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.
Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
- Attachments
-
- 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.
Last edited by Chip Down on August 13th, 2017, 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- adamschneider
- Posts: 3717
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
- Location: SE Portland
- Contact:
Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
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.Chip Down wrote:Saw what I think was a marmot, which I can't recall seeing on Hood before.
Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
Hey! That wasn't nice.adamschneider wrote:They're yellow-bellied marmots.
You're probably right though. I tried to get closer, and it scampered off.
- adamschneider
- Posts: 3717
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
- Location: SE Portland
- Contact:
Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
The one I saw last week below Eliot ran like hell as soon as it saw me. National Park marmots they are not.Chip Down wrote:Hey! That wasn't nice.adamschneider wrote:They're yellow-bellied marmots.
You're probably right though. I tried to get closer, and it scampered off.
-
- Posts: 488
- Joined: January 2nd, 2014, 10:45 am
Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
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.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.
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.
- adamschneider
- Posts: 3717
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
- Location: SE Portland
- Contact:
Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
They also hang around at the very popular Shoshone Falls Park in Twin Falls, Idaho, miles from any mountains.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.
Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
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.
Karl
Back on the trail, again...
Back on the trail, again...
Re: Newton-Clark Prow (Mt Hood)
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.
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)
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!
Thanks, Chip!
I like the name you've chosen. Very easy to remember!
Thanks, Chip!
Karl
Back on the trail, again...
Back on the trail, again...