Along the Geronimo Creek: Summiting of Mt Hood, Oregon

May, 2004 - Conditions for climbing were perfect. Ed and I hired a guide from Northwest School of Survival and he took us through an afternoon safety course of crampons/ice axe usage, self arrest technique, and rope management skills. We began the climb at 2:30 A.M the next day. It was the first time I had ever used crampons and ice axe and the first time to be roped together in a group. As long as the ice/snow had enough crust to support your weight, the crampons allowed you to walk on top of the snow/ice. But after daylight, the areas exposed to sunlight became difficult as the snow/ice would soften and your foot would go through the crusty top layer and deep into the snow/ice and travel became much slower. Our guide took us over a narrow but deep crevasse, up along the Hogsback Ridge and up through the treacherous Hell's Kitchen( the angle of ascent being very steep). The crampons made for solid footing and we made the summit by mid-morning and after a snack break we were headed back down as the ice/snow softened. Coming back down across a frozen field near the Hogsback, we (or I should say I) had an accident. We were crossing a snow bridge covering a crevasse and the combination of my body weight and a slight pause in the wrong spot caused the snow bridge under my feet to collapse and I was falling through the snow. We were roped together and the other two did their job and jabbed their ice picks deep into the ice and held me from falling more than a few feet. All that I remember seeing under me was blue ice as I scrambled quickly to grab the edge of the ice with my pick and hold on. Ed worked down to me and helped me pull myself over the edge and back to safety. Wow! That safety course really did come in handy. The rest of the way back down the mountain was slow as the sun was bright and the snow/ice was softening more and more. I could not hardly walk the next day as my legs were beyond any soreness that I had ever known.