mount hood

[Basham]

I don't want to spend one day on the mountain. That wouldn't be enough for me to take in the scenery. So route suggestions would be appreciated. Necessary skills would also be welcomed. It's not my dream mountain, but I'm going to take your advice and try a mountain that's not going to try and kill me every time I step. It will also tell me whether or not I'm suited for mountaineering. I'm going to spend alot of time watching videos of said skills necessary even though it won't be the same as actually practicing them. Maybe throw in mount Adams, too, to make the journey a bit longer. I would also like to do it when the mountain is snow/ice covered. A gear list, route suggestion, and skills I need to study is what I need most.

[reboyles]

I would recommend that you read ExcitableBoy's piece on Rainier. You'll need the same skills and knowledge for Hood and Adams (on a slightly smaller scale) and he has a great gear list that could be used anywhere. - Bob

http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-t ... ier/507227

[Josh Lewis]

What is your experience level? A few years hiking? Only city walking? Mount Saint Helens is a much better "beginner peak", although is still a lot of work for the untrained. If you end up doing Saint Helens, watch out for the cornice up top and bring some warm clothes for the winds. While an ice axe isn't required for Saint Helens, it is handy for glissading down and could come in handy. Do you have peaks you can practice going up steep snow slopes on? Training in icy conditions is good too.

The great part about Mount Hood is that you don't need to know how to use a rope to climb it via the Old Chute. However you will want to be decent with ice axe arrest and feel comfortable kicking steps. This includes bringing crampons and having a helmet due to rock/ice fall. When I first went up it was icy, got hit from ice chunks (got a bruise from it), and had to do a lot of kicking to create steps through the icy snow. At the time it was tough (I was in good shape) and was a little scary due to the conditions. Even Rainier wasn't nearly as sketch. The second time I did Mount Hood, the conditions were much better making the old chute a walk in the park.

You will want to go in good weather. If you are going to camp, I'd do it below Crater Rock (before Devil's Kitchen).

[Basham]

My experience is a couple mountain tails, skiing, backcountry hiking/camping, in all conditions (except blizzard, hurricane, etc). I have never been alpine climbing. I have climbed Guadeloupe Peak but that's 1,000,000x different. But I'm not looking to do mount Rainier yet.

[Basham]

Other suggestions would also be appreciated.

[ExcitableBoy]

I wrote a couple of articles that you may find useful. I wrote these articles specifically for folks like you. You've been outside a bit but really don't know where to start when it comes to climbing. Do you take a course? Hire a guide? What gear do you need? I tried to answer these types of questions.

This is one about alpine climbing in general: http://www.summitpost.org/alpinism-101- ... ion/756518

reboyles already mentioned my Mt. Rainier article: http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-t ... ier/507227

[Basham]

It's there an alpine exposition that is just hiking?

[ExcitableBoy]

It's there an alpine exposition that is just hiking?

Mt. Saint Helens after the snow has melted. Mt. Shasta, Avalanche Gulch after the snow has melted.