HernyG

The standard route (Easton Glacier) has some cracks by early summer. On the decent are you following some boot track figuring if they did not fall in you won't either? Or is it the early season idea, everything is filled in with snow? The old watch for depressions bit? There is no judgement on my part, I have been skiing more places of late and trying to understand the decisions. And I had a trip to Alaska where recent snow made cravase detection very difficult; everything was smooth until sticking a snowshoe through.

Previous experience on other trade route climbs, Lib. Ridge, Stuart North Ridge, etc., when you usually wind up with a bit of extra food doesn’t mean crap when you go into the Pickets. A 45 mile trip through the Pickets will teach a trade route climber many things. For one, Trails are Aid! However I still would not have wanted to carry too much more food given the mileage and our intent to climb Fury N.B. One other thing, I look like a dork in these photos. Oh well, I at least damn well enjoyed this trip and look forward to finishing a north route on Fury or training up for Sleese. Always looking over to that next rise…

The Americans that don't have already moved north or are on perpetual holiday in Denmark.

Point of Clarification. Chicago is a true blue island in the middle of a red sea: 81.6% for Kerry with a 77% voter turnout, nearly matching Manhattan and Bronx counties, New York. The map does not appear to have colored a few locations, including Miami. ...for whatever that's worth...

http://www.cic.gc.ca/

This one hurts (don't they all?). Peace to Peter's family of course, and also to Scott - we too know that passion.

Our party just did the ridge on Aug. 8th - here is the current water scoop. There is obviously water at Ingals lake, about an hour or two before the notch. There is also obviously snow on the Stuart Glacier that can be melted just before entering the couloir to the notch (a micro light stove and fuel can be lighter than water). At the notch bivy, there is a small lump of snow on the opposite side, in the descent couloir to the Ice Cliff glacier. After that, there is no easily accessible snow on the ridge itself until a small patch or two a couple hundred feet below the summit, one pitch after taking the rap to bypass the Gendarme - if you take that variation. In the Cascadian Couloir, on decent, there is a snow field. Surface water is also available at the creek before heading up Longs Pass. Without a stove, or time and sunlight to melt the minimal snow left on the ridge, there may be no water available between Ingals lake and the creek - in other words, nearly the whole climb.

Three pages on headlamps?

Any comments on the REI (Capitalist Pig - see another thread) Minimalist Bivy? There is not much out there in the outdoorgearreview.com world about this cheap and light sack.

Ok, you twisted my arm, I'll replace the High "E" (Gunks) photo on my desktop for this.

Mike, I was on crutches for four months - ice hockey accident. Anyway, check out the Chicago River Canoe and Kayak rentals, on the river just south of Addison. It is about 3 hours roundtrip to the Sears Tower and back. Sure the river smells like shit, but it's an interesting run.

Wow - thanks for the extra information guys! There is a lot there to digest. Over the years, I've actually found these planning decisions to be part of the fun of mountaineering. Such as how much to have along, for instance.

You are not missing anything, I've just not completely timed out the route via the map & guidebook yet. But my first read through the guide book says "most people will not do the route in one-day." Hence the conideration of the bivy site. But perhaps the guide merly implies most will not do the route car-to-car in a day, and that one simple bivies at the toe of the ridge the night before.

Thank guys. I've not had to bivy-sac before, always doing either one-day climbs or multiday trips were I could find a place for a small tent. I guess I borrow or find a cheap sac on ebay or something.

You know, all you people that depart Thumb Rock 4 hours before the crack of dawn mostly miss seeing the wonderful 5000 feet of exposure above the Carbon. Accidentally over sleep! Then be the last party to leave Thumb Rock at 7 AM or so, and see what a fantastic climb the ridge is during the daylight. The shrud looks quite a bit different than last year.