Illumination Saddle

You thought skiing was over?  Well......not quite yet.  Still playing blog catch-up, this post is about a ski excursion from early May.    

Clear skies from Timberline parking lot

Here in the Oregon Cascades, where snow hangs around late on the mountaintops, skiing is still going strong into spring.  The first weekend in May things heated up down in the valley.  Temperatures on Friday were predicted to hit 80 degrees.  Katie and I agreed there was but one thing to do - head to the mountain and go skiing!

Illumination Saddle - our destination

Our day's destination - Illumination Saddle, high on the slopes of Mt. Hood.  Illumination Saddle is a small depression in the side of the mountain, bounded by the summit crater and Illumination Rock.  See the arrow in the photo above?  That's where Katie and I were headed.

Katie enjoying the day

Our adventure began behind Timberline Lodge.  Following the rough trail from the lodge, Katie and I strapped climbing skins to skis and headed out.  The skies were clear and beautiful, the temps unseasonably warm.  We hadn't climbed far before both Katie and I were stripping down to long underwear.

Big mountain views

The Palmer Lift was now open, so uphill travel wasn't allowed on the groomed ski runs.  Anyone wishing to climb Hood was now directed a bumpy snowcat trail.  Okay if you were on foot, but not a lot of fun for us skiers.

Silcox Hut and the bottom of Palmer lift

Reaching the top of the Magic Mile Lift, and tired of making our way over the road's uneven surface, Katie and I struck out on our own.  We decided to follow the edge of Palmer's groomed trail. 

Our climb turns into a steep slog

From here, the going was much smoother.  And it was fun to watch the snowriders cruise down the slopes.  They all looked at Katie and I, slowly sliding uphill, as if we were crazy.

Illumination Rock rises over the Palmer Lift

Dripping sweat and fighting aching hip flexor muscles, I was beginning to wonder if they were right.  As many times as I've climbed Palmer's slopes this year, the trek hasn't gotten any easier.  It's still a long, tough slog. 

Pausing for a breather

One older man stopped by the side of run and called out to us.  After exchanging hellos, the man said he was in awe of our uphill skiing abilities.  He made Katie and I laugh by doing a mock bow and bestowing a humorous blessing.  That made me feel better!

Climbers appear as dots against the mountain

Again, we were passed by a few much faster uphill skiers.  One young man was moving so quickly, Katie jokingly asked the guy if we could tie a rope to him and get a tow.  Most of these skiers didn't stop at the top of the Palmer Lift, but continued on towards the mountain's crater.

Spiders in the snow?

As we ascended, I began to see tiny specks in the snow.  Upon closer inspection, I realized these dark specks were small spiders, about the size of a pencil eraser.  I'm not sure what these little guys were doing on the side of a cold, snowy mountain.  I was surprised they were alive!

Lunch break at the top of Palmer

Finally for Katie and I, the top lift station of the Palmer came into view.  Tired and hungry, it was a sight for sore eyes.  We plopped down on top of the snow and pulled out our lunches.  Some food and a short rest were just what my poor body needed.

Heading towards the crater wall

By the time Katie and I finished lunch, it was nearing one o'clock.  With the day's high temps, I knew we didn't want to wait too long to ski back down.  Enough heat and solar energy would turn the snow into a sticky mess that's difficult to ski through.  But Katie, intent on reaching Illumination Saddle, suggested we continue uphill for another hour and then, wherever we were at, turn around and head down. 

Illumination Saddle - such a wonderful sight

We finally agreed upon a 2:00 turn-around time.  Then, strapping on my skis, I followed Katie across the wide, barren snowfield above the Palmer.  Here, the slopes were not as steep, and we made good time.  The views were incredible.  Mt. Hood's summit crater was so close, I felt as if I could reach out and touch it.

I made it!

Illumination Rock, a large triangular block of basalt, loomed larger on the horizon  It acted as a beacon, drawing me ever closer.  Finally, Katie reached the saddle between Illumination Rock and the summit crater.  A short, steep climb put us on top of the saddle, near Illumination Rock's base.

Highest I've ever been on Mt. Hood

I made it!  My gps unit displayed an elevation of 9,245 feet - the highest I've ever been on Mt. Hood.  The views were incredible.  The entire foothills and valleys spread out before us.  Mt. Jefferson, anchoring the southern horizon, seemed much larger at this high altitude.  Looking at my watch, I realized our timing was good.  It was exactly 2 o'clock - the designated turnaround time.

Time to ski down!

Our location on the saddle was a windy one.  The gap between Hood's crater and Illumination Rock acted as an air funnel.  Not wishing to linger in this chilly climate, Katie and I quickly removed our climbing skins and made preparations for the trip back down.

This was worth all that climbing

After donning coat, helmet, and giving my skis some wax, I was ready.  We'd spent all morning and half the afternoon climbing - now it was time for our reward.  With a whoop, Katie launched herself down the slope.  I quickly followed. woo-hooing as my skis sliced through the sun-softened snow.

Katie yells with glee

Oh - and the conditions were incredible!  Perfect corn snow!  My turns came effortlessly as I dropped into my tele stance.  All my worries about the snow being too soft were for naught.

Stopping to soak in the scenery

As we descended, the temperature got warmer.   Katie and I kept our eye on conditions, knowing at some point our lovely corn snow would turn into thick mashed potatoes.  But we reached the top of the Magic Mile Lift, and the skiing was still good.  Continuing downhill, the snow continued to part easily beneath our edges.  We didn't encounter bad snow until we were almost back to Timberline Lodge. 

A fabulous ski down

What a fabulous ski down!  And what an incredible trip up the side of Mt. Hood.  I figured we climbed 3300 vertical feet in a little more than 3 miles.   Katie remarked we were only 2000 feet lower than Mt. Hood's summit.

What a great way to spend a hot, sunny spring day.  Although this trip was my first time on Illumination Saddle, I assure you it won't be my last.


Sharing with:  Weekly Top Shot.

On Beyond Palmer

About a month ago, my friends Young, John and I attempted to ski to the top of the Palmer Lift at Timberline Ski Area.  As you may recall from a previous post (which can be found here) we ran into a blinding snowstorm, and had to abort.

Size matters!  Click on any photo to enjoy a larger version.

Good mornin' Mt Hood!

Well, last Saturday was redemption day.  The forecast called for clear skies and warm temps.  We couldn't have asked for more fantastic weather.  Perfect spring skiing conditions.  Time to give skinning up the Palmer another shot.

Lots of solar power today

The air was balmy from the very beginning.  Above-freezing temps meant no icy snow to traverse.  The snow was soft and forgiving from the very first step (or should I say, first slide?)

Starting our climb

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.  This meant panoramic views of the surrounding hills and valleys as we ascended our route.

Our destination in sight

Skinning up a steep slope is so much better when you can see where you're going!

Enjoying the sunshine

Even though skiing uphill is slow, tiring, and extremely difficult, I enjoyed our first 1000 feet of climbing.

The Magic Mile and Palmer lift houses

But things got tougher once we passed the top of the Magic Mile and the bottom of the Palmer Lift.  The slope became much steeper.  Let the slog begin!

Climber's tracks lead to the summit

And slog it was.  By that time, my body was beginning to tire, its fuel tank on low.  It was getting close to lunchtime, and I'd burned through breakfast long ago.  My hip flexor muscles were screaming, requiring frequent rest breaks.  And to top it off, I began to get hot spots on my heels from moving my feet up and down, propelling the skis forward.

My view skinning beside the Palmer

I stopped and taped up my right heel.  That didn't seem to do any good.  Then I remembered the heel risers on my bindings.  I'd never tried them before, but I was desperate.  Once I popped the risers up, my feet didn't have to sink all the way back down to my skis with every step.  Less motion meant less friction on my heels.  Instant relief!  I continued my slow shuffle up the slope, keeping the top of Palmer in my sights.

Looking waayyy back down to Young

Young's energy was also flagging.  We plodded along the designated climber track, adjacent to the groomed Palmer ski trail.  But Young and I were hardly alone.  The nice weather had brought out many backcountry skiers, all doing the slow shuffle up the mountain.  Of course, most of them were way faster than us!  One man was even accompanied by his dog on leash.  (I wonder what the dog did when he skied back down?)

All the cheaters who rode the lift up

And, for the first time this season, Timberline opened up the Palmer Lift that very same day.  Not only were we joined by a host of backcountry ski enthusiasts (and a few lone snowshoers and climbers) but we began to encounter skiers and boarders zipping down the groomed run beside us.  Some of these folks weren't content to stay on the corduroy, and instead chose to make their way down the ungroomed side, very close to our path.  It wasn't exactly the quiet, backcountry atmosphere I was expecting.

Close-up view of ice-crusted crater wall

 

After an extremely long, tiring climb, the top of the Palmer Lift came into view.  I spied John taking a rest with some of the other skiers.  He'd skied ahead, dug out his blister care kit, and was ready to attend to my sore feet.  "Dr. John" taped up my raw heels and then I dug out my lunch.  Boy was I famished.  PB & J never tasted so good!

Same wall with humans for scale

Young finally arrived at our lunch spot.  She was also mighty hungry, and we wolfed down our food while watching all the snow-riders get off the lift, pose for photos, and ski back down.  Our ski mountaineering class had an acronym for these folks - L.A.M.E. (Lift Assisted Mechanically Equipped).  My companions and I were feeling mighty superior.  No LAME skiing for us.  We earned our turns!

Contrail over Illumination Saddle

The entire trip up the Palmer's slopes, I'd been eyeing the nice, soft corn snow, gleefully anticipating a great ski back down.  I was almost disappointed when after lunch, John announced we were traveling yet higher on the mountain.  I hoped we weren't going to climb for too much longer, and miss our good snow window of opportunity.

Amazing icy views!

But I'm so very glad John wanted to climb higher.  It turned out to be the best part of our tour.  Above the Palmer, the snow changed dramatically.  The very top layer consisted of small icicle-shaped chunks of ice.  The morning sun had softened the ice so that our skis edges easily cut into it.  The snow below was just the right consistency - soft, but not grabby.  The best snow we'd encountered all day, it was a dream to ski through.

John is a speck against the summit crater

John's goal was to reach Illumination Saddle, a wide depression between Illumination Rock and Mt. Hood's crater.  Illumination Rock is a large basalt plug that sits very prominently on the western side of the crater (look back at my first photograph, and you'll see it off to the left).  As we climbed further up the mountain, the icy cliffs of Hood's crater came closer into view.  They were truly spectacular!

 

Me and my trusty skis

Luckily, the terrain above the Palmer Lift was not as steep as what we'd been climbing (my heels appreciated that!)  Our route dipped into a bowl-like depression downhill from the crater that seemed to block the pesky wind that'd been blasting us all day.  With no wind and pure sun, temps in the bowl were downright toasty.  It was a very comfortable ski across a glittering, icy plain.

 

Group photo

Finally, John picked a spot in the middle of the wide, icicle-spangled slope and declared it our turn-around point.  We sat down, took a breather, and enjoyed the wonderful views from high on Hood.  From my perch, I could see both the Zigzag and Little Zigzag Canyons far below.  Uphill, the summit crater looked so close, it seemed one could reach out and touch it.  And views looking west extended almost all the way to Portland.  Truly amazing!  There is nothing more satisfying than taking in vistas that most people never see.  Especially when you've traveled there under your own power.

 

New elevation PR for Mt Hood!

And I reached a new elevation personal record for Mt. Hood.  My previous Hood high point had been the top of the Palmer, elevation 8,540 feet.  But John got Young and I up past 9,000 feet elevation.  Almost 9,100 feet, to be exact.  From Timberline's parking lot we'd climbed a grand total of 3,000 feet.  Woo-hoo for us!

 

Wonderful view of Illumination Rock

So my party and I spent a lovely half hour sitting on top of the world, eating, resting, and taking lots of photos.  By this time it was mid-afternoon, and the sun-warmed snow began to sluff off from the steeper slopes above us.  We were far enough away not to be in any danger, and it was cool to watch small point avalanches roll down the crater walls and the slopes below Illumination Rock.  But the temps were still on the rise, and we didn't want to miss our good snow window.  Time to do what we'd been dreaming of the entire climb - take off those skins and go downhill!

 

Time to ski down!

The first run down was pure heaven.  The ice parted beneath my ski edges for some sweet, effortless turns.  I glided down the first 500 feet sporting the world's biggest smile.  Totally hero snow!

 

Enjoying the fabulous corn snow

Of course by now, my legs were mighty pooped from our grand climb.  I stopped for frequent "quad breaks" whenever my tele-turns became shaky.  Young was tired too, so she didn't mind. 

Skiers against the skyline

And besides, on this sunny day, the scenery was so fantastic!  From Hood's  high slopes, we could see a panorama of mountains and forest, from the plains of eastern Oregon, past the Cascade volcanoes, to the foothills of Portland.  A descent with views this grand just shouldn't be hurried.

Here comes Young!

But warm sunny days on the slopes means you'll eventually encounter snow that is too soft for skiing.  As we traveled further down the mountain, the snow became softer and slushier.  The consistency slowly grew thicker.  Then the mushy slop began to grab our skis.  This started to happen about the time we reached the top of the Magic Mile Lift.  There was still another thousand feet to go.  Ugh!  The last mile was a long, slow, careful trek that tested our "survival skiing" skills to the max.

Below the Palmer lift house

 

Finally Timberline Lodge came into view.  A most welcome sight!  We all agreed it was time to head to Hood River for some well-earned beer.

A day like today totally stoked my enthusiasm for backcountry skiing.  Even with the endless uphill haul, numbing fatigue, and blisters, I still had a fabulous time.  Backcountry skiing is taking me to places I've never been before.  I'm discovering new aspects of Mt. Hood, on beyond Palmer.