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Trip: Sloan Peak - Corkscrew Trip Date: 11/17/2018 Trip Report: Fred and I took a romp up Slan Peak on Saturday. It had been a while since I had summited anything so it was great to get on top, plus there was a bit of early season adversity that made it just hard enough to be sweet. We expected slogging through powder on the north side, but there was a nice rain crust above about 5300'. The east face traverse across the "heather ledges" was also better than anticipated with fairly good step kicking snow. Some rime ice on the scramble made it pleasantly spicy. Rain crust on the approach to the glacier, photo by Fred: Me in the rain crust, on the descent, photo by Fred: Fred on the traverse on the east face, on the descent: Fred near the summit: Fred looking smug on the summit: Me descending, photo by Fred: Gear Notes: Axe, crampons, glacier gear, snowshoes for training. Approach Notes: Bedal approach, it was a bit brushy, seems worse than the Sauk if the river crossings are OK.

Trip: Lundin - Southeast Ridge Trip Date: 11/17/2018 Trip Report: Ahhhhhhh......... Smooting. Is there ever a better fall activity? Wait, don't answer that. Just look at the photos below and don't feel so sad that the ski season hasn't really started yet (have you bought your Smoot copy yet?). And get a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that @cfire, @genepires, @Kit, and myself all had a very nice friendship hike to the top of a snowy ridge. "Congratulations! it wasn't terrible."- @cfire #moderatealpinism Gear Notes: half rope, ice axe, crampons, helmet, light rack (this time of year). When the rock is dry you can probably scramble it all at a grade of exposed Cl. 4. Snow and ice made it a bit more exciting. Approach Notes: Commonwealth Basin trail to the end and then follow the ridge up.

Trip: Buckhorn Mountain - High Traverse Trip Date: 11/18/2018 Trip Report: Sunday was summer-like t-shirt weather in the Olympics! I took advantage and did a high traverse over Buckhorn, NE Buckhorn, Iron, and Worthington from the Big Quilcene valley. The views were incredible and the terrain was engaging albeit a bit chossy. Surprisingly, despite the traverse being well above 6000' elevation, there was zero snow on the entire thing. The difference between the Olympics and Cascades right now is significant. Approximate route: Foreshortened view of Buckhorn(s) and Iron from the Big Q trail: Marmot Pass: Buckhorn from Marmot Pass. The main peak is an easy walkup on trail: Constance, Warrior, and Inner Constance from Buckhorn trail: Mystery, Fricaba, and Deception from Buckhorn trail: View of the traverse from the top of Buckhorn. NE peak in the middle, Worthington on the left. Iron is hidden behind the NE peak. The descent off NE Peak (pictured here) was easily the crux. In general, stay on the east side and pick your way down various chimney/groove/ledge systems. It's never more than 4th class, but a rope could be useful here. Choss lovers delight: Easy slopes up to Worthington: Looking back on the traverse from Worthington. Iron Mountain is middle left, NE Buckhorn middle right, and Buckhorn proper on the right. Big Q Valley from Worthington: After tagging Worthington I dropped down on the east side and traversed below cliffs back to ~4800' on the Big Q trail to avoid any bushwhacking. A staged bike and a continuation over Hawk, Welch and all the way to Townsend (pictured here) would be a great alternative exit: That'll do summer 2018, that'll do... Gear Notes: Helmet! Approach Notes: Nice trail

Trip: Argonaut Peak - North East Couloir Trip Date: 11/17/2018 Trip Report: Yesterday Conrad and I climbed the North East Couloir of Argonaut. We found fun, and challenging conditions. We left Leavenworth around 3:20am and were headed up the trail by 4:00am. We moved quickly along the trail to the spot we had decided we would branch off and cross mountaineers creek. Upon crossing, we filtered more water and started our bushwhack as it became light. After a while in the trees we ended up in a small boulder field and found a string of cairns. Though headed more toward Stuart we opted to follow. This proved to be fruitful as they led us toward the tree finger that allows one to avoid the bushwack from hell in the slide alders. We followed the beta from Jens Holsten posted on a previous TR that said "Here is the beta: After crossing Mountaineers Creek, cross over a wooded rib or two and then head straight south through the woods. DO NOT enter the boulder field until you have literally walked out the end of the woods as far south as the trees extend. At this point you can hook back left on a talus finger that avoids all that nasty bush whacking." Posted on a TR from 2011. This beta proved to be key and accelerated the approach. We ascended the talus and frozen dirt and caught up to a group of three. We never were close enough to talk as we went futher left to climb some approach ice smears. Approach Ice Once in the Couloir we soloed up to the first rock step. This had a steep smear of ice and proved to be great fun. The ice filled the crack enough that I had to run it out on the smear but felt pretty secure. From here we unroped and continued booting up the snow with a few sections of easy rock mixed in. We passed the alternate route that Jens mentions and opted not to take it due to it appearing to not take any gear. (Thin ice line in right of photo, will definitely take if I climb this again) Above this there was another steep rock step which we climbed on its right and turned out to be a one move wonder, one hook over the top followed by lots of grunting to pull myself up the to top of it. Following this pitch we unroped and continued all the way to the notch looking south. Should have gone right to gain the snow slopes at some point but we ended up here and wrapped around on to the south face. We found what looked to be our easiest line up from there and Conrad led this feature up mostly rock with a snow dusting to the snow slopes (sorry, no photo, but it was very difficult and pretty heady, glad I didnt lead it). We booted up a nasty breakable crust to the summit ridge. This was exposed but fairly easy and we opted to solo everything. After a summit snack around noon (I think??) we retraced our steps and following one rap on tat we were in the col at the top of the couloir. (Photo climbing on to summit) Retracing our steps: We continued down the East ridge another 30ft to another tat anchor and rapped from here into the top of a snow gully leading south.We booted down this to the flatter southern slopes. We chose to descend the col between dragontail and colchuck peak to colchuck lake so we started our sunny slog to there. Once at the col we could tell light was starting to fade and we had long since finished out water so we didn't lollygag. We started down the Colchuck Glacier and quickly hit the bergshrund. There was a thin snow bridge that we chose not to trust and instead took the leap... We found lots of steepish exposed glacial ice and spent a lot more time on the front points as we climbed down toward the lake. Eventually we ran out of snow and ice and switched to approach shoes and started walking down the rocks (now covered in frost). We made it to the trail right about when we needed our lights and has a nice (read: long and tired) walk out, arriving back at the cars at 7:00. For future fall climbers, the thin ice line to the right in the third photo appears that it would be a very fun alternate route. This is a very fun fall alpine route! GPS Track, (disclaimer, we didn't follow the best route 100% of the time) http://www.movescount.com/moves/move254799988 Gear Notes: We took 3 screws and never placed one, but would still take one or two because ice was around. A few nuts and a few cams from fingers up to bd #2 proved to be most useful. Had pins but never placed any. Approach Notes: Follow the cairns if you find them and take the tree finger up as much of the talus slope as you can (stay further right than you'd expect).

I went up to Chair Peak last two Saturdays. I noticed a hard, 1/4" thick layer of ice under the snowpack. Last Saturday it was covered by 12" of unconsolidated snow. The steep slopes in Chair basin had slid below the SW Chimney all the way to the hard layer. I personally find the persistent sliding layer unusual for the Cascades, and I don't think the warm, wet weather this week will do much to consolidate the snowpack to the sliding layer or below it. I am concerned that the sliding layer will persist throughout the winter causing high avalanche danger until some kind of event or change in conditions bonds the ice layer to the layers below and above it. Please be mindful as you head out into the backcountry this weekend that avalanche conditions appear to me to be uncharacteristic of the Cascades. Be safe out there.

Trip: Three O'Clock Rock - various Trip Date: 11/19/2018 Trip Report: Wanting to see some rock before the snows came, I went up to Three O'Clock Rock yesterday, Monday, Nov. 19. First light comes late in this season so I enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in until five, left Seattle at six. Still a very cold morning in Darrington, I pulled in to the Shell station for a pit stop to let the day warm up a bit. I didn't tarry long, however, as the old pre-climb excitement took hold, didn't even go in the store, and motored on up the Clear Creek Road. The road is in good shape, with a new coat of gravel on the lower section. Thanks to the "Darrington Collaborative" for that! Besides the fairly alarming tilt of the roadbed in a couple of places, one new hazard is apparent: The trail is in the best condition I've ever seen it. Thank you to the work party earlier this year. Especially appreciated is the ramp up off the old miner's road: Years ago we had to cross over this log on the steps provided: Full sun was pulling me out of the frost toward the North Buttress: But I had designs on some easy pitches on the South Buttress: I wanted to warm up with Under the Bored Walk: Dry and clean, the knobs accepted my passage: Pointy elbows in the sun: Rapping off: That was actually scary enough that I decided against staying there to do Charly Chan's Number One Suspect. I moved gear over to Cornucopia Flake. Stout trees are plentiful under the route: It was fun placing gear again, so late in the season: I had only planned to do single pitches, no multi-pitch, but this looked so good and had to pass it up: Obligatory Exfoliation Dome shot: Feeling better about friction moves with lots of rope out, I decided to do the first pitch of The Kone. I saved time by using the same anchor tree. It was 1:30 and the sun was already going around the corner! From near the top of the first pitch of The Kone: On each of these pitches, I fixed the lead rope, rapped, and jugged up with a second rope for rappel. Last rappel of the day, from The Kone: I felt lucky to be out there for a beautiful day in November. Gear Notes: Minimal rack of cams. Two 60m ropes. Approach Notes: Thanks to the Washington Climbers Coalition and the Darrington Collaborative for the road work, and for the recent trail work.

okay - second issue for this season of Haireball's Ass-Clammin inventory - Icicle & Tumwater canyons, and Stuart Range. As of December 2, there is no lowland ass no place. the Funnel on hubba hubba hill is a wet streak. a hike in to Millenium wall reveals damp rock with a dusting of melting snow. in Tumwater canyon, there are random blobs in the general vicinity of Drury falls, but no other sign of ass. a hike in to Colchuck reveals thin smears of snow plastered on edges/ledges on the alpine faces - nothing that would constitute a "line", although the triple couloir is beginning to fill. there is a fat two-or-three pitch flow a couple hundred feet up the approach gully to Colchuck Balanced Rock - looks like fun climbing if you feel like making the nine-mile approach from the Icicle road. One trip report on this site reveals decent mixed conditions in the ne couloir on Argonaut - suggesting that Sherpa & Stuart might be worth a look... forecast is for temperature to drop into the 'teens in Leavenworth mid-week, then warm again into next weekend. I'm hoping to make another trip in to Colchuck next weekend, and will take my tools this time. think frigid thoughts... no word yet from my colleagues in the coulees... -Haireball

Trip: Red Rock - FA Jedi Mind Tricks 5.10 A2 V Trip Date: 11/09/2018 Trip Report: Hello! I wrote up Sam and I's first ascent on my blog. I figure I would copy the link here so others could check it out. I'm also working through Training for the New Alpinism in my blog, if you're interested in seeing how that is going. https://wp.me/p2nZJM-6v Cheers! Kyle Gear Notes: double rack to 4, heavy on micros and #5 and #6 cams. a few LA's, #1 KB's and #1 beak Approach Notes: Same as for Dream of Wild Cheeseburgers or Original route with approach pitch of 5.9

Cooper 30 is in good shape. 4 of us climbed it today.

still waiting on those pics

Trip: Green Mtn Lookout - South Slope Trip Date: 12/02/2018 Trip Report: After arriving at the trailhead with no snow to be found, we agreed to hike for a while to see if we could find some. I believe we hiked a couple of miles to approximately 5,000' before finding enough snow to start skinning. By the time we reached the south face, there was 12" of boney (but solid) base with 3" of semi-bonded fresh snow and grauple. We took a short break at the top and had an unexpectedly fun 1,200' run. We continued to push our luck down to 5,000 where the brush put an abrupt end to my run with a fabulous digger into some rocks. Except for Kit, he managed another 500' of tremendous brush and rock skiing. We didn't see anyone else out, which always makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong. Remarkably satisfying first ski outing of the season. Where are we supposed to ski? That's better Does it count if you don't skin all the way? That's what we came for - Gear Notes: rock skis & helmet Approach Notes: road is in good shape

I had a spectacular day up there yesterday. Ive been climbing up here for ten years now and really appreciate the bolt replacement and general maintenance that has been happening. I climbed the Kone yesterday and every bolt was shiny new. Even the majority of bolts on the descent (Gastroblast) look brand-spanking new! Makes me want to finally climb that route. My first route in Darrington was Till abroad Daylight with, then, my future wife and it was a memorable moment early in our relationship. I may have not thought it so enjoyable if I had any idea how sketchy the ancient quarter inchers and button heads were! This route has also been upgraded to modern 3/8 stainless steel hardware btw. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks and hope one day I will make the time to give back a bit more myself.

I'll find a more permanent home for it but it's attached to this post @diepj Kloke Winter Climbs Complete.pdf

Trip: Mt Ellinor - Rose to NW gully Trip Date: 05/27/2018 Trip Report: The first time I attempted this was almost 20 years ago, we made it up onto Mt Ellinor from the Mt Rose trail but were turned away by chest deep postholing. The route we took up and across the south face was awful, loose steep and no fun at all. However with no desire to retrace our steps we were forced to find another way down, which appeared to be a 14 mile hike down to the 24 and back to the Mt Rose trailhead. As the trail gained the ridge overlooking the lake the GPS said we were 1/2 mile from the car and the dirt slide of death descent was dicscovered! The second half of the puzzle was solved but it took a chance encounter with a Mt Rose trail crew member to figure out a better first half... We started up the Mt Rose trail about 8:30, not sure of our beta to search out a new trail and hopefully make it up the unillusive Mt Ellinor, the whore of the Olympics, ready for any and all comers. Sure enough we found the sign proclaiming Bear Camp was a mere .7 miles away. Kind of a neat destination in itself. After poking around a bit we headed westward on a trail as we knew we needed to gain the ridge or we'd end up where I did so many years ago. The trail got us quickly over to the ridge where we promptly lost it and did some serious Olympic bushwacking and log crawling with some slide alder/Devils club action to spice it up. But really not too bad as there was still snow covering a lot of it and the DC was just starting to sprout. After traversing under the ridge for an hour or so we stopped and looked at the map and wisely decided to cross the ridge before we followed it down to Mt Pershing, accomplishing this feat at the highest point on the ridge! We were rewarded with a new view of the summit we were after. Braver men might have stayed high and followed the SW Ridge? (right skyline) up but my fear of the south face and desire to ascend the steep snow of the NW gully won out, forcing us to descend about 500 feet and work our way around the left shoulder in the pic above and up 1000 feet of easily kicked in steps. Approaching the summit we could see the ess shaped route of our descent off the ridge and be content knowing we took 7 hours to climb what most people climb in an hour or two. Tagged the summit, slid down most of the the rapidly disintergrating winter chute and scampered down the trail to the head of the dirt slide of death. The dirt slide went pretty well but became overgrown about halfway down, necessitating, you guessed it, more schwacking! Moving slowly with tired legs on a never ending descent we finally hit the road just a couple hundred yards from the car. It was a great day and a challenging way to climb an old friend. Gear Notes: Axe, lightweight traction Approach Notes: A little schwacky here and there

My friend and I were skiing in bounds at Mission Ridge and saw a skier drop in and set off this avalanche (in bounds). The crown was 5 feet tall in its biggest area. The skier escaped and was very lucky.

Yes, I would say talk to CAST. They do exactly that for alpine ski boots. casttouring.com

Trip: Mount Constance - South Chute Solo in a Day Trip Date: 06/23/2018 Trip Report: Climbing alone is not a priority for me, and shared mountain experiences with others are among my most vivid and cherished memories. However, climbing alone offers its own rewards... the quiet focus that comes from hours of not speaking, the attention to the wilderness that is required when you are solely responsible for yourself, and the rhythms of moving your own body over distance at your own pace and direction. I moved with my little family to Seattle in Autumn 2017, settling in north Ballard. Nearly every clear day since then my eyes have fallen upon a previously unknown to me mountain range of incredible beauty: the Olympics. Before moving to Seattle, I was only aware of the precipitous North Cascades and of course the big volcanoes. Now, I sip coffee and watch the light of the sunrise light up the eastern slopes of the Brothers; a bowl of snow and rime ice during the Winter months. The twin summits of the Brothers, with the elegant, scalloped ridge connecting them, were the first climbing objective that gripped me. I started to plot and plan an ascent, but the traverse would necessitate a partner. I planted the seed of an alpine outing with my climbing partner and watered it frequently, only to be reminded that scheduling and harmonizing lives from thousands of miles away can actually be the crux before the climb even starts. Alas, the Brothers traverse would have to wait. But what of summer, with its long days, relatively stable weather, and more forgiving conditions in the alpine? Surely there is another climb that can be born of this spectacular season? Of course, just a few degrees to the north, an even taller and more steeple-like summit beckoned: Mount Constance. Despite a state literally filled with fantastic alpine objectives, I was a prisoner to the spires I watched filter the sunset each day. So, the last-minute plan for a solo trip to the Buckhorn Wilderness was hastily constructed to take advantage of one of the longest days of the year... The Olympic National Forest, National Park, and the Buckhorn Wilderness are an utterly fantastic landscape. Without a climbing partner to share in the experience, I was compelled to share the experience post-climb through images and video. There is no shortage of information on the more technical aspects of climbing Mount Constance, with much of the best information hosted right here on CC.com. So instead I have assembled these images in a more story-telling fashion, you can find a load of Strava data here, here, and here, and you can watch the short I made of the climb here: I left downtown Seattle on the Seattle-Bridge Ferry the evening of July 22. Packed ferries meant I got the opportunity to sit at the ferry terminal for an extra 90 minutes and really soak in the city from that waterfront vantage. What a fantastic intersection of city and sea: <Leaving downtown Seattle behind.> I landed at the Dosewallips Road washout around 7pm and quickly got to setting up camp (in the Subaru), eating a burrito, and exploring the eastern-most washout area. Nice spot. I shared the "trailhead" camp with about a dozen other vehicles: Mosty party campers with fires and late-night laughter, but I did see a number of backpackers head out and up the valley late in the evening. <Dosewallips Camp. Big firs and cold water.> It rained all night, which was a nice serenade sleeping in a station wagon. In the morning I brewed up and left the car on my MTB right at 5am. <No need for a headlamp this close to the Soltice.> I really appreciated the advice of previous TRs on taking a bike for the Dosewallips Road approach. The climb from the first washout to the trailhead is not negligible, with around 900 ft of ascent before you even get off the road. A beautiful re-wilding of the Dosewallips valley is happening as slowly-but-surely the rainforest is reclaiming the previously developed road and campsites. I stashed my bike under the first bridge, about a half-mile before reaching the Lake Constance TH. <Dosewallips Road near the TH to Lake Constance.> <There is no longer a sign marking the start of the Lake Constance trail, but there is a subtle flagging as seen here.> As many others have noted, the early stretches of "trail" that lead through the old burn are pretty technical in that there is a lot of mantling and hoping over downed logs. It could probably use some maintenance for long-term durability, but I was thankful for the grade. Nothing like putting down a three thousand feet in just a few miles! It really is more of a climber's trail than a backpacking trail. The ecology of the Constance Creek valley is quietly beautiful with all of the accoutrements of a wilderness old-growth forest: countless waterfalls, moss on every surface, towering cedars and firs, and just enough devil's club to make it feel like you had to fight for your views of Lake Constance. I got to the lake at 8am, just in time to share a few quick words with a group of six or so people that were heading down from several days of camping and hiking, including a climb Constance the day prior. I passed one other pair of people similarly breaking camp to head down. After these brief interactions I did not see another soul for more than 10 hours (when I passed back by the lake on descent), as I had the upper Avalanche Canyon to myself for the day. <Tranquility encapsulated in Lake Constance at 8am, and Ramaria spp. along Constance Creek.> <Spires and summits on the South ridge of Constance protect the lake from morning sunlight in spectacular fashion.> So excited to be near the glassy-smooth lake, I missed the climbers trail out of the lower basin and instead found myself bushwhacking up out of the northern-most lake campsites. I made 600 or so feet of elevation progress before I found my way out and back on to the snow. Perhaps obviously, I do not recommend this particular bushwhack over the trail through the snow. <Back on the snow, it was easy to stay moving and motivated with views like this!> Avalanche Canyon really is a spectacular cathedral of pillow basalt and snowfields. It feels as though it is guarded by the sharp spires that surround the rim. As I progressed into the basin, I found myself daydreaming and plotting lines up the walls, leading to sharp perches above the canyon. I am certain that climbing on this rock is possible and probably even fun, but protecting a climb on this kind of rock would be a different story... <Aiming for the Cat's Ears shortly after leaving the lower basin. Mostly scree all the way to the notch at the top of the South Chute.> At this point the clouds began to boil and rise in the lower basin and it felt as if the clouds and their poor visibility chased me up to the notch. From the notch, semi-obscured views of the upper ridge and route were a harbinger of the climb and route finding charade that was to come. <At the top of the South Chute notch. Good place for a bagel break.> Despite the warm temperatures and soft snow in the intermittently sun-exposed areas, persistent shade from clouds and rock in others made for some crispy morning snow climbing and traversing. The conditions made me glad that I lugged both ice axe and crampons up the trail that morning. As I ascended towards the second notch, the left-most of the three at the top of the scree gully, I finally got an opening in the clouds to see where I had been and the setting of the South Ridge of Constance. It is a really grand alpine playground of snow slopes, loose scree, and old relics of the volcanism and uplift that created the Olympics... when you can see it! From here, the rest of my climb was stretches of crystal clear blue sky above alternating with in-a-cloud 200 ft visibility. This poor visibility, combined with lack of partner for consultation and memory, made route-finding a bit more difficult as I had to scout and re-check my route decisions a bit more. "Olympic Class 3" climbing is a little spicier than Colorado where most of my climbing experience lies, but in general I would rate the upper reaches of the climb as a super-fun scramble. The stretches of steep snow were an enjoyable reprieve from the scree and loose rock jungle-gyming, even when frozen enough to require crampons. For the sake of future trip planning, if I were plotting a repeat climbing visit to any part of the Constance massif, I would definitely aim for even earlier in the season to take advantage of more snow high on the mountain. <Looking back from the second notch during a brief opening in the clouds.> <Looking south near the entry to the Finger Traverse and associated bypass.> I did my due-diligence before the trip began, getting a solid idea of the exposure expected and what the psychological cruxes would be since I was solo. The Finger Traverse seemed like the best way to go, but as I climbed through the clouds I apparently missed the entry to the Finger Traverse proper. I ended up on the west side of the ridge, which I now understand to be the FT bypass. This route was the natural way I found my path over the ridge, and definitely does not exceed 4th class or the exposure of the FT, so I am guessing many parties find themselves traveling this way. I found the FT once I rounded the corner. At that moment in the season there was still a solid bumper of snow perched on the open book of the FT, but that did not make it seem any less airy! <Looking back at the Finger Traverse after rounding the pinnacle via the FT bypass route. I ordered up a sea of clouds for this one for extra dramatic effect.> <First glimpse of the summit block and upper reaches.> <From the base of the "yellow wall", looking back up at the route down from the FT and FT bypass area. Nice to have some soft snow for once!> From there, I was at the summit block in no time, a hunk of imposing basalt with little visible weaknesses until you traverse counter-clockwise around it to find the west face. <Summit block from the east.> <Looking north at the climbable side of the summit block from the west side.> After a few airy fourth class moves to pass the summit block while in generally clear conditions, I found myself straddling a rock on the summit of Mount Constance just before 2pm, half way to a goal realized... an ascent like this is only a success once you get back to the safety of your home and family. I only hung around on the summit for a few minutes. The wind began to whip, and the clouds boiled higher, strongly suggesting I would need some extra time to negotiate the poorly visible route on my return. <Obligatory summit-with-boot shot looking south down the ridge. The FT is visible near the snow with the light/shadow line, and looks pretty spectacular from this vantage. What a mountain vista!> <Looking south towards the FT/TT routes (prow at top center), which are accessed by ascending the snow up to the right of this view. Shortly after I took this image, the clouds socked me in for a more intimate version of the climb route on the way down.> <Finally back at the notch of the South Chute, out of water and ready to call it a day, but still 4k+ feet of descent to go!> <The kinds of views I was treated to for most of the descent. Route? Which route? Just follow the weaknesses in the clouds...> <Back in the lower basin: interesting geology and clearing views back into Avalanche Canyon.> <A sleepy Lake Constance on descent.> <Back in the safety of the rainforest.> Aside from the circuitous and comical route-finding in the clouds on the way down, the descent was relatively uneventful and even euphoric as I boot-skied my way down scree and snow to the bottom of Avalanche Canyon. I came upon a seemingly 100% still Lake Constance again, this time with a veil of fog and the sounds of two people setting camp for the evening near the shores of the lake. I shared a view words of camaraderie as I passed their camp, and began my descent towards the Dosewallips River with haste - I wanted to make it to the docks before the last ferry! I arrived at my bike around 7:30pm, and a few hoots, hollers, and a whopping 25 minutes later I was back at the car at 8pm eating left-over burrito scraps and changing clothes, almost exactly 15 hours after I had left. I made it in time to catch the midnight ferry back to downtown Seattle, a sparkling metropolis on the calm flat Puget Sound, and a sharp contrast to the steep wilderness in which I had spent my day. I did not originally intend for my first climb in Washington to be a solo one, and indeed I am looking forward to sharing experiences like this with partners on future adventures. However, the solo experience was far from a waste. Moving quietly and quickly through the jewel of wilderness that is the Buckhorn area, I have been left with a deep well of gratitude for this preserved land and the freedom and health to roam it. __________________________________________ Original post, below. __________________________________________ I'll edit this TR with pictures and full descriptions within a week or so once I get my images onto my computer. For now I just wanted to upload this TR for those of you that are curious about route conditions and perhaps planning a climb for Independence Day weekend. Also, I'm new to the CC site, so Hello! This site is an amazing resource! Car-camped at the Dosewallips washout Friday 6/22, it rained all night. Left the car at 5 am on the bike, stashed the bike at the first bridge and continued on foot from there. Arrived at the Constance Lake around 8 am. Missed the turn for the climber's trail out of the lake area and ended up bushwacking for about 600 ft of elevation out of one of the campsites until I made my way back to the snow/climber's trail. Visibility was intermittent due to fast-moving clouds lapping over the primary ridge, making route-finding past the top of the South Chute quite difficult at times. South-facing snow was soft when in the sun, but frequent cloud cover kept many of the higher snow slopes frozen - ice axe and crampons on the steeps were essential the day I was up there. Also, as several others have noted, "Olympic 3rd class" is indeed a little stiffer than Colorado 3rd class. Summited around 2pm with spectacular views of Warrior Peak, Inner Constance, and The Brothers summits poking out of a fast-moving sea of clouds. I descended by reversing the South Chute route. Despite having just climbed through the maze of the South Chute with poor visibility, descending via the same route in even poorer intermittent visibility made route-finding difficult again. A partner or more route pictures/notes would help immensely in such conditions. Descended back to the bike by around 7:30pm, and back to the car by 8:00pm for a 15 hour car-to-car. Caught the midnight ferry back to Seattle and home by 1:30am. This is a fantastic climb! The maze of gendarmes, scree and snow slopes along the ridge is an experience I won't forget! Gear Notes: Helmet Ice axe Crampons Approach Notes: Bike was key for the approach. Trekking poles were nice for the Lake Constance trail between Dosewallips and the lake, both for up and down.

The Ambit3 Peak works great. Its proven to be pretty durable so far. For running it's great and also pairs with the Suunto heart rate monitor. Without GPS the battery lasts for a little over a week it seems. Its got a bunch of different modes to track activities like skiing, climbing, hiking, etc.

I met a guy in the Alpental backcountry last year who had tech inserts in a pair of Koflachs that he used with a split board. Probably the weirdest setup I've ever seen. But it's definitely possible!

Dude!!! Have you been doused in ketamine for the last six month? I wish I had never gone anywhere near Vesper Peak and helped in my own little way into turning that corner of the Cadcades into a total shit show.

I've had my Suunto Core for about 6 years and I like it. It's durable (I'm tough on gear) and easy to set up after replacing a battery. My recent experience of buying a cheap 5 pack replacement batteries from REI is that they last a few months each, if, I don't mess with the watch much... A good watch for climbing. I've not used the barometric storm warning system either but everything else works fine. d

I'm pretty happy with my Ambit3 Peak years later, a great ABC watch, has waypoints, and will make cool videos of your runs/climbs/hikes through the Suunto app. The brand new 9 looks nice with a touch interface but pricey. Outdoor Gear Lab has a good write up of some options: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-altimeter-watch

Found 3 pitches of wi2/3 ice near milepost 72 off Steven's pass highway. Fun climbing, plenty fat for screws! 2nd pitch is wi3, 1st and 3rd are shorter and wi2. Anyone know what this route is called? See gps track for location.

She went missing August 1st. SAR flew their chopper over that area, and then a horde of wannabe heroes flew drones with cameras all over that area. Plenty of climbers went out to do the routes in the area over the following months. I haven't been up near the Vesper summit in a while, but I'm very confident that's not SS's body. The SS rescue crowd is really wacky (go read it on FB), so I bet some of them will hold out hope and try to 'rescue' that photoshopped red blob.

Eliot Goacier ice is IN. Cooper 30 is solid and some other ice around is in decent shape too.

I have a Core that's a few years old. For outdoor use I keep it in altimeter mode so I haven't tried the barometric storm warning alarms or whatever. The display seems easier to read than the older Vector model. Nothing fancy but it works well to gauge how high you are on a ridge, etc. The battery seems to last for about a year.

Years ago I bought a Suunto watch from their woman's Core series because one could get a rubber case that allowed it to hung from a lanyard around one's neck. Not sure if any of the newer watches can be set up the same but in most usages actually wearing a watch on one's wrist is a PITA.

people are sending on Colfax. thanks facebook.

Jeebus! That is an AWSOME picture! Beautiful black and white with perfect clarity. EB’s. Perlon and webbing slung hexes and stoppers. Maybe even a MOAC. Hole in the seat of your pants. Doesn’t get much better than that. You’re throwing down some beauties, Mr. Off_White. I still can’t believe we never crossed paths. Here’s another Reeds area climb on the far left side. Probably 1974 or so. The Left Side of the Remnant. A burly, overhanging, hard to protect, wide, horror show. Perfect. What could possibly go wrong.

'SUP! I haven't visited for a few years, and bam - what a fantastic topic of discussion I just ran across. I don't use social media. Like I've written before, the focus on playing gotcha and trying to demean posters based on whatever the peanut gallery wanted to dissect, was just soul sucking. It really became a very negative experience. I had to ask why I bothered "sharing" if I was just going to get made fun of. But also, I haven't been posting because 1) I finished grad school and had to get a real job, and 2) children. It's hard to explain to them that they should just sit still and watch for falling ice while mama does a few pitches in below-freezing weather. Go figure. My current activities include thing that my 6-yo and 3-yo can participate in, like skiing and mountain biking. I hope to eventually get back to sending some 5.6s.

OK Mr Off_White, here’s another B&W photo. This is at the top of the 2nd pitch of Reeds Direct in 1974. This might have been the time Timson, Bob Crawford and I did all three pitches when Timson gave Crawford a bunch of slack on the desperate 3rd pitch off-width.

Version 13 now! KMZ, KML, and PDF. New Ice Climbs In SW BC Version 13.pdf West Coast Ice Climbs.kml West Coast Ice Climbs.kmz

Like Pumpkin Spice spicy? Or Posh Spice spicy?

They added this statement to the top of the blog post: Thank you to everyone for your feedback. We heard you. Here are the changes we’re making in response: We will close the gates on SR 20 at milepost 134 just as we have every year when the avalanche risk increases. We are committed to keeping the western closure point at that location through at least Jan. 2, 2019. After Jan. 2 we will continue to keep the road open to the gate at milepost 134 until there is significant snowfall to the west, to alleviate concerns about large patches of bare pavement beyond the new closure point at milepost 130. We have heard from many snowmobilers concerned with the change in our operation. We are working with local snowmobile groups to attend/plan a meeting next month to discuss your concerns and talk more in depth about the issues we face on SR 20 while accommodating winter users.

Intermittent Fasting www.BrandonClimbs.com I am a "Self-Experimenter", that means I try all sorts of remedies, diets, sleep patterns etc. in the search for the most optimal and efficient solutions to every aspect of my life. Through out my experimentation, I have found that a lot of stuff is BS, other are near impossible to sustain for extended periods of time and that very few actually work and do provide benefits over traditional habits we might be used to. One of those is intermittent fasting. I’m not saying this is for everyone, this is solely my experience and my findings after sticking with this particular eating schedule over a period of 3 months. I have always been a relatively fit individual having exercised daily for the last 10 years. That being said, I’ve never struggled much with staying in shape. Obviously when the holidays come around I’m usually a few pounds heavier but I quickly shed any excess fat in the following months. None the less I’ve always been a clean eater. I’ve never been on an actual diet but I have avoided sweets, processed sugars, refined carbs and processed foods. The only issue is I usually eat A LOT of the foods I consider “healthy”. In an attempt to stay leaner through out the year I stumbled upon the new craze of intermittent fasting. To my surprise it has been surprisingly easy to keep up and my body as adapted quite well. I wake up with more energy than usual and I have gotten very lean without sacrificing muscle mass. At first I thought it was insane to starve yourself. Especially someone like me that’s always hungry, I couldn’t fathom having to restrain my self for a large portion of the day without eating and still maintain a healthy weight. But the more I researched the topic, the more sense it made to me. Most people are out there trying to eat this super clean diet that is practically unsustainable, after having spent the last 20 years of their life eating fast food and ice cream. The problem is, we live in a day and age where the media is constantly bombarding us with irresistible commercials of Dominoes’ new cheese stuffed crust, extra cheesy pizza with cheese on top. So when you are on your eleventh hour and you’ve spent the day eating a hand full of almonds, a dry rubber chicken breast and an apple, it becomes nearly impossible to to not give into the temptation of devouring that delicious and greasy pizza. So it makes total sense why most people can’t stick to a diet and why we are amongst the most obese countries in the world. I’m not saying intermittent fasting is the solution to all of this, but in my experience it’s a great tool to have and given the right circumstance can prove to be very beneficial for many individuals. So what is Intermittent fasting? Well it’s not a diet and its not starving yourself. Its basically limiting your eating to a specific time window... The average American eating schedule goes something like this: 7:00am Breakfast & Coffee 12:00pm Lunch 8:00pm Diner An intermittent fasting schedule looks something like this: 11:00am Lunch 3:00pm Snack 7:00pm Dinner The difference is that the normal schedule has you eating 13-14 hours of the day while the intermittent fasting schedule limits you to some certain hours a day (4-10). This on its own is big game changer. By just limiting the amount of hours you have to eat food in the day, you will automatically reduce the amount of calories you consume. Even if you stuff your face with food during an 8 hour eating window, studies have shown you will eat less than if you had your typical 3 meals of the day. This is important not only for weight loss but for for a variety of reason. Everything from low insulin levels in the blood to raised GH levels during your fast. How does it work? Step 1. You fast Step 2. Your insulin levels drop Step 3. Your body turns to burn stored energy in the form of first glucose then fat Simply put, when we eat we consume more energy than what we can use immediately. There fore our insulin levels rise while we eat which allow the liver to store glycogen but when the liver is topped off it will convert the extra glucose into stored fat. If we are eating through out the day our insulin levels are constantly high and our stores are constantly being topped off, giving no time for the body to burn the stored fat. By fasting we are allowing the body more time in the day to burn stored fat. What is the right way to do intermittent fasting? There is no right answer to this, since there are a variety of ways to fast. Its all about what works for you. Some of the most popular are: -16hr Fast / 8hr eating window (I follow this particular schedule) -14hr Fast / 10hr eating window -5/2 Eat normal 5 days of the week and fast (500-600 calories) for the other two days -6/1 Eat normal for 6 days and do one full 24hr fast a week -1/1 Fast 24hrs / Eat normal for 24hr Choosing what works for you is based on what is easier for you to sustain over a long period of time. Remember the reason most diets fail is because people can’t keep up with the demands and find it too hard to sustain. The goal with intermittent fasting is not to limit your self so much on the foods you eat but instead on the duration of time you eat in the day. My experience with intermittent fasting I’m a very active individual. I do Crossfit 5 days and I run 5-7 miles 3x/week. This means that I need a lot of calories and energy to get me through the week. When I first started adapting my self to this eating schedule I found it a bit difficult the first 2 days but by the third day my body was fully adapted and I was cruising through my 16 hour fast with out a hiccup. Not only was I adapted but in the mornings when I’m usually groggy, now I was full of energy. By the time lunch came around at 11am, I was excited to eat and would devour a big lunch. Around 5pm id go to Crossfit and kick ass. To my surprise I didn’t have the least bit of weakness I thought id experience. Finally, when I got home I would have my final meal of the day, usually a big plate full of a lean protein, potatoes and avocado. In those 3 months of following a time restricted eating schedule I’ve lost considerable body fat (not that I had much to begin with but now I’m very lean) and kept or even added a bit of muscle mass, I’ve gotten stronger with my lifts and I feel my endurance on long runs is much better. I’m not sure how much of this can be accredited to intermittent fasting, but I can tell you that I have felt overall better, lighter and with more energy since I started. I also indulge in more “cheat meals” than ever before with out any sense of guilt. This in itself is enough for me to make it part of my life style. As a climber I do have to modify the eating schedule as I approach a trip since a typical 2 or 3-day climb does require you to feed yourself every few hours to try and not fall into a calorie deficit. But for my day to day life, intermittent fasting has proved to be more efficient and convenient for me and will be something I will maintain going forward. You can read more of my articles at www.brandonclimbs.com

Thanks, it may not be powder, but I think it'll do....

Nice shot!

Trip: Three Queens - SE Shoulder Trip Date: 10/21/2018 Trip Report: I decided I needed some choss time before it was buried in the pow that IS coming soon, so yesterday, Zorina and I climbed the east peak of the Three Queens formation. It's southeast of Chikamin (somehow I feel that the three people who read this TR already know that...), and it was lovely!!! Tank top dry rock scrambling in late October, blue skies and sunshine in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness!! And only one person seen the entire time (a hiker whose turn-around time was 9:30?). We got a good alpine start at a bit past 9 AM and set off on a good pace on the Mineral Creek Trail. We had about three trip reports plus Beckey's description. We'd read about a "social trail" (leading to a brief brush battle) but the beginning of the brief battle was actually marked with a cairn, just about thirty seconds after we could see the talus field and we started looking for it. Sweet! Photo by Zorina Slide alder, etc. was short-lived. Photo by Zorina We agreed on the notch we were aiming for. That's always good. The talus field was a talus field. I set off a crazy avalanche of rocks, which was exciting. We got up onto a vegetated rib thing when we could, and that was fairly pleasant. What is this plant? It looks like manzanilla, but I don't think I've seen manzanilla around here... The fun scrambling began and we started following the "no kicking rocks onto your partner" rule. The key class 3 vegetated ledge was obvious and before we knew it, we were on the ridge and then on top!! That was quicker and more straightforward than we'd anticipated, we agreed. Maybe we should have more confidence about this kind of thing. Beckey says "5 hours from trail" and Klenke (Summitpost) says "5 hours from trailhead"...either way, we were on top in 4:15 and were happy to beat the Beckey time :-) Rainier, Glacier, barely MSH, Hibox, Alta, Thompson, Huckleberry, Kaleetan, Chair, Chikamin, the Lemahs, Chimney Rock, Summit Chief...Stuart! So beautiful... And the long couloir between Lemah and Chimney Rock?! Crazy! I am trying to find more information on it. Beckey describes one northern remanant of the Lemah Glacier as a "narrow 0.6-km ice couloir in the upper Leah Creek depression, beneath the 6,480-ft gap." Interesting! Has anyone skiied this? The way down was luckily uneventful, helped by a vivid imagination: snow over talus and skis on our feet... After thinking about getting rich off fool's gold, we picked the wrong talus finger to follow down (dang) and had to go back up and around. 10 minute delay? Back through the bushes, back onto the trail, no need for headlamp, and back to the car a few minutes past 6 pm. As we entered Roslyn, Zorina checked the traffic on I90 and saw that there was a 2-HOUR DELAY. Whaaat?! Crazy. So we went to this awesome place called Basecamp, which I feel like I should have known about before. Coffee, beer, food, books, maps, local art stuff. Great place to pass the time! We enjoyed looking through the newspaper's police beat: We walked around Roslyn and then finally Google said there was only a 20 minute delay, so we left and got back to Seattle around midnight. Gear Notes: Helmet Approach Notes: Over, through, up, through, around, along, up, along, up

Trip: Three Fingers trail run - Meadow Mtn trail to standard ladder scramble Trip Date: 10/21/2018 Trip Report: As my free time for frolicking amongst the mighty cascades has shrunk over the past few years, my activities too, have changed with it. Trail running has given he the opportunity to tackle mountain objectives in less time. I get to really special places without all the time commitment. The “back in time for lunch” mentality. Although I prefer to soak in ambiance of a glacial cirque, I have developed a deep appreciation for a smash and grab kind of day. 396F23EC-9316-4ED8-8ABF-C3D2EB4A4780.MOV Over the past few years, my running buddies and I have slowly pushed our distances, elevation gain and loss, and comfort with venturing onto more technical trails and into more remote areas. This run was a real test for us and proud to say we pushed our comfort zones and it paid off. The human body’s limits reside in the mind. Lesson learned: don’t trust caltopo’s trail distances. What was supposed to be 20 miles ended up being 26! Combine the awe, love, and uplifting feeling mountain vistas give you with the chemical concoction your body produces during a long, sustained effort and you’ve got the recipe for the best drug on the planet. 12 years here and still so very much in love with our Cascades. Gear Notes: Brooks Cascadia trail shoes, MSR bladder Approach Notes: The road is closed after 8 miles just before it turns west.

Might be better to not blow it on steep snow, regardless of what's on your back. You're talking about playing a zero sum game. In all my time climbing couloirs and snow, with and without skis on my back, I have not fallen. Steep snow is pretty dang easy to climb, especially in ski boots with crampons. Don't break yourself or your gear. Learn how to walk. If it's fucked up enough that you could fall you can be sure you won't be able to self arrest.

Nothin' says hasbeen chestbeating like posting about how long it's been since you put up a route with no repeats since. Maybe your route just sucked.

Agreed, if it is that sketchy to climb up typically you bail because it would be even worse to ski!

Different bolts. These are new from my last go of the route two weeks ago. ??? Not sure what you're referring to here... Kev reached out to me about fixing it and I need to get to it. A bit of a challenge, but doable. However, the pressing issue up there at the moment is that it's now a complete nightmare of loose rock that's going to take a substantial effort to clean up. As it is it's only a matter of time before a bunch of it ends up raining down on the base of the SE Corner and possibly killing someone. Maintaining Beacon requires far more than re[tro]-bolting, building unneeded platforms, and destroying beautiful little trees that didn't need cutting. It requires formally organized and coordinated loose rock cleanups at least once every five years and preferably a loose rock survey prior to every open to determine if any threats to climbers or the railroad developed over the winter which needs to be cleaned up.

OK @rbw1966, @CapitalNathan, @Jason4.....Talked with @jon and wer'e going to get it up on the site in pdf. Standby.

Very grateful for all the time you put into this trip report and thank you to @wayne @Colin @JensHolsten @Dannible @Sol for laying the groundwork and being so selfless in posting all your info here over the years. This is the site at it's very best.

Awesome post man, thats quite a push. The kautz was my first ever climb and it kicked my ass in 3 days, can't imagine in 1. Congrats on the summit!

I don't use ski poles in the summer, because I'd snap 'em. Got some fancy running poles that actually hold up quite well. A little hesitant to go CF, as generally they don't bend, they just snap catastrophically. To further establish myself as a destroyer: I'm the only person the Scarpa NA reps have ever seen who broke the shank on a pair of 6000's. I've loosened the head of (not exaggerating) 10 nomics. I broke the canting bolt clean off a pair of LS ski boots. Don't buy used hardgoods from me.

Trip: Vancouver Island- Elkhorn Mountain - Threading The Needle: WI-4, M-3, D+, 310 Meters Trip Date: 03/10/2018 Trip Report: With clears skies forecast Chris Jensen, Ryan Van Horne and I packed our bags and set our sites on Elkhorn Mountain. Initially our climb was to be on it's Northeast Face, but slightly warmer temperatures had the face shedding snow at an uncomfortable rate. Fortunately for us the North Face of the mountain, which we traversed on our way to scope the North-East Face, was solid and worthy of climbing. Here's the North-East Face looking as though it's in the Cordillera Blanca: We set up shop at the bottom of a deep chimney that had a promising start and appeared to continue upwards to the large snow pack above us. With a nice looking grade 4 pitch above us I racked up and set off. As per usual it was steeper than we thought, fortunately for our arms the lower section was close to a rock face and we were able to stem back and rest up for the upper half of the pitch. Here's Ryan enjoying a rest before he ran our of rock to rest on: With this fun pitch below us our stoke was high. Ryan racked up and lead the second pitch which had constant grade 2/3 steps for 50 meters. Here's Ryan dealing with the first step of the second pitch: Once anchored off above the second pitch we found ourselves at the base of the upper snow field. Chris took this pitch all the way to the start of the grade 4 pitch of an existing route: The Winter Needle. Here's Chris punching steps up the upper snow field en route to the upper mountain: With this long pitch below we set our sites on the existing route: The Winter Needle. Unfortunately the warm temperatures now exercising their influence on conditions we once again opted to back off and re-route our path due to spin drift coming down. A long pitch that had 20 meters of simultaneously-climbing lead us to a solid anchor just below a short mixed section that hopefully would allow us access to the Northwest aspect of the mountain. Here's Ryan making his way up the mixed section atop pitch 4: With our belay now in the sun, for the first time, we realized time was going to be an issue. Fortunately the top pitch of the Winter Needle has an easy chimney that leads to the summit. Here's Ryan and Chris enjoying the sun atop pitch 5: With day light at a premium Chris quickly set off and cruised up a snow slope to a comfy belay not too far from the summit. Here's a view looking down from the top of pitch 6: With the sun setting over the west coast of the island Chris, Ryan and I found ourselves standing atop the island's second highest mountain under blue bird conditions- definitely a summit experience to remember as the sky lit up and and smiles were wide. After a few quick photos on the summit we descended the upper section of the Northwest Ridge in the dark- 5 rappels and some down climbing later we found ourselves back on the Northwest ridge and at our camp some 15 hours after we set off. Threading The Needle: 6 pitch, 310 Meter, D+, WI4, M3 P1- WI4, 50 MeterP2- WI3, 50 MeterP3- WI2, 120 Meter, mostly snow slope (simul climbed after 60 Meters)P4- WI3, 80 Meter (20 Meter Simul Climb after WI3 step)P5- WI3/M3, 50 MeterP6- WI2, 60 Meter Gear Notes: Full rack of screws, handful of cams and nuts, 4 pins Approach Notes: Approach the the North-West Ridge trail, as described in Island Alpine Select by Phillip Stone.

Trip: Cruiser - S Corner Trip Date: 06/16/2018 Trip Report: Nearly nine years ago, in early August, I attempted this route and turned around on the summit of Beta. I've been overdue for a rematch. Just to make things interesting (well, I needed to be in town for Father's Day), I decided to do the climb C2C. We car camped near some side trailhead a mile or two shy of Staircase, and headed up at 5 am on Saturday. 20 hours later we were back at the car, happy, successful, and rehydrating with the beverage that proves God exists and loves us. Now for some pics to fill in details. See attachments. Continuous, firm snow from near Gladys Pass to Needle Pass View up from Needle Pass. The lower parts are unsavory, loose, exposed class 3. It gets better higher up. Better scrambling. This is more fun! Looking down the gully from the summit of Beta: Cruiser! Some minor shenanigans negotiating the moat. We solo'd the gully up to just below the chockstone, stashed our packs and did a short (silly) lead through the cannonhole. Ledge above the chockstone Summit block (taken on descent). There is one shiny bolt and an anchor with two more. I placed a few cams and a nut. Exposure on the summit is non-trivial: Summit P0rn: Gear Notes: Ice axe, crampons, helmet, small alpine rack Approach Notes: no snow until ha lfway from Flapjack lakes to Gladys Pass, then mostly snow until Needle Pass. From there, a moat or two to contend with but otherwise dry

No reason Adams can't be skied enjoyably in early July. I skied it last weekend of June last year and it was still primo - carried less than a mile, skinned to the summit, SW chutes skied great. It likely would have lasted at least 2-3 more weeks in good conditions, longer with more hiking/more suncupped skiing. I feel like I say this all the time to people starting out in mountaineering, but I believe Adams (and volcano/backcountry skiing in general) deserves a little more respect than it often gets. I don't know what your mountaineering background is - maybe you've got years of experience. If so, feel free to ignore my advice. If not, I think you should be at least a little concerned about routefinding - it's not terribly complicated, but simple mistakes can have big consequences on a big mountain. You should definitely still be knowledgeable and concerned about the potential for wet avalanches. They can still happen in summer - especially on steep terrain like the SW chutes. And you should be aware that the hazards of climbing and skiing a big mountain aren't the same as those of skiing in a resort, no matter how challenging the resort terrain may be. A week before I skied it last year it was an ice skating rink and several people took big, high speed slides with serious injuries. I don't say any of this to be discouraging - it's an amazing ski trip, absolutely one of my favorites, and you should totally have a go at it. Just give the trip the respect it deserves. Also - no one else has really said it, but I know my feet/legs would absolutely hate me if I tried doing a 7k foot, 10 mile day as my first day ever, in rental boots no less. Maybe I'm a pansy, but a day like that still wears out my hip flexors and threatens blisters even in well-fitting, well broken in boots after I've put in 30+ days and 60k feet in a season. Skinning can either be a really efficient means of travel, or it can be extra exhausting, depending on your technique. I'd take some other folks advice and do a shorter, easier day a little earlier in the season to figure out the mechanics of things, then go out for a fun day on Adams in late June/early July.