primarily to the south and west along the Sandy and Zigzag Rivers. The last eruptive period took place around 170 to 220 years ago, when dacitic lava domes, pyroclastic flows and mudflows were produced without major explosive eruptions. The prominent Crater Rock just below the summit is believed to be the remnants of a dacite dome from the last eruptive period.
The last major eruption occurred in 1781-1782, with the most recent episode ending shortly before the arrival of Lewis and Clark in 1805. The most recent minor eruptive event occurred in August 1907. ^[9] There are twelve glaciers on the mountain's upper slopes; these may be a source of potentially dangerous lahars when the mountain next erupts. There are vents near the summit that are known for emitting noxious gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Prior to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the only known fatality related to volcanic activity in the Cascades occurred in 1934 when a climber suffocated in oxygen-poor air while exploring ice caves melted by fumaroles in the Coalman Glacier.
Since 1950, there have been several earthquake swarms each year at Mount Hood, most notably in July 1980, and June 2002.^[10][11] Seismic activity is monitored by the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory located in Vancouver, Washington, which issues daily updates.^[12]

Glaciers

USGS Map of Mount Hood glaciers

Mount Hood is host to twelve ^[4][14] named glaciers or snow fields, the most visited of which is Palmer Glacier, part of the Timberline Lodge ski area and part of the most popular climbing route. The glaciers are almost exclusively above the 6,000 foot level, which also is about the level of the average tree line on Mount Hood. More than 80% of the glacial surface area is above 7,000 ft.
The surface area of the glaciers totals about 145 million square feet (5.2 square miles) and contains a volume of about 12.3 billion cubic feet (0.084 cubic miles).
Eliot Glacier is the largest by volume at 3.2 billion cubic feet, and has the thickest depth measured by ice radar at 361 feet. The largest surface area is the Coe-Ladd Glacier system at 23.1 million square feet.

Glacier name	Area[15] millions of ft²	Volume billions of ft³	notes	GNIS location[16]
Palmer	1.4	0.07	headwaters of the Salmon River
Coalman (or "Coleman")	0.9	0.04	located between between Crater Rock and the summit
White River	5.8	0.3	feeds the White River
Newton Clark	21.4	1.4	source of the East Fork Hood River
Eliot	18.1	3.2	source of Tilly Jane Creek and Eliot Branch, tributaries of Middle Fork Hood River
Langille	4.3	0.3	in Hood River watershed
Coe	13.4	1.9	source of Coe Branch, a tributary of Middle Fork Hood River
Ladd	9.7	0.9	source of McGee Creek, a tributary of West Fork Hood River
Glisan
Sandy	12.8	0.08	feeds Muddy Fork, a tributary of the Sandy River
Reid	8.1	0.6	feeds the Sandy River
Zigzag	8.3	0.6	feeds the Zigzag River
''(total)''	''145.1''	''12.3''

Origin of its name

North side of Mount Hood as seen from the Mount Hood Scenic Byway.

The mountain was given its present name on October 29, 1792 by Lt. William Broughton, a member of Captain George Vancouver's discovery expedition. It was named after a British admiral, Samuel Hood.
The Multnomah name for Mount Hood is 'Wy'east'. Legend has it that the name Wy'east comes from a chief of the Multnomah tribe, the tribe after which Multnomah County was named. The chief competed for the attention of a woman who was also loved by the chief of the Klickitat tribe. The anger that the competition generated led to their transformations into volcanoes, with the Klickitat chief becoming nearby Mount Adams and the target of their affection becoming Mount St. Helens. Their battle was said to have destroyed the Bridge of the Gods and thus created the Great Cascades of the Columbia River.^[17]

Climbing

Mount Hood seen from the south. Crater Rock, the remnants of a 200-year-old lava dome, is visible just below the summit.

Its status as Oregon's highest point, a prominent landmark visible up to a hundred miles away, convenient access, and relative lack of technical climbing challenges lure many to climb Mount Hood. About 10,000 people attempt to climb each year.^[18]
The most popular route, dubbed 'the south route', begins at Timberline Lodge and proceeds up Palmer glacier to 'Crater Rock', the large prominence at the head of the glacier. Climbers then proceed around Crater Rock and cross Coalman glacier on the 'Hogsback', a ridge spanning from Crater Rock to the approach to the summit. The Hogsback terminates at a bergschrund where Coalman glacier separates from the summit rock headwall, and then to the 'Pearly Gates', a gap in the summit rock formation. Once through the Pearly Gates, climbers proceed to the right onto the summit plateau and then to the summit proper.^[19]
As of Spring 2007, reported changes in the formation of the popular South Route has increased the difficulty of the climb. Reportedly, the Hogsback has shifted west. Also, a technical "ice chute" has formed in the Pearly Gates. Some climbers are opting to climb the "left chute" variation of the Pearly Gates route, but this has also increased the difficulty of the climb, as it is also a technical ice wall 30ft or greater in height, and with fall exposure of 500+ feet. Technical ice axes, fall protection, and experience are now recommended in order to attempt the "left chute" variation or Pearly Gates ice chute. The Forest Service is recommending several other route options due to these change in conditions ("Old Chute," West Crater Rim, etc).^[20]

Climbing accidents

Mount Hood seen from a passenger jet.

More than 130 people have died in climbing-related accidents since records have been kept on Mount Hood.^[21] Of those, about 100 have occurred since the mid-1970s.
Cascade Range weather patterns are unfamiliar to many, even nearby residents. Seduced by gentle wind and warm air at access points, many are surprised to encounter 60 °F temperature drops in less than an hour, sudden sustained winds of 60 mph and more, and visibility quickly dropping from hundreds of miles to an arm's length. This pattern is responsible for the most well known incidents of May 1986 and December 2006.^[22]
Despite a quadrupling of forest visitors since 1990, the number of people requiring rescue remains steady at around 25 to 50 per year, largely because of the increased use of cell phones and GPS devices.^[23] Of those, 3.4 percent of last year's search and rescue missions were for mountain climbers. In comparison, 20% were for vehicles (including ATVs and snowmobiles), 3% were for mushroom collectors, the remaining 73.6 percent were for skiers, boaters, and participants in other mountain activities.^[24]

Hazards

Avalanches are popularly regarded to be a major climbing hazard, but relatively few Mount Hood deaths are attributed to them. For the eleven year period ending April 2006,^[25]
there was one death on Mount Hood caused by an avalanche,^[26]
while 445 avalanche-related deaths occurred throughout North America.^[27]
Compared to other western states, Oregon has the fewest avalanche fatalities.^[28]
Worldwide, between 100 and 200 people die each year from avalanches.^[29]
The two major causes of climbing deaths on Mount Hood are falls and hypothermia.^[30][31]

Incident history

According to ''Mount Hood: A Complete History'' by Jack Grauer,
the first recorded climbing fatality on Hood's slopes occurred on July 121896, when Frederic Kirn eschewed his guide and attempted the trip to the summit alone.^[32] Kirn's body was found on the Newton Clark Glacier on the east side of the mountain, after an apparent 40-story fall in connection with an avalanche.
In an unusual accident reported in Grauer's book, on August 27, 1934, Victor VonNorman successfully climbed the peak via the southern route, along with a group of fellow University of Washington students. He then ventured too close to a fumarole between Crater Rock and the "Hogsback" that connects Crater Rock with the summit ridge, was overcome by oxygen-barren gasses emanating from the fumarole, and fell about 50 feet to his death. A number of men who tried to retrieve the body were also nearly overcome by the fumes before finally succeeding in their efforts.^[33]
Beginning on New Year's Eve in 1975, two 16-year-olds and an 18-year-old survived in a snow cave 13 days through a snow storm.^[34]
One of the worst U.S. climbing accidents occurred in May 1986 when seven students and two faculty of the Oregon Episcopal School froze to death during an annual school climb. Of the four survivors, three had life-threatening hypothermia; one had legs amputated.^[35]
On May 31 1998 during a graduation climb for The Mazamas mountaineering club, several were caught by an avalanche. One died, one had serious injuries.^[36]
On May 23 1999, an experienced pair of climbers summited successfully. Shortly after commencing their descent, one stumbled and both fell more than 2,000 feet to their deaths.^[37]
On June 22 1999, a 24-year-old medical student from Michigan apparently set out from a remote trailhead where his rental car was found. Temperatures dropped 15 degrees and more than an inch of rain fell beginning the next day. Ten days after his presumed disappearance, searching began with up to 70 rescuers combing the area. Additional searches included cadaver dogs and psychics. No sign of him was found.
On September 8 2001, rescuers abandoned a search for a 24-year-old Hungarian exchange student who had been missing for six days. He had been hiking with friends when he left the group with light clothing and no provisions. Two days after his disappearance, the weather turned cold and snowy.^[38]
On May 24 2002, a 30-year-old Argentine national attempted to snowboard off Mount Hood's summit along Cooper Spur ridge. He lost control after a few turns and tumbled over 2,000 feet to his death.^[39]

A search-and-rescue team deploys in December 2006 from Timberline Lodge.

On May 30 2002, three climbers were killed and four others injured when they fell into a crevasse (''The Bergschrund'') in the "hogsback". Most unusual was the televised crash-and-roll of a rescue helicopter whose rotors clipped the sloping ice bridge.^[40]
On March 7 2003, the search for a man snowshoeing from Timberline Lodge was abandoned after more than four days in heavy winter weather. More than six feet of snow fell during the search.^[41] An extensive search five months later for the man's body failed, but unexpectedly discovered the body of another man who was not identified.^[42]
On Thursday, December 7, 2006, three experienced climbers—Kelly James, Brian Hall, and Jerry Cooke—began what they expected to be a two-day expedition on the more-treacherous north slope of the mountain. On Sunday, December 102006, the climbers failed to rendezvous as scheduled with friends, and James made a cell phone call to family members indicating that the group was separated and in trouble.^[43] Rescue attempts were forestalled by freezing rain, heavy snowfall, low visibility and winds of 100 to 140 mph, caused by a widespread winter storm. The last sign of them alive was a signal from James' cell phone late on the night of Tuesday, December 12, indicating it had been turned on.^[44] Clear weather on the weekend of December 16 allowed almost 100 search and rescue personnel to scour the mountain. On Sunday, December 17, searchers found a snow cave and climbing equipment, approximately 300 feet from the summit.^[45] Inside the snow cave, the rescuers found a rope, two ice axes and an insulating sleeping pad. At approximately 3:29 PM PST, the body of Kelly James was found in another snow cave near the first one. On Wednesday, December 20 2006, as good weather ended, the Hood River County sheriff announced that the mission was now being treated as a recovery rather than a rescue.^[46] Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke remain missing and are presumed dead.^[47]
On the morning of Saturday, February 17 2007, eight experienced climbers from the Portland area ascended in sunny, mild weather. Observing worse weather mid-afternoon, they camped at the level of Illumination Saddle overnight. Sunday morning, they abandoned a summit attempt and descended in freezing rain and snow, visibility less than , and winds at 40 to 70 mph (64 to 120 km/h). At about noon, disoriented, three of the climbers and a black lab stepped off a cliff (at the foot level at the east edge of Palmer Glacier) while tethered together and tumbled down several hundred feet of steep slope into White River Canyon. One of the remaining five climbers was lowered by rope to search for the fallen group, but returned without seeing them. They called for help by cell phone, and were advised of even worse weather advancing. They dug in expecting another night, but rescuers arrived and evacuated them Sunday evening. The three fallen climbers were unable to dig into solid ice to build a snow cave, so they improvised a shelter and were in hourly cell phone contact with rescuers. They had a Mountain Locator Unit, sleeping bags, GPS, and a tarp. The dog, Velvet, helped keep them warm. Rescuers arrived Monday about 10:45 am. One was hospitalized for a head injury, the others were treated for minor injuries and released. The dog had broken nails and a cut on one of her back legs from cold exposure. ^{[48] [24] [50]}
On May 122007, five climbers were stranded at the level by whiteout conditions. The climbers contacted rescuers by cell phone and obtained assistance to navigate to ''Illumination Saddle'', on the south side of the mountain. Using their GPS navigation unit, the climbers traversed to the saddle and descended the mountain without further incident. The climbers carried a Mountain Locator Unit with them, which would have allowed rescuers to pinpoint their location, had they not been able to descend from the mountain on their own.^[51]

See also

★ Mount Hood Corridor

★ Mount Hood Railroad

★ Cascade Volcanoes

References

1. Mount Hood, Oregon, 11,239 feet, 3426 meters
2. Mount Hood—History and Hazards of Oregon's Most Recently Active Volcano
3. Glaciers of Oregon quoting Wy'East The Mountain, A Chronicle of Mount Hood, , Fred H., McNeil, Metropolitan Press, 1937, ASIN B000H5CB6E, ASIN B00085VH7W
4. Mount Hood Glaciers and Glaciations
5. Most likely to erupt based on history, see Volcanism of the Cascade Mountains James S. Aber
6. Frequently Asked Questions
7. Beat the Heat: Summer Skiing on Oregon's Mount Hood
8. USDA Forest Service Mount Hood Facts
9. Mount Hood Volcano, Oregon
10. Index of monthly reports, Mount Hood
11. Cascade Range Current Update for June 292002
12. Cascade Range Current Update
13. Mount Hood Glaciers and Glaciations
14. USGS Mount Hood North (OR) Topo
15. Ice Volumes on Cascade Volcanoes: Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, Three Sisters and Mount Shasta Carolyn L. Driedger and Paul M. Kennard
16. Northwest GeoData Clearinghouse
17. The Legend of Wy'east citing Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest, Ella E. Clark, , , University of California Press, , ISBN 0520239261
18. Everything goes right in Mount Hood search Aimee Green, Mark Larabee and Katy Muldoon
19. Climbing Mount Hood
20. Mount Hood Climbing Report, May 17th
21. Last Body Recovered From Mount Hood
22. See incident summary references.
23. Without A Trace Nigel Jaquiss
24. Weighing the risks of climbing on Mount Hood Kristi Keck
25.
The statistical period of the ''Westwide Avalanche Network'' is 31 December1994 to 30 April2006, almost eleven and a half years.
26. Oregon - Avalanche History
27. Previous Season Avalanche Accidents
28. U.S. Avalanche Fatalities by State 1996-2002
29. Avalanche Fatalities in IKAR Countries 1976-2001
30. See incident history.
31. GORP Mount Hood climbing description
32. Mount Hood: A Complete History, Jack Grauer, , , self published, , ISBN 0-930584-01-5
33. Details at Deadly Fumaroles Charles H. Anderson Jr.
34. Survivor of '76: If we made it, they can too
35. Doctors Remove Legs Of Mount Hood Climber
36. Mount Hood avalanche proves fatal for members of climbing group
37. Mount Hood Cooper Spur climb ends in tragedy Robert Speik and Jed Williamson
38. Missing Hungarian Not Found On Mount Hood
39. Snowboarder Dies on Mount Hood's North Face
40. Three Dead, Many Injured on Mount Hood After Nine Climbers Fall and an Air Force Helicopter Crashes - PMR Coordinates Massive Rescue Effort
41. Search for Missing Mount Hood Snowshoer Ends
42. PMR Joins Multi-Agency Search for Snowshoer's Remains - Body of Unidentified Person Found
43. Search for 2 climbers scaled back
44. Searchers say gear list shows Mount Hood climbers well equipped
45. Rescuers find snow cave, equipment on Mount Hood
46. Sheriff abandons hope of Mount Hood rescue
47. Small teams of searchers return to Hood
48. Saved Oregon climber: Rescuers 'were amazing'
49. Weighing the risks of climbing on Mount Hood Kristi Keck
50. Oregon bill would require climbers to carry beacons
51. Stranded Mount Hood climbers were ill-prepared, rescuers say

External links

★ A Mount Hood history web site www.mounthoodhistory.com

★