Bronco

I'm curious, which exit did you use?

More fun with a new fire on the backside of J-Burg.

No kidding, bring the tissues in case it's "dusty" in the theatre...

You guys made the right call to stay put until light. The slabs between you and camp have been the site of several accidents, some fatal. Good job on the climb!

Here's a link to current USFS closures. No change at Washington Pass but the Pasayten has real limited access to anything up the Chewuch River Drainage. https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8e69381e35144962a835ee59aafba153

From the summit of Columbia this weekend, we could see there's a steep slope you can scramble down from Monte Cristo Pass to the Columbia Glacier. The moats are pretty significant right now including the snow finger in the gully you'd normally use to get from the glacier onto the west face of Kyes. It was a little surprising considering the high snow pack we had this spring but I guess that heat wave did more damage than I figured. Glad you found a way down Monte Cristo!

If you're planning to do any climbing in the Washington Pass area, it'd be wise to check up on access. HWY 20 is closed just East of Washington Pass and probably will be until we get some significant precipitation. This likely means September or October before you can get through. Areas that are definitely closed include Cutthroat, Silver Star, Wine Spires, Spontaneity Arete and the Gardeners. Also affected is area North of the Twisp River drainage. Though the Liberty Bell are is technically just outside of the closure, I'm not sure it's a great idea to head there right now with the close proximity to the fire operations and potentially placing additional stress on resources and first responders. Same goes for Goat Wall and crags up Lost River Rd as this area is not technically closed but is subject to a Level 1 evacuation order. This is a map of the current USFS closure area:

[TR] Goode - NE Buttress 07/02/2021 Fake news!

You should reach out to Burdo. If he doesn't respond, the developers are likely not done and don't want folks in there while they're finishing up. I don't know if Burdo is the sole poster behind it but I understand he's involved with the FB account "Mazama Rocks". You might start there.

Didn't Beckey commonly use a stick for eating and after dinner hygiene?

I rely on gel blocks and shots and just wash them down with water between actual breaks where I can pop them out to eat/brush/re-insert. I hate these things and look forward to being done with them!

A friend and I had planned to tackle the Gunn-Merchant traverse a few summers ago. We did Gunn and decided it was too hot, too smokey and didn't trust Smoot. Rad - Having done Baring and Gunn, Baring is much more straightforward route and legendary in Cascade lore. Nobody knows where Gunn is or can pick it out on the skyline.

Recently skinning up Silver Star Glacier, I chatted with a descending couple and asked if they reached the summit. The guy responds, "yes, well...I touched it with my chin". I thought that sounded strange until I scrambled up to the summit and could see why someone wouldn't necessarily feel compelled to stand or even sit on the summit due to the terrific exposure. As I sat there straddling the Au Cheval summit, I thought about how many other middle aged sweaty body parts had sat on this same little piece of rock. My conclusion is that touching a chin on a summit would count as summiting but don't blame me if you develop a rash.

I hate to admit it but an hour of 16" box steps are pretty effective with an appropriately weighted pack. Pretty boring.

I've tried JPEG, JPG, HEIC and nothing is working for me or my iPhone pics. I'm over it though so carry on.

Steve makes snowshoeing look so fun!

THEY'RE "COMPRESSION SHORTS" GOSH DARN IT!

Is there a maximum file size for photos? I keep getting an "upload failure" message.

This is a badass photo!

I've met a few and they are very attractive!

Why should we care, I thought most of us would be dead in 2 years from taking the vaccine...

There have been gullible people since the beginning of time. They just have access to more visibility now that they can type messages or post videos on social media from the safety of mom's basement.

Cellular reception has greatly improved since my second shot.

I'm not watching the 68 minute video about the vaccine since I've already had both doses. Here's a better video:

I don't have one of those packs but just wanted to point out that you'll get no sympathy from me for "suffering from skinny hips"!