mattp

Congratulations, Ray and Fred. With or without air support, the ascent of a new route has an element of adventure quite different from repeating a route that somebody else has done and, while you note that the route may not be a "classic" in the sense that it may not end up touted as a "select climb" and draw the resultant hoards, it was certainly a classic outing that I am sure you will treasure more than repeating, say, Liberty Ridge for the ten thousandth ascent. And I am sure you were fully stoked as you stood on top. The Coast Range is awesome.

Lisa - Is that you or is there an impersonatator out there? Its been a while since we've seen you at pubclub. Most weeks, people start showing up as early as 7:00 and others dont arrive till 9:00 or even later.

I don't know about where to find the "most" flowers but (1) Paradise is where you go if the weather is iffy and you're bringing somebody like your grandma who wants to look at display cases with old photographs and a stuffed Jim Whitaker doll (2)Sunrise has better views of the mountain and Borroughs Mountain is great for an easy walk with good views and close-up encounters with snaffelhunda, and (3) Mowich Lake has some very good hikes with spectacular views of the mountain (Tolmie Peak for an easier hike and Spray Park if you want to venture further afield) but there is no concession stand at Mowich Lake. All three have plenty of alpine meadows and you'll find flowers in bloom as soon as you get out of the car.

I agree with Puget that all of us who care about the crags share some measure of responsibility for what happens there if we fail to speak up when somebody is doing something wrong -- but as Dwayner's frequent complaint about a ten-year old episode demonstrates, it can be very touchy confronting someone about their ethical or cordial transgressions. For this reason, I wouldn't suggest that everybody has an OBLIGATION to speak out if they are (1) so pissed off they won't be able to address the offender with some modicum of respect, (2) worried that the offender may adopt a belligerent response, or (3) just not interested in dealing with it today. [ 08-20-2002, 12:16 PM: Message edited by: mattp ]

Mount Eerie is very beautiful, and there are top-roped and bolted climbs from 5.0 to 5.11 or something like that. There is a local Mt Eerie guidebook that has in the past been available at a grocery/mini mart on the corner just below the south side of Mount Eerie.

I think they could safely attend. It has been some years since I've seen the smoke-fest take place on that balcony (I'm not saying it doesn't ever happen, but I believe Juan is talking about the old days -- when real climbers were both).

Hey Dan - PubClub is near your place of employment tonight. We'll leave the light on for you.

I have had two friends fall and smack their heads while leading, resulting in temporary coma's and brain surgery and stuff like that. I don't understand why everybody thinks it essential to wear a helmet while riding a bike, but most climbers seem to think it is only necessary when you anticipate the possibility of rockfall.

If your rock shoes are too big, try wearing them on the wrong feet. This past weekend I went climbing with two left shoes because in all the excitement of going climbing I had packed up one left shoe from each of two pairs, one pair that fit properly and one that had stretched beyond acceptable performance. As it was a hot day and my feet were swelling, I found the too-big-wrong-foot shoe was actually more comfortable and it seemed to perform OK. I could stand on the inside of the toe, where the fit was relatively tight because the longer side of my foot was in the shorter side of the shoe, and the outside of that foot was loose and comfy. Maybe I'll use those stretched out shoes that way on purpose from now on -- wear them on the correct feet on an all-day climb but switch shoes for the crux pitches.

It must have been an impersonatator. I only do drive-up.

Do they have a parking garage?

For me, its much harder to actually get any work done when I had a long day on Sunday, successful or not -- and particularly hard when the day was exciting in some way or another. When I first went into business for myself, a friend of mine advised: if you want to contact anybody for any genuine business purpose, don't call them on Monday morning or Friday afternoon -- on Fiday afternoon they are either rushing to finish something up and don't want to talk or they are mentally already out of the office, and on Monday morning they are likely not yet to be ready for business and either spacing out or mopping up some desparate situation they aren't yet ready to handle. So my question is, what about Friday afternoons -- harder or easier when you are planning a big outing?

fleblebleb- Yes it was short notice. We had planned for a casual outing, and didn't want anybody to feel they had to give up a perfectly good day of climbing to join us. And we succeeded in the casual part of our mission. For example, one or more of our party members managed to: 1. Saw their finger open 2. Bring two left footed climbing shoes and climb in them 3. Get stuck on a ledge for an hour until a rope could be lowered to them 4. Leave the bolt removal implement on the ground and solo down and back up the lower half of the first pitch of OnLine to retreive it 5. Drop their precious herbal remedy into an impentrable thicket 6. Widen the first quarter mile of the road slightly, brush out some narrow spots along the trail, and improve the first couple hundred yards of the trail where it leaves the old abandoned roadbed so that only a true gaper could miss it 8. Replace all the bolts on Cashman 9. Misplace 4 small steel micronuts. 10. Stumble back to the cars in the dark Personnel: DCramer, DavidW, Bchaps, JayB and MattP. Here's a picture of lurker bchaps: [ 08-19-2002, 01:13 PM: Message edited by: mattp ]

Good morning campers!

The trailhead is about fifteen miles up the Sultan Basin road from Highway 2. Turn off at the chainsaw shop, on a hill just past Sultan, and follow the main road past a registration station at perhaps twelve miles and then take the right fork a mile or so beyond there. The road will then drop down a hill (the first real downhill grade you have come to), cross a bridge, and the turnoff to the Static Point trailhead is on the right. I believe this is about fifteen miles from Highway 2. The Static Point side road is somewhat overgrown with alders but passable in a normal car. The rock faces south, and there is little shade. Prepare for sun.

Tomorrow (Sunday, August 17) Darryl Cramer and myself and some others will be going to Static Point to clear some brush from the road and replace a couple of 20 year old rusty bolts. In addition to encouraging a few misguided Alders to relocate, we hope to do some climbing while we are there. Look no further if your partner bailed on you for tomorrow and you're looking for something to do, or if you just want a tour of one of Western Washington's more beautiful climbing areas. Extra points for bringing leather gloves and some clippers. Send me a pm or email and we'll get in touch. [ 08-17-2002, 10:40 AM: Message edited by: mattp ]

When are you wanting to do the climb? The easier routes on Mount Adams generally follow ridges and thus will involve more rubble-hopping than the Mazama Glacier route -- especially this late in the year. My comments were based on the fact that I have talked with lots of people who have climbed via the Mazama Glacier and they have said various things about their climb but I have not heard them to comment much on the route itself (good or bad). For easier routes, I have enjoyed the NW Ridge (even in late-season) but it is a big rubble heap with 300 feet of steep exposed snow that will be quite firm this late in the season. The North Ridge is also good though, again, it has more rock and I would guess that it has a greater sense of exposure. Mid-season, I have also enjoyed the Avalanche Glacier - White Salmon Glacier route. It has a very nice campsite at timberline, just below the moraine, and it approaches the summit from the saddle at the top of the NW Ridge so you would not share any part of the climb with the standard route. However, I believe that parts of this route are a little steeper than the Mazama Glacier, and it may have a difficult ‘schrund this late in the year. Again, let me say that I am curious about, and not necessarily down on, the Mazama.

Zee - I did not say the route was not worthy -- only that I thought there might be more exciting routes that are no more technical -- AND I specifically said I was interested in learning more about why that route in particular might be a good one. Enjoy your climb.

I've climbed six different routes on the mountain but I have never done that one and I have always wondered why it is so popular. I always hear it described as "a little more interesting" than the south ridge route, but I have never heard anybody say "it is beautiful" or "it is exciting" or anything like that and it ends up joining the top of the south ridge route, where you will be climbing along side all those that clamber up there in sneakers with their kids and dogs. I am guessing that folks are looking for an easy glacier route that is relatively easy to follow and that there may also be some sense of security gained by having the standard route immediately next door as a bail-out option. Personally, I'd probably go for Mount Baker or Glacier Peak, or I'd look at something like the Quien Sabe Glacier on Sahale Peak or Mount Ruth. But lets hear from someone who is a fan of the Mazama Glacier route – please tell us how great it is and why.

Right on, Jon. With their spashy clothing and glossy corporate imate, the North Face makes an easy a target and, even though it can be amusing to read all the bullshit, after about the third or fourth time all we are reading is the same old bullshit. Its kind of like the anti-bolt or anti-sport arguments or some of the horsecock jokes -- it just seems that some people lack imagination and apparently can't think up a new joke or a new slant on the rant. I know, free speech and don't take the character out of the site and all (clearly, one of the things that we all love about cc.com IS the spray and the combination of clever quips and occasionally diverse viewpoints that it supports), but in the case of TNF I think you made a good call.

The bristles on your toothbrush can come in handy for cleaning the jet on your stove.

Would that "other guy" have been Frit Weissner?

What those guys said. The alpine ice routes are generally best late season. There are lots to choose from, at a variety of grades, with some being pretty much roadside attractions and others constituting a mini-expedition. The photo is from bivouac.com.

I agree with you, Winter. I like to "get away" and one of the things that I like about climbing is the fact that there it does demand that each of us take responsibility for ourselves. And I believe that the "victims" on Mount Hood would have a very difficult time suing the bumbler, would you agree? Far from advocating bring the legal system into the wilderness, I am suggesting that for the most part the sport of mountain climbing takes us to a wilderness where the legal system is very slow to encroach. Compare climbing with other sports where risk is involved -- diving, race-car driving, you name it. I believe there are more rule and regulations, more policing, and generally more fees involved in those activities (I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions). But at the same time, I'm saying that to reject our tort system without having some alternative in mind is stylish perhaps but not well thought out.