[drm]

After spending a day volunteering at the historic Tilly Jane Guard Station on Mt Hood, storing wood for the winter season (and hoping this winter I can go up on my tele boards instead of microspikes!), I camped for the night in front of the cabin and Sunday morning hiked up Cooper Spur and beyond. The cabin is at 5700' so it isn't far to the timberline, then you switchback through the sand and alpine rubble to the top of the spur at around 8500', the highest maintained trail on Hood. A rougher trail continues across a rib that connects the spur to the mountains and leads to the start of a climbing route on the NE side at nearly 9000' - not a bad altitude top for a hike in the Cascades!

Mt Hood from the top of the regular trail at about 8500'

upper part of the Eliot Glacier

From the 9000' level (8960 actually) looking up at the climbing route

Looking down from the top down the rib connecting to the normal trail's end

Even closer look at the Eliot Glacier

Looking south across the Newton Glacier (?) to Mt. Jefferson and North Sister beyond

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Nice. Cooper Spur is a great trail, one of my favorites around Hood.

[puzzlr]

It's fun to see this area with so little snow. Like getting a sneak peek into what may be normal in the future.

[Magellan]

Those glaciers look like two or three more non-winters and they won't be there anymore.

[Hutch]

Love Tilly Jane. Went for the first time this summer and it's going to be a yearly pilgrimage for me.

[ONELUV1]

Thanks for the TR. Its nice to see the summer perspective. I've tried climbing that route a few times in winter and more recently some ski trips out of the tilly Jane. For some reason, the route doesn't look so bad without all the snow over it. I love the drive in from hood river. Such a beautiful place.