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Last month a group of 7 friends and I went on a trip out to the remote Icefall Brook. An otherworldly cirque in the mountains north of Golden BC, housing likely the highest concentration of big ice routes in North America. While out there we climbed several of the classic ice lines and one new mixed route that we think was pretty classic. The new route we climbed parallels Fossen falls for five pitches up to M7 WI5+ with an A1 roof crux that we did not have time to try and free. It probably goes free somewhere around M8 or 9. Overlay of the route. You can see Doug near the bottom of Fossen falls for scale. P1: Our first pitch followed an obvious chimney system up into a cave below the beginning of a steep flare. Protection was decent, but the rock quality wasn’t the best. The cruxes consisted of a few bulge pulls with poor feet and decent snice sticks. P2: The second pitch was absolutely classic mixed climbing. The ice on the right wall was barely thick enough for good sticks, but stemming, chimneying and good rock gear eased the stress as the ice got steeper and fatter. A tunnel and a bunch more rock gear protected ice took us up to what is essentially the top of Fossen falls second pitch. P3: From here, I stepped out right and tiptoed my way up a barely-there smear aiming for a short but steep pillar above. Again, gear was hard to come by, but when I did find something it was usually good. More incredible ice and mixed took me to another protected comfortable belay stance in the back of the main cave. A scary, but spectacular pitch. Kurt said following it was one of the best pitches of mixed climbing he’s done. P4: Now under the crux, it was Kurt's moment to shine. He started by trying to climb some thin glassy ice out to the right in order to skirt the roof but backed off when the rock above looked downsloping, loose and generally really hard. Instead he opted to take the roof straight on, tagging up the drill and placing 3 bolts with a few pieces of intermittent gear. Once at the lip, he sent the drill back down and started free climbing again. As he climbed out of sight things got slow and quiet. Standing in my cave I watched rocks rain down into the abyss as a combination of snow and down plumes floated in the air from Kurt's shredded down jacket. Eventually he called off belay and I also aided my way through the roof to save time. The climbing above proved to be hard, grovely, runout and wide. The upper part of this pitch was bone dry and entirely chossy. A less classy crux than we had hoped for. The first attempt going out right that we backed off of. Kurt approaching the roof, I'm hiding in the back left corner. P5: One more pitch up a slick ramp took me up to a pedestal just above the top of Fossen falls. With no suitable cracks for an anchor, I hammered my tool into a deep pocket and tagged up the drill, drilling the only bolted anchor on the route. From there we rapped onto Fossen and took that the rest of the way down. Slogging down to the hut, we were welcomed by some cold dinner and the rest of our group already asleep upstairs. We called our route “Jumping for Joy” (M7 WI5+ A1). A phrase that Kurt's late father used often, for the simplest things in life. Rack: Double rack .2-4, handful of pins and ~10 screw including several stubbies. 2 70m ropes for rapping, but 60's are fine for the route.

Just one person’s perspective: I don’t want to hear or see a drone in what is my church. Not that I go to church nearly enough. super sorry your tr got derailed with this stupid ass conversation about drones, and I also understand people who are just “past it”. But for me it’s a line too far, and I feel like the more people that break the law and get adoration on YouTube, the worse it will get. So I piss in their Cheerios. all that aside thank you for the incredible trip report and I hope us Guardians of the Galaxy haven’t dissuaded you from sharing mor TRs here. You have a knack for storytelling and I’d love to hear more.

Well, being a peakbagger....I don't repeat! My first mountain was the South Sister in Oregon....with my dad. Probably around 1983.

Me on the summit of Sahale, back when I had hair, September 1995. Cotton jeans and flannel!

Trip: Kauai North Shore - Kalalau Trail Trip Date: 03/28/2025 Trip Report: Went to Kauai for spring break... no climbing... what a bummer. At least I got to hike some cool terrain. Would highly recommend. Only had the morning so I went light and fast. Only made it 9 out of the 10 miles out before my turn around time... I had to meet the family at a beach (tough life)... but this did get me to the ridge overlooking the Kalalau Vaslley, which is where the end point is. Trail was very rough and couldn't run very much. Once the sun was higher, heat stroke felt like it was just around the corner. Last 2 hrs were rough and once I reached the Ke'e beach I stood under the rinse shower for 5 minutes with all my clothes on and chugged a liter of water much too fast. The permit system is a little difficult to navigate, you can book 3 months out and need an overnight permit to go past Hanakapiai creek. I lucked out and snagged a pass a month out. The permit system does make it very nice once you're in, as there are very few people around for such a known and beautiful trail. There are lots of tour boats and helicopters showing the wealthy and lazy around this side of the island. It's pretty annoying in general. However, it was ego tickling when I was running a particularly exposed section of cliff and some guys in their boat tour a 100m off shore started cheering and chanting. Here's the pictures... Big plants Big cliffs Exposed trail... still nice and shady on the way out Wild goats... combined with the vegetation and the volcanic rock and it's basically just like the Cascades. Count the tour boats More big cliffs Looking back, rugged terrain More big cliffs, oooh pretty light And even more big cliffs Looking back out / big cliffs redeux Kalalau Valley Exposed scramble section... felt very chill but there were some seriously sketched out hikers Beach recovery... water was too warm to ice bath... pity Gear Notes: Trail shoes, snacks, lots of water and electrolytes. Approach Notes: Ha'ena State Park shuttle from Hanalei. Book your permit online 3 months out.

One of my favorite hikes ever, so great!....spent five days out there in the fall of 2002 on our honeymoon....what a magical spot! Too bad about all the boats and helicopters these days, I don't remember many at all. I've been thinking about going back for our 25th anniversary in a couple years and this TR is good motivation! If you went a little further, dropped down into the valley and then scrambled up towards the SW end of the Kalalau beach, you would have seen this view of those cliffs in a couple of your photos:

ivan lost in the recount - too many hanging chads...

Yeah, it isn't very crevassed or steep, but you could still slip and slide a long ways. I usually haven't roped, but crampons will sometimes be needed depending on overnight temps. It is a very scenic outing, but somewhat crowded (likely to be multiple parties on the route).

Good point on the summit blocks of the two mountains. But Black can have some steeper snow to deal with lower down, depending on the snow year. I guess I figured the OP knew his way around 4th class rock. Sahale isn't too bad to downclimb.... if you don't fall. I guess I should say the same for Corteo. A slip would be very bad.

Any snow left on Black or Sahale in late August or early September will be hard and not easy for someone without snow experience to travel across. You will need ice axe and crampons and know how to use them. You might be able to avoid the snow on Black, but not on Sahale. Roping up on either peak usually isn't necessary for those that are comfortable scrambling exposed 3rd or 4th class rock, but steep snow is no joke if you aren't familiar. I would stay away from anything with snow, unless it is very low angle. A slip usually ends very badly if you don't know how to self arrest. Thanks for the offer Rob, looks like some cool scrambling down there!

Trip: Baker River to Ross Lake in Technicolor - Mystery-N.Despair-Pioneer-Swiss-Spectre-Challenger Date: 7/25/2017 Trip Report: Walking out of the tent each morning on this trip, it seemed like I was still dreaming. Versions of this trip have been in the works for years, but weather and vacation schedules had always conspired against us. Thanks to the record dry spell of 2017 (luckily before Smokeageddon), we had perfect weather and an even better team. The views were pretty OK too. But the price of admission is carrying 7-8 day packs (unless you're seano ) across some of the most rugged terrain anywhere. I had just purchased a new full-frame dSLR a few days before the trip and I felt its weight every step of the way. Still, it was worth every bit of pain (though unlike Tom, I probably won't be back anytime soon). Following is a short breakdown of the trip, with many photos to illustrate (but I won't provide much detail). The trip was remarkable for me in how wild this area still feels. Part of the fun is puzzling the route out, not following paths worn in the heather. When the way forward is unlocked, the rewards are great. Day 1: A long dreaded and not-surprisingly soul crushing day spent hauling 8 day packs up to Blum Lakes. We had aspirations to carry on past the lakes to the col between Blum and Hagan, but then swimming and napping took precedence. Big thanks to my parents neighbor Greg, from Marblemount, who shuttled us from Ross Dam TH all the way to Baker River at the start of the day!! Mount Blum above lower Blum Lake: Day 2: Up and over the col, down past Berdeen, up onto Mystery Ridge (climbed Mystery), then off the ridge to avoid difficulties. Finished the day back on Mystery Ridge with a great view of N. Despair (Infinity Camp). Day 3: North Despair! The final snow arete is worth the long walk and we enjoyed every step with light packs. Returned to Infinity, dropped to Jasper Pass, up around Pioneer, climbed Pioneer (a bit tricky to get off glacier), dropped to Pioneer/Crowder Col, then up bit to nice camp just above key gully on the west side of Crowder. Long day. Steve and Tim check out the classic route on N. Despair: Triumph: On the N. Despair snow arete Northern and Southern Pickets from N. Depair. The head of Goodell Creek is wild!: Summit of Pioneer: Jasper Pass: Day 4: Leisurely start moseying up Crowder (non-technical), enjoying the views and our light packs. Dried out the register entries and added our own. Not a lot of traffic up there as you'd imagine. Back to camp to pack up the pigs, then down and around Crowder using the gully to the west. Some shenanigans, though not as bad as the other ways Steph and Tom have explored. Much thanks to the 1967 party for figuring this out! Up to Pickell pass and jaw-dropping views. Despair above Steve and Tim: The haunted wall of Spectre!: Shuksan in the upper left, above the headwaters of the Baker River: Tim admiring West Fury's Mongo Ridge from Pickell Pass: Day 5: Rest day! Sort of. At least we didn't have to hoist the pigs this day. Up to Swiss and Spectre for the day. Swirling mists mostly, which made for good ambiance, but hard to tell which spire on Spectre was the tallest. Climbed a bonus peak we dubbed "Shrundy", but not for the reason you might think. Both Schrundy and the real Spectre had a bit of 5th and one 30m rap to get off. Wild country for sure. Inspiration (L) and Terror ® in the distance: Approaching the summit of Swiss Peak: Twin Spires in the mist: Naptime on the summit of Swiss with West Fury in the background: Spectre via the easy way: Phantom: N wall of Southern Pickets from descent to Pickell Pass: Spectre, Haunted Wall from Pickell Pass: Crowder from Pickell Pass: Southern Pickets from Pickell Pass: Day 6: We were getting tired. Steve was all for Crooked Thumb, but Tim and I convinced him for a low stress day going up Middle and Main Challenger then camping on Eiley Wiley. Tim and I were hoping to get out in 7 rather than 8 days. I'm just not the choss dog I once was and I had just about had my fill for the week. Still, Middle and Main Challenger were hardly boring (Middle esp. is aesthetic) and Camp Friendly on Eiley Wiley ridge was right up there with Pickell Pass. Longest day, though. West and Middle Challenger from the south: Challenger summits from Main peak (Tim is on Middle Peak!): Fury North Buttress (note huge crown line!): Challenger: Baker, Shuksan, and Whatcom lined up from west end of Eiley Wiley Ridge: Luna: Challenger from Camp Friendly: Day 7: The perfect weather continues (though we can see the Diamond Creek Fire growing by the day to the east). Doing the math on the bash to the trail and hike out to the lake, we start pretty early. This is painful for me since we are long out of whiskey. Some steep side hilling to get off the ridge, but overall fairly straightforward and quick travel to reach treeline. The brush down to Beaver Pass is not horrible, but not great either. The trail to Ross Lake started out glorious feeling (if buggy), but gradually pounded our feet silly. The jump off the dock never felt so good. The hike up from the water taxi landing never felt so bad, but much better looking than the fully loaded canoes was saw being drug down the trail. Beer at the car, Pizza at Annie's, shower at home. Fin. Camp Friendly: N. walls of Fury and Swiss: Luna: Note the bugs around Tim!: Big Beaver Valley: Picket Pants, day 7: So much better than walking 7 miles: Gear Notes: Light rack, 60m half rope, aluminum crampons, helmet, axe. 1lb cheese minimum. Approach Notes: Fisherman path to Blum Lakes then good luck. Stable weather is key. No easy options for bailing once past Pioneer or Mystery Ridges. Key to getting around Crowder is gully to the west that tops out at 5700'. Drop to ~5300' then contour N. Side of Crowder until you can climb easily to Pickell Pass. Raps and cramponing steep heather may be required. Recommend gully to be snow filled. Don't be a cheap bastard. Hire the boat.

It's still in. Be aware that you have to lead the route and it cannot be TR'd.

Don’t let the facts muddle this

Snowshoed up Star Peak (formerly Squaw Peak) above Hwy 200 this last Tuesday with my neighbor and his 12 year old son. Cold and windy and one of the coolest outhouses I've ever seen.

Trip: Whitepine - Iced Beef Trip Date: 01/25/2025 Trip Report: Kevin Alexander and I climbed a snow/ice gully behind Whitepine main wall on 1/25. We think this is a new route. I’ve heard of some ski lines on this face, anyone been climbing up there in the past? Here is a view of the upper portion of the route: The approach to the base of the gully is a short hike from the road and then it’s moderate snow for ~1,000 ft until the gully forks with steeper ice up the left side. The ice up to climber's left was discontinuous and thin but could form an excellent climb once it's filled in. We found a slide path below the gully that made booting up super easy. P1-2: From the fork we pitched out two longer ice steps separated by sections of steep snow to a low-angle stance. P3: The crux. This pitch starts with about 20m of WI-3 followed by lower angle ice and then snow to a belay at a tree climber’s right. A 60m rope got from the base of the ice to the tree belay with only a couple meters to spare. P4-5: From the tree belay we simul-climbed sections of steep snow, with more WI-2 ice steps. Eventually the gully flattened out around some trees. We put away the rope here and climbed a couple hundred feet to the ridge, more steep snow with some short ice steps. We left the road at 8:30 and topped out right at sunset. Walked off and around the back to the NE and then back W along the train tracks. Ended up being 12 hours car-to-car. We’re naming the route after Kevin’s favorite alpine snack: “Iced Beef” Gear Notes: Screws and runners to sling trees Approach Notes: Leave the road 1/4 mile past the bridge on Whitepine Road, eventually enter the slide path below the gulley.

Saw this a day or two ago https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/200589906/ north-face-a5-double-portaledge-great-condition-brooks-range-puffy-size-m-sterli

Ah, my apologies for the false accusation and derailing your TR. Again thanks for posting it!

FYI that is not my video. that was another party about a month after us. I did produce a video of my experience but it was created without the use of aerial photography and it's under my name. Furthermore, I've just about had it with the federal government prescribing what is allowed in terms of personal recreating. The blanket rules rarely apply in the alpine and are even harder to enforce. If me and my partner are the only animals up on an alpine face in the dead of winter, a drone has little effect on the ecosystem and the rule is moot. It mainly exists so that colchuck lake isn't turned into a seattleite swarm drone demonstration every saturday, so i get why it's a thing. There's also legality loopholes for footage like "taken off from, landed in, and operated from outside the Wilderness area" for footage produced like that parties. I suspect that most tickets are from being caught flying the drone in person. It was hardly persecutable before the layoffs, and now i don't think they have the resources to enforce it period. I used to agree with the "setting a bad example for others" reasoning for things like this, but now i just don't care. if you fly a drone in the wilderness, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Hey Troy, thanks for the great trip report and nice climb! Evidently I spend too much time on Reddit but I saw the video your buddy made and wanted to point out that drones in Wilderness areas are not allowed. In the current political environment I have a hard time seeing FS staff ticketing based off of online videos but I just wanted to give you a heads up so you don't happen to get nailed or keep flying drones in the wilderness.

Ok time to get these stickers out there! On your trailhead vehicle, on your water bottle, on whatever so people see it and remember we exist and hopefully visit the site and start contributing to our community here. 1. PM Me yout address and I can mail you some. Especially those of you that threw down! 2. I’ll mail some to AAI in Bellingham so you can pop into their shop. Will also put some in Feathered Friends and other shops in the Seattle area. Anyone have a good PDX location to mail or get some to somehow? these do no good in a bag at my house so let’s get them out there and pimpin the site to peoples eyes

Great work!

I'm coming up on fifty years of climbing in the PNW and, God willing, might be able to repeat a trip or two from the late 1970s. Hiked up my first summit, Bearhead Mountain, in 1975 and will do it again this summer with my grandkids. A couple more years until my Rainier jubilee--and I'd love to repeat Adams Glacier in 2029. I stood on my first glacier in 1974--but, sadly, Anderson Glacier is no more. Anyone here have climbs they've repeated 50 years later? 40 years later? Then & now photos?

privacy is the new celebrity

I guess I better head up Mt. Angeles again in 2026, I think that will be 30 yrs for the first time I roped up on a peak. Ironically we used goldline with a bowline around the waist for a 4th class step which was anachronistic even for 1996.

Thanks for sharing your story! It brought me vividly back to my experience on the route almost 10 years ago now. My most fond moments in the mountains have been those in which success seemed unlikely along the way, right up until we made it. Pushing through and succeeding, whether I did it 'clean' or not, was what mattered. Well done.

Thanks for sharing, I was sure wishing I had the fitness and partners and time to get on it (or much of anything) this season!

The right couloir of 11300 is an excellent route. A significant step up from the SW ridge but not much harder than ham and eggs, especially if you retreat from the ridge and skip the Alaskan ridge adventure to the summit. I posted about it in 2016 and I’m not sure if anyone else has done it since. It deserves more traffic!

Trip: Tamarack Meadows Climbing - Prusik (West Ridge), High Priest (North face), Mount Temple (West route) Trip Date: 09/07/2024 Trip Report: This seems like it has been the summer of obscure destinations for me. Places I've long thought about going but never made happen. Maybe it's because they're not top shelf destinations, but as I've aged and don't go as hard, I've increasingly found these sorts of trips fun because of the lack of traffic, because of the lack of beta, and how they've forced me back into to puzzling things out on the fly. The climbs on the north side of Temple Ridge definitely fit into this category. The dream of the 90's is alive! Or at least that is how I sold it to @Trent, @cfire, @BrettS, John and Leslie a few months back. And, minus the unanticipated smoke haze, I think it pretty much went off without too much drama. An energetic approach to idyllic camps below our climbs, time to lounge after our short approaches and moderate climbs, plenty of chocolate, and no other parties around. A great 4 day trip! I won't spoil your fun with beta overload, but here are a few photos to whet your appetite for up trip up Temple Canyon.... Snow Creek wall from the hike in: Sow and cub seen at Nada lake: Mild shenanigans to get up into Temple Canyon: High Priest (on the right) from camp: Heading to WR Prusik on Day 2 (still a classic- I hadn't climbed it in 24 years): Looking down into the heart of the Core Zone a the start of the WR of Prusik: John at a belay on the WR: John and Leslie higher up: A couple of me on WR Prusik: @cfire on the summit of Prusik: John and Leslie arrive at the summit: Shield Lake Valley: High Priest and Temple from Prusik: @Trentwas over on McClellan while we were on Prusik: Heading back to camp through Nada Pass, with Prusik above: Camp life! Night life! Goat life! Gearing up for High Priest North Face route (Beckey description works well, as does Mountaineers) : @BrettS and Leslie on the North Face of High Priest: Summit of High Priest looking over to Prusik and the peaks of the Core Zone: Summit block of High Priest from descent: We rapped off the standard High Priest descent and kept high, running the ridge over to Mount Temple. Expect shenanigans, but it goes without undue hardship! And then you have the great mid-fifth pitch to the summit of Mount Temple: and the airy rap back down: After descending Mount Temple, we admired the Meteor. Supposed the crack on this west side is "5.12- or aid. From it's top step right into a 5.10 off-width" After a final night at camp, all that was left was to reverse the shenanigans getting back to Nada Lake, including a nice view of the Black Pyramid, The Professor, Comet Spire, and the Meteor (L-R): : A lunch stop at Nada Lake to admire the reflections: And arrival at Icicle Creek, relieved to find our drinks still hidden and cold! Gear Notes: Medium Rack to 2", helmet, 60m single rope, rock shoes Approach Notes: Core zone permit needed. Snow Creek trail to Nada lake. Go right at the second toilet and find a faint climber's trail leading up to a cliff band. Find a key ledgy 3rd class ramp that will take you up and right through the cliff band., Follow rib up and left and then up to where valley rolls off. Bits of tread lead up into Temple Canyon and then disappear. Follow your nose up the drainage to about 7200' where it opens up to good camping in Tamarack Meadows. An energetic and stimulating approach.

Pretty sure Oregon volcano snowpacks are doing great this year! Butttt who knows how the spring warmup will go and what the weather will be like for the days you're around? I wouldn't recommend buying plane tickets to do specific objectives up here in the spring, but if you are flexible and could pivot to still have fun if you can't do these specific peaks, then great! I haven't been up Jefferson before and I love skiing and have technical snow and ice experience, so if the timing works out I could get stoked on it! Send me a message with your phone number and a few paragraphs about your climbing experience, specifically steep snow and ice!

Trip: Mount Harvey - North Face Ramp Trip Date: 01/25/2025 Trip Report: What a nice spell of climbing weather we had to start off 2025! I'm glad that @geosean suggested the NF ramp of Harvey, a climb I had done a couple of times before, but not for a long while. Last time I was on it, it was quite thin and sporty, but the word on the street said it was in fine nick and so plans were hatched to make a trip north and see if Canada was still allowing Americans to enter. @BrettS and Mike rounded out our team and we all met early in Bellingham Saturday morning. I think it only took about an hour and a half, including border crossing to make it to the TH from Bellingham- it is easy to forget what great options exist just a little bit north. The Trailhead was already filling up when we arrived a bit before 8 and we quickly paid the parking fee and started up the dry logging road at something like a dispiriting 650' elevation. It is a bit of a grunt up to the start of the route, but you get good views early on the hike in: In the 13 years since I'd last climbed it, the route has gotten mildly popular and there were several teams in front of us and at least one behind. A steady stream of ice and snow chunks rained down the ramp as we geared up and started off simul-soloing. We had the gear and rope ready, just in case, as @Don_Serl recommends in the link above, but they stayed packed away as we climbed higher and higher with perfect conditions and ample steps to draft off of. I was reminded what a great and pleasant climb it was, in a fine position! But almost too soon, the angle mellowed and we were at the top of the ramp, looking across the steep traverse that guards access to the easy ridge that finishes on the summit. Some times this portion is a crux, but not this day. It was practically a sidewalk and we enjoyed posing for some photos with dramatic views of Howe Sound below: And then we hit the final ridge, sun and views. @geosean walking just below the top: We stopped just short of the summit to eat lunch, take off the technical gear, and admire the excellent views all around. The Standard route on Harvey (our descent) is quite the popular outing on a nice winter's day and we didn't want to be in the scrum on the actual summit. This was a good call on busy Saturday, and we could look south to Baker, Puget Sound, and the Lions in peace: To the west were the endless Coast Mountains, Howe Sound, and Anvil Island: But, a winter's day, even a perfect one, is over too quickly, and we had to begin the descent before we tired of the views and position. The good thing is that the first quarter of the descent is almost as spectacular as the climb: And then it was back to the road, the car, beers, and chips. I think it was less than 7 hours car to car and was entirely one of the more pleasant winter climbs that I have done in years. I hope that it isn't another 13 years until my next visit! Gear Notes: helmet, axe, second tool, steel crampons. If it is in thin shape you may want a rope and some snow/ice pro, but it is also a comfortable solo for a lot of fatter winter conditions. If you need snowshoes it is probably not in great shape. Beware avy danger! Approach Notes: The Lions Trail. Arrive early to get a spot and don't forget to pay!

Trip: Mount Garfield - Southwest Route Trip Date: 08/31/2024 Trip Report: "As has been reported elsewhere, Garfield is a hazardous enigma. It offers more than a climb, for it is also a physical and orienteering challenge. It is important to get a very early start. While a 12-hour r.t. is generally considered a minimum, only during the long days of summer will there be sufficient daylight for what is a long, steep climb, with some very exposed areas." -Fred Beckey, Cascade Alpine Guide I first read the section above in the 1990s when I was just getting into climbing and frankly was both attracted and scared by the photos and descriptions in the Beckey guide. An early trip report by @CascadeClimber and @philfort did little to dissuade my apprehension of this peak and so it sat for decades on the back burner. Always there, always taunting, even long after I probably had acquired enough chossdawgery skillz to make an ascent a reasonable goal. Turns out, two of my long-time climbing partners felt the same, and somehow it came to all of our attentions this year that Garfield could no longer be ignored. In the words of @Trent, "It must be climbed!" Secretly, I was hoping that @klenke was still correct and the the route was dumbed down by a bootpath and flagging. But I wasn't so lucky- he can rest easy on the golf course or the workfloor of the Lazy B, knowing that the brush has returned, the flagging rotted away, and that the blue collar masses have moved on (or died?). This peak is probably once again nearly as lonesome as it was when Fred first penned those words (the register went back to 1987 and traffic really has dropped off the past 10-15 years). I can honestly report that it is proper challenge for a Cascades Connoisseur such as those that frequent this esteemed site. (If you want hardman or hardwoman points, read no further and just photocopy the pages out of Brown Fred for your trip. If you're someone like me....read on) But we didn't know any of that when @therunningdog, @Trent and I rolled into the "gravel wash" that marks the start of this 4500' off trail adventure, late on a Friday night in Trent's old VW camper (nickname "Speedy"). There was another car camping there, but given the smoking and drinking we were pretty sure that they weren't heading to Garfield in the morning. Then again, I think a late evening of smoking and drinking would probably have been fitting preparation for the peak. Next time. Alarms were set for crazy early, I think about 430, since we had heard ample stories of unplanned bivies, thrashing exits in the dark, and general mini-epics. We were thinking 13-15 hours would be about what it would take and planned accordingly. But it turns out, us old dogs (combined team age of 158) can still beat Beckey and we were back to the van in about 11.5 hours, including breaks. The early start gave us extra time for beer and chips, so it wasn't all for naught. To be honest, the way up was mostly a blur. A dark gravel wash to an impassible set of falls started things. We went left into the forest when we should have gone right (be sure to keep that Beckey topo in your pocket and consult at all junctures!) and then I somehow thought that the real "dirt gully" below, wasn't the right dirt gully and kept going past it. Trent and Tim kindly put us back on the right track without too much wasted time The "dirt gully" wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either. You don't want to be on this mountain with more than about 4 people. 2-3 is about right so you can move as one team. Shortly after the gully you climb up and hit some slabs that force you left. We went all the way left then found a weakness to scramble up and right back towards the ridge crest which is below the "rock outcrop" and "razorback" that you hit right before the "tiny notch". You will be referring to the topo many times in this section, wondering where in the hell you are while looking way down into the "Great Canyon". It is a wild mountain. Soon enough you will come to the "glade saddle" where you will see a short gully leading to the "wooded ramp": which will take you to the brushy "key ledge" where you will be thankful for the brush for hiding the significant exposure. The brush will also distract you from the fatality that occurred in this spot, presumably due to the "trecherous footing" that Beckey describes: And then the meat of it, the "no. 1 Gully is reached, with the "no. 2 Gully" just beyond it: We had already chosen no. 1 Gully as our line, even though Fred describes it as the alternate path up, mostly due to a few of the more recent TRs we dug up which we compared to older no. 2 Gully TRs. I am sure that both have their pluses and minuses. The no. 1 Gully starts out easy, but then a step is encountered where @Trent ably put the rope up for Tim and I. It was a bit trickier than it looked with polished rock and moss. I sort of wanted to do a shoulder stand in the spirit of this peak, but unfortunately I was the last one up. So I grunted and lurched my way up. Then it was mostly easy 2nd and 3rd class scrambling until you had to turn right under the Leaning Spire to ascend slabs to a small col that dropped you halfway up the no. 2 gully. Here the way got harder with some slabby 4th mixed in with the slabby 3rd. We were in boots/approach shoes, which I think is the correct footwear for this route. The slabbyness isn't sustained or hard enough to warrant rock shoes. Plus rock shoes are definitely not blue collar! Style matters. Soon enough we were established in the no. 2 Gully and began to chug upwards to the "crux" chimneys. The first one we soloed: The next one, @Trent led, again. It was wet and involved a lot of grunting and pack dragging. Still, I think it is preferable to the variations that others have reported to the right. The notch between the Leaning Spire and the summit was easily reached after the chimneys, and here we went a bit too far left. You basically want to go straight up a cl. 3-4 slab above the col until you can burrow into a brush tunnel (complete with trimmed branches!) that will take you up and left to the summit ridge. A short walk right will land you on the true summit. If ever there was a peak where the summit was "halfway", Garfield is it! We dug out the register and marveled at who had signed in over the years. Some famous climbers in there and it was fun to take the trip back in time. The views weren't half bad either. It is a long way down to the Middle Fork and the van, less than two miles horizontally from the top. But, like most summits where the descent is worrisome, we didn't stay very long. The descent was also a blur, though it went faster than expected. Several bolted stations in the no. 2 gully greatly helped by keeping us out of the path of the inevitable rockfall. I think we did 6 30m raps total, about 3 in each gully. We paused on the "key ledge traverse" to oogle the Great Canyon in better light as we passed again: And also stopped to admire the Doorish part of the mountain as well. Anybody know that guy? I have to say that he's a legend, at least in my estimation. The routes he did, in the era that he did them, are truly astounding. He had a funny entry in the summit register talking about "a bit of an epic" he and Alex Cudkowicz had in June of 1988 where they ended up spending 2 unplanned bivies (in the rain!) establishing a route that they thought would go in a day. Yowza. Yeah, this should go in a day: But soon enough we were back at the easy slabs, scrambling down to the forest, the dirt gully, the forest, the gravel wash, the forest..... and then....BEER. Gear Notes: 60m twin rope, helmet, light rack to 2", leather gloves. Boots or approach shoes. Best to go after snow leaves the gullies Approach Notes: Middle Fork Road to gravel wash. Page 214 in Brown Fred has a great topo of the route/approach, which is all the experienced chossdawg needs.

Trip: Illumination Rock - West Ridge Trip Date: 01/18/2025 Trip Report: Damon and I went up the West Ridge of Illumination. We got to the West Gable quite easily but the rime mushrooms along the ridge were uninspiring. Here are some pictures... Gear Notes: Not much was useful. South side routes would take rock gear. Lots of rime on North side. No ice sufficient for screws was observed. Approach Notes: Standard

Trip: Borah Peak - Southwest - "Chicken Out"- Ridge Trip Date: 06/29/2024 Trip Report: This past summer I went on a month long, 4300+ mile, road trip with the family all over the West. Mostly we were seeing National Parks that my wife and kids had never been to, but I managed to plan 3 state high points into the itinerary. Borah Peak (12,662') was the first up, coming after a tour through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. As with all the state high points, Borah has an abundance of beta online so I'll spare you all the nerdy details and mostly share impressions and photos. First, I thought this was a peak worth doing. There is fantastic camping close by at the Joe Fallini Campground, which is cheap and right on a lake with decent swimming and fishing. This campground is about a 30m drive to the trailhead (if you don't blast past it like we did), which puts you in easy striking distance for an alpine start. The views start quickly and expand. There aren't a lot of trees in the Lost River Range and it was fun to see an entirely different range where I basically knew none of the summits. Soon we were up above treeline and the aptly named "Chicken Out" ridge came into view: As did Mt. Morrison: At the base of the knife edge portion of the ridge, my wife and youngest opted to turn back but surprisingly my oldest stuck right on my tail. I had a quick chat with him to make sure he understood that while it wasn't overly difficult (exposed 3rd/4th class), a fall would likely be very, very bad. He said he was fine and was moving calmly and confidently, and so we continued upward. Where the knife edge ends, there was a small snow saddle to cross. Again, not hard, but with a terrible and steep runout. Again, another chat. This time I insisted in tying on a 30m length of 6mm cord I had brought so as to keep my son from a very long ride should he slip out of the steps and not arrest. Of course, he was fine, but I felt better with the added security. And then the real slogging began. We were over 11k with the summit in sight, and surprisingly all by ourselves. My son began to slow way down in the thin air. It was by far the highest he had ever been but appeared to be in good spirits and so we just kept chugging upwards. And then, we made it, finding one other dude up there taking a nap. I think we may have surprised him. We hung around in excellent weather for at least an hour, reading the register, taking in the views, and generally enjoying a perfect day on a high peak. It doesn't get much better! But, of course, all good things must end and so we turned around to begin the 5k+ of downward staggering. Here's a view back at the summit after we had dropped about 1500': And then to reverse Chicken Out Ridge.... of which I was a bit nervous for my son, but he of course thought that it was all just a great adventure: Looking back at the upper mountain from just above treeline: We finished the day back at Joe Fallini Campground, treated to a beautiful sunset as the cattle lowed in the distance. The next day we would begin the trek SE to King's Peak in Utah for a 4th of July Ascent (in the next installment!)... Gear Notes: Poles, helmet (optional), crampons/axe if snowy Approach Notes: The trailhead is located north of Mackay, Idaho along US-93. Look for the signed turn between Mile Markers 129 and 130. Drive to the end of the road where there is camping and an outhouse. It is a bit grungy there, however, and much preferred BLM's Joe Fallini Campground close by.

Trip: Mt. Olympus - Blue Glacier Trip Date: 07/22/2024 Trip Report: Report attached as a PDF. 2024-07-22 Wait, I Thought the Olympics Were in Paris_.pdf Gear Notes: Two half ropes (one per team for the glacier, combined for the rock). Approach Notes: Three different GPS watches found this to be more like 21 mi each direction, not 17.5 mi.

Whoa, that's wild! It's... a pretty wacky book. Dense and solipsistic, quite absorbing for my self-absorbed 20-year-old self, if I remember correctly. Thanks for bringing back my account!

OK, i fixed some MAJOR errors (i was REALLY REALLY drunk when I 1st wrote this trip report), but i'd like to tighten this up to 500 words. any good ideas. i am a very bad editor. Fecal Hoarding on Cuttroat Peak: Well I'm totally wasted on tequilla from from a post-climb depression/celebration of a succesful ascent of that E.Face Coulior on Cuthroat Peak. I think it's called the Cauthorn Wilson or something. Since I'm totally fucking drunk, I'll give this trip report from the perspective of my feces which I hoarded througout the day: I forced my master to awaken at 2am and hypnotically sugested that he quaff his regurgitated coffe vile he brewed hours earlie to help coax me out of my early alpine start slumber. Well it was to damn early and the coffee wasn't strong enough, and as each crunch from the hard snow sent parastalic waves of anger through me. I knew my time was near as each jolt tried to jostle me from me moorings. Unforetunately as dawn broke below the route, my arch nemisis "Pinchy" kept me at bay as my master haphazardly climbed well above his so called "partner". Sending showeres of ice and snow onto his cursing belay bitch, Pinchy held me from my destiny. Alas! My master hast forsaken me!! Thoughts of imentent death were all my master could think of as he manged to live through the rapidly melt and delaminating crux pitch of ice. Where was I during this insane fight with potential energy, gravity and mortality? I was lurking in the bowels, biding my time, and waiting for pinchy to lose control. Master's so called "partner" led a easy WI-4 pitch and belayed Master and I from a tied off shrub and sunken ice-tool. I was begining to force my way into Master's concsciousness until the sight of that belay, and master's next lead all but destoyed my will. Pinchy quickly regained control. My master prayed to his god as he pinched Pinchy tighter and tighter as his death fall potential increased with every sketchy, shaky, sugar snow over slabby step, slipping, but somehow gaining ground. 60, 70, 80 degree slush and powder snow barely held his feet, nary his useless ice-tools. Every inch was a mile, every step was a step toward the grave for yours truly. Would I ever experience the taste of freedom and witness the sweets smells, sights, and sounds of the outside world that I have only experience my previous existance as a jumbo steak burrito? Master could not use his tools on the near verticle slush-mare! He punched the snow with his hands and packed in more snow until it became dense enough to swing his tool into. Instead of pushing down on the snow, Master would bear hug the snow to keep it still attached to the mountain. Master was looking at a 400' whipper onto the none-to-secure belay, as the sun's pulsing rays oscillated down upon the ever-softening snow pack. At last, a cam, a pin! Master was off belay! Such relaxation caused my power to become almost overwhelming as my noxios gas of joy escaped from his churning bowels. The oppresive heat almost overcame him, as master looked across the sweeping range of the North Cascades. But Master's attention was quikly divered. "Fools!" my master thought when he saw two climbers approaching the entrance gully to the climb below him. I knew that this late in the day would be foolish, even to a turd worming his way to freedom. Master hoped they would turn around or perish. The climbers realized their error in timing, and turned around. Master smirked and brought up his partner. On the summit my master tried with all his might to keep me at bay. There was little room and he was emabarrase to show me to this climbing partner of his. I was writhing and screaming with indignity. To "top-off" the summit is the greatest honor one of my charcter can possilbe have, and my horrible master would deny me this fate. Oh! Cruel Master! Many stupid rappels later led master to a 1,000' long down climb which he downclimbed just fine. His partner however, took about 45 minutes longer, all the whilee cursing masters good name! His partner called him reckless for descending so fast un-roped! But this was my doing. Master would finally have to stop and wait. Master did just that, and squatted while looking upon his downclimbing partner. The sun was blazing. The time was at HAND!!! Pinchy was exhausted and had no power over me anymore. I leaped for freedom into the new world which my tribal leaders of yore told me of during my rite of passage through Master's G.I. tract. I steamed and coiled upon the snow, all the while his partner downclimbed slowly. I was buried this day upon the southern flanks of Cutthroat peak, but i exist still as part of everything. I have become the soil, the water, the air, and the animals. I speak now of a universal tale of battels between man vs. mountain and, my kind vs. Pinchy, gatekeeper of the underworld.