Mississippi Head/Illumination Rock/B-26 Wreckage: 10/6/12

[Born2BBrad]

Opening Picture:


It's been a while since I posted a trip report (TR). It's not like I haven't done any recent hiking or backpacking in a while. Some of the trips had TRs written by other people I was with. Like the Goat Rocks and Tam McArthur TR written by my wife, Dawn (Forest Panther). Or the Hardy/Hamilton Mt. TR written by EP. Or the Paradise Park TR written by Cheryl (Just Peachy). I had also recently backpacked two sections of the PCT from Barlow Pass to Olallie Lake and then Barlow Pass to Cascade Locks.

It was on the Paradise Park trip where I took a side trip up the base of Mississippi Head. Mississippi Head is the large escarpment of lava above the Zigzag River Canyon on the south side of Mt. Hood. This side trip made me want to do the full loop up and over the cliffs. I was also curious about the wreckage of the 1949 B-26 plane crash.

Over the past few years, several great Mississippi Head loop TRs have been posted by Guy, Karl (keptNW) and Peder. These were all great resources for me to learn about what the loop would be like, and I used all of them.

Thinking that the weekend of 10/6/12 might be the last opportunity to do this high elevation loop, I pinged some of my Portland Hiker TFFs earlier in the week asking if anyone wanted to get one last alpine hike in before the cold, wind and snow make it too dangerous - for me anyway. So on 10/6/12, Peder, Guy and Guy's co-worker, Eric, started out at Timberline Lodge at 8AM. All three had done a variation of this loop before. This was great because then I didn't have to do any research or worry about being the trip leader.

I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking for the rest of the TR. I'm still a little tired and have stuff to do. Besides the other TRs mentioned above contain lots of information that I would just be repeating.

Starting out at the Timberline Lodge parking lot:


Memorial to plane crash in Day Lodge:


Timberline Lodge:


Illumination Rock:


PCT sign taken down in preparation for winter:


TImberline Lodge/smoky haze/Mt. Jefferson:


Mt. Hood/Little Zigzag Canyon:


Mt. Hood/Zigzag Canyon/dust:


Mt. Hood/Zigzag Canyon/dust:


Peder looking for a place to cross the Zigzag River:


Sign at Paradise Park where we headed up the moraine:


Mt. Hood/trail on the moraine:


Mt. Hood/trail on the moraine/getting higher:


Alpine Hiking Near Mississippi Head:


Trail on the moraine/looking back/getting higher:


Mt. Hood/trail on the moraine/getting even higher:
]

Trail on the moraine/looking back/getting higher still:


Peder heading up the snowfield to Mississippi Head:


Mt. Hood from Mississippi Head/pano:


Zigzag Canyon from Mississippi Head


Propeller from plane crash:


Peder showing Guy where more wreckage is over the edge:


I had to include the video of the guy ski parachuting off of Mississippi Head:


Mt. Hood/Illumination Rock (L)/Crater Rock (R):


Climbing to Illumination Rock on Zigzag Glacier:


Climbing to Illumination Rock on Zigzag Glacier/looking back:


On Zigzag Glacier:


Climbing to Illumination Rock on Zigzag Glacier/getting closer:


Climbing to Illumination Rock on Zigzag Glacier/really close now/notice the snow cup formations:


At the bowl just below the Illumination Rock saddle:


Discarded gear at the bowl just below the Illumination Rock saddle:


Descending down the Zigzag Glacier:


Back on an actual trail, but not solid ground:


Mt. Hood/Palmer ski lift:


White River Canyon:


Almost back to Timberline Lodge:


Final comments:
-Purchased Micro-spikes the day prior. Used them. They helped. However, Peder and Eric had no foot traction devices and had no problems.
-I got elevation sickness. Started feeling it around 8000'. By the time I got to the Illumination Rock saddle at 9215', I felt very nauseous and had a bad headache. None of the others got elevation sickness.
-Strong smell of sulfur by Illumination Rock.
-The wind and the dust were incessant. Going up a steep slope on sandy soil with a 30 mph headwind at high elevation is very difficult.
-12 miles, 6000' elevation gain.

Link to all the pics on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N ... 712992703/

Good hiking,
Bad

[hlee]

Interesting TR. Timberline looks so different than the last time I was there, haha.

Yeah that looks incredibly dusty! Too bad you got elevation sickness.

[Chase]

Fantastic pics.

Why is it called Mississippi Head?

[Guy]

Brad here are a few more pics:

The GE pic below shows our track from yesterday in red compared with the loop Eric & I made in 08/2011 in blue:



Approaching Mississippi Head from the West side:



The only remaining snow field up to Mississippi Head:



Brad at the High View Point looking down into the Zigzag Canyon:



The ski jump or whatever it is was still there next to the old B26 propeller so we put it to good use:



From here at 7100' it was going to be long slog up to the Illumination Saddle at 9300'.



We hit snow at about 7700' & as Brad already mentioned the wind & dust were relentless. Eric was an unstoppable force as we climbed the Zigzag Glacier / Snowfield, I got tired of slipping & put my crampons on but Eric's only traction device was his walking stick as he left us all behind!



Thankfully the Saddle itself was actually protected from the wind, The photo below shows Peder & Brad on the last section of the Crossing before the saddle,



The snow has now melted below the saddle but Peder & I scrambled up to get a view of the Ried Glacier & Yocum Ridge on the other side.



While we played around on the saddle Eric worked on cleaning up all the trash that was there, 2 abandoned & broken tents & all kinds of other odds & ends. He put it in one large pile & weighted it down with rocks. While doing this we found out who it belongs too! I have already been in touch with the owners to ask why they left all this material up there but will give them a chance to explain before I identify them.


Eric finishing up the cleanup of the old tents & other garbage.

Finally We had had enough of looking at this boulder perched precariously above us I decided it was time to head for home



My stats came in at 12.1 miles & 6280'. Lots more photos here.

[Eric Peterson]

So bummed I didn't get to hike with the real Eric and get into a jump shot!!

Nice job guys, guess I have to wait until next year for this one...

[Eric Peterson]

Fantastic pics.

Why is it called Mississippi Head?

Off the top of my head, some delegation from Mississippi that visited Hood back when
FDR was trolling around thought it would be nice for that landmark to be named
after them. Just read something about this somewhere awhile back but can't remember
where, I'm sure I only have a portion of this correct. Pick up sticks and set me straight!

[Don Nelsen]

Too bad I had to work Saturday - looks like a fun trip, even with the wind. Great pictures!

Don

[Pyrogen]

awesome!

If you guys end up going again soon I love to tag along.

great trip report!

Cheers!

[Peder]

I loved being in the Illumination Saddle; the view is fantastic:

Reid Glacier in foreground; Yocum Ridge; Bald Mountain (almost smack in the middle of the picture); Lolo Pass Powerlines (the reverse mohawk); Bull Run and Lost Lakes.

Looking in the opposite direction: Illumination Rock from low on the Yocum Ridge

And a couple of extra airplane pieces:

[hiker russ]

Great combination reports you guys!

No mention of the "bowling alley" coming out of the crater just south of the saddle? Did you see it?

Guy - When you get in contact with the owners of the collapsed tents in the saddle moat, you can tell them I brought out some of their gear and gave it to Zig Zag Ranger Station (at the Ranger's request). I would have brought it all out but when I found it in early Sept. it was still mostly frozen in....