"The Soft Shovel," an exhibition at Igloo Gallery featuring the inaugural residents of the Outpost residency. The show featured works by Portland-based artists Katy Asher, Tom Colligan, Bruce Conkle, Ryan Jeffery, Jenn Rawling, Vanessa Renwick and Ethan Rose, and was accompanied by a self-published essay “First Spark” by husband/wife team Ryan Pierce and Amy Harwood about their experience starting Mt. Hood's first artist residency.

The artists featured in the show were curated by Pierce and Harwood and asked to be "guinea pigs" for the first season. They were sited in a vintage trailer, with food and electric power in an isolated setting in the forests of Mt. Hood National Forest. By capturing inspiration from uninterrupted natural processes while maintaining the benefit of an enclosed shelter, Signal Fire hopes to provide incubation space for future ideas and projects.