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Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 13th, 2017, 7:33 pm
by Chip Down
Rain! Remember that? It's been ages. East of Gov Camp I hit showers and saw lightning off to the east. Rained on me driving home, starting in Sandy. My hike was dry.

Decided to try a new route to Newton-Clark Prow. Been there at least twice, but never this time of year, and this was a slightly different route, so hoped it would be fresh and interesting. It was. had a great time. Saw what I think was a marmot, which I can't recall seeing on Hood before. Saw a surprising number of hikers/campers on the way, but as usual I never saw another person after I left the trail. Delightfully cool/breezy in the evening. Was never really miserably hot all day. Best weather you could hope for in August. Never saw a mosquito, but heard some buzzing around after sunset. Don't think I got any bites. I used crampons and axe, but could have gotten by with just a pair of treking poles. My second axe was just ballast.

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 13th, 2017, 7:42 pm
by Chip Down
more snow/ice pics

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 13th, 2017, 10:43 pm
by adamschneider
Chip Down wrote:Saw what I think was a marmot, which I can't recall seeing on Hood before.
There are a few up there; I've seen them above McNeil Point and below Eliot Glacier. They're yellow-bellied marmots, which are the same ones you find in California; the ones in the Washington Cascades are hoary marmots.

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 14th, 2017, 7:54 pm
by Chip Down
adamschneider wrote:They're yellow-bellied marmots.
Hey! That wasn't nice. :cry:
You're probably right though. I tried to get closer, and it scampered off.

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 14th, 2017, 11:10 pm
by adamschneider
Chip Down wrote:
adamschneider wrote:They're yellow-bellied marmots.
Hey! That wasn't nice. :cry:
You're probably right though. I tried to get closer, and it scampered off.
The one I saw last week below Eliot ran like hell as soon as it saw me. National Park marmots they are not.

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 21st, 2017, 11:51 am
by olderthanIusedtobe
adamschneider wrote:They're yellow-bellied marmots, which are the same ones you find in California; the ones in the Washington Cascades are hoary marmots.
That's interesting. Yellow bellied marmots show up in some random places. They are at Palouse Falls State Park near the SE corner of Washington, and I've seen them along the river walk running thru the middle of Spokane.

The yellow bellied marmots I've encountered in California seem shyer than the hoary marmots I see all the time in the Washington Cascades, both inside and outside National Parks. Sometimes they scamper off and give you a shrill warning whistle, but more often than not they just do not give a damn about people and can't be bothered. Too busy napping half of the time.

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 21st, 2017, 7:46 pm
by adamschneider
olderthanIusedtobe wrote:That's interesting. Yellow bellied marmots show up in some random places. They are at Palouse Falls State Park near the SE corner of Washington, and I've seen them along the river walk running thru the middle of Spokane.
They also hang around at the very popular Shoshone Falls Park in Twin Falls, Idaho, miles from any mountains.

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 22nd, 2017, 11:17 am
by kepPNW
Intrigued. A) Because I've always wondered what this ridge was called. You're calling it the "Newton-Clark Moraine"? [Any other names for this feature?] And B) Because it's on my shortlist of places I still want to get this summer up on Hood. Wandered up it a bit with snowshoes some time ago, which piqued my curiosity.
  • Capture.JPG
    Assuming we're talking this highlighted ridge?
What elevation was that prow at?

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 22nd, 2017, 1:01 pm
by Chip Down
Hey Karl. Yeah, that's the ridge. No mistaking it, it's extremely prominent and straight. Wilderness boundary, incidentally. Other names? Some call it Pea Gravel Ridge, which makes no sense. I've seen it called Newton-Clark Ridge. But it's clearly a medial moraine, so might as well call it that.

Hard to say how high the prow is, because it's not really well defined, a bit jumbled. Let's say about 8000. It doesn't get much attention.
There's a nice Wy'East Blog post on it.

Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Posted: August 22nd, 2017, 2:35 pm
by kepPNW
Looks like you've been having some fun up there. I need to follow those footsteps. :)

I like the name you've chosen. Very easy to remember! :lol:

Thanks, Chip!