Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

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Chip Down
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Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by Chip Down » August 13th, 2017, 7:33 pm

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.
Attachments
a0.jpg
So glad I took this pic in the morning on the way up. On the descent this was mostly collapsed, and I didn't recall seeing that, so I was able to look at my pics and confirm it was intact when I passed through a few hours earlier.
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Here's what it looked like in the evening.
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Collapse viewed from above. Looks like if you were standing in the right place, you wouldn't even be injured. Might need to change your shorts though.
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I was thrilled that my selected ascent route ended up on snow most of the way. Down low it was pleasant meadows. This was all new to me, although I guess I must have crossed this valley once early in the year when everything was snow. Notice the smoke. Visibility down below was poor, but it was clear enough up here, although it was hazy up around the summit in the first 2 or 3 hours after dawn.
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Newton-Clark Prow looks daunting from this side. Looks like it would be easy to get to the top of the Newton-Clark morain (right) but I wouldn't try it without snow.
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Newton-Clark Prow to upper right. At left, the big portal/cave was on my agenda.
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I needed to get across that creek and get on top of the snow on the other side. Waterfall just downstream made me nervous, left no room for error. I retreated.
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This is not the same as the previous picture, it's a second smaller one that's not as evident from most perspectives.
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Need to get to that snow. Should have brought my ladder.
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Newton-Clark Prow doesn't have a distinct summit, but here's an enticing high point.
Last edited by Chip Down on August 13th, 2017, 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Chip Down
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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by Chip Down » August 13th, 2017, 7:42 pm

more snow/ice pics
Attachments
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b2.jpg
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b4.jpg
b5.jpg
The big rocky slope leading to the summit is the Black Spider. The snowfield to the left is Newton-Clark headwall, which I was briefly considering, but even before I saw it I realized it would dead end, and rockfall danger would be high.
b6.jpg
This is as high as I got. Only 8700', but took a long time. Lots of fun though, lots of exploring along the way. This crevasse isn't big, but because of its orientation it's visible from meadows.

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adamschneider
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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by adamschneider » August 13th, 2017, 10:43 pm

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.

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Chip Down
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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by Chip Down » August 14th, 2017, 7:54 pm

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.

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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by adamschneider » August 14th, 2017, 11:10 pm

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.

olderthanIusedtobe
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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by olderthanIusedtobe » August 21st, 2017, 11:51 am

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.

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adamschneider
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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by adamschneider » August 21st, 2017, 7:46 pm

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.

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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by kepPNW » August 22nd, 2017, 11:17 am

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?
Karl
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Chip Down
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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by Chip Down » August 22nd, 2017, 1:01 pm

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.

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kepPNW
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Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)

Post by kepPNW » August 22nd, 2017, 2:35 pm

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!
Karl
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