Mount Hood/South Side (Palmer Glacier)

Trip Date: 5/25/2014, Memorial Day weekend

Route: We left Timberline Lodge at midnight with a clear, starry night, and 10 - 15 knot breeze. Straight forward to Devil's Kitchen and up the Hogsback. We traversed left at the Schrund to the old chute. Snow conditions very stiff above Hogsback; not much ability to kick in steps or drive axe in for descent self arrest.

Crowded at the chute, so we waited both ascending and descending, which cost us an hour at least. Lowered several participants down the chute which was icy and not yet with descent bucket steps cut in. Most of the team down climbed. A 40m glacier rope was just long enough, 30m would have been too short and 60m would have been better. Saw several parties with ice-tools in addition to their ice axes which would have been especially handy for the down climb.

Cloud formed on the summit during the descent which significantly limited visibility, so very helpful to have GPS going to aid in retracing track, which was not easy to see because of the snow conditions (above).

Equipment: standard glacier gear, pickets, should have had screws just in case. Ice axe and crampons required, and ice tools would have been nice to have.

Summary: TH to summit in seven hrs; crowd delay on summit cost one hr; summit to TH in three hrs.