Ben Jacklet Follows the Sun
I remember a few years ago my friend Ben Jacklet telling me that he and his wife, Christina, were about to embark on a trip around the world. Literally.
Christina had earned a year-long sabbatical, and Ben’s gig selling solar panels wasn’t something that needed to tie him down. So they’d planned a roughly 12-month adventure: a few months overseas, then a return to Portland, followed by a few more months overseas, and so on and so on. The itinerary would take them to Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, Chile, India, Italy, Greece, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
But it wasn’t all just travel and exploration, fine food, coffee, wine, scuba diving, swimming and hiking. An award-winning journalist who I first met in 2004 at the Portland Tribune – and who later created the Mt. Hood site Shred Hood – Ben also had big plans for a book. One that would explore how all these countries were harnessing the sun for clean energy.
Well, he pulled it off. Not only did Ben and Christina have the global adventure they’d envisioned, but along the way, Ben interviewed at least 50 solar experts and toured countless solar installations around the world – then had the discipline and literary chops to bring the book to fruition.
It’s called “Follow the Sun: Around the World in Search of Solar Solutions.” It’s got the endorsement of renowned author, environmentalist and activist Bill McKibben. And it’s available now.
The book is a fantastic read for anyone who loves a good travel story and who believes in the promise of solar energy. Find “Follow the Sun” here, and learn more about Ben and his endeavors here.
And for a look at some of the adventures that I’ve shared with Ben over the years, check out the pics below.
Spring skiing on Mt. Hood gets sick
Not sick as in sweet jumps or killer powder, but sick as in shut down due to the coronavirus.
Today, even as we were in the car on the way up to the mountain, both Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline announced they were suspending operations for a least a week.
The ski areas are just the latest in a growing string of business closures as the COVID-19 pandemic grows. (Soon after hearing about Meadows and Timberline, I saw that the famous Powell’s Books has decided to close all five of its Portland locations until March 31.)
Summit Ski Area on Mt. Hood is also closed, as is the ski area at Cooper Spur Mountain Resort on the mountain’s north side. That latter closure isn’t related to COVID-19; it’s a lack of adequate snow.
As of Sunday March 15, at 12:45 p.m., Mt. Hood Skibowl remained open and is the only ski area on the mountain to do so.
With the way things are going, that probably won’t be the case much longer.
Mount Hood Gifts for 2019
It’s been a Christmas or two since I’ve updated this list of great Mount Hood gifts for mountain enthusiasts out there, but here’s the 2019 iteration, complete with some old favorites and some new additions:
- On Mount Hood: A Biography of Oregon’s Perilous Peak — Shameless, I know, but sometimes that’s just the way the world works. You can find it at Powell’s, Annie Bloom’s, Broadway Books and most other local bookstores. Here’s a list of stores outside of Portland, and you can always find it online at Powell’s, Abe Books, Biblio and Amazon.
- Code 1244: The 1986 Mount Hood Tragedy — Speaking of great Mount Hood books, this one from Portland-area author Ric Conrad recounts the tragic climb of the mountain by a group of students from the Oregon Episcopal School. You can read more about the book and see some great photos in this post, and buy it on Amazon.
- A Mount Hood pint glass — One of the coolest Mount Hood gifts in recent years is the Oregon Pint, a hand-blown pint glass from North Drinkware that has Mount Hood molded into its base. At $48, they’re not cheap, but they sure are cool.
A former Portland Tribune colleague of mine, Ben Jacklet, co-founded Shred Hood in 2013 as a community news and information site to cover the skiing, snowboarding and backcountry on Mount Hood.
Subscriptions come in a couple different options, including one-time and ongoing. Each has its privileges, including a sweet T-shirt and bottle opener depending on your subscription.
Find out more at Shred Hood.
- A donation to Oregon Wild or Bark —
Feeling a little more philanthropic this holiday season? Consider making a donation to some of the environmental groups that have worked — and are always working — to protect the region’s wild places, including, of course, Mount Hood. (Bark’s mission is more Mount Hood-centric, while Oregon Wild covers the entire state; both have played major roles in protecting Mount Hood and the Mount Hood National Forest.)
For more information about either of these groups, visit www.bark-out.org or www.oregonwild.org.
- Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Lidar Map of Mount Hood — DOGAMI released this double-sided, water-resistant map a couple years ago. It includes 75 trails around Mount Hood, wilderness areas, roads, campgrounds, information for climbers and hikers, and a geologic overview. Just $6 at Nature of the Northwest.
- Timberline Lodge Ram’s Head Fire Poker — Fashioned after the larger fireplace tools used at the storied Timberline Lodge, this hand-forged wrought iron poker is classic Timberline through and through. I met Darryl Nelson, the blacksmith behind much of the ironwork that’s been installed at Timberline over the past 30 years or so, and he told me guests regularly try to heist these out of the rooms. Not good. Instead, find them at the Timberline gift shop for $80. The shop also has a nice array of vintage-looking posters and artwork, books, souvenirs and more. Check it out.
The 2019 ski season starts on Mount Hood
For the most part, we’re fair-weather skiers. Springtime. Blue sky. Sunshine.
Softer snow, sure, but we’re largely OK with that. 
But every year, we do get a couple winter runs in, usually thanks to Timberline’s Cyber Monday deal, which is a buy-one-get-two free pass deal they run every year the Monday after Thanksgiving. You have to use them midweek and not during the winter break, but otherwise they’re fair game.
We cashed in a few of those freebies on a cold Presidents’ Day this year — a day that shifted from bluebird skies to eerie whiteout conditions depending on where you were on the mountain and when.
It was a great way to start our 2019 ski season on Hood.
The 2018 Ski Season on Mount Hood (so far . . .)
It’s been an up and down year for snow on Mount Hood thus far.
Back in February, some parts of the mountain had just 50 to 60 percent of their normal snow. We were skiing then, and you could tell. Even high up on the Magic Mile, rocks were exposed in a way that usually doesn’t come until late April or so.
February
Since then, however, the snow has piled up. The snowpack is still below annual averages, but there’s plenty more of it now than there was earlier this year.
March
And this past weekend, on Sunday, it was coming down like January. All day long it fell, creating amazing conditions for skiing all afternoon long.
April
We’ll see what the rest of spring brings to Mount Hood.
Spring Skiing on Mount Hood 2017
I suppose this is the season we should have bought spring passes for Timberline Lodge & Ski Area, seeing as how it’s still flush with snow in June while all the other resorts have long since closed.
But there’s no complaining. We spent a snowy, snowy weekend at Timberline back in March for Spencer’s birthday, stayed for a week in Government Camp for spring break and skied at Mt. Hood Meadows five of seven days, and made the most of an epic spring ski season that went strong until Meadows closed for the year on May 6.
It was a great season. On Mount Hood, they all are.
The snow piled up at Timberline Lodge in early March for Spencer’s birthday weekend.
Tons of snow made for deep powder skiing at Timberline in early March.
Spring break at Mt. Hood Meadows was largely socked in, but the sun broke through every now and then.
Madeline cruising down Vista at Mt. Hood Meadows, a favorite run on the mountain.
Another great ski season on Mount Hood.
On MOUNT HOOD 