Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

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kepPNW
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Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by kepPNW » November 3rd, 2013, 5:16 pm

As I typed the Subject header, I had that moment of unreal-ization where I had to shake my head in wonder - "Yeah, it really was November!" We nailed that last bluebird day of daylight savings time with a vengeance up on Mount Hood this last Friday. The forecast was looking good, but nothing gave us the idea it would turn out as spectacular as it did. A few texts started flying around 6pm Thursday, but nothing sounded ideal. Around 9pm, we hit upon Mississippi Head! Why not? We had one last chance to get really high in the mountains, in nice weather without need for snowshoes or skis, and it just couldn't be "thrown away" on a gorge (or other forested) hike.

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Getting high on Mt. Hood! A bit over 8000', coming up over top of Zigzag Canyon.


I met up with Allison, Bill, and Oscar in Sandy, after only just coming out of the clouds. It was foggy in the city, high and thick through Gresham, and then the skies just opened up. Nothing but blue above and beyond. As we drove up over Government Camp, the roads were a bit icy, and in fact one car had careened right off into the ditch. (They were pulling someone out on a stretcher as we drove by.) It was brisk at Timberline, but certainly above freezing, as we headed out on the PCT at 9:00am.

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Timberline Lodge, with shields up! They are ready and waiting for winter, here. (Is that a new tunnel?)


The hike over to Paradise Park was quick and quite enjoyable. We were alone in the forest, actually not seeing another soul all day until we returned to the Palmer snowfield high above Timberline. There was no appreciable snow at or below timberline, other than occasional patches in extremely well-shaded areas.

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Views to the south were dominated by Mt. Jefferson all day. And most of the day, by valley clouds and (later) smoke, too.


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Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain


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The bottom of the Zigzag Canyon was in full shade. Nice little waterfall just upstream from crossing.


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Oscar needed a hand on the crossing. We were surprised at the volume, given the temp and the total lack of recent precip.


The trail up off the PCT into Paradise Park had a bit of snow on it, and we enjoyed a number of intriguing tracks, including at least one large kitty who seemed somewhat interested in a deer. There were a few others we weren't sure about, too.

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This critter appeared to have bigger front paws than back, and an uphill stride well over a meter in length!


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Funky little snow sculpture, right on the trail.


Paradise Park sure looks different in November than it does in August! Shades of brownish-orange dominate. The temps were coming up a bit, and it was actually quite comfortable at this point. We hiked through in about 1/10 the time it takes someone with a camera to do the same distance at peak flower time. Got to Split Rock about 11:30, and thought that would be a fine place to enjoy a PB&J.


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The snow in Paradise was hard-packed, and never an issue to walk on.


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It felt rather uncommon to be totally alone here at Split Rock.


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Looking uphill at our route, we'll hook right when we hit the canyon separating us from Yocum Ridge.


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There's one in every group! :)


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Slightly less high TFF Groupie shot at Split Rock. The off-trail adventure starts here!


From Split Rock, you basically head straight up the mountain until you run into the canyon through which one of the forks of the Sandy River runs. This is a spectacular viewpoint, looking down on Yocum Ridge and up on the Zigzag Glacier. At the lip of the canyon, you hang a right and find the best path up towards the saddle on the uphill side of Mississippi Head. This is where it can get really sketchy. In the summer, scrambling up the ashy slopes is very difficult, at best. In the winter, you'll almost certainly want traction. There are a couple of spots where it's fairly steep, and the runout is definitely not kind.

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Mississippi Head. We'll actually give up 300' to reach the cliff face on right.


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To our left, Mount St. Helens highlights the horizon. Lost lake in middle distance.


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As we climb, we keep watching the Head, trying to envision the best route up and over.


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Bill really kicked it into gear on this stretch, keeping up with Oscar who actually led the pack.


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One of the only shots I got of Allison coming into the shot. She sets a good pace!


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Oscar plotting a route for us up and over Mississippi Head.


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Lots of little fires popping up to our south and east, now.


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Enjoying the views into the canyon and beyond.


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The climb now traverses the canyon lip. Oscar happily leads the way.


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The semi-frozen source of the Sandy. Rocks were falling freely here as the ice melted in the midday sun.


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Here we approach the first real challenge. We'd hook a little to right, then up rock path, avoiding shade.


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This stuff was hard frozen. Microspikes were invaluable. There were two stretches that were steep and icy.


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Objects on mountains appear much closer than they actually are. (But yes, we're almost there!)


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Without spikes, this would've been possible by carving steps. With spikes, carved steps were still appreciated!


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The backside of Mississippi Head! We're there! Great feeling.


Not that this isn't a most excellent hike based on the natural environment alone. But there's also a highlight up here that lends a bit of macabre mystique as well. On April 21, 1949, a B-26 that thought it was on final approach into Portland crashed into Mississippi Head. An August 20, 1949, article detailing the crash recovery is posted here. Yeah, this area is that rugged. It took four full months to locate the accident scene.

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Wreckage is scattered across the Head, and in the valley far below. This being the most recognizable piece.


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There's also a ski jump to nowhere here. Possibly the one used in this Youtube video?


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It's a long, loooong way down into the Zigzag Canyon!


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It's now about 1:30, and we've found the perfect spot to sit, soak in the views, and snack a little.


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Oscar found a "pillow" to rest his weary head upon.


At this point, I looked up at the summit, and noticed thin wisps swirling over it. "Is that the birth of a lenticular?" Yep, we all thought so! It fit the forecast perfectly. We knew a front was due this evening, and now we had the chance to watch its earliest indications play out.

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First wisps of a lenticular cloud forming over Mt. Hood, as a front approaches from the Pacific.


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The cloud show on the summit was absolutely fascinating, as the vapors swirled far overhead.


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To get back to Timberline, we now had to climb nearly 1000' to get up and over the top of Zigzag Canyon.


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The lenticular grew and grew.


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We climbed and climbed. My head cold didn't help, so I took lots of photos to catch my breath.


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Visualize the standing waves over the summit.


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Sun, sky, and snow! To our south, the oncoming front is becoming all too obvious. We marvel at our timing!


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"Turn right at 8000'." Remember that, and you don't end up in the Zigzag Canyon!


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The skyshow is phenomenal!


Well, we've hit our high point and take the (opening) TFF Groupie shot. The top of the Palmer ski lift has just come into view (see it in the pano shot above?). Now it's just a matter of heading towards the chairs, then finding the most comfortable descent route.

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We're 2000' (of chuncky-style lava) above Timberline Lodge now. Time to look for a nice soft descent route.


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Although the lifts were running, there wasn't a single board track on the Outer West run.


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Oscar wasn't happy letting me get ahead for this family portrait.


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Most fun descent (on your feet) possible! Boot-skiable in places; no knee pain at all.


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The cloud show continued even when we turned our backs.


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Jefferson, and even the Three Sisters, are still with us as the day winds down.


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Parking lot at 7000', beside the historic Silcox Warming Hut.


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Loop complete! What an outstanding Last Day of Summer! (Yeah, yeah, well, it was just as nice as summer!)


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As we sat in the parking lot, about 3:45, clouds nearly overtook the summit. Our timing blew us away.


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And, this trailhead even has janitorial service, ready and eager to clean up any post-hike potato chip crumbs!


I've said it above, but the timing for this "last dry day of DST" hike was just too phenomenal. By 9pm, it was pouring at my house back in Salmon Creek. It would've been an absolutely tragic night to have been stuck high up on Mount Hood. I suspect it's still snowing over most of our route. As it was, I think we all agreed it was one of the best, if not THE best, hikes of the summer. (There've been so many, who keeps track? :))

The first time I did the Mississippi Head loop, it was solo. I would strongly advise it only be done in groups! There are sections that are extremely sketchy, and getting injured up there would prove to, well, SUCK. Hiking the loop with Bill and Allison (and Oscar, thanks to all of them!) added muchly to the enjoyment, and took away all the stress of the various "what if" catastrophic scenarios a route like this presents.

Birth of a Lenticular Cloud (slideshow, best in HD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaiqpY314YU


Final stats were roughly 11.5 miles and 4200' EG.

http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=2860&w=645&h=440

8-)
Last edited by kepPNW on November 4th, 2013, 3:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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K.Wagner
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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by K.Wagner » November 3rd, 2013, 5:51 pm

Wow Karl,

And there I was "working" Friday trying to get a stupid little trolling motor to run. From the back of our shop, near the Troutdale Airport, we can see the tip of Hood, and I did get to see the cloud layer build. It's a really good thing I hadn't considered what a great day it would have been to be anywhere on that mountain!

Glad you found some good companions to join up with so that you could post that great TR.
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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by awildman » November 3rd, 2013, 8:22 pm

Great trip report, Karl! Thanks for working through all those text messages to agree on the place to spend the last day of DST. We chose well and we all had a great time!

Also, thank you for being the official trip documentarian. A++!
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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by adamschneider » November 3rd, 2013, 10:02 pm

I went outside on Friday afternoon and thought, "damn, this would have been a PERFECT day to climb Mt. St. Helens: a bit of snow on the route, mild temperatures, no permit reservation necessary..." But I think you guys did alright too, and Timberline Lodge is a much shorter drive. :)

By the way, I was curious as to how similar everyone's routes are on this particular off-trail adventure. This Google Earth view shows your route in blue, my 2010 hike in orange, and my 2011 hike in red.

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They're all pretty close, although I've never been out onto Mississippi Head. The only major discrepancy is that you guys gave the eastern corner of Zigzag Canyon a wider berth than you probably needed to.
Last edited by adamschneider on November 3rd, 2013, 10:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by Peder » November 3rd, 2013, 10:37 pm

kepPNW wrote:As it was, I think we all agreed it was one of the best, if not THE best, hikes of the summer. (There've been so many, who keeps track? :))
Well Karl, yet another fantastic trip for you! What an extraordinary year you have had.

After seeing the first couple of shoots of Oscar, I thought he had been carried the whole way. I was relieved to see him on the ground and in the lead in the remaining pictures.
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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by Chase » November 4th, 2013, 6:33 am

So jealous! Great job!

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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by kepPNW » November 4th, 2013, 6:52 am

K.Wagner wrote:Wow Karl,

And there I was "working" Friday trying to get a stupid little trolling motor to run. From the back of our shop, near the Troutdale Airport, we can see the tip of Hood, and I did get to see the cloud layer build. It's a really good thing I hadn't considered what a great day it would have been to be anywhere on that mountain!

Glad you found some good companions to join up with so that you could post that great TR.
Something had just given me a feeling about Friday. Like I thought the weather service had understated just how nice it'd be. (I did have to ask, when I got back, whether it ever got nice down here? That wasn't very obvious from up there, either.)

Don't think I've ever posted one of those open-ended, "anyone wanna do something" invites before. Really couldn't have worked out any better! Great scenery and fantastic company! :D
awildman wrote:Great trip report, Karl! Thanks for working through all those text messages to agree on the place to spend the last day of DST. We chose well and we all had a great time!

Also, thank you for being the official trip documentarian. A++!
Thank you for ping-ponging ideas back and forth while all the little dingdongs were on the doorstep! I'm sure it was the best summer hike in November, ever! It was a great pleasure to meet and hike with Bill, too. :)
adamschneider wrote:I went outside on Friday afternoon and thought, "damn, this would have been a PERFECT day to climb Mt. St. Helens: a bit of snow on the route, mild temperatures, no permit reservation necessary..." But I think you guys did alright too, and Timberline Lodge is a much shorter drive. :)
Total slacker adventure, yep! We met in Sandy at 8, hit the trail at 9, were back to the TH before 4, and home by dinnertime. Shoot, we could've done this one in Pacific Standard Time! Heheheh... And yeah, it was the PERFECT day up there! Looking over at MSH, it was looking pretty bare. But (most of) the snowfields we crossed were still remnants of that typhoon, and just a joy to travel on. Made the loop oh so much easier than in the summer!
adamschneider wrote:By the way, I was curious as to how similar everyone's routes are on this particular off-trail adventure. This Google Earth view shows your route in blue, my 2010 hike in orange, and my 2011 hike in red.

They're all pretty close, although I've never been out onto Mississippi Head. The only major discrepancy is that you guys gave the eastern corner of Zigzag Canyon a wider berth than you probably needed to.
Oh, you really should take that extra 300' plunge down to the snout of MH next time. It's something. We did scope it out from the peak of MH, just to be sure it was bare of snow so the highlights would be more visible. Interesting comparison of the tracks. Are both of yours clockwise, too? I looked at my last trip, and it seems I cut more straight across towards the lifts that time, as well. Seemed easier to go perpendicular to the fall line there, and come down the ski runs, I guess. We looked at that route your yellow track followed, but the one I knew was up past Split Rock. How's that ridge? Here's some more for the mix...
capture.jpg
More high routes compared.
Cyan is from Guy, Red was me last August, and Purple was us last Friday. I think there's also a bit of deviation at around 7000' in finding a route up from that saddle to the Head. The route Guy and I (last) took through there was in deep shade and extremely steep/icy the other day.
Peder wrote:
kepPNW wrote:As it was, I think we all agreed it was one of the best, if not THE best, hikes of the summer. (There've been so many, who keeps track? :))
Well Karl, yet another fantastic trip for you! What an extraordinary year you have had.
Lots of that owing to you, my friend! Extraordinary is grasping to describe it. If it says anything, that SHL snowshoe is still on permanent rotation on the home system's wallpaper. That seems like forever ago, and yet... Boy, the list is truly amazing. :mrgreen:
Peder wrote:After seeing the first couple of shoots of Oscar, I thought he had been carried the whole way. I was relieved to see him on the ground and in the lead in the remaining pictures.
:lol: I didn't paint the most flattering picture of him in the opening, did I? Heheheh... He was a total trooper! But yeah, when Allison picked him up for that group shot, by the time we'd taken that third one (first two didn't have the best background), I do think he'd fallen asleep. He's a trail dog through and through, catching a few winks when possible, but fully engaged (and wondering why we're wasting time putting on spikes and such) the rest of the way. :)
Chase wrote:So jealous! Great job!
Thanks, Chase! It really was a great day on the mountain! :D
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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by Born2BBrad » November 4th, 2013, 10:48 am

Now I'm wishing I had played hooky from work on Friday,
rather than being cold and wet on Saturday up on Defiance.

Oh well, now I still have an extra day off I can use next year
when the weather is warm and the days are long.
Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.
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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by adamschneider » November 4th, 2013, 11:26 am

kepPNW wrote:Are both of yours clockwise, too?
Oh hell yeah... my first above-Zigzag adventure was born of laziness! I was standing at the bottom of the canyon, 10 miles into a Paradise Park loop, sweaty and tired, and thinking "and now I have to CLIMB another 1400' back to my car?!" I vowed that starting the next year, I'd never again do that slog up out of Zigzag Canyon. Sure, going up and around Mississippi Head adds more elevation gain, but you can do the climbing when your legs are a little fresher, and it's an adventure.

Doing it counter-clockwise would mean hiking UPHILL on snow from the lodge, then uphill again at the end of the day; no thanks!
kepPNW wrote:We looked at that route your yellow track followed, but the one I knew was up past Split Rock. How's that ridge?
It's fine; that route is a little shorter, but not quite as scenic, because you don't get to see the Sandy River canyon. The really steep snowy/icy/loose-rocky bits come right after the two routes converge.

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Re: Mississippi Head Loop, 1-Nov-2013

Post by kepPNW » November 4th, 2013, 12:09 pm

Born2BBrad wrote:Now I'm wishing I had played hooky from work on Friday,
rather than being cold and wet on Saturday up on Defiance.

Oh well, now I still have an extra day off I can use next year
when the weather is warm and the days are long.
There was no way to know it would turn out as glorious as it did. (Those 7 hours felt a lot more like 10 or 12, though! :))
adamschneider wrote:Doing it counter-clockwise would mean hiking UPHILL on snow from the lodge, then uphill again at the end of the day; no thanks!
Yeah, and we agreed it was better to have the highlight(s) nearer the end of the hike, as well. (Not that climbing from MH up to 8000' was a cakewalk, either.)
adamschneider wrote:
kepPNW wrote:We looked at that route your yellow track followed, but the one I knew was up past Split Rock. How's that ridge?
It's fine; that route is a little shorter, but not quite as scenic, because you don't get to see the Sandy River canyon. The really steep snowy/icy/loose-rocky bits come right after the two routes converge.
I was looking at that ridgeline all the way up from Split Rock, wondering how it might compare. I didn't realize at the time that it pretty much took away the canyon viewpoint, and that's something of a loss, for sure. Then again, the last time I did this same loop, it took me two hours longer, because Paradise was in full bloom. Choices...
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