Climbing Mount Jefferson

Lacking a job, I've turned to climbing mountains. Not very profitable, but at least it's cheap.

My first 4000-footer was Mount Jefferson, the third highest mountain in the state, weighing in at 5712' above sea level. It's also the most accessible, since the Caps Ridge Trail leaves from about 3,000', and runs straight up the ridge to the summit.

That sounds easy.
Pure vertical walls of granite, dripping with snow, slush, ice and water, tell a different story.So it took a little longer than expected, and the final climb above treeline was pretty relentless.

I took a couple side trails to get back down, venturing out toward Mts Clay and Washington, and traveling on the Appalachian Trail for a bit. This turned out to be a bad choice, as there really wasn't a trail to follow (despite cairns every 20'). It was all upturned shards of granite lightly covered by snow, hiding pitfalls and crevices. The connecting path to get me back down the mountain was completely unbroken, so half a mile took me close to an hour. Snow was past my knees in some places, and I fell more than once. I went at a snail's pace, testing each foot placement with my trekking poles. Thank goodness for synthetic pants. All the snow just whisked right off of them, and I remained warm and dry.

I also used my pants to great effect when scooting down the vertical sheets of rock. Like sledding, without the snow, sled, clear path or illusion of safety.But it was a perfectly clear day, very warm and clear. I couldn't have asked for better weather.

Next up: Mount Washington.