InPlainview

Enjoyed your blog trip to the Kautz, albeit a little stressful.

Thank You! I really appreciate the info.

How is the South Side route looking this year? I am taking a first timer up tomorrow night, and was hoping for a fairly mellow climb. I have not done it for 16 years and have heard the route has changed. Any information or expert advice would be much appreciated. This guy has a done few climbs on snow and a lot of rock, so this seems like a good climb to do next. Thanks, Robb

Nice pics!

Not much snow left cept in patches.

It was definitely easier than the North. A group of 13 outward bound students and instructors let us climb through and there were 2 other groups also for a total of 20 moving on the route at the same time on a Wednesday. Things stayed safe and organized in spite the activity.We met a PCT through hiker that was a real character.

After watching your video I decided to climb Mt Washington instead.

We simulclimbed 4 on 1 rope with crazy Jim leading.It sucked and seemed like 5.7 in plastic boots.However we came down a better way descending first the NW ridge and then contouring around the north side of the mountain and down the snowfield near the NE arete.Only crazy Jim soloed the NE shoulder of the Prouty pinnacle and the rest of us were happy topping the Glisan.We are heading back up next week retracing our descent route as it was a safer alternative to the couloir or the S ridge. Might just summit the Glisan if the Prouty looks too freaky.

No pics from early July to late August as the bugs in there are intolerable. RS

This is from late June.

Nurserock, Would this be a good conditioning hike(not monotonous) without the benefit of skis? Looking to stretch my legs without the current unsafe conditions of my local volcanoes. RS

It took us about seven hours to summit early morning couloir and thirteen hours total. Right up the headwall-scared the shit out of us. To go any faster would be above average. Re;Bend to Bachelor 30 minute run times.I do that race in 59 minutes every year and can't believe the bad ass athletes that live here.I think Lisa Nye did it last year in 39 minutes.She wins at least half the races in Bend. The Male winner is usually in the low 30's I believe. Are they doing the south ridge when they go so fast?

The Bend bulletin reported that this year the road would be opening early which means before Memorial day.Sections of the road have to be plowed so Odot budgets do play a part. They have a huge snowchomper that they introduced last year on McKenzie pass (one of the latest openings ever for that road).Another possibility is Pole Creek trailhead. Usually accessible mid May. The Pruoty glacier route on the East side is good in heavy snow pack years in May/June.It has a band of rock that melts out and is dripping but even so it isn't bad. North Ridge(I'm told and I scoped it out from the bottom) is more exposed. The Prouty has a Bergshrund and smaller crevasses above. Have fun.

The road is clear all the way to the trailhead with snow patches starting a little way up the trail.

I got some wood permits today and the old bird at the RS said poeple are making it past the trailhead on 15. I thought they were as I saw a load of large diameter lodgepole on a pickup a few days ago. Most of the biggies are up there as 3 creek has been picked over after the big beetle kill recently. I may cruise up there tomorrow and and will let you know what kind of rig you need. I was thinking about going up the middle for a conditioning hike although weather has been moving through here quickly the last few days. The east faces of middle and north are still visible from my house but the south just socked in. The gates on rd. 16(3 creek) are still closed. I will update tomorrow. Robb