Kyle

Sorry to say, we didn't attempt the P-ridge route last week. My partner arrived feeling somewhat ill, so we decided to have a go at the DC route instead. He felt worse hiking up to Camp Muir, didn't sleep well, and next day we ended up turning back from 11500'. Oh well...

I've enjoyed watching the crows flying around at Index- once I saw 3 of them take turns repeatedly attempting to fly upside down. Of course it doesn't work, and they end up tumbling and flapping all over the place, but they kept trying over and over, for no apparent reason. Maybe it's just fun...?

Thanks for the tip Forrest. I don't know Mike, but I'll bet he lies less than your average ranger and I do really appreciate the info. This is one of those routes I've wanted to do for years... just trying to get the right combination of time off, partner availability, route conditions, and good weather, & it's a tough combo to hit. If I get up it, I'll certainly be jazzed enough to post a TR...

Funny how this thread has brought all the "newbies" out of the woodwork... oops I guess I'm one too

XTC did a song that went "oohhh, I need protection"... I'm sure they weren't talking about climbing, but that song often comes to mind when I'm on lead.

Nobody eh? There's still hope... I think after this little system blows through this weekend, we'll likely get a few days of colder temps up high, & routes like ptarmigan could come into pretty good shape. Unless my partner bags out on me, I'll probably be up there having a go at it next tues/wed.

I'm a tech at an ISP. Pro- I've got bandwidth to burn, so I can read a lot of tr's of routes I'll never have the time to do. Con- Having only weekends off blows... it's just not enough time

I hiked up Ruth last weekend with some non-climbing buddies. Easy but way fun, and you're rewarded with awesome views of the Picketts/NoCascs from the summit. There's a crevasse ~ halfway up the final slope that's just starting to open up, but is easily avoided.

With all the nice weather we've had lately, has anyone here gotten up it this season?

Yeah, I guess chicken bones are what you might expect to find at a sport area. Index climbers would eat the bones & leave no trace

I was climbing at Skaha last year & reached up for a bucket, only to grab onto a freshly-gnawed and greasy chicken bone that someone had flung off the top. Yuk! Chicken bones is trash too!

As far as climbing with someone you don't know, the Judd debacle is sort of a unique case. I've many times hooked up with pick-up partners at crags & had success with it, but it seems a little different to hook up with someone in, say the Index parking lot or walking around in camp 4. You'd have time to talk it over & try to get a handle on whether or not he's solid, and you can easily part ways if the first impression doesn't gel. If you do buddy up, you can warm up on something easy, and if you get a pitch or 2 off the ground and it's not working out, well you rap back down with nothing lost. It's a whole different story to meet a mystery guy way up on Rainier... I don't care how solid he says he is, it's just too fishy and the environment too serious for me to add such an unknown variable to my team. I feel for Bronco & Kevlar... anyone with a heart will find it tough to say no when someone's sitting there giving you the sad-puppy look, but I'd have to say sorry dude, not today- we'll pick you up on the way down if you're still waiting here.

Wow- what a story. Crusty, ill-prepped old buggers like Judd slog up peaks like Rainier all the time, but most of them are tough & self-reliant, and can do it without anybody else even noticing. This Judd guy's just a big accident waiting to happen (we'll probably hear about him up on Denali next, as he wraps up his 50 state summits project). Bronco & Kevlar sound like swell guys- more charitable & helpful than most of us would be in such a case. I'd feel a bit guilty about it, but I don't think I'd let Judd on my rope unless we were on the way down & he really seemed to need the help. Good job getting everybody through the ordeal with no injuries.

My partner on this climb, though a strong mountaineer in general, is basically a newbie on technical rock, so we belayed the entire ridge up & rapped most of the way down, & it took us several hours longer than I'd hoped (not that it diminished the climb for us at all- it was sweet even if we were slow). A pair of experienced rock climbers could easily simul-climb most (if not all) of the route to save a lot of time. The exposure's outrageous & the views unforgettable, climbing's easy, rock amazingly solid, pro plentiful & great. The 5.6 "crux" pitch is short & easy (check out the old bent piton there- looks like it has a story to tell). Pack a very light hardware rack, but take a lot of long slings, as there are good horns _everywhere_. My suggested rack (note- I suspect a lot of folks carry way more gear up this route than they really need... bear in mind that I'm not some kind of hardcore climber, just another weekend-wanker that likes to lace up routes, and this here is still plenty of rack for the climb): 8 Wire Stoppers: BD #3-10 3 Slung Hexes: #5-7 3 Camalots: .75, 1, 2 8 sewn runners 8 tied runners (1" tubular, cut 6' long) 2 long slings (1" tubular, cut 12' long) 2 ropes (but doable with one) 1 axe, crampons, helmet Gear we carried but didn't use: 2 larger stoppers 2 larger hexes 2 pickets 1 ice screw ~8 too many biners Start super-early to get up the glacier & couloir before it softens, pound the calories & H2O nonstop to avoid the bonk. Watch out for late-afternoon storms (it rained on us for about 15 minutes as we walked down the glacier). Have the time of your life! [This message has been edited by Kyle (edited 07-03-2001).]

(I'm guessing that since Jerry's in the insurance biz, he probably works all day on one of those old-style terminal-emulation financial programs that require all-caps for data entry. After a while you don't even notice them anymore... they are a bit tough on the eyes tho...) Nice going on Oly Jerry- that route's been on my list for a while... might just get up it this season.

Doggles- check it out. Nice idea, but I don't think I could train my dog to wear these... she'd paw them off right away. http://www.doggles.com/main.html

Oh yeah, and once I saw Scott Franklin put up a new route at Verdon. Later that day saw Catherine Destivelle walking around in LaPalud, flanked by a half-dozen gawking dudes.

Bro & I were unsuccessfully thrashing around on boxcar boulder, a 5.12-ish traverse in the gunks, and had just sat down for a break, when Lynn H came jogging up, said hi, smoked the traverse in running shoes, and kept on going.

Did it last Sat (6/30) in a long day- my first time up there. Awesome super-classic climb... I can't believe it took me so long to get around to doing it. The route is in as perfect condition right now as I could imagine: the glacier's barely starting to open up, the couloir is still full of snow & easy going up to the notch, and the ridge itself is snow-free & dry. Great day- 100% fun!!

Everyone (incl me) slags on the rangers at times, but then you read about crap like this (below), and you just gotta respect them for handling a tough & often thankless job. -------------------------------------------- 01-310 - Saguaro NP (AZ) - Natural Resource Destruction, Resisting Arrest On May 31st, Robert Balon, 41, of Tucson drove his Ford Explorer approximately one mile cross-country through the park, causing over $60,000 in natural resource damages in the Rincon Mountain District. The vehicle was discovered stuck, with its engine running and doors locked. Balon was located a short distance away, sitting naked under a bush. He refused to cooperate and resisted arrest before being pepper-sprayed by BLM and NPS rangers and safely handcuffed. Further investigation revealed that Balon had driven through BLM and private property, causing additional resource damage, before heading into the park. Drugs and paraphernalia were located in the vehicle in addition to over $250 in cash strewn around the cab. Evidence indicates Balon attempted to set his vehicle on fire. Balon has an extensive criminal history, including numerous assaults, resisting arrest, and narcotics violations. He was recently unconditionally released from a state mental hospital after serving two years of a five-year sentence in which he was found guilty but insane of aggravated assault on a police officer. Balon was booked into federal prison on initial charge of violation of resisting/ impeding/interfering with a federal officer (18 USC 111). A federal grand jury convened this week for additional indictment charges. [bo Stone, PR, SAGU, 06/18]

Man it's gorgeous out there... Time to shut down your pc & get the hell out of Dodge!! [This message has been edited by Kyle (edited 07-06-2001).]

Homely, clueless, married guy seeks herb-friendly partners for dog-friendly climbs...

I think it's a woman... my kind of gal

Forget the sunscreen- pass me that blunt!! I need it now!!

Not a climbing book, but "Endurance" about Shackleton's mother-of-all-epics is an amazing story (I couldn't put it down, & stayed up all night reading it). "My Vertical World", Jerzy Kukuczka's bio. The writing's pretty clunky, but you come away with a load of respect for those hard-core Polish climbers... they're as tough as they come. Recently read "A Cambodian Odyssey", by Haing Ngor, who survived some horrible years against long odds during the Khmer Rouge era. Highly recommended.