Tomorrow marks one month until we venture up Mt. Hood. Training has been going well. Two Saturdays ago Jon, Michelle, Benjamin, and our friend Kyle went up to Mt. Spokane to practice some self-arrest. This involved snow, ice axes, and sliding down the mountain.
Michelle and Kyle spent time sliding down on our backs with our feet first, our bellies with our head first, and on our back with our head first. The latter proved to be the most difficult. Jon instructed on how to stop ourselves using the ice ax. He was holding Benjamin in a front pack, so Jon didn't partake in the sliding, plus he has experience doing it. The idea behind this practice was in case we were to slip or lose our footing on Mt. Hood and needed to stop ourselves. We also practiced some walking up techniques. Most people probably think it's not too hard to walk up, but there is some techniques involved so you get a good foothold and don't strain your muscles too hard all while maintaining control.
The highlight of the training was glissading. This is basically sliding down the snow on your bottom and using an ice ax to control your speed and ultimately stop. This technique is more of a fun way to go down the mountain as well as a time saver.
After the Mt. Spokane training we feel better prepared to climb Mt. Hood. We are looking forward to this exciting adventure which we will start in 1 month and about 3 1/2 hours from now. We are continuing to run and hike for our training.
For more information on climbing Mt. Hood, check out Summit Post.
Showing posts with label mountaineering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mountaineering. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Mt. Hood Adventure
“I have a question for you.” The statement coming out of Jon’s mouth caught Michelle’s attention.
“What?”
“How would you feel about me climbing Mt. Hood with Kyle in June?”
After some discussion, Michelle agreed to let Jon climb it provided he was able to get in shape in time.
The next morning after doing some serious thinking, Michelle decided that she wanted to try it as well.
Goal: Summit Mt. Hood (11,239 feet)
When: June 2012
Route: South side (Hogsback route)
Length: 8 miles (roundtrip)
Elevation Gain: 5,300 feet
Average round trip time: About 9 hours
Team Members: Jon & Michelle Cramer and Kyle Oler
Today marks the start of our training for this adventure. We are starting with running and will be adding hiking. We will also be doing some practice with an ice ax so we can stop ourselves in the event of an emergency. We are really excited about this new goal! Jon has summited Mt. Hood before as part of his education and is looking forward to doing it again. Michelle is more nervous about the expedition, but trusts that Jon will make sure she is prepared enough to tackle this feat. We will not be taking Benjamin with us as we both have to carry our own packs and don’t want to risk taking him on this extreme climb. We are hoping to leave him at Michelle’s parents’ house for the weekend. As we prepare for this adventure we will be posting updates on our training.
“What?”
“How would you feel about me climbing Mt. Hood with Kyle in June?”
After some discussion, Michelle agreed to let Jon climb it provided he was able to get in shape in time.
The next morning after doing some serious thinking, Michelle decided that she wanted to try it as well.
Goal: Summit Mt. Hood (11,239 feet)
When: June 2012
Route: South side (Hogsback route)
Length: 8 miles (roundtrip)
Elevation Gain: 5,300 feet
Average round trip time: About 9 hours
Team Members: Jon & Michelle Cramer and Kyle Oler
Today marks the start of our training for this adventure. We are starting with running and will be adding hiking. We will also be doing some practice with an ice ax so we can stop ourselves in the event of an emergency. We are really excited about this new goal! Jon has summited Mt. Hood before as part of his education and is looking forward to doing it again. Michelle is more nervous about the expedition, but trusts that Jon will make sure she is prepared enough to tackle this feat. We will not be taking Benjamin with us as we both have to carry our own packs and don’t want to risk taking him on this extreme climb. We are hoping to leave him at Michelle’s parents’ house for the weekend. As we prepare for this adventure we will be posting updates on our training.
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