mattp

The Forest Service is under direction from Washington to identify 75% of the roads in national forests for possible closure. The Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest is undertaking a comment process aimed at allowing Forest users to indicate roads that should be kept open. Climbers need to show up at the meetings. There are a series of meetings planned for the next couple months. There is also an on-line survey. Be sure to tell them that the road serving the climbing area we call Darrington should be maintained. This is the 2060 and 2065 roads south of the town of Darrington. Also, the 2040 road, in the Squire Creek valley just to the west. More information here: washington climbers coalition info page. The next meeting is this week: Tuesday, July 23, in Issaquah. After work.

Good advice.

I've enjoyed the NW Ridge in September. Some have complained that it is a choss heap - and it is - but it is also an excellent climb in my opinion. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but if you want to do something other than the conga line on the south side I think the NW Ridge is not a bad choice and the camping below the route is real nice.

The road serving the Darrington climbing area has been proposed for closure before and the Forest Service has a current process where they are seeking comments to support a list of 75 percent of the roads on the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest for possible closure. Who wants to go to Three O'Clock Rock on Saturday? Lets go climb, take pictures, and maybe help document how important this 45 year old climbing area is to Washington Climbers.

A head net is more essential than deet when the bugs are bad, in my opinion. Deet is good, too.

Climbers and Friends for Public Use have done brushwork along the roadside for years, Gene. The areas that were most recently mown by the Forest Service maybe 6 or 8 years ago can be maintained with a weed-eater device that has a saw blade on the end. Some portions on the spur to Exfo Dome, or the road to Green Giant, require a chain saw in addition to the weed eater thing. It is hard work and the brush grows back a lot faster than we'd like but it pays off. Volunteer efforts make a big difference. They show our support for the road and they demonstrate how the cost of road repairs that may require expensive deployment of heavy machinery will be augmented by volunteer follow up.

Right now that road needs a mower more than a back-hoe. Apparently the funding issues have caused the District to discontinue mowing on a large number of roads. But the issue is the same: can we rally funding and public support for public access to public lands?

They plan to meet at 9 a.m. These folks are doing great work on roads serving a number of climbing destinations (last year they worked on the Bedal Creek road and they have worked on Cumberland Pass and Grade Creek as well). Here's their website: Friends for Public Use Their slogan is "working together to keep public lands public."

Yup, the closure is lifted. The ranger told me that he had heard there were two successful younguns.

If they chew into your food, your boots, or chew your brake lines, ... or if they just run across your face when you are trying to sleep - they are bad. Call 'em snaffles, or call them just plain no good. I love nature but there are limits.

Lets see some of you at the Tractor Tavern tonight!

Try this 5.10- route on the North Face of Big Four, a variation of the Tower Route that offers a nice crag climb outing for the first 5 or 6 pitches and gets no sun at all. If you crawl through the bushes and ferns to get there (bewildering for the first party of the season though others will follow their "trail" and it is not really that far into the jungle) it offers unique climbing on cobbles and it is definitely not 5.11 but I bet you'll find it entertaining. Good fun. Mark rates these pitches 5.8 but I think most climbers will find them 5.9 or 5.10. And it is cool. Trip Report

On the Mountain Loop I'd look at Pugh and Vesper in addition to Three Fingers and Whitehorse for views on a daytrip. Del Campo from NW has a good early season route with barely a scramble at the top. It is probably still ok.

Dan, I need to go to Index to scout a trail project this weekend and I'd like to do a little climbing but it is going to be 100 degrees. Tomorrow I might go to a public meeting on road priorities, so Sunday might be better. Wanna go climb on that Great Northern Slab, or maybe Private Idaho?

I'll be there if I can. What can I or anybody else do to help contribute to this?

I don't think a climber would be able to dislodge them but it might be worth a try. The worrisome ones are pretty large - like in the order of 40' x 20' x 4' or similar size and they are lying on a low angle slab.

DPS, the North Face or maybe it is called North Ridge route generally follows close to or on that buttress. It is good fun. Thanks for the TR, Tom.

Trip: Darrinton - Blueberry Route - Exfoliation Dome Date: 6/9/2013 Trip Report: I scored a partner through casadeclimbers and we headed out there to find that, as reported, the road was open and there was still some snow left on the Granite Sidewalk (accross the valley we could see there is still that early season patch below Total Soul as well). We hit the trail at the bright and early hour of about 11:00 a.m. but the forecast was for a cool days with mixed clouds and sun so we weren't too scared. The Blueberry Route is fun but thost stacked flakes in the middle upper part of the route are not feeling any more stable with time. Its hard to tell when but, one of these days, there'll be some big stuff sluffing off the route and bombarding the Granit Sidewalk. I'd avoid the area on super hot days in the summer or during early season freeze thaw events in the fall. Seriously. Apart from climbers, extreme weather seems to help trigger things and some seriously big bad rockfalls may result. The upper part (above the Blueberry Terrace) was fun and we descended by the West Slabs route. With about 4 or 5 single rope rappels followed by about 5 or six doubles, and some careful rope management, we got down without a single stuck rope and without knocking a single rock off. Joe on the second to last rappel. I noticed one bolt on Westward Ho missing a hanger - the second bolt on the third pitch, I think. The Sidewalk was a little wet in spots, but not bad. Gear Notes: Standard rack and two ropes. Approach Notes: 15 minutes over sandy boulders leads to the first slabs. 1000 feet of class three leads to the climbing.

I got hooked up. Thanks, CC.COM. NOAA says it's going to be a perfect day in Darrington.

Really? Castle Rock in Leavenworth OK too. I have partners for tomorrow, but need Sunday.

I'm looking to go to Three O'Clock or Exfo for a relatively easy day. Who wants to go?

Wow! Well done, indeed! Let's go climbing!

That looks pretty promising. As an alternative, I remember reading at some point (does the guidebook mention this?) that you could head up through the woods to the left of the avalanche run-out area below Shuksan Arm and avoid the bushwack. I've been up there twice in May/June without ill affect.

I have skied down the lower Nisqually unroped several times, but have roped up for walking crossings. Assuming you are traveling in a party that has ropes, and you are walking, I see little reason not to rope up... and one reason to think it would be a good idea: you might fall in.

I climbed it in mid-july, solo, and had no problem down-climbing the route (that had been my plan as I approached from Carbon River). There was about 40 feet right out of Thumb Rock, about 400 feet of ice around the Black Pyramid, and the short exit pitch where I down-climbed facing in. For all of the rest of the route I walked down facing out. Most of it is rarely if ever more than 35 degrees but the consequences of a fall may include a 4,000' bobsled ride. In my personal opinion you have no business on the route if you would not be comfortable down-climbing it because you never know when you may get altitude sickness, drop that second tool, or find the weather not to your liking. I think some of the deaths that have occurred there were the result of bad judgment made by climbers who were not prepared to retreat when things started going south.