Last weekend, Nov. 10, an expedition climb up Mount Hood was held by a group of students through the Outdoor Program. Trip initiator Benjamin Slutz@@http://uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Benjamin*Slutz@@ was responsible for planning and organizing the trip. A team of seven climbers left Saturday evening and spent the night near Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. Climbers then woke up at 12:30 a.m. to begin preparations and guidelines for the team. Safety was the first priority for the trip and many precautions were taken in order to ensure the safety of the climbers. After almost six hours of climbing and about 3,000 feet of elevation gain, the team was forced to turn around due to the extreme weather conditions.
The sun peers through thick cloud coverage early Sunday morning on the descent down Mount Hood. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
Freshman Will Saunders looks at the early morning horizon on the descent down Mount Hood. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
Climbers James Lauder and Will Saunders joke about camping in the warm Timberline Lodge entrance. Temperatures were close to 15 degrees that night. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
Connor Maginnis sends a last minute text to his father and huddles up in his tent to get a quick rest before the ascent. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
Climbers gather in the warm car to eat dinner and talk about the upcoming climb to Mount Hood’s summit. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
Senior human physiology major Rachel Klaus fills out the team’s climber registration form, which is mandatory for any climber to ascend up Mount Hood. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
The expedition team gathers around the trail description to grasp a better understand of the terrain and hazards of the ascent up to Mount Hood. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
In order to ensure everyone’s safety, the expedition team periodically stopped for food and water every 30 minutes on the rigorous upward climb to Mount Hood’s summit. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
The expedition climb began at 2:00 a.m. and head lamps were essential tools for the early night climb. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
Trip initiator Benjamin Slutz accumulated frost on his hair and eye lashes during the frigid and windy ascent up Mount Hood. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
Junior business major Connor Maginnis stands by the van at the Outdoor Program Barn as climbers finalize packing for the Mount Hood Summit climb. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)
