chucK
-
Posts
5873 -
Joined
-
Days Won
2
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by chucK
-
-
I have to think nuclear power would be our best bet if it were not a third rail of politics. A politician arguing for nuclear power is going to get hate from the left on general misguided principle along with all the fossil fuel corps are people too.
It is true that nuclear power is a little scary. There could be an accident that poisons a limited geographic area until the practical end of time, but what is global warming going to do to the entire world? The particulate pollution from fossil fuel burning is basically poisoning all the air in the vicinity.
Other methods of energy extraction also destroy limited geographic areas: mining for coal (open pit mines) or hydroelectric projects (RIP lovely river valleys). Seems like it's time to take the risk on nuclear.
How many nuclear power disasters have we had? Chernobyl, Three Mile Island (close call?), and Fukushima? Any more?
Fukushima got hit by a once-in-100 year disaster and how many people died? Like 14? How many die every year in a single coal mine in China?
-
That peak is "Little BIG Chief". Here's a report of an ascent in 2001
-
I ran into a couple backpacks up there on August 3rd. They were about where you mention them, on the rib West of Long John Tower, but they were not stashed in a crevice they were up on a rib. Probably the same ones and somebody moved them in the 3 weeks since I'd been there?
I found an article on the web (maybe the one you found) https://www.ncwlife.com/injured-climber-airlifted-mt-stuart/ that is dated 8/8/2018 and notes the rescue was "yesterday".
So, maybe the dates don't match up?
-
You did it with a single rope. How did you like that hanging rapell station, first rap over the South Face?
-
I did the West Ridge (descended CC) and was able to almost completely avoid snow. You should be good for the descent. Can't speak to the North Ridge approach though.
-
No
's on summit. Weird, right?
-
SRENE!
Is that the route across the beer-cooler glacier from Total Soul?
-
I camped at the lake many years ago and there was one pretty exposed cliff we had to get down, so that might not be a good option. I was surprised at how untrammeled the lakeshore was, so I would expect there is not an easy way down there. Hidden Lakes peak was quite nice though, really nice scrambling on amazing white granite (iirc).
Summit block of Sahale is very exposed climbing. Most will enjoy having a rope at least to get down. I had the same experience on Whitechuck as curtveld.
-
We climbed this (to top of pitch 8) a few weeks ago.
Our leader backed off on pitch 6 because he thought we would not make it to top with a 60m rope. We ended up breaking into two pitches by belaying at a single bolt. Did you guys have to simul pitch 6 at all, or does it make it with 60's?
The bush dive on pitch 7 is totally ridiculous. Seems like putting those two traverse bolts above the bush dive out on the face instead would have made that pitch a classic instead of leaving one with a bad taste in the mouth (and pine needles in the underwear). But what do I know?
We climbed p1-8 with just draws and a #4 Camalot (placed multiple times)! That is all the rack you need
-
Any Pocket Glacier news after this weekend?
-
How bold I am decides whether I go for it or not. Just wondered what is the nature of the exposure. Racing across slabs dodging sliding blocks, or slow roped climbing waiting to be flossed off by sliding blocks, or climbing on top of something that might become a sliding block? Which of these daring feats might be required?
-
So...if one were to climb the NE Butt when the Pocket Glacier is still there, what do you have to do wrt the PG? Do you have to climb on top of the PG snow, just skedaddle below it, climb slowly and arduously below it, a combination of the above?
-
Here's something that might give you pause
closeup: warning explicit language!
-
1
-
1
-
-
Standard D-town rack. Single cams, and draws, I think. You could bring stoppers if you want. Don't remember how big you want to go with the cams (maybe a #3 on the first move, and then *maybe* on the last pitch? I will ping someone who knows for sure. You'll need to be able to rap 50m pitches to get down.
-
Like everyone said, everything is going to involve snow. You should have ice axes and figure out how to self arrest. Once you do that lots will be opened up for you.
You mentioned Dragontail from Colchuck Col. That is pretty fun. To get to the Colchuck Col you go up the Colchuck Glacier, but it's a sad dying glacier so no crevasse worry. It should be a big wideopen snowfield that time of year, so it would be a great place to practice self-arrest. The route from the col goes up a snow finger, but you can probably scramble on rock most of the way. The nice thing about this option is if you aren't able to score a permit you can camp just South of Colchuck Col which will put you (I think) out of the restricted permit area.
You can also bag Colchuck (walkup) from the col.
Consider the West Buttress of Exfoliation Dome (http://www.mattsea.com/darr/dome.htm ). You could have some fun there. Other good scenic multipitch stuff in Darrington that should be melted out.
West Ridge of Stuart is awfully fun, but high chance you'd epic on it. Almost everyone does.
-
So, isn't it pretty well known that a cave can be a bad place to hide out in a lightning storm? I seem to remember stories of people getting killed that way on top of Half Dome. I guess the lightning hits the rock and can arc between the walls of the cave?
(...and great pictures by the way, nice report. Thanks!)
-
Chair Peak NE Butt, Lundin W Ridge are both fun and easy. North Face of Vesper is pretty fun too (the big slab to the right of Ragged Edge), in case Ragged Edge is full of people. Just keep heading North on the ledge past all the people queued up for Ragged Edge.
-
Sorry it took so long. Here's some photos of the glacier, and where we slipped through.
Far view of upcoming challenges
Zoom of previous photo.
Arrow shows the snow arete that we used to get past a huge crevasse. Snow arete probably ~25 feet high.
Yale on the lower part
-
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/president-obama-to-run-wild-with-bear-grylls
President Obama to brave the Alaskan outback under the tutelage of Bear Grylls. How cool is that?
What a Tom Clancy/Cliffhanger dumb movie storyline you could make out of this.
The Secret Service people must be shitting their pants.
-
Completed the traverse (Cascade Pass to Downey Creek) with Yale Lewis this last week. The LeConte Glacier was indeed the crux. There was some steeper glacier at the bottom that wasn't too terrible (pictured in above report) but above was a huge crevasse. We found a single thin arete of hard snow/ice that reached over the gaper that required a cheval move to get started on. Yale led it and the steep lower part with two tools and ice screws and I was able to grovel behind with a single tool. There was another party ahead of us that did the same bit but with only single (non-curved pick) ice axes and ice screws. Our crossing of it was last Tuesday. Not sure how long that arete passage will last.
Also present this late in a low snow year was much grovelling on loose steep talus.
Weather was optimal. Sunny every day and finally rained on the Bachelor Creek walk out day, which was quite welcome as we saw a big smoke plume in that general direction the day before (and smelled it during the night).
No bugs.
We bagged Formidable and Spire. Yay.
-
Nice job, and great pics! The approach is a lot longer since when I was up there since they closed the Middle Fork Road.
-
Thread necro!
I went up and repeated this route last weekend.
If you suffer to read the previous report you'll note that I scared the shit out of myself initially gaining the ridge. Well, this time I forced myself to stick to a route that appeared to be comically easy from below. Looking up from below I almost always underestimate the difficulty of the climbing and soundness of the rock. So thus calibrated to follow only something I felt I could do without hands, I was able to gain the ridge without coming close to soiling my underwear. The rock below the ridgetop is really cool. I think maybe it is limestone? It is very frictiony and featured, but there are unfortunately areas where some of it is peeling off in layers like frosting from a cake you've left on the counter for a week.
Basic directions: go up and through the steep notch to the right (North) of the first major hump North of the ridge lowpoint. Drop down to other side and follow the easiest looking path (ledges and gullies) right up center of amphitheater on the West side of the ridge. Once you gain the crest of the ridge the rock is different and usually more sound. The going is continually exposed and usually doable right on the crest at about 5.4 max . I dropped down on the right twice, once to avoid a steep crack that looked sweet but looked too difficult for soloing (probably about 5.7-8?, but note my previous statement about my misunderestimation of difficulties).
It was about 5 hrs car to summit. Listened to the Hawks for a while on the summit with the various flying insects, then headed back to car via Hemlock Gap.
Crappy cellphone photos to follow!
Ridge from Gem Lake
From somewhere low on the ridge (it's more exposed than this picture makes it look)
Looking down from about 1/3 way along ridge
Looking down from summit
-
Heard a report on KPLU this morning about a woman injured then rescued via Helicopter from Stuart. Either one of these two stories misidentified the peak, or the helicopter rescue people were busy yesterday!
-
I was up there yesterday. Unknown whether I was one of the parties counted in the above post, as we were probably last to summit that day (about 5pm). Outer-Space busy!
There was a party of six(!) on the route when we got there and they were stuck (not moving) for a long time, most likely on p5. It might be useful for potential climbers of this route to note that p5, while awesome, entails a horizontal traverse above the lip of of an overhanging cliff. Some may find it quite intimidating and there would be no comfort in being the second (i.e. due to the horizontal nature there is no toprope). Thus, I would suggest not bringing climbers along that are not comfortable leading 5.7. And if you do bring them up there, make sure that they have the equipment and knowledge to ascend a rope, just in case.
Great route. It's really fun and sustained for its grade, has outstanding position and amazing views, is easy to get to and has a walkoff descent. But be ready for crowds!
Last Ascents in the Cascades
in Climber's Board
Posted
Last pitch of Curious Cube (my avatar!) at Static Point. Big ol' flake peeled off like 15 years ago. Perhaps i have the last ascent!
Maybe all of Static Point is lost to the ages. Anybody ever go out there any more?