Bronco

HWY 20 re-opened last night. Could close without notice so plan accordingly.

The N. Cascades are a special place this time of year for the bugs. Thanks for sharing the conditions!

Trip: Black Peak - SE Ridge Trip Date: 07/06/2024 Trip Report: Ended up with a free day Saturday and haven't been up Black Peak. Left the trailhead a little after 6:00 am after driving up from Mazama. No snow until the descending traverse from Maple Pass to Lewis Lake. Saw a pica. Looking at Corteo from Lewis Lake. Wing Lake still frozen but melting out. Lot's of running water on the approach which was great, I think I went through around 6 liters in the heat. Got off route a bit below the summit block and climbed some low 5th on ok rock. Great view of Goode, still pretty snowy looking. Probably 8 folks on the summit around 11:00 am, all were stoked to be out with great visibility. Quick glissade down to Wing lake. Took a detour on the trails around Lewis Lake that cost me some time and elevation. Back at the trailhead by 3:00. Great day to be out in the mountains! Gear Notes: Took an ice axe and crampons but didn't need them as the snow was pretty soft in the heat. Sun hoody was nice. Approach Notes: My GPS tracked 13.5 miles and 5,703' elevation gain.

I thought it was pretty fascinating. If anything, it paints a "less than flattering portrait" of the military's policies, not Fred.

This is the kind of stuff that makes me wonder what I'm doing sometimes. Awesome on one hand but 3am cougar encounter defended with a snowball to climb a frozen mountain sounds kind of nuts to most folks. Well done!

Alternative C was approved. It will be interesting to see this play out over the next decade. Joint Record of Decision With a Record of Decision signed in April 2024, the National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have decided to actively restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades of Washington, where the animals once roamed. The agencies will restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem through the translocation of grizzly bears from other ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains or interior British Columbia. The decision is the culmination of an Environmental Impact Statement process that began in 2022. Under the decision, grizzly bears in the North Cascades will be designated as a nonessential experimental population under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act. The designation will provide authorities and land managers with additional tools for management that would not otherwise be available under existing Endangered Species Act regulations. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will publish a final 10(j) rule in the Federal Register. GrizzlyBearRestoration_ROD_Final_Signed_ForPosting.pdf

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21 year thread bump to post a 7 year old complaint. Bravo!

Crazy story and even crazier that it's deleted the day after it was posted.

In the USFS proposal, it looks like all four huts are being proposed by commercial ventures. I'd like to know what access the public would have (if any) aside from hiring the guides.

Most likely due to bad weather more than anything. Summer alpine season is typically July-Sept. I have a fuzzy memory of the third week of August being the most reliable weather if you're trying to plan a trip in advance.

Awesome read, thanks for positing this! I was unaware of your project until now, that makes turning around on Everest all that much more frustrating I bet! Here's a link to Eric's climbing project: https://www.countryhighpoints.com

Kind of strange the text in the link says "jim-whittaker". Made me check the article again. Crazy they both made it to 95.

Honestly, people post TR's about cragging at Exit 38. I think any Himalayan trip is worthy here. Your writing style is fantastic for folks aspiring to attempt any of these peaks, lots of important details, no drama.

Looks like Jim's retiring: http://www.promountainsports.com I liked going in there as he always had the latest and lightest stuff and talk gear. Feels like the end of an era with the independent climbing shops closing down.

Thanks for writing this up and sharing the stoke!

The snow pack is strange this year, very thin further north, more normal in the south. We skied at the Mt. Baker resort on Sunday and it was shocking to see how thin it was below 4,000', there's hardly any snow. This could all change with a couple of good storms but there's not much hope on the long term forecasts.

March is historically difficult to line up stable weather windows in the Cascades as well.

From the news today: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/federal-proposals-could-curtail-climbing-anchors-in-wa-wilderness/ I have to wonder how this would effect Darrington as most of that is in the Boulder River Wilderness area.

Incredible effort, holy cow!

Hoping this forecast pans out.

I'm surprised this fart guard hasn't become a standard feature in all tents.

Looks like great conditions, might have to put this back on my list for this fall after the rain clears out next week.

I have one season on the Dynafit Blacklight 95 skis and they're a great all around ski for PNW touring. I think the PDG might be a race ski and not real fun (terrible) to ski on anything firm.

Can you post a link to the photo?