iain

Right back atcha... Thanks for the great photos and company.

Thank you for the photos. It's healthy to maintain a strict policy of not touching any rock on North Sister.

I was curious if it released on the widespread surface hoar reported in the Stevens Pass and Methow areas in the days before the storm.

I have the Lithium and an older Pinnacle. As far as I can tell the Lithium is bare-bones compared to my other Marmot bag. Things like a watch pocket near your ear are not there on the Lithium to save weight. It also might be cut a little smaller to save some additional oz. I am satisfied with it.

Nice pictures. Last time I was on the cowdog there was a fixed rope in the gulley to the left. But we ended up rapping all 2.5 pitches since we couldn't see a smooth pull happening. Felt the first pitch was a little scuzzy but maybe it's cleaner now.

Unlikely. ODOT is not planning to plow McKenzie Pass this year. Pole Creek TH is definitely open for business though.

Here's mtnhigh on chopper. Will eventually kill/maim someone but until then it's a fun one. Fun to watch the cams creak in the upper part.

The cleanest descents from near the summit pinnacle on N. Sister are Thayer Glacier Headwall and Early Morning Couloir. Unfortunately they don't lend themselves to moving south. You can expect some steep snow/ice and rock with significant exposure to top out on these routes that time of year. If you descend via the standard s. route downclimbing into the bowling alley w/ ski boots and skis could be engaging if there is ice. It would be possible to pick your way down the west face in a southerly traversing fashion but it might not be as satisfying as the above and you'd be skiing it on-sight. It would put you in a good position for moving on to M. Sister. If you are game for the above descents you might consider Diller Headwall on M. Sister. The SW ridge is the classic descent. I would plan the # of days not for fitness level but to be skiing the routes at the right time of day.

I like how Beacon was somehow worked into this.

Just wanted to throw in another vote for the Canons in general. Nikon makes a mean SLR and lens but their coolpix series leave a lot to be desired.

Labor Day is a rad time to be in the City. I've been there at that time with great results. I've also been during 4th of July and it's way too hot unless you have the discipline to take a mid-day nap and climb in the evening.

Strange arguing going on here. Some stuff is cast, some isn't. The original Jumar is a cast frame. The Petzl Ascension is stamped. Every carabiner out there is probably forged out of aluminum bar stock, as that's the right way to make something light that has to catch a big fall. Smart rescue units have dumped their old steel carabiners as "unnecessarily strong" or set them aside for training only. If you want some I'm sure I can get a good deal on them.

Here's the one I remember. It killed one person and injured a few more. Conditions were exceedingly unstable though. The crown extended around all of West Crater Rim. I've set off size 1-2's of windslab from the bergschrund before. It's definitely something to pay attention to. Unfortunately you're often on it when you realize it. Also, this photo really illustrates the changes over time to the terrain up there! This was back in 1998.

Standing at Luna Col should be on every Cascade climber's bucket list. Just an amazing place to spend a night!

Rodney you are tearing it up. Triple C's is looking fat

Silcox is not within the Mt Hood Wilderness area. Are the others you are referring to the McNeil and Cooper Spur shelters?

You can skate w/o skins on skis to the Devils Lake TH from Mt. Bachelor via the highway, and come up the regular summer route. The return trip to Mt. Bachelor is a long hike/skin up the road. Hiking all that way sounds miserable. You could try carrying a case of PBR and stick your thumb out on the highway and the sledders would be happy to help your cause. Conditions are "firm" in the area right now, with late afternoon corn forming on south facing steeper inclines.

just past crown point in the gorge.

Access Creek is not bad exiting. There is some slick heather to traverse (used crampons, even) from Luna Col and possibly some steep neve to downclimb the shoulder of Luna. After that it is an alder jungle gym for a bit then steep forest down to big beaver, where hopefully a log crossing can be found. Then it's the long grind to the boat dock, or worse, the dam.

Jim looks like he's ready to go scuba diving in the Columbia.

K2 Mt. Baker/Shuksan = the ultimate cascade ski mountaineering platform

W Mac, Fury, and Challenger seem like mandatory ticks for a soloist traversing the range. Depends on your comfort level soloing that stuff. Bring along some light cord for rappelling. You might even use it for your approach and exit haha.

4x4 truck recommended to get to that junction. Some hillbillies tried to go further. Didn't turn out well.

Here is a recent discussion about probing, with some very experienced people responding on both sides of the probe question: http://straightchuter.com/2010/12/to-probe-or-not-to-probe/

Probe perpendicular to the snow surface, whatever that may be. If you are good with your transceiver you should be striking within about 3 probes barring certain issues. If you are able to dig a big hole by the time someone gets their probe out, they need some serious practice with their probe. It should be a 10 second affair. Digging a deep hole in work-hardened snow accurately takes a lot of time and effort. You have to be on the money with where you dig, and with the probe in place on the strike you will have a target. You can't dig a hole straight down. You have to come in from the side.