54 Candles Expedition

Launched from the White Mountains

By Allen Sherpa

On Friday the 13^th of April 2001, ten men – most from the White Mountains of Arizona – will attempt to greet the sunrise while standing on the summit of Mount Hood, the highest mountain in Oregon. The weather and mountain permitting, they will leave high camp in the middle of the night and climb the remaining 2,500 feet with the light of headlamps and – with luck – moonlight.

They’ll trek up the Palmer Glacier tied together as two five-man rope teams. If one of the climbers suffers the misfortune of falling into a crevasse, the rope will keep him from becoming lost and will allow his teammates to rescue him.

Expedition members will be schooled in the art of “self-arrest”, a technique where a climber’s ice-axe is used as a brake when there is a fall on steep, glacial ice. Those not proficient in self-arrest also stop after a fall. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes a few thousand feet of ice and rock and the results are rarely pleasant.

The assault on the summit will begin in the middle of the night because that’s the time avalanche hazard is lowest. Although an avalanche can occur at any time, the chances increase in the late morning and early afternoon as the sun begins to melt some of the surface snow and the moisture increases the weight of its upper layers.

Many climbers have died on Mount Hood in recent years while trying to reach the summit. Some have died in avalanches. Others have been killed in falls from one of the eleven named glaciers on the mountain. Not long ago, nine high school students died when treacherous weather hit the mountain and they became lost in a “white-out”.

As if all of this isn’t enough, Mount Hood is a volcano. After the eruption of Mount St. Helens a little to the north, many geologists feel that Mount Hood could be next. There have indeed been signs of increased geologic activity on Hood with a number of minor earthquakes taking place last year.

If you’re beginning to believe that the 54 Candles Expedition’s greatest benefit for the White Mountains is that the number of residents on the margin of insanity may be reduced by ten, you’re not alone. Many family members and friends of the climbers feel the same way. They will be staying at Oregon’s Timberline Lodge while the climbers ascend the mountain. After reviewing insurance policies, the lodge party is being referred to as the “beneficiaries” by the climbers. The “beneficiaries” are referring to the climbers as “the nut-cases”.

So who are these people? Chances are you know at least some of them. If you live in Show Low , Pinetop, Lakeside or even out in the Pinedale – Clay Springs area, they may be your neighbors. There are community leaders, business people and even grandparents headed for the summit. The youngest – 22, the oldest – 55.

Is it dangerous? Perhaps. Is it worthwhile? The climbers believe it’s very worthwhile. Are they a bit “off”? It’s not out of the question. But standing on the peak of Oregon’s highest mountain isn’t something customarily done by people deemed to be totally “normal” or for that matter even wanting to be considered totally “normal”.

So, why are they doing it? Well, I guess that’s another story.