On Saturday December 24th, a friend Ben Mayberry and I set off to summit Mt. Hood. (11,250ft). I've had the urge to get out and climb, and the fact that I'm currently forced to take 3 weeks mandatory vacation (not that I'm complaining) presented the opportunity for me to plan, gear up, and go. Luckily, Ben responded to my request for a climbing partner shortly after I sent out the question, to the few people I know who's interested in climbing.
On Friday I rented plastic boots, an ice-axe, crampons, and a helmet at a local shop. The boots smelled like nasty feet smell, but I was super stoked to be climbing Hood that it didn't bother me. At 4pm I tried to take a nap but only managed to get about 1hr of sleep. I dug through my dad's old ski clothes and yanked some thick gloves, a hat, and wool socks to use on the climb, which turned out to be the best decision i made that day. After the nap, I got in touch with Ben who suggested we leave at 12am that night, and start climbing as soon as we arrived at Timberline lodge. The idea was to reach the summit in time for the sun rise and be down, off the mountain by 9am. Though very intense, I agreed and knew that the early start could be beneficial.
