April 9-11, 2021, at Mount Hood

On December 7-9, 2018, we took our first trip to the northeast side of Mount Hood with the aim of backcountry skiing on Cooper Spur. Mount Hood, an 11,240-foot active stratovolcano, is the highest peak in Oregon. If you asked a child to draw a volcano, mostly likely the drawing would look like Mount Hood: a sharply pointed cone capped with snow. It is easy to imagine Mount Hood awakening with a fiery rumble and a dramatic burst of smoke and ash. The U.S. Geological Survey's website has quite a lot of interesting information about the volcano and how they are currently monitoring it for seismic activity and hazards. Given how close Mount Hood is to Portland, an eruption or even simply a belch of volcanic ash and debris would be catastrophic.

Source: USGS https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mount-hood/hazards

In December 2018, we stayed for 2 nights in the convivial and communal atmosphere of the rustic Tilly Jane A-Frame. The snowpack was somewhat thin and patchy on the first mile of our journey along the Tilly Jane Ski Trail #643. However, the snowpack quickly deepened and we enjoyed skiing on Cooper Spur and exploring the areas nearby.  On this early winter trip, the skiing on Cooper Spur was fun if somewhat wind-scoured.

Cooper Spur Skiing
Photos from December 2018

I was eager to return to this area and explore further. I was also curious and concerned about the lingering impacts of the 2020 wildfires and windstorm. Fortunately with some luck and persistence I was able to obtain a reservation for 2 nights, April 9 and 10, 2021, at the Tilly Jane Guard Station, one of the oldest structures on Mt. Hood. The Oregon Nordic Ski Club, which manages the cabin in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, reports that it dates to the 1930s. The guard station is much better furnished and cozier than the large and sparsely equipped Tilly Jane A-Frame (although both are stocked with firewood for heat).

A historic photo of the Tilly Jane Guard Station posted by the Oregon Nordic Ski Club:

Image from Oregon Nordic Ski Club, with the date of July 31, 1943

After parking at the Tilly Jane sno-park, we began the short ski to Tilly Jane Guard Station (past the A-frame and crossing over a ravine) on the Tilly Jane Ski Trail #643, a 2.7 mile climb with approximately 1,900 feet of elevation gain. It was an interesting contrast to our early winter trip: we again encountered thin snow conditions initially on the trail. But this time we enjoyed glorious spring sunshine.

Tilly Jane Guard Station April 9-11, 2021
Photos from April 2021
    
Upon arrival at the guard station, we had some unpacking and digging to do as the windows, which are all on the first story, were beneath the snow. There are no windows in the upper story of the cabin so it was quite dark inside! We estimated that there was still 15 feet or so of snow on the ground, with snow drifts created by the strong winds burying the entire western side of the building and much of the nearby shed. In fact we entered the guard station through the second story attic hatch, as instructed in the directions we received when I made the reservation-- instructions that seemed like hyperbole (so much snow that you'll climb into the cabin through the attic!?!) but were in fact very helpful. The cabin is heated by a wood-burning stove in the kitchen (somewhat old and leaky but fairly effective) and a magnificent stone fireplace in the main room constructed of local volcanic rocks (lovely but not very effective at generating heat). It took a few hours after arrival for the temperature inside to rise to 50 degrees or so. I was glad for my down booties and wished for my down pants!

The Tilly Jane Guard station is well-equipped with a propane stove, propane lights, plenty of firewood, furniture and kitchenware. The kitchen even has a sink that drains gray water. Food storage lockers are provided and there is an outhouse at the far end of the woodshed- no need to venture outside. There are even foam mats to sleep on (bring your own sleeping bag and pillow). It's really a charming structure and although the skiing was fun I also quite enjoyed our time spent indoors. Not having to carry all the usual camping accoutrements meant that we hauled in a lot of extra treats- from wine to extra layers to a selection of delicious artisanal Oregon cheeses and soppressata from Oregon Food Field Trip for apres-ski. I even packed in Reddi-wip whipped cream in an aerosol can (which kept cold nicely in the food storage lockers in the woodshed), Ghirardelli hot chocolate mix, and peppermint schnapps so we enjoyed mugs of fancy spiked hot chocolate topped with whipped cream by the fire on Saturday night.

On Saturday, April 10, 2021, despite stormy weather, snow, and strong gusts of wind, we explored the area and approached Cooper Spur. The Northwest Avalanche Center's forecast warned of wind slabs, and to look out for textured firm snow on lee slopes as a clue regarding wind transport and deposition of snow. There was some very enjoyable skiing directly above the A-Frame and in the burn zone of blackened trees below it. Although the snow on the approach to the spur was windswept, to the point of being fantastically textured at times, it was white- whereas the prevailing wind patterns had deposited much dust and volcanic debris on the snow above the guard station, coating it in dark gray grit.

The sunshine returned on Sunday, April 11, 2021, and we had a lovely ski out - rather than follow the 9-mile-long Cloud Cap road all the way back to the Tilly Jane sno-park as we had done in 2018, we were able to first strike out cross-country to the Cloud Cap Inn. Constructed in the 1880s, the historic inn is now used and maintained by a search and rescue group, the Crag Rats. From the inn we then followed a ridge dotted with trees to intercept the road, cutting off several road-miles. Skiing through the glades was fun as the snow quality and depth remained high until we were very close to the road. The road itself had a few bare spots that necessitated removing skis and walking but was generally still snow-covered; it does however flatten out then gently undulate so it's not simply a downhill cruise. Still much preferable to attempting to ski down the narrow Tilly Jane Ski Trail #643 which in any case was low on snow at the time of our trip. With the warmer temperatures, recent snow and bright sun we were concerned about sloughs and loose wet slides but the low-angle terrain and our choice to ski along the ridge's "backbone" was our approach to mitigating these hazards.

I have also done a trail run along this same trail in late June of 2018; and I am tempted to return a fourth time to this area, perhaps to run along the Timberline Trail that circumnavigates Mount Hood and sojourn at the Tilly Jane Guard Station or A-Frame.

Another trip to Mount Hood? As Shakespeare put it, describing Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra:

"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety."

Tilly Jane A-Frame
June 23, 2018 trail run to the Tilly Jane A-Frame

Resources

GPX coordinates & files

Strava track (exit route)

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