ryland_moore

Trip: Mount St. Helens - Worm FLows Date: 12/2/2006 Trip Report: Headed up the Worm FLows yesterday. Got to the Climber's Bivy at 7am to find the gate closed. Called the day before and they said the gate was open and plowed all the way to Marble Mountain. Made some friends with some slednecks who said that the Forest Service was going to be there around 9am. SHitty, becasue the guy plowing the road was telling the sledders one thing but the skiers another. He was telling skiers that the gate would not open until late this afternoon. So, alot of skiers either left or headed into the Climber's bivy (about 5 miles of slog). The gate opened around 8:30am and we were on the trail from Marble Mt. by 9am. The snow was awesome and fluffy in the trees and we were breaking trail for a large portion of the way in. It was about 4-5 ft. deep. We broke out above treeline under clear skies and very little wind. Awesome day to be up there. There were about 15 other skiers heading up various routes. Started our decent around 3pm. It was a little windier higher up which caused an icy breakable crust to form, which also sucked for skiing. There was great snow lower down and we made it back out to the car around 4pm. Awesome day in the sun. Made me forget for a little while that we were in the Pacific Northwest approaching winter. ALso made me forget about the previous month of rain.... Gear Notes: tranceivers, shovel, probe poles, skis, stoke, sunscreen and sunglasses

I doubt anything solid is in. The only reason it looked cool out there was because of the frozen rain last night. Temps are above freezing now and will be all tonight and tomorrow. It may get barely below freezing Friday night but then not again for a while. Like said earlier, maybe good mixed climbing, but nothing to hold a screw for sure....

I like the way you think! I've already got three days in so far this winter and I think its making me snow-crazy. That and the thought of spending the entire month of January in Oklahoma for work. Kill me now. I hear they have frozengrain silos to ice climb in!!!

Thanks Gene. I am sorry if it came off as casual. I guess what I was saying about the West Butt is if you stay put like you should, then there is very little chance (there is still a slim chance though) of getting caught unaware. I may be bold to say that 90% of all frostbite victims are from those pushing up when they should have stayed put or gone out in weather they should not have. There are exceptions to lost mittens or a quick lenticular coming up that will last 12 to 24 hrs., but with the aid of climbing rangers and access to weather reports both on the mountain and off, a large storm (2-4 days) should not catch anyone unaware except in the freakest of instances. If you are more worried about it, go later in the season in end of June-early July. I like earlier because colder air is typically more stable than the snow dumps you can get there in June. Finally, the mountain makes its own rules and will generate its own weather, so trying to predict the best and warmest time to go is next to impossible. Go with what works for you. If you own the Artis Expe, then take them out on a cold night up on the Muir snowfield and see how they feel. Play with AT boots if you want to ski. Test gear and talk to others. Call guides and see what they recommend for clients. You really will only know the answer to your question once you've tested everything and see what makes you feel comfortable and what you want. I didn't feel like I need the OneSPorts or similar set-up. ANd yes, I will use my Koflachs from time to time in the early spring and winter on Hood, so they do get used more than just once every couple of years on bigger climbs. Gene is right though, son't get complacent with this mountain as it will turn on you, just be prepared and do not look at the camp social scene as meaning this is an easy climb....

You can always go up on Hood! Maybe these low temps coming in will help around the 3-5k' elevation, but rarely anything freezes. Look on this web for Strawberry Mountains ice climbing (usually need a snowmobile or a long day or xc skiing to get back there) or there is ice in the Wallowas (5 hrs.) Mt. Hood sometimes gets flows coming off the rocks near Cooper Spur, but probably snowed in by now. Portland, an ice climbing mecca, it is not....

Ditto what catbird said. I took my Koflach Artic Expe's up on Denali and had a great time with them. I also wore Denali AT boots lower on the mountain and had no problem with temps and this was in mid-May. I used the 40 below K2 Superlights on summit day and was fine. It can get cold, but you can just buy Intuition liners for any double plastic boot and will be warm enough for the trip. I do not think you have to go for the Onesports unless you plan on climbing a lot of high altitude peaks in the near-future. As long as you are safe and not hangng out in 50-70 mph winds in a big storm, and decide to wait out the weather, you should not have too many problems. Being smart and not pushing it in deteriorating weather can save a lot of fingers and toes, much more so than double plastic boots. And assuming you are doing the West Butt, it is nexto to impossible to get caught out in a serious storm without some warning, so the majority of frostbite victims on that route occur from people pushing too hard, not staying hydrated, and improper equipment (ie. super gaiters instead of overboots, gloves instead of mittens) Good luck....For what it is worth, my partner climbed to the summit in his AT boots with Intuition liners and overboots and had no problems. Just remember, it is always easier to have feet too hot, then feet that are too cold. Also, do not forget to get a boot that fits LARGE! You will need room for your feet to swell at altitude. Get at least a 1/2 size larger. Mine are 1 ful1l size larger and they are perfect for me over 16k or so. If you get boots too constrictive (same as clothing) you are more suseptible to frostbite and other cold injuries.

I was down there for a wedding and climbed at Mt. Lea mon. May be tough to get to as they do get snow up there, but good sport climbing right off the road. There is a guidebook for the area and a free handout if you go to some outdoor store down there, but can't remember the name. Call one of the local gear shops.

I'll sell an old pair of Silveretta 404s with late 90's alpivne skis for less than $100. Make me an offer. They are awesome for approach skis, fairly short. My buddy used them on Denali for the slog up to 14k. They are a little tough learning to ski in mountaineering boots but I got pretty good at it after a while. PM me if interested.....

AN even better one at Smith is a "king swing" off of the platform across from Monkey Face with anchors in the mouth of the monkey or just above the short 5.5 pitch. Just jump off the diving board across from the mouth and hold on!

Especially Duke's. I have it shipped out from the South monthly. Will eat it by the spoonful.....

You're about 3 years too late for that one, Kev! Bone, welcome back. How's the climbing gym business treating ya? My best to the missus.....

'Tis better to be too much than not enough. if you are investing in these mitts for the first time, get something you can use back home. Yeah, it gets a little cold on Aconcagua up high, but when I went, I never even cracked them out until I was a 17k and using an axe. Up to that, I just used fleece gloves. That said, there can be some terrible storms up there where it gets really cold, but unless you plan to climb Denali in the next couple of years or maybe the Himalayas you may want something more substantial like the OR mitt, but go with something medium range. As an aside, some of the medium weight mitts cost almost as much as say the OR mitt for~$100. The gloves I used on Aconcagua would not have worked on my Denali clip. Alos, I love the OR mitts. Burly, but really warm.

O.K. after watching the trailer for theFirst Ascent video, I am definitely heading to the Rel Rock show as I saw PW last year and it was a lot of guys hucking themsewlves off cliffs on tele. I can do that without skis on! I def. couldn't do a single digit lock off in a crack on a 130 degree overhang though.........Either way, should be a fun weekend between the films and those heading to the ice fest or Rope Up.

Anyone going to one of these tomorrow night? Reel Rock Film Tour with Klem Loskot at Hollywood Theatre and Power Whore06 at Kennedy School........ http://www.reelrocktour.com/ http://www.powderwhore.com/film.html Choies, choices, choices.........

Hey John, if you are going to make a nice poster with sponsors names on them for the Ice Festival, you may want to spell the companies' names correctly!!!! Or at least check for typos before sending stuff to publications like Willamette Week...... Have fun. I will be at a wedding in new Haven, CT so will not be able to attend. Where is that drytooling pic from under the bridge?

Drive to the TH, self-register for a permit to camp at the lake (get there early - busy weekend and you may not get a permit) set up camp. Leave early in the morning and hike to the top. Findmesh the day off with a swim in the lake. If you can't get a permit to camp, then do it in a single push from the TH. Enjoy!

I'll second that. Sometimes in late, late season it can be tricky getting down from Camp Curtis to the Emmons, which is traditionally how you get into Camp Sherman. You can also go over the Prow when the snow is really melted out, but even on this crumbly rock for a 100 ft. is a lot less crumbly rock then you will encounter on the DC and not that much more difficult a scramble. Last year, a serious drought year, the rangers did recommend that you climb up and over the prowe to get into Sherman, but I just read a trip report from last weekend, then going from Camp Curtis onto the Emmons and up to Sherman was straight forward. I guess your friends will do what they want, but if I had a choice I would definitely choose the Emmons over the DC anyday. It is the same difficulty if not easier this time of year due to the lack of exposed rock that does not exist on the Emmons, but does all over the DC (Cleaver), for aesthetics as the Emmons is the largest glacier in the lower 48 and is just awsome to have so close to home, and there are less people to share the route with, which also may make the route a lot safer as you won;t have to worry about other parties knocking down some huge volcanic rocks on top of you like you do ascending the DC/Cleaver. The final benefit is the position of the Emmons. You will see the sun as soon as it starts to rise since you are on that side of the mountain. If on the DC, you won't see it for a while. I truly believe that there is a benefit when motivation is lacking at 4:30 am, it is cold, and you are tired at 13k'. But when you see the sun, it almost gives you your second wind for some reason. Just my experience after doing Emmons, DC, and Ingraham Direct, although I love Ingraham as well. Just avoid DC at all costs now, especially later in the season when the rock on the cleaver has had a chane to loosen up during the summer sun. My two cents, but I'll take glacier ice and an aesthetic line over choss, loose rock and hords of people any day.

Or just go cvlimb the Emmons which is a better route IMHO, and you never have any choss to deal with the entire route.........Awesome to dlimb in August as well with a lot less traffic than the DC. I climbed it this time last year and had the whole mountain to ourselves except one party of two from NC.

Great job guys! Sounds like a nice outing. No rushing it and get to enjoy the scenery. Question> You did not camp At Sherman, right? How was it getting down onto the Emmons from Camp Curtis? Or did you climb up and over the prow down into Sherman?

Octavius, is that local pay phone still in Marblemount where you can make a local call to Seattle or did they remove it? Like I said, I have verizon and I've never had good reception along highway 20. i did get reception in Marblemount though then not until Sedro Wooley.

You were the fat ass talking about Hawaii up on Hood weren't you?! Or are you just another Mountie? People that know me would say I am laid back about most stuff except cell phones anywhere in the bc (although Hood is far from being in the bc.....). Sorry to jump on you PaulO. I just thought it was weird that you had advice on cell phone coverage from so many peaks...... as for accepting a job while on Denali, it was mine for the taking, had nothing to do with my attitude, and was lucrative. What happened was I actually turned the job down while boarding the plane in Seattle, had second thoughts, and tried calling back. As life usually does, it worked out and I ended up in Portland rather than SLC. All for the better. I would ask another question though and that is does anyone find reliability for emergencies with other forms of communication such as CB? Anyone ever used a long-range talk-about in emergency situations and had it actually work? I have heard rumors that even when a cell phone does not have coverage, that a 911 call shouldstill get through. Is this really true? Anyone ever tried it?

Are you asking in case of emergency purposes? If so, then maybe carrying a long-range talkabout, CB radio, or sat phone would be more reliable. I have Verizon, but never had to use it in the backcountry for an emergency, so I don't know what the coverage is like. I did try to make a call out while at 11k on Denali to tell a guy I wanted to accept a job so they didn't give it away, but since I got very little reception, they gave the job away....... Dannible, what emergency did you have on Black peak? I say this becasue two years ago, I was up on Hood and we saw this older overweight guy yapping on his phone having a conversation for 30 minutes about an upcoming trip to Hawaii, talking so that everyone else could hear him. My buddy got so fed up with him, he knocked the phone out of the guys hand and tried to kick it down the Cooper Spur. It didn't go off, but the guy got the message. I think I'll take up this sort of mentalityl if I see folks doing this unless for emergency purposes too! If all you want is good cell phone coverage to call your non-climbing buddies waking from a drunken stupor the night before to show how cool you are then 1) You are not that cool, 2) Climbing peaks like Black peak or mt. hood is not hard, nor technical so there is nothing o brag about in the first place, and 3) if you are so insecure that you need to receive kudos from people who know nothing about climbing so that you can make yourself feeol better, go get help, don't ruin my experience on the summit......... Sorry for the rant..........

I'd say, it depends Chuck. I would probably want poons if I descended Sherpa gl. instead of heading down Cascadian. Don't need poons for the approach on complete N. Ridge though. I've also seen people without poons on the regular approach, but they usually had an ice axe or at least a whippet. I have also seen people with no poons and no axe using talus rock in case they fell, but I wouldn't rec. that. Heard stories of people slipping and going for long rides....

Go buy the Southwest Oregon climbing guide. There are plenty of routes that aren't included, but that is the best way. You can also research past discussions about the area on here. Directions are too difficult to give, so read what the book states. great climbs on sandstone with routes that are fairly easy for the grade. If you climb .11a you should be able to climb .11b or .11c there.

Even if you do not have sinking line, and aren't planning on fishing with it a lot, don't go out and buy another spool just for sinking line, but you can get tip attachments, or if you reallu don't care, just buy some flies (assuming you don't tie your own yet) that have barbell or bizmuth heads that will sink. Since fish are cruising in lakes, I usually try to spot them or if they are rising, but not what you are throwing at them, use a woolybugger or other streamer and cast right after they rise. It will usually do the trick. Just let the streamer sink a little longer. I don't think the lake are "fly-fishing only" but single hooks and artificial flies. You could still use a spinner if you removed the treble hook and replaced it with a single (barbless if releasing) as both barbs and spinning gear is aid......