Bronco

http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201215692 Pretty good article on how many people are actually reaching the true summit of 8,000 meter peaks. I think it's pretty common in the Cascades as well. I personally have reached the crater on Rainier and Helens but not bothered to slog to the actual high point of the rim. Does it count? I've read some TR's for Challenger in particular where the party claims to have bagged the peak but admit they didn't climb the summit block, usually due to weather. Should that count since they didn't climb the technical part of that peak? I guess I can't criticize anyone since I haven't literally summited Rainier or Helens. How about Luna? I haven't attempted Luna yet but understand most folks do not make the traverse to the actual summit (at least according to Juan Sharp). What other peaks are accepted as a successful climb without actually touching the summit?

But not the last!

Or gloves! I don't know how many of you have ridden a motorcycle any distance in the winter but you'd better have some good gloves or you're going to have some pretty bad screaming barfies. Maybe it was part of his conditioning program?

This trip report makes my knees hurt. I agree with Kit's sentiment.

My gut reaction is that photo was taken in the Rockies.

Have you climbed the south side route on Hood? I've always thought climbing a new (to me) peak by the standard route was a good way to get familiar with her and develop some confidence. I haven't climbed the Wy'East route but from reading its description, it's pretty exposed and probably more difficult to bail off, especially if you don't have confidence in anchor building. https://www.summitpost.org/wy-east/157708 Hope that helps!

Awesome, look forward to the story about the gate.

Wow, thanks for posting this TR!

That camper is just primed for a bunch of obnoxious stickers.

Good call Dana, that's definitely an old radiator cap. I worked at Grease Monkey for a couple of years in the early 90's and am well acquainted with them.

I'd check out: http://coastmountainskiing.com/coaching/ I don't know how much Eric charges for individual coaching but I purchased a training plan from him 4-5 years ago and thought it's a very similar approach to Uphill Athlete. Lots of Zone 2 training volume. He might be a good one to compare Uphill Athlete's fees and program and Eric's a good dude.

Downy Creek Fire has closed FS 26 and Downy Creek Trail. Just a heads up. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7190/

https://methowvalleynews.com/2020/08/26/local-climber-encounters-mysterious duffle-bag-containing-suspicious-substance/ According to a press release at the time, AMO agents witnessed the pilot toss several bags out of the plane into the wilderness. However, the story does not end there. Responding Deputy Anthony Coble performed a quick drug test on the bag the climber found in July, after he returned the bag to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s office, and determined the substance was not drugs. The North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force (NCWNTF) collected the bag for evidence the next day. So, if you happened to lose a duffel stuffed with a white crystalline substance portioned into individual Ziploc bags near Mazama, feel free to contact the task force to collect your valuables.

Home prices and cost of living would be significantly less expensive in Driggs. I think the home pricing in Bozeman is comparable to the suburbs around Seattle. That being said, Bozeman has a lot more going for it for restaurants and events. I don't know how important that is for you and your wife but they're both towns worth checking out. Bozeman has a good hospital and airport as well. Might check out Dillon MT while you're in the area. Skiing, fishing, some climbing close by and pretty low cost of living.

Good reminder of the badass folks who worked the mines in these mountains. I wonder what they'd think of us.

Just so long as you match your friends, that's what matters.

There's these new fangled "sun hoodies" that are advertised to keep people cool and are kind of a replacement for sunscreen. Always get the matching set with your tech bros, duh!

https://www.opb.org/news/article/grizzly-bear-reintroduction-north-cascades-give-up/ U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt told a meeting of community members in Omak, Washington, that his agency will not conduct the environmental impact statement needed to move forward with the plan. “The Trump Administration is committed to being a good neighbor, and the people who live and work in north central Washington have made their voices clear that they do not want grizzly bears,” Bernhardt said in a news release. “Grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction, and Interior will continue to build on its conservation successes managing healthy grizzly bear populations across their existing range,” he said. The decision was hailed by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, who represents the region in Congress. “Homeowners, farmers, ranchers, and small business owners in our rural communities were loud and clear: We do not want grizzly bears in North Central Washington,” Newhouse said. “I have long advocated that local voices must be heard by the federal government on this issue.” The Department of the Interior began planning the environmental review process in 2015 under the Obama administration. The recovery of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states is an amazing success story, the agency said. Most of the efforts have focused on six areas of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and eastern Washington state. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has been the primary focus of grizzly recovery efforts to date, and grizzly populations have increased to about 700 bears there since the animals were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1975. The environmental group Conservation Northwest was disappointed by the decision, but did not think it was the final word on the bears. “We are still confident they will be restored there,” spokesman Chase Gunnell said. Gunnell said 80% of the people who provided public comments on the bears supported growing the population by bringing grizzlies to the back country in and around North Cascades National Park. Gunnell said it was false that local residents overwhelmingly oppose reintroduction of the bears. “This is not an issue that has just west side support,” Gunnell said, referring to more populous and liberal western Washington. “Public support is strong.” Fewer than 10 grizzlies are thought to live across 9,800 square miles anchored by North Cascades National Park, Conservation Northwest said. Given their isolation from other grizzly populations, the low number of bears, their very slow reproductive rate and other constraints, the North Cascades grizzly bear population is considered the most at-risk bear population in the United States, the environmental group said. Grizzly bears were listed as a threatened species in 1975. They have slowly regained territory and increased in numbers in the ensuing decades, but they still occupy only a small portion of their historical range. An estimated 50,000 bears once roamed the contiguous U.S. Government-sponsored programs led to most being poisoned, shot and trapped by the 1930s.

I think there was a party on it a couple of weeks ago, saw something on a FB group called "climb index".

Sounds like a routine day around Paradise. At some point you have to laugh and hope nobody gets hurt or lost. The tourists come from all over the world to walk in the snow up there.

Just a heads up, there is a temporary traffic light installed on HWY 530 between Arlington and Darrington for some fish passage work. I think it cost me 30 minutes headed East on Thursday night and 45 minutes to an hour coming West last night. Sedro Wooley route to HWY 20 recommended until this project is done. The detour around the rockslide on HWY 20 is pretty insignificant by comparison.

Nice TR Dana. I never get tired of photos of the Norwegian Buttresses. Terrifying and intriguing to think about the routes up there.

Some good news (in these unprecedented and trying times). It looks like they plan to give it to USFS to preserve access. The 11-acre private property includes Alphabet Rock and the Icehouse Boulders, as well as the initial access path to Givler’s Dome and outlier crags on adjacent USFS lands. Together, these granite cliffs and outcrops feature more than 40 historic cracks, slabs, faces, and hueco-filled roofs, ranging in difficulty from 5.7 to 5.13, as well as dozens of challenging boulder problems. The prominent 250-foot Givler’s Crack, Dogleg Crack, and Meat Grinder are just a few classics that have attracted climbers since the 1970s. https://www.accessfund.org/news-and-events/news/access-fund-purchases-climbing-areas-outside-leavenworth-washington

No word yet on NCNP. I may be able to put my hair in a man bun by the time they open it up. They barricaded a lot of the roads at HWY 20.

Some good news: 20200521 Phased Reopening NEWS RELEASE.PDF