The time of this photo was 7:15 a.m. Date June 1, 2013. An unknown climber was just in front of Thomas Poremba and his wife Becky on their way to the summit of Mount Hood in Oregon. We asked how they got to the summit so early in the day, and he said:
The reason for the early summit is we started from Timberline Lodge ski resort (6,000 feet) at 1:30 am. Wanted to summit at sunrise. This is called an alpine start (starting in the dark).
We had waited 10 days to make the attempt because it rained/snowed that whole time. Finally, we had a window on June 1.
Mount Hood is 11,239 feet. We were just short of the summit in this photo. Fog/cloud rolled in and made for some great photos …
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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