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I just renewed the sole sponsorship of CascadeCllimbers.com server hosting costs by The American Alpine Institute for another year. We owe it to these guys, they believe in this place and shown that in monetary support. Thank you @Jason_Martin and team! Our hosting company was recently purchased and this resulted in significant increase in monthly cost for hosting as they jacked the rates. AAI has increased their support to continue to support the full cost of hosting. We will need to evaluate our options to see if we can bring that cost down, but for now AAI is keeping the lights on and it is very much appreciated. Please give them all the support you can, referrals, whatever. Thank you.

Today we did what would have been a fun gully on the east crater wall. I don't know what number it's supposed to be. v4? Or is it between v3 and v4? Anyway it would have been more fun in firmer snow/rime. But we were wallowing in deep snow, and the rime was so fragile it could barely support itself. Though that did make all the excavation easy. Took WAY too long to get up there and we dealt with a lot of hollow snow. Went down v4(?) instead of finishing the traverse. The soft snow made for an absolutely blissful ride down to the lot. Beautiful day 🙂 Also saw a pretty massive avalanche crown on the west crater.

I was able to make this setup work with some old rear crampon straps, I haven't found a narrow toe bail that will work yet. I haven't noticed any movement on the boot once its locked in though. Its stiff enough for the stuff I do down the roads and approaches. I have not put the downhill lock back on yet as I wasn't sure if I would be keeping them.

I went in and visited Jim yesterday. Definitely get in there and help a friend close out his business. Really good deals on some great quality equipment. Western Mountaineering sleeping bags, Montbell stuff, the usual great selection but at going out of business prices. It was good to see him!

Well good for Jim and well, not so good for connoisseurs of climbing gear. You certainly can't just go to REI to get what JIm has been selling....especially the advice, but also the thoughtful selection of quality gear. Thanks Jim, for your support of Cascadeclimber.com over the years, your support came in many forms. For instance, helping me get the Guzzler to do a slide show one year for Ropeup. I'm sure you'll be glad to be done with the rat race and spend more up in the Methow.

Trip: Mount Prophet - "Jacob's Ladder" (AKA full SW rib...FA?) Trip Date: 06/24/2018 Trip Report: "And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." - Genesis 28:10-12 KJV Grunting our way up the prominent rib on the SW side of Mount Prophet (above, in photo taken from Luna Peak by Martin Shetter), nobody would have mistaken Kit Moffitt and I for angels. Although the summit of Prophet this past Sunday was certainly much closer to heaven than the bug infested forests back at Luna Camp, our home for two nights as we investigated the directissima up the SW rib. Our aim was to explore above 5450' on the feature, where everyone seems to traverse off the rib into a typically crappy talus basin (via 4th class down climb). Given the ominous warning on SummitPost, Kit and I went in with a rope, rack, and even a pair of rock shoes: "The rib has cliffs on either side and no one has yet explored the possibility of climbing it directly to the summit. That could prove to be a bad idea."- SP We were a little disappointed that the gear stayed in the pack the entire time, however (long way to carry it!), but pleasantly surprised to find fairly clean and exposed class 3 climbing for ~1500 vertical feet to the summit. There really is no reason to leave the SW rib for future parties, until it is time to descend. We did go down the "SW rib" route (south of actual SW rib, described well on SP and found it to be your typical mix of scree, talus,and pain). We also found a way back on to the rib at about 5600' that only involved a bit of exposed class 3 (seems easier than how the lower access is described on SP?). Given the obvious difference in quality between the two scramble routes, I suspect that future parties will follow the loop that Kit and I did this past Sunday. However, I wouldn't be surprised if someone has ascended the full SW rib before we did this past weekend. Does anyone have info of previous parties, before Kit and I go claiming this massive, 3rd class, FA?? It is quite prominent as you descend out Access (Axes? Pickaxes?) Creek, and I noticed it back in 2007 on the exit from my first Pickets trip. It was fun to come back and explore something that has not been documented before- our very own backyard adventure! Just goes to show that there are still plenty of blanks on the (climbing) map, even for the blue collar set.... Calling the resort for the boat pickup, saving 12 miles RT: Luna Peak: Mac Spires, Inspiration, The Pyramid, Degenhardt: Blue collar! Nearing the summit as the rib fades: Jack: "Jacob's Ladder" from the summit Old habits die hard. Hanging out with the ghosts at Good Food, post trip: Gear Notes: Helmet, axe, crampons (early season). We brought gear in case it was technical, but found nothing over exposed class 3. Approach Notes: Big Beaver trail to just before Luna camp, then head uphill a steep vertical mile to the summit. It goes from hiking to scrambling at about 5800' The slope turns into the SW rib which is followed religiously to the summit. Descend on the south side of the rib until you can regain it about 5600'