Mount Jefferson: a dangerous mountain in Oregon

Early Attempts 1987 - 1988

From my Climb Journal, June 27, 1987
At 0630, began the climb from Whitewater Creek trailhead. Reached Jefferson Park Lakes by 0930.  A beautiful location - brings tears to the eyes, also mosquitoes in hoards at this time of year!  Up to a campsite on the eastern side of the Jefferson Park glacier, elevation 8250’.  An excellent sheltered location on the snow behind moraine rocks and away from any potential avalanche fall.

The new Coleman gasoline stove went berserk - bloody useless, and kicked it into a deep crevasse.  Fortunately, one lone bush by the tent.  I used the dead wood for heating supper and breakfast.  Very good weather and the night mild.  Woke at 0530 and off up the slope at 0630.  The route is classed II - 3 to 4 grade [whatever that means?].  Many crevasses, also afternoon danger from falling rock. 

Traversed the glacier to the left side, up to the highest point, then level across to exit glacier.  Bergschrund gave some problems - crossed at extreme left with a 20 foot ice wall to climb and snow bridges not too secure.  Up the exit glacier to saddle and left along a narrow rock ridge. Suspect I took the wrong route?  A rock traverse became more and more extreme.  Much exposure and loose rock.  Decided to retreat as time passing [1230] and a long careful descent ahead before crossing falling rock zone  - must pass there no later than 1400.  The correct route maybe up the gully to the left of rock ridge?
Down without incident to the tent and packed up and off to Jefferson Park and out to trailhead by 2100.  A belated warning from a passing hiker about dangers and deaths on the route I’ve just taken. Certainly a day of much exposure with extreme prejudice.  I must never try a route like this again without a partner and rope.  I really went out on the edge today.

Pamelia Lake and the southern face, July 17, 1988    A one day epic:  Trailhead, Pamelia Lake - side trail to PCT - Mudhole Lake - South face climb to the Red Saddle and return to the trailhead, all in the same day.  A 20 mile round trip in 19.5 hours.  Met with Jim Frost, student at Corvallis.  He’d never climbed before but a good traveling companion. We gave it our best shot but the slope below the summit pinnacle too exposed for a traverse without being roped. Also tight on time.  Met a climbing team from the Mazamas club in Portland - amazed at our plan to climb in one day from the trailhead.
The weather beautiful and snow conditions ideal for climbing, but what a tiring day.  The route up the south face goes best to the left of the prominent valley above Mudhole Lake.  The walk out in the dark, almost from Mudhole Lake, was an experience to remember.  I had the only flashlight, a small glimmer in an impenetrable forest darkness.  It seemed we were moving so fast along the trail but in reality our pace was considerably slower than normal daytime travel - a strange unexplained illusion.  The imagined presence of Bigfoot, a bear, or a cougar keeping pace in the trees parallel to the trail, was easy to accept in the circumstances.

Roped with Lucy and Mal 1995 - 1997

By 1996 I was back climbing on Jefferson with roped partners: my wife, Lucy and best climbing mate from Australia, Mal. During the summers of 1995 - 96, Lucy and I made attempts from both the Jefferson Park Glacier and the southern face routes. We reached the lower side of the bergschrund on the glacier and Red Saddle on the southern ridge, giving both climbs away for safety reasons.

In mid 1997, Mal joined us for the last [serious] attempt on the Jefferson Park Glacier. The climb went well, reaching a higher point under the rock ridge than I'd made in 1987, but retreated under the threat of falling rock in the early afternoon. Mal was hit on the jaw by a fast moving pebble, while belaying me over the bergschrund during our descent to high camp.

Success at Last: September 1997 - Southern Route

Lucy and I left our high camp at 0630, reaching Red Saddle by 0930 and finally on the summit by 1330. Unfortunately not much to see, as the peak was enveloped in cloud.  No snow on the summit pinnacle, which made the final ascent easier than our previous attempt at this route.  We did make a few wrong moves on the pinnacle rock before reaching the final summit face. 
Much time consumed in belaying the steep snow traverse from the Saddle up to the base of the pinnacle and back down. Reached our high camp by the pond at 1730, only to be subjected to a fearsome thunderstorm display for half the night. A night of barely controlled fear, pretending that our fragile tent would protect us from the lightning strikes on the surrounding rock outcrops.
The irony of safely returning from a dangerous summit, only to killed in our sleeping bags by a lightning strike!

©2014 Peter Tremayne, Reno NV