Timberline Trail — Mt. Hood

The snowpack is your primary planning factor on this trip. With 31 inches still on the ground and highs in the mid-to-upper 60s all three days, you'll get significant solar melt on sun-exposed slopes each afternoon. North-aspect traverses above treeline will be firm and icy in the morning, then punchy and postholing by early afternoon — microspikes or an ice axe are worth having for the early-day crossings, especially on steeper snow traverses on the northeast and north flanks of Hood. The avalanche center has issued no rating (late-season bulletin lapse), but their standing guidance is to watch for recent avalanches, cracking, or collapsing — the persistent warm temps mean wet slide potential on steep, sun-baked slopes in the early afternoon window.

Stream crossings look manageable right now. The five gauges in the region are all running at or near normal, so the Zigzag, Sandy, and Eliot crossings shouldn't be dangerous — but that can change fast with three consecutive warm days and warm overnight lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Nights aren't cold enough to fully refreeze the snowpack, so each day's melt adds to the previous. Saturday and Sunday afternoons will likely see the highest flows of the trip. Cross glacial-fed streams — especially Sandy and Eliot — in the morning before 10 AM. If you're hitting those crossings in the afternoon, probe depth before committing and use trekking poles for three points of contact.

Weather is about as clean as it gets for late May on Hood. Winds are negligible (under 8 mph WSW all three days), skies are mostly sunny through Sunday, and Sunday night brings only a 21% chance of light rain — nothing that changes your plans. No active fires within 50 miles means air quality is clean.

With 15-plus hours of daylight, you have flexibility, but front-load your mileage each day. Aim to be past the major north-side snow traverses and glacial crossings by 10 AM. Camp on or below treeline where snow coverage is minimal and ground is more settled. The long daylight and stable weather give you a real margin — use it to move early rather than late.