Mt. Hood Ski-Backpacking

May 12 & 13 - Northern Oregon

When I was 14 I read a book called "Assault in Norway." The story is set in 1944, as German scientists are researching atomic weapons in Norway. A group of Norwegian soldiers re-enter their occupied homeland and attempt to secretly dismantle the nazi nuclear program. The Norwegian soldiers move about unnoticed by backcountry-cross country skiing for hundreds of miles across Scandinavia.
There is something very alluring to me about trekking through inaccessible wilderness by the primitive transportation of skis.

And so I was inspired to do this trip in the Mt. Hood National Forest:

60 miles south of Hood: Mt. Jefferson, as viewed from Bennett Pass

Summit, viewed from Timberline Lodge

Mt. Hood from Bennett ridge line

Avalanche danger is extremely high right now around Mt. Hood. This  photo shows a patch of
trail that was making shifting noises. The "ripe" snow deterred me from making the traverse.

* A note on cross country skis:
While the Mt. Hood national forest has excellent Tele-skiing, I am not super comfortable carrying my winter pack with overnight gear on aggressive hills. Ski-backpacking is best accomplished with steel-edged BC cross country skis.