goatboy

Thanks for the answer -- I am not judging at all, just trying to understand what the strategy was. I have also taken "unorthdox" approaches to things and am always curious how alpinists go about trying to strike the balance between time of day, commitment, ability, difficulty, weather, supplies carried, etc. In the end, it's always an individual (or team) choice and I'm glad you had a safe, successful (if epic!) adventure.

I am curious about your strategy -- although you were "by the book" and conservative in your protection, a 3:30 PM start (with no bivi) is not a typical or a conservative approach, assuming that you had already been awake for much of the same day you started. Did you prefer not to bivy? I am really impressed by your climb and the great photos, but am curious about the strategy behind your timing?

Bumping, just to not collectively lose sight of this. Was reminded of it when I came across this today: http://peregrineexpeditions.com/maintaining-safe-and-clean-anchors-in-wilderness-areas/ Anyone who has been part of the formal dialogue: Any progress?

http://www.komw.net/news/local-news/no-injuries-vehicle-fire-harts-pass/

Great club and excellent organization!

Any updates on the aforementioned attempts to communicate, or any news about a formal climbing plan for the NCNP?

Does NCNP have a public climbing management plan available that would outline their answers to some of the great questions posed above Any signs of life now that the government shutdown has ended?

Wonderful photos of a sublime part of the range.

Just want to see if there are any updates to the various questions / issues / investigations mentioned in this thread.

Sol or Blake -- Do the rangers know about this board (I assume they must) and that they have a chance to address these concerns directly? As for rangers removing tat, the NCNP climbing rangers do it all the time (see the huge display of it in Marblemount, removed from Mt Triumph and elsewhere) - Steve Smith

What a negative reaction this is getting overall. I see it differently. In a time when federal budget are being cut, and many high-quality outdoor and conservation-minded programs decimated, by the governmental sequestration of funds, what a nice surprise to see a purely elective climbing-relevant job (or two) such as this being funded. Sure, you may not like the concept of rangers kicking over cairns -- but perhaps a more useful approach than nitpicking this one aspect would be to find ways to support and uphold the statements (claims?) the rangers make in their job description (above). Like many of you, I will approach this with a critical-thinking and perhaps somewhat-cynical perspective but I think it's a self-fullfilling prophecy to take unwarranted pot-shots at something that could potentially be a positive development for the many people, organizations, and climbing clubs that have worked hard to develop relationships with ranger districts and agencies over issues such as access, sanitation, permitting, incident response, etc. I don't know these individuals per se but think that the program overall has positive connotations for the climbing community and should be given a chance to succeed.

REDIRECT TO http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1111971/gonew/1/Forbidden_Fatality#UNREAD

Cascade Cobblers just posted on their Facebook page, their new phone #: 509-731-4905

Not the time or place to speculate about the causes of the incident, but I do hope that those who were there, who know the actual facts, will submit the details to Accidents In North American Mountaineering so that there can be something positive -- learning -- that comes from this terrible event. Having descended Forbidden Peak multiple times -- including just a few months ago -- I can say that there's truly no easy or "safe' way off the mountain. All of the standard descents (and their variations) have appreciable challenges and require at least as much care as ascending the mountain does.

News Release from NCNP: Sedro Woolley, WA – Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - On Sunday, September 15, 2013, the body of a 31-year-old climber from Seattle was recovered in North Cascades National Park by NPS rangers, supported by a contracted helicopter from HiLine Helicopters out of Darrington, WA. On the afternoon of September 14, 2013 the climber had summited Forbidden Peak via the West Ridge with his climbing partner and was descending when the accident occurred at 5:30 pm. Multiple parties were also on the West Ridge route of Forbidden Peak. During the descent of a commonly-used gully using a series of rappels, the climber was hit by a falling rock, which triggered his fall of approximately 300 feet to a rock/glacier moat. The climber was not anchored to the mountain when hit by the rock. His partner was not injured in the incident. Other climbers who had completed the climb witnessed the fall, and hiked out from Boston Basin, notifying rangers at 10:30 pm. The fallen climber’s partner was assisted in the completion of the descent by another climbing party. The following morning, after complications of fog and an incoming weather system, park rangers completed the recovery via helicopter extraction by mid-day. The 8815’ Forbidden Peak is among the most popular mountaineering objectives in North Cascades National Park, with several known summit routes. The West Ridge route gained notoriety when featured in the climbing guidebook “Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.” (Roper/Steck, 1979)

I climbed this route in two long days: Day 1: to the nunatak camp on the glacier (just below the col) Day 2: simul-solo all the way to the 5.7 crack, rope up, go to summit and rappel/simul-climb down the ridge, hike to car. Made it to cars before dark but felt like a long day. The ridge is long but features very positive edges and solid rock, mostly -- and a million rap anchors to clip as running protection for simuling.

Thanks for the detailed analysis and willingness to share your story so those so inclined can benefit from it.

I think it's important to be able to report incidents like this and respectfully analyze what happened, what can be learned, alternative solutions, and extrapolate to what would we do differently in the future, without the needless shaming/blaming. We have all benefited from reading ANAM in the past and the downside of too much cyber-bashing is that it deters people from reporting what's actually happening out there.

I was reading in the new WA PASS Supertopo guidebook that, in one of the route descriptions, it offers some little-known beta: The closest food, gas, and amenities are just down the road....at Tuolumne Meadows.

Thanks Ben -- it was indeed a case of being impelled, first by ambition, then by gravity, and finally by dehydration ... great to be up there though!

Jason, the moat issues forced us to go this way -- it was one of the spicier parts of that first day, for sure. Couldn't see a better way to go.

Thanks everyone, it was a great trip even if I'm STILL sore and tired...at least I feel better than the huge sandwich at this point. Curt, we left trailhead around 9 AM and got to bivy site around 6 PM I think.

Trip: Forbidden Peak - North Ridge "Don't be fooled: while rated just 5.0 with some 40-degree snow, the North Ridge of this impressive peak is nonetheless a major undertaking, requiring a wide range of mountaineering skills (but not necessarily a high technical proficiency)..." - Jim Nelson Date: 8/6/2013 Trip Report: Prologue: Every sandwich aspires to transcend its societally-imposed limitations, and achieve greatness. This is the story of how one sandwich was impelled into an extraordinary adventure, one that could redefine the future of alpine sandwiches from now on. Pictured below: Our hero, the huge sandwich, posing with climber David Moskowitz Day 0: Hearing a call to adventure, an absurdly large sandwich is purchased in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, WA. Day 1: Wake up at 4 AM, leave home by 5, in line for permit in Marblemount at 7 AM, packed and hiking from Boston Basin Trailhead by 9 AM. Grinding up the slabs towards the Quien Sabe glacier on a warm morning We opted for the "alternate col" to the climber's right (east) of Sharkfin Col, having heard that it affords easier passage to the Boston Glacier, and the ability to reach the glacier with a single rope. This thin layer of snow over loose rock was worse than it appears. The upper part of the gully was incredibly loose and unpleasant, but it led to a rap station depositing us in a long rappel into the moat beside the Boston Glacier. We gained the glacier via an easy climb up onto the snow. The view across the expansive Boston Glacier -- it felt truly remote once we pulled our rappel rope, but with plenty of daylight left we just needed to navigate the broken initial section to reach the high glacial traverse line that presents itself in this photo. This entailed leaping over several appreciable crevasses and onto some suspect snow-bridges, but it went by quickly enough. This leap from the glacier edge to the rock was one of the less enjoyable parts of the day. The bivy, at the base of the North Ridge, was one of the most scenic and compelling places I've slept in the Cascades. It gave us lots of time to stare at the route ahead. It also gave us a chance to spend some time with our hero, the huge sandwich. The improbable and extraordinary bivy in the North Ridge. We were treated to lovely sunset colors over Eldorado, and an early bedtime. Day 2: 4 AM alarm, roped up and climbing at 5 as the headlamps became unnecessary. The first step on the ridge was one of the hardest sections at around 5.6 or so, but the climbing quickly eased after that to low-5th class simul-climbing (or easier) terrain for most of the way. Traversing solid rock low on the ridge Morning light illuminated the nearby peaks and the route ahead of us as we simul-climbed. 5 hours after leaving the bivy, we topped out on the true (east) summit at 10 AM. Naturally, our hero made another appearance for the summit photos. The "east ledges" descent traverses these downsloping, grassy ledges to the prominent gendarme on the east ridge Dave topping out on the east ledges, about to regain the Ridge Crest Winding through the lush meadows of Boston Basin, we arrived back at the car by 6 PM. Main Geezer: David Moskowitz - thanks to Dave for being a motivated, talented, and hungry partner who carried that sandwich to places no sandwich had likely been before. Gear Notes: Axe Aluminum crampons Skinny 60-Meter rope, doubled for simul-climbing Alpine rack to 2" BIG SANDWICH Approach Notes: We used the alternate col to the right of Sharkfin -- this would be better with continuous snow but does provide a manageable alternative (without the unprotectable 5.7) and a single-rope rappel to the Boston Glacier (with a short climb out of the moat at this time of the year)

Great memory, Aaron! That seems like a long time ago ...and, it was! LINK Link to some good memories...

Great point by Kurt: Carrying gear you never use is 100% inefficient.