chucK

Climbed Dreamer on Saturday (6/16/01). Here's the scoop: Conditions were great. Very little seepage. Someone has brushed out the trail, and left a black bra hanging there. Very nice. Snow all but gone from the approach and can be avoided completely. Nobody else there the whole day. Damn crowded classic climbs! We did the "Dreamer Direct/Urban Bypass" variation. Urban Bypass is fun, about as difficult as the Online crux but has about twice as many bolts per foot. With a 60m rope you can link (just barely) the next two pitches. Here's the most valuable beta for this climb: Get your partner to lead the Urban Bypass and the Blue Crack pitches. This will saddle her with the lousy belays and you'll get the cushy ones. Chuck

So what's it like up there right now in terms of the rock route? Anybody actually climbed Backbone or Serpentine in the last week or so? Is it still loaded with snow or not? Please feed me beta. Chuck

Went up to Static Point on Sunday. We got there real early since the good weather tempted us to deviate from our original plan (Snow Creek Wall). When we got to the wall (about 7:30 am) there was water everywhere, and graupel snow on most ledges. We were able to get around most of the water and made our way over to Fuddhat. There was a small pond at the Spaceport! Fuddhat is way cool with some pure friction. Making your way around the water streaks added some sport. There was one spot on the third pitch we called the "veil of tears". The veil was a uniform striping of thin dripstreaks coming from a horizontal seep point. It was a bold lead to delicately pick your way across trying to find the driest features. Most of the mashed bolts have been replaced with the exception of one fairly key one (protects a relatively big runout) on p3 with a munged hanger. It's still clippable but unknown if the bolt is compromised. We climbed the first pitch of "Kill da Wabbit" (Sky Rock guide name. Nelson guide calls it p4 of Fuddhat). It's a nice pitch of sustained face climbing. There's some loose crap near the start (stay right), but it seemed solid above. We replaced the missing hanger on the fifth bolt (rusty 5/16"'ers). We retreated before the steep and intimidating final pitch. It looks really cool. I'm kicking myself now (my courage grows with distance from the rock), but at the time the guidebooks' 10c or 10d ratings had us pretty intimidated. On our way up I noted where the rockfall that munged the bolts came from. It was this HUGE piece of rock (bus size?) below the Curious-Cube roof. I climbed right on top of that thing when doing the Cube two years back. It was a big roofy thing crisscrossed with sharp jamcracks and a verythin flake at the top. I guess it is now down at the base, probably in a million pieces. Anybody been up to attempt "the Cube" since? I wonder if we got the LA (last ascent)? We did it in Oct. 99. By about noon or so most of the drips had dried. We cruised up Lost Charms then rapped down through 3 parties inhabiting the Online area. One of which consisted of two CC contributors with good webpages. chucK

Hmmm I wonder...could there be a site that tells where the mounties are going? Hmmm....? Maybe www.mountaineers.org? Hmm....? chuck

OK here's some quick and dirty figures: The Washington Post article in my above post has the rate of complications from the vaccine to be 0.07% or 7 per 10,000 vaccine recipients. According to that chart I linked to, there were 137 reported cases of Lyme disease over 10 years in Washington State. Let's double that to 274. There were 5 million people in WA in 1990, more now. Say only 1/20 of those people (250,000) are as exposed to ticks as much as climbers. That makes an estimate for risk of catching lyme disease over 10 years to be 274/250,000 = .0011 = 11 per 10,000. Now factor in that the most rosy estimates of vaccine efficacy are 80%, you get the number of people that the vaccine may actually help to about 8.8 per 10,000. Summary: Helps 9, hurts 7, no effect 9984. Step right up pay yer $200/dose. Chuck

There is a reason why docs here don't have the Lyme-disease vaccine readily available. Here is some information on Lyme-disease cases in washington over 10 years (1987-1996). http://healthlinks.washington.edu/nwcphp/lyme/page13.html July is the highest incidence month with 3 cases per month in ALL of Washington state. There are probably more unreported cases out there, but this still seems like a small risk. You won't get lyme disease unless a tick has burrowed into you, AND the tick has lyme disease, AND it transmits the disease to you. Rates of transmission are low if ticks are embedded for less that TWELVE hours. IF you do get lyme disease, there are supposedly effective after-the- case treatments with antibiotics. [The effectiveness hinges on early treatment, so make sure you watch for symptoms after a tick bite, and if you're real worried, go to a doctor, and SAVE the tick. You probably want to call the doc to get instructions on how to save the tick.] There are currently cases of people claiming some terrible complications from the vaccine. Though it is difficult to determine whether their problems are actually being caused by the vaccine, they ARE scary stories. http://www.msnbc.com/news/561936.asp?0nm=V14O&cp1=1#BODY also http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54527-2001Apr7.html Next, you should note that the vaccine is NOT very effacacious (estimates range from 80% effective to being harmful depending what symptoms you look at). So...here's my summary Lyme disease is scary but... Lyme disease is pretty difficult to get here in Washington. If you do get it, it is usually treatable after the fact. Vaccine may not work and might even hurt you. Add these up and MY decision is not to pay a bunch of money to my doctor and Smith-Kline Beecham to stick something in my arm (3 times over a period of two-years) that might hurt me in order to get weak insurance against an improbable event. I am not a medical doctor. Do the research yourself and/or ask a doctor that you trust before making your own decision. For a start I suggest Google with the search words: lyme disease vaccine complications. chucK

Pope (?), I admire your efforts to restore the route in the "light of day". However it might lift the veil a bit more and assist the retrobolters in contacting you if you made your email address or real name available. Don't you think? Chuck

Yeah, there's a bunch of whiners there. Chuck

If you want to climb a currently-occupied climb at a popular crag, the proper etiquette is to wait your turn. It is nice if you don't spew beta or make disparaging remarks about the climbers. It is really nice to not chat up the belayer if they don't appear to be into it. Expecting someone to vacate the area is asking a bit much at a popular crag. Camping out in the wilderness is a different situation and there it is proper to attempt to not invade the solitude of someone who got there first. It would definitely be poor etiquette to do laps or be purposely slow for the express purpose of pissing someone off who dared wait in line for the climb you were on. Sorry, but I don't see where the problem was. Did the guy drop his cams on your belayer's toe? Were they giving you shit or something? It is sort of tough to tell from your story. Chuck

I don't think he was being "snide". And even if he was, he was right. Who was I to ask someone else to put bolt rap anchors in? If I want a better rap anchor on top of Total Soul, I can do it myself with some webbing around a better tree (and I will if I climb it again this year). I'll state again that Matt et al have done us all a favor by putting up a fun and very safe route. Thanks for all your work! So Matt, it sounds like you were out there at 3 O'clock Rock last weekend. How are the climbing conditions? Is there snow all over, or is it all gone? Chuck

Oh yeah...and with respect to Fuddhat... does anybody know about the status of that route? Which bolts got wiped out? Whatta ya need to do now to get past those sections? Chuck

Matt, Sorry if my post sounded like I was bagging on Total Soul. It was not meant that way. When we rapped, I thought the tree looked good, but my partner whined about it a little. It just came directly to mind when thinking about the Static Point tree. Which by the way IS unmissable as you must climb over it to stay on the trail, and it is also about 2 feet in diameter. Yes there are plenty of other places to rap from the top of Total Soul. You can even walk down can't you? It just seemed a little funny that this route with so much obvious work put into it (complete with signs at the top directing one to the rap route) would have this possible weak link. But then where does it end? Fix(?) that and some bozo will find something else to gripe about. I guess I should just shut up now so as to keep from sounding like an and even more ungrateful whiner. Chuck

re: Careno Crag regular route p4... Isn't there a good horizontal crack right next to the (former?) piton that you can get a cam or tri-cam in? Chuck

To the Captain, Are you talking about Midway Direct or Midway Direct DIRECT? I think there was a spot where a #00 TCU might have fit on the direct direct. I didn't have one though, so don't trust me on that. To everyone, It IS a fun route, even with the missing bolt. I think with the second bolt, it would be pretty casual. In it's current state, it's thought provoking. If the bottom bolt weren't there, I wouldn't lead it. I am not trying to make a case for retrobolting existing routes. I am just reporting what's out there now, and am wondering what might be out there the next time I'm there. Chuck

Well, I guess I lived. Are you saying that those guys listed under the FA in the Kramar guidbook retrobolted an existing line? You think maybe it was chopped? Chuck [This message has been edited by chucK (edited 04-23-2001).]

It was there last year. There were no climbers attached to it that we could find. You should have left the slings there as a reminder. When we climbed Total Soul at Three O'clock Rock last Fall, one of the rappel anchors is a tree with half of it's root ball exposed on slick granite probably from erosion caused by people standing under the tree when starting the rappell. Watch out on that one kids! There's a ton of bolts on that buttress already. A couple more bolts for rap anchors might be prudent before that tree goes. So did I read you correctly that you went up to Static Point this last weekend? How were the conditions up there? I guess the road must be open huh? Chuck

Hey! I climbed Midway Direct Direct at Castle Rock yesterday. It's a cool pitch but there appears to be a bolt missing. In the topo there are two bolts. It looks like the first one is new, and I found where the second one WAS (just broken shaft now). Next to it was a nice-looking hole. I figure someone was replacing the bolt and then something happened to interrupt the process (drill bit broke?, dropped bolt?). Anyone have any information on this? Whether or not someone is planning on finishing the job? It's still a cool pitch, but at the moment, quite runout. That second bolt was in a very key spot. A 3/8" removeable bolt might work for you there. By the way, the first (replaced?) bolt was a little botched too. It's a spinner. Chuck

You also need to be successfully prosecuted. I like those odds. chucK

Hey! Do you think you might be able learn how to use email instead of the bulletin board to send your personal messages? Thankyouverymuch, chucK [This message has been edited by chucK (edited 04-24-2001).]

Colin's idea sounds like an attempt to indicate the danger/difficulty of soloing a route. I don't think it works because many routes have different danger and difficulty cruxes without one that definitely takes precedence. For example, would you call Angel at Castle Rock a 4.10a or a 5.7? What is harder? Would a 10a section with ankle tweaking possibilities, or some 5.7 territory in with an inarguable death penalty be more important to present? Similarly, doesn't the Beckey Route on Liberty Bell have some exposed sections of 5.5 or so? Calling it a 4.7 may be deceptive if that is indeed the case. You do NOT want to be deceptive when telling someone how difficult/easy a route is to solo. chucK

quote: Originally posted by Smoker: A couple of years ago I was on the 10b pitch of "on line" at static point. I was about 20ft above the second bolt, straight up, attempting to traverse to the third bolt. [...] I have since learned that I need to traverse straight off the second bolt rather than up higher. S I led that thing like 5 years ago and ended up just like you maybe, right of the 3rd bolt standing on a less than comforting hold. I reached way out left and clipped the bolt then was faced with yarding the dragging rope left across my body. I looped my fingers around the draw but didn't weight it, probably woulda been able to catch myself if I blew. Got the courage up to try it again just last year. I'd seconded it once since then and knew there was a way to traverse left earlier. There must be a nice path of holds there 'cause though I thought I was moving more left I ended up in exactly the same predicament 5 years later! Left arm stretched straight, thumb and index finger in a loop encircling but not touching the draw, trying not to breath while I yard the dragging rope across my body to the draw. Sorry, this was not a whipper story. chucK

Yet one more ascent of the Tooth yesterday (March 23). We did the South Face via the East gully of Pineapple Pass. Really perfect conditions. Of course that might be changing today. There was a bit of sun-induced snowfall off of the SE face into and below the Pineapple gully, but otherwise there's not that much sun on the approach to induce slides. We left the TH at about 6:45 and were able to hike all the way up in hiking boots. Just a bit of postholing in the trees, and some real icy ski-trails down low. The Pineapple Pass gully got sorta scary near the top with no crampons, rope or second tool. I dropped a rope to my partner. No snow on the rock route except for the third-class part. I'm not used to rappelling the route (I usually walk down the North Ridge) and found that a 60m rope would've been a bit more convenient in linking the top two rap stations. In the summer I guess there is easy ground between where you would rap off of a 50m and the next station, but right now you have to get down a bit of steep snow. The return trip felt like it could've been posthole city had we not brought snowshoes. chucK [This message has been edited by chucK (edited 03-24-2001).]

quote: Originally posted by Alex: of course, should the road close, you could always use a mountain bike Well... #1. It is not obvious that you will be able to use a mountain bike given the FS penchant for prohibiting them, so as to not bother the horseys. But that probably doesn't bother you since you broadcast to the world (on your webpage) that you use your mountain bike on the prohibited trails anyway. #2. What's your point? I could also get to the trailhead by crawling naked from the Texaco station that plays the cartoons at the gas pumps. But you know what? That would be more difficult. Sorry, but I'd rather use my limited time doing something other than humping a pack full of climbing and bivy gear on my mountain bike up a dusty road. I'd rather they don't close down an existing valuable (to me) resource in an attempt to battle a perceived problem (hooligans in the woods) with a fix that won't fix anything (from what I've seen the evidence of shooting and dumping is confined to the part they're not going to close down). chucK [This message has been edited by chucK (edited 03-20-2001).]

Hey! Just thought I'd get this issue to the top of the climber's board again. I just talked to the ranger(?) working on the (possible) shutdown of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road. He said they're hoping to get out the draft plan by late April. Then there's a 30-day comment period followed by a 45-day period to allow appeals of the decision. Thus, the "implementation" could take place in mid-summer, just as the climbing is getting good up there. It doesn't take long for them to lock the gate at Dingford Creek. So, call now to get your draft plans and get ready to send in those comments. The phone number to reach the contact person is (425)888-1421 ext. 233. He said there's been a bunch of calls recently by people in favor of keeping the road open. I'd guess that's probably due to this thread. Powerful, but misquided organizations (Mountaineers, Sierra Club) were pro-closure the last I read. The Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road is very nice access to some excellent climbing and backpacking. I climbed Chimney Rock from that way a couple years back. It was a beautiful, brush-free approach. An excellent bivi site and a fun climb. There's lot's of other great stuff I've done from the end of the MFSR road. Humping all yer crap up 7 miles of dusty road would not improve the experience. Check it out, then do your part to keep it open. chucK

We were out at Vantage yesterday (Sun 3/11). We thought we were going to freeze when we got out at the Wenatchee rest area, but by 10am we were baking at the Sunshine wall. There were two or three sections of really loose stuff on Party in your Pants. Earthquake ravage perhaps as that used to be a totally solid climb. Kicked a bunch of stuff down from In Too Deep too, but I'm guessing that one has always been chossy. The folks queued up for Party we're not appreciative of my unintentional cleaning efforts. I guess I've now received my karmic retribution for giving Bill Robins shit about cleaning one Sunday. It was so hot at Sunshine we had to hightail it to Mideast Wall before we ran out of water. It was nice and cool (and solid) there. The Elders is a way cool climb. It's just barely there for the grade. Way solid, but too short. chucK