Hood Summitted!

Sorry for the delayed post! Big storm at the lodge and all the internet access was lost. Fantastic and dramatic day on the mountain with many moments of doubt but in the end we were able to summit! Experienced sun, rain, snow, whiteouts, mushy snow and rock slides to make for an unforgettable day. Started at 2:30am and made summit at 6:30 in a complete whiteout. Have added several photos of the climb. Today we are in Portland doing laundry and resting up for the Rainier climb on Monday.

2am departure makes for a dark and cold start to the day




Trying to catch a glimpse of the summit













Starting to lighten up as we approach the ridge know as the "Hogsback"



















Several climbers gather at the Hogsback as the guides decide whether or not to press on.


John standing atop the Hogsback. Very cloudy and windy. Texted my buddies at this point who were meeting for small group and asked them to pray for clearing as our guide was telling us we couldn't go up due to poor visibility. We told him whatever he thought but wanted to wait a few more minutes.
Same spot 15 minutes later. Unbelievable how quickly the clouds broke. Guide decided to press on at this point up the steep chute in the middle of the photo. Toughest part of the climb by far.






Photo from the summit. Clouds moved back in as we reached the top. No view but thrilled to make it.