Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

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BurnsideBob
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by BurnsideBob » September 5th, 2019, 9:20 pm

adamschneider wrote:
September 4th, 2019, 8:04 pm
Here's an idea for a big loop: start on the Newton Creek Trail (from Hood River Meadows?), go up Newton Clark Moraine, traverse north below NC Glacier and then go down Gnarl Ridge.
Hi Adam:

Thought you'd be interested in this trip report by Fred about doing your proposed route in reverse direction.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=11071&p=77322&hilit=Thomas#p77322

All of you guys rock!!

Burnside
I keep making protein shakes but they always turn out like margaritas.

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mjirving
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by mjirving » September 5th, 2019, 9:35 pm

Okay...I finally got my act together tonight to put out of "preview" of my Mt Hood High Route. It turned out to be a bit more than a preview...but that's usually how it goes with me. :lol:

Here's the link if you're interested in continuing the story on this part of the mountain and other quite nice and high parts of it.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=28521&view=unread#unread

(hopefully I did that correctly)

Mike aka GoalTech

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woodswalker
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by woodswalker » September 6th, 2019, 6:39 am

In 2017 I went a little ways up that ridge. We stopped at about 6500' and even from there the views were amazing. Loved all the waterfalls I could see. I came up an easier route though. I took the Elk Meadows trail over to the Newton trail until I hit Timberline then headed south over to that ridge and up. It's good to know what the terrain is like further up. I had thought of returning and going further.

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adamschneider
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by adamschneider » September 6th, 2019, 8:32 am

OK... next time I decide to go up there (which may not be for a few years, honestly), this is where I'm going:

Image

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BurnsideBob
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by BurnsideBob » September 8th, 2019, 10:00 am

That looks like a grand adventure, Adam. Especially the headwall and along the glacier north.

Since there seems to be interest in this ridge, I'll describe a loop alternative which MHM skiers might find interesting.

My youngest son and I started the route as you describe in your first post. We parked at the main parking lot gate (locked) and took the North Canyon Ski Trail up to the TT600, which we took thru Heather Canyon to Newton Clark ridge. We climbed the ridge till the sandy/gravelly moraine ends, at which point we down climbed left (South) passing underneath the hanging garden, and contouring south to the creek. From the creek we ascended to get above a rock outcrop, then contoured South at about 7400 feet over to A Zone. At A zone we descended, trying not to lose too much altitude, until we got underneath the Avalauncher. We then climbed to the ridge top, and dropped down Texas Bowl (bowl where the now defunct Texas chair was located) until we hit the South Canyon Ski Trail service road, which we took back to the parking lot.

The highlights of this trip were the waterfalls in Heather Canyon, the waterfalls visible from Newton Clark Ridge, the hanging garden, and the lush flowery meadows along the little creek in Texas Bowl. Most of the portion of the loop from Newton Clark Ridge to Texas Bowl was on snow and easy walking--maybe not so easy if the snow is gone.

Happy off trails,

Burnside
I keep making protein shakes but they always turn out like margaritas.

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Chip Down
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by Chip Down » September 8th, 2019, 1:35 pm

BurnsideBob wrote:
September 8th, 2019, 10:00 am
... We then climbed to the ridge top, and dropped down Texas Bowl (bowl where the now defunct Texas chair was located) ...
Aha! I've been wondering about a lone footing I found on a ridgecrest. Looked kinda small for a modern lift, but I couldn't think of any plausible explanation.

Oh, but wait, that can't be it. This was the first ridge south/left of the moraine (facing Hood), so just across Clark Creek. And the Meadows history page says Texas was replaced by Cascade, waaaay on the other side . (Interesting, I see there's a Texas Trail.) So was there ever a lift up high, north of Heather Canyon? This was on the short ridge that fades around 6750', not the one above Heather Creek that goes higher. Hope this isn't too far off topic. If it is, I blame Bob!
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mjirving
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by mjirving » September 8th, 2019, 1:56 pm

I saw that footing last year. Looked like brand new hardware. Had no idea what it could be for.

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BurnsideBob
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by BurnsideBob » September 8th, 2019, 5:02 pm

The old Texas Chairlift ran from below and south west of the current ski patrol building at MHM, uphill of the Mazot restaurant facility, and north of "Marmot Ridge". The upper end of the lift was north of and slightly below the top of the current Cascade Express Lift. If you follow the cat track that accesses A Zone and the Outer Limits Ski Run from Cascade Express, you will see the footings below you, and on down the slope. The ones I've run across had the bolts cut with acetylene torch. There is/was a memorial plaque for a man killed during lift construction, although that may have been relocated to the top of "Memorial Bowl".

Runnning out the cat track to A-Zone, the Avalauncher was in a small shed to the NE right on the ridge crest. The Avalauncher was retired when MHM got their howitzer for avy control, but the abandoned shed remained for some time. While it has been a couple years since I was up there on foot, the shed was still there BUT IIRC appeared to be gone the last time I skiied MHM. I have not seen the footing in the photograph, but if its location overlooks A-Zone it may well be for the Avalauncher--this is just speculation on my part, tho.

By way of explanation, an Avalauncher was a cannon-like device that used compressed gas to lob explosive charges. While it could reach slopes far beyond what a human could, it was inadequate to trigger avalanches in the area A Zone up to Super Bowl, which is, in part, why Heather Canyon would not open to skiing for days after big storms. Historically there have been some massive avalanches that broke loose above A-Zone and carried all the way down Heather Canyon past the bottom of the Heather Canyon Lift. Ditto major avalanches in Newton and Clark canyons--that's why there are no trees of any size along the creeks in the upper reaches of these drainages.

Skier Burnside
I keep making protein shakes but they always turn out like margaritas.

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Chip Down
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by Chip Down » September 9th, 2019, 4:18 am

BurnsideBob wrote:
September 8th, 2019, 5:02 pm
Runnning out the cat track to A-Zone, the Avalauncher was in a small shed to the NE right on the ridge crest. The Avalauncher was retired when MHM got their howitzer for avy control, but the abandoned shed remained for some time. While it has been a couple years since I was up there on foot, the shed was still there BUT IIRC appeared to be gone the last time I skiied MHM.
This would seem to explain the dilapidated shed I've seen up there. Pic below from May 2019.
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BurnsideBob
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Re: Newton Clark Ridge/Moraine, 8/31/19

Post by BurnsideBob » September 10th, 2019, 4:51 pm

Hi Chip!

That looks to be the avalauncher shed.

I checked satellite view on Adam's site and the shed is visible! 45.35027,-121.67589

Not much snow at all--not sure I've ever been up there with that little snow.

Burnside
I keep making protein shakes but they always turn out like margaritas.

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