>>
>> AND
>> AND ON
>> AND ON THE WAY HE LEARNED A LOT.
>>
>> Reporter: IT'S HARD TO CLIMB MT. HOOD THIS TIME OF
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. THERE'S JUST NO WAY AROUND IT.
I STARTED UP THE MOUNTAIN WITH
FOUR MEMBERS OF PORTLAND
MOUNTAIN RESCUE JUST AFTER
MIDNIGHT ABOUT 12:30 MONDAY
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A TWO
HOUR NAP I'D BEEN AWAKE 15
HOURS AND THE CLIMB WAS JUST
STARTING.
STARTING.
STARTING. WE NEEDED TO GET UP AND DOWN
BEFORE THE SUN MELTED ICE AND
SENT A POTENTIALLY LETHAL LOAD
OF ROCK AND ICE DOWN THE
MOUNTAIN.
MOUNTAIN.
MOUNTAIN. THE MOON GUIDED OUR PATH FOR A
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. IT
TIME. IT WAS COLD AND ICY.
WE STOPPED AFTER AN HOUR TO PUT
ON CRAMP-ONS.
ON CRAMP-ONS. THEIR HUGE SPIKES GAVE US MUCH
BETTER TRACTION ON THE ICE
CRUSTED SNOW.
CRUSTED SNOW. WE TOOK A SECOND BREAK AT THE
TOP OF THE PALMER CHAIRLIFT AND
BEGAN SEEING OTHER GROUPS ALSO
HEADING UP.
HEADING UP. AS THE FIRST HINTS OF DAWN
ARRIVED, WE MADE IT TO THE
HOG'S BACK, A HUGE RIDGE OF
SNOW NEXT TO CRATER ROCK
CREATED BY MOUNTAIN WIND.
IT'S WHERE WE WOULD LEAVE OUR
TREKKING POLES AND USE ICE AXES
TO GO UP THROUGH THE PEARLY
GATES AND TO THE TOP.
PMR'S TIM OZERCOFF SHOT VIDEO
OF ME STRUGGLING UP THE STEEP
SLOPE TO THE GATES.
IT'S A NARROW CHUTE THAT OFTEN
GETS JAMMED UP ON WEEKENDS AND
IS THE TECHNICAL PART OF THE
CLIMB AND THEN AFTER SIX HEART
POUNDING HOURS WE WERE THERE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
PAT DOORIS, COMING UP TO THE
SUMMIT OF MT. HOOD, FIRST CLIMB
WITH PMR.
WITH PMR.
WITH PMR. >> HALLELUJAH!
>> HALLELUJAH! >> RIGHT ON!
HEAD
HEAD ON
HEAD ON UP TO WHERE MARK IS.
>>
>> Reporter: PLEASE SHOW ME TO THE GONDOLA.
THE GONDOLA. THE VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE
11,400-FOOT VOLCANO IS
EXTRAORDINARY.
EXTRAORDINARY. IT FEELS LIKE YOU CAN SEE
FOREVER.
FOREVER.
FOREVER. WE HAD INCREDIBLE WEATHER AND
WATCHED AS THE MOUNTAIN SHADOWS
STRETCHED TO THE WEST.
WE SNAPPED A FEW PICTURES, MET
A CLIMBER FROM AUSTRALIA IN THE
BLACK COAT THERE.
HE OFFERED A SIP OF HIS HOME
BREW, NO, THANK YOU, AND THEN
IT WAS TIME TO GO BACK DOWN.
>> YOU KIND OF HAVE TO
OVEREXAGGERATE YOUR STEPS KIND
OF LIKE A STORK LIKE IN SLOW
MOTION SO YOUR HEELS DON'T
CATCH.
CATCH.
CATCH. SEE THESE LIPS HERE?
>> Reporter: YEAH.
>> IF YOU PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN
TOO EARLY IT, WILL CATCH AND
KNOCK YOU OFF BALANCE.
>> Reporter: IT WAS
TERRIFYINGLY EASY TO IMAGINE
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT.
THEY TOLD ME MOST CLIMBERS WHO
FALL DO IT ON THE WAY DOWN.
AS WE WENT THROUGH THE STEEP
PEARLY GATES NICK MAZLIN DROVE
A SPIKE INTO THE ICE AND PUT ME
ON A ROPE FOR SAFETY.
>> WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP
DOING, AS YOU'VE DONE ALREADY,
KEEP DOWN CLIMBING WATCHING
YOUR STEPS AND WHATNOT, BUT IF
SOMETHING COMES UP SINCE IT'S
GETTING A LITTLE STEEP WITH YOU
HERE, YOU'LL BE BACKED UP
ATTACHED TO ME, WHICH IS
ATTACHED TO THAT SUPER BOMBER
ANCHOR.
ANCHOR.
ANCHOR. >> Reporter: AWESOME.
>> YOU AIN'T GOING ANYWHERE.
>>
>> Reporter: GOING TOWN REQUIRED PATIENCE HAMMERING IN
THE ICE AXE FOR A HOLD, THEN
MOVING THE FEET FOR OTHER HOLDS
AND DOING IT OVER AND OVER AND
OVER AGAIN.
OVER AGAIN. IT'S HARD TO CAPTURE HOW STEEP
THE CLIMB IS TO AND FROM THE
PEARLY GATES, BUT THIS PICTURE
COMES CLOSE.
COMES CLOSE. IT IS TERRIFYING TO THINK ABOUT
TRIPPING.
TRIPPING.
TRIPPING. A BIT FARTHER DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
WE CAME TO THE CREVASSE THAT
STRETCHES ACROSS THE CLIMBING
ROUTE CALLED A BERGSTROM, THE
PLACE WHERE A GLACIER SPLITS IN
TWO.
TWO.
TWO. IT'S
TWO. IT'S 20 FEET WIDE NOW AND 100
FEET OR MORE TO THE BOTTOM.
CLIMBERS NEED TO BE EXTREMELY
CAREFUL ABOVE THIS.
>> YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THE KEY
CLIMBING ROUTES IS JUST ABOVE.
SO EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE
UNFORTUNATELY SOMEBODY FALLS UP
THERE AND WHEN THEY FALL, THEY
ARE LIKELY TO SLIDE INTO THIS.
IT'S AWFUL.
IT'S AWFUL. >> Reporter: THERE ARE
SPECTACULAR VIEWS.
SPECTACULAR VIEWS. EVEN AROUND THE HOG'S BACK.
MT. HOOD IS STILL AN ACTIVE
VOLCANO.
VOLCANO.
VOLCANO. WE COULD SEE AND SMELL GAS
VENTING NEXT TO CRATER ROCK AND
THE FORMATION OF SNOW DRAINING
INTO THE VENT IS AN AMAZING
THING TO SEE, BUT THIS BEAUTY
BRINGS DANGER, TOO.
SOME CLIMBERS HAVE FALLEN IN
AND WERE LUCKY TO SURVIVE THE
DANGEROUS GASES.
DANGEROUS GASES. STILL FARTHER DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
ANOTHER DANG, THIS ONE POINTED
OUT BY ERIK BROMS, AN ICE
BRIDGE CALLED THE DEVIL'S
KITCHEN.
KITCHEN.
KITCHEN. TO A CLIMBER APPROACHING FROM
THE BOTTOM, IT LOOKS SOLID, BUT
IT'S NOT.
IT'S NOT.
IT'S NOT. >> AT SOME POINT IT'S GOING TO
CAVE IN.
CAVE IN.
CAVE IN. IF YOU'RE STANDING ON TOP OF IT
AT THAT TIME, IT'S LIKE A SNOW
BRIDGED CREVASSE.
BRIDGED CREVASSE. SO YOU'LL GO IN THE HOLE.
>> Reporter: THERE YOU GO.
MT. HOOD OFFERS AMAZING SITES,
INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES AND SOME
LIFE THREATENING DANGERS, BUT
DONE SAFELY IF YOU'RE LIKE ME,
IT WILL BE AN EXPERIENCE YOU
CHERISH FOREVER.
CHERISH FOREVER. >> IT WAS AN AMAZING
EXPERIENCE, THANKS TO PMR FOR
GUIDING ME UP THERE AND WE'RE
JUST SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE MT.
HOOD RIGHT HERE IN OUR
BACKYARD.
BACKYARD.
BACKYARD. I REALLY WANT TO TELL YOU AT
HOME YOU DON'T HAVE TO CLIMB
MT. HOOD IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.
IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT, DO
AND TAKE A PROFESSIONAL GUIDE,
BUT JUST GET OUTSIDE AND TAKE A
HIKE.
HIKE.
HIKE. ENJOY THE NATURE THAT WE HAVE
HERE AND THANKS TO MATT ZAFFINO
WHO REALLY HELPED US NAIL THE
DATE WE WERE GOING TO CLIMB.
WE WEREN'T SURE IF WE WERE
GOING SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY
OR MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY.
HE SAID DON'T DO MONDAY INTO
TUESDAY.
TUESDAY.
TUESDAY. IT'S GOING TO BE BAD WEATHER
AND HE WAS EXACTLY RIGHT.
>> ALL THE YEARS YOU LIVED HERE
I'M SURE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT
DOING THIS A LOT.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> WHAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST
AS YOU MADE THE JOURNEY UP
THERE?
THERE?
THERE? >>
THERE? >> IT WAS STEEPER THAN I
THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AND IT WAS
MORE SCARY COMING DOWN THAN I
THOUGHT IT WOULD BE, BUT IT WAS
SPECTACULAR AND I KEEP THINKING
I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE
AND SAY I CLIMBED THAT THING
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. >>
NOW. >> I
NOW. >> I FEEL LIKE THAT WHEN I SEE
MOUNT ST. HELEN'S.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN TOO AFRAID TO
CLIMB MT. HOOD, BUT I FEEL LIKE