Mt. Hood 05/27/2014

I climbed Mt. Hood on Tuesday, but we did not summit.  We got on the Old Chute about 500 feet from the top and the were ice balls falling on us and we decided to descend.

Here is our group past the hogback making our way up the the Old Chute.  We roped up at the hogback and set pickets.  The snow was an icy glaze and it would not warm up in the sun.

On our decent Devil's Kitchen and the Steel Cliffs and Hogback.

Overall it was a pretty nice day, a little cold in the morning with the wind and clouds did not move in tell we were nearly at Timberline.

Gary glissading down, we did that were we could but not so much due to the icy glaze of the snow.

Mt. St. Helen's 05/11/2014

I spent Mother's Day this year climbing Mt. St. Helen's.  An annual ritual for over 30 years, over 1,000 permits were issued to climbers, skiers, and snowboarders.

Here me in the parking lot, behind me is a herd of Mazamas.  Amy led a massive group up the mountain and the theme was Star Wars. 

It was a low snow year, in the past the snow has been down to the parking lot.  This looks like a trek to Everest base camp.

Here's s Storm Trooper keeps up with Amy's theme.

Eric with a more traditional Mother's Day theme.

Karen and Andrew drove me up, and we met Heath and his wife Mary Beth and Roger and his wife.

Some skiers skinning up the mountain.

Andrew is almost to the top.

Not quite a wilderness experience but one I never will forget.  The summit of Mt. St. Helen's with 200 folks enjoying the views.

Two guys were paragliding off the face.  It looked like fun.

Blazers...

I worked in this season for the Blazers catering company at the Rose Garden.  It was fun getting to be inside and see how everything worked and gave me enough money for the summer.

Unfortunately we did not go all the way but we did make the playoffs and hopefully that will be a tradition as in past generations.