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Trip: Mt Hood - Reid Glacier Headwall Trip Date: 05/05/2018 Trip Report: This was a fun alpine solo alongside my buddy Kyle. Conditions were really good. Here's a link to my full report: Spokalpine.com Gear Notes: 2 tools, crampons Approach Notes: 2 hours to illumination saddle.

Thought I'd give an update since I finished my trip yesterday: conditions as of May 1 ...... 1) Very first snow patches on the road show up around Elev. 4000' (this is where I chickened out and parked my Civic at a nice turnaround) 2) If you're willing to drive through some pretty OK looking snow patches with tire ruts packed in, you can get to about Elev. 4300' 3) The truly committed Jeep drivers could get to Gotchen Creek area (although I still wouldn't recommend it, tough to turn around and the road is really sloppy in the afternoon) 4) At least one snowmobiler made it to the South Climb trailhead recently! LOL I started skinning at Gotchen Creek where it's pretty much continuous snow to the South Climb trailhead. Because it was dark and Morrison Creek sounded like it was flowing pretty good, I decided to follow the road all the way to South Climb trailhead. I was worried about falling in the creek, and there were some downed trees from the burned area sticking out of the snow here and there. Otherwise I could definitely see why heading north from Morrison Creek area would be a good idea. It was a cooler day yesterday, and snow near the summit and Pikers Peak was kind of icy, crusty, windblown....difficult to ski! I booted down one section since I skied right into a thick cloud and couldn't see a damn thing. But after going below the cloud, it was truly epic corn skiing for like 5000' of vert, down the south spur route, and back to the trailhead area. So good! (I was on the summit around 2:30pm for reference)

5/7/18 - helped put a tad of that lad affectionately known as krazy-ken'z mortal remains into the ground today out at the beacon-wand - beautiful day, a bit breezy but cloudy and warm - a crowd of kith and kin by the dock - jim n' sal n' me n' for a bit dave representing the beatard community our fallen brother came from - beers and bullshiting by the rushing waters, the dock all drowned - good times n' guffawing - ken had an ample crew, and i doubt my passing will be equally celebrated - a brief walk and then a big crowd of us were crawling up the trail - those of us who were able spread ashes in the duck blind, then atop the top of the se corner - grey my hands and such is that which is left behind when the person is gone - giddy w/ drink n' good feelings we gamboled on up to the summit and then back down - may all of us meet such a marvelous end, measured in abundance by family and friend wise sir do not grieve it is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning for every one of us living in this world means waiting for our end let he who can achieve glory before death when a warrior is gone that will be his best and only bulwark

Trip: Mount St Helens - Worm Flows Trip Date: 04/22/2018 Trip Report: One million of my best friends and I were on MSH today. We left the Marble Mountain SnoPark at 3:30 AM, able to ski from the parking lot! I got a whole lot of practice with my ski crampons! Up to the crater rim a bit past 9, hung out in the sun for about an hour and a half, then skiied some amazing AMAZING snow -- ah yes, this is what they call corn -- under a bluebird sky!!!!!!! I love spring skiing!!! I got to ski most of it in a tank top and rolled-up pants. 😁😁😁 Got a little sticky toward the bottom of the fun, but not too bad. On a few of the steeper parts we skiied, we saw some rollerballs and one very small wet loose slide. What an amazing day!!! So much better than hiking Monitor Ridge in August! Gear Notes: Sunscreen, ski crampons, patience Approach Notes: Snow from the TH!