fredrogers

Dru- It's actually the CANADIAN Flag Burner wall. Last time I was up there I smelled burning leafy goodness.

Well, gents, the sad thing about all those ads is that it keeps the price of the magazine at about $5. Without those, you'd be paying a hell of a lot more for it, should you deem it a worthy expense at $40-50 a copy. I just wish the ads were better. Most of them are an insult to anyone with a heartbeat.

Restrictions were lifted on the Snow Creek approach on 8/30- as of yesterday the Asgard Pass approach was still closed. check here for the latest: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/icicle/

Check Peggy Goldman's scrambling book (Think it's called 75 Summits- alpine scrambles in Washington). Published by the Mountaineers Books. It has the best description of the SE Ridge I've seen yet. We descended the SE Ridge after climbing the Lynch Glacier in July. A little loose and scrumbly, but not bad. Take an ice axe with you if you can- there were some hard snow patches with bad runouts on the SW side of the East Peak.

Check also Black Horse Point (in Burdo's Book). 2 routes (I think 5 and 8 pitches of 5.8). Probably less crowded than the Liberty Bell group.

oops. [This message has been edited by fredrogers (edited 08-27-2001).]

Cavey- I asked for the same dates next year, so I won't be getting any money back. While I do normally groan at the restrictions and rigidity of the Forest Service, I do have to hand it to the Forest Service (or more prescisly the good folks at the LWorth ranger station). For these reasons: 1. They called me to tell me the permit had been cancelled and gave me three options: A. A permit for the same # of days in October. B. My money back. C. A permit for the sames date and # of days next year. 2. They called me an hour ago and said that they were opening the Enchantments again Thursday morning (the day my trip was supposed to start) and would I like to still go or save it for next year? Can you imagine any other govermental agency doing this? Certainly not the BLM (or the IRS for that matter)

Aidan- I had a permit foe the Enchantments for Labor Day weekend. Needless to say the Forest Service cancelled all the permits. They did offer to refund or give me the same dates for next year. Surprisingly progressive of them. They said the Enchantments will be closed for most of September and I suspect they'll keep the Icicle closed for a while yet. Check http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/icicle/ for more info, although I couldn't find a date the closure of the Icicle was to be lifted.

I called the Cle Eleum Ranger station this morning. The road and the trail to Ingalls lake are open, but in true Forest Service fashion, I was given a stern warning not to go anywhere "north of there."

I was also up at the Tooth on Sunday with a few other friends. We rapped down through the group of seven and found everyone to be friendly, congenial and willing to make the most of a crowded belay stance. A few of those climbers were inexperienced, true, but we were all having a good time. You can't expect to climb the Tooth (or Ingalls or Liberty Bell or...) on a nice summer Sunday and not get hung up with a group of beginners. Ibex, was that you with the wall rack?

[Four years had passed, four years of constant reminders. Every glimpse of a rock face, every postcard of a mountain, every carabiner keychain a reminder of that day. Looking in the mirror........I had to wonder if I still had it in me. Sure, accidents happen and people die in the mountains, but it wasn't supposed to happen to me. And it wasn't really my fault. Even my friends have told me that over and over again. But then why does it plague me so. Why does my gear just sit in the corner? My old partners don't even call me anymore. Deep inside I know I have to climb again. That's what Kristi would have wanted…. Things seemed simple at that time in my life when she and I first met, I was youthful and full of energy ready to conquer the world. Looking back now though maybe I was too careless, blind of my lack of abilities and too willing to take risks. I promised myself to change my ways when I first took her climbing, but I didn’t and my recklessness led to my demise… Remembering is like a dream. Dreams are surreal in color, things are out of place, but in the dream they are natural, the way things should be, the way they have always been. It was supposed to be just something basic. Kristi had been pestering me to go for weeks, so I finally hit the books (Beckey, Volume 3) and found something that would be challenging and suitable for both of us, but not too far out there. Kristi was a very good climber. She pulled down hard at 38 and plugged the pro on Davis Holland. I thought I was a stud because I ran laps on Godzilla. (It didnt matter that even after 2 years of trying I couldnt pull the opening move of The Second Pitch.) This was going to be no problem. Like all trips into the mountains, this one started with us hastily packing the Subaru on a lazy Friday afternoon. Getting to the North Cascades was going to be a casual drive, we were going to miss rush hour. After two hours of driving, we pulled in to the burrito joint in Burlington for an early dinner and a beer. Or two. Beers seemed in order as we were thirsty and having fun, and we knew we'd still make it to Washington Pass before dark. The mood was light; the Mexican beer was dark; I was horny. On the way out of the restaurant, we ran into an unlikely pair -- the mischievous Ray Borbon and the notorious sport climber "Lambone." They too were headed for the pass, but their agenda was different than ours. Different, to say the least. It involved a croquet mallet and ball, but beyond that they would not say, and we didn't want to know. Liberty Bell looked gorgeous in the late afternoon sun and I pointed out one of the 50 crowded climbs that I was gonna do someday. We pulled off and geared up quick to take full advantage of the daylight and crystal clear skies. Kristi was a climbers dream date: gorgeous, easygoing and able to carry her weight and more without a problem. We wanted to get ourselves setup for a solid push tomorrow up Early Winters Spire. We had heard there was some steep sections of ice, but everyone assured us it would be no problem. As we hiked in I was preoccupied with thoughts of my warm tent and how Kristi and I would make it warmer... However, lighting the tent on fire while starting the stove was not one of the ways I had intended to make it warmer. As Kristi and dove through the flaming vestibule I lost most of my hair and all my eyebrows. Thank god I had shaved my beard in anticipation of the trip, otherwise things could have been much worse. We both laughed hysterically as we watched the tent melt in a pool of bubbling nylon goo, feeling fortunate not to have lost more than some hair and, for me, a little bit of pride. As the last of the flames went out, Fred Beckey strolled up...

The SS Badge is a nice touch, Drew.

Cheap Smartwool? Say it ain't so. I bought a pair of their long johns last year, and while spendy ($120 for the set), they're the best damn layering piece I've ever had. Their mountaineering socks kick ass, too.

Marmot in Bellevue rents ice tools, or at least the used to. Give em a call at 425.453.1515.

there was a thread on the site specifically about Rock Empire cams not long ago. Do a search and you should be able to find them.

Second the motion in Givler's crack and Poison Ivy Crack in Leavenworth. Same with Castle Rock. Also try Gibson's crack (5.5), Left Crack (5.6), Right Crack (5.2 ) at Mountaineers Dome. There are a bunch of easy jamcracks at Roto Wall (5.0 to 5.6 i think), another superb, but short 5.8 above that and left (can't remeber what it's called but it's in Kramar's book), Dogleg Crack (5.8+) by Alphabet Rock. R&D route on Icicle Buttress (5.5?) is a nice 3-4 pitch route that has some crack climbing.

or bolt on holds? Just don't ask to see his piercings.

Hey, isn't that Fred Beckey's email address?

Sounds like the perfect way to continue to lower my productivity at work. Count me in.

Quokka was a former client of mine. Most screwed up bunch of arrogant, unfocused people I've had the pleasure to work with. Their business plan changed faster than their revenue projections. Burned through something like $300 million and not a thing to show for it. I just feel sorry for Potterfield and the rest of the folks at Mountainzone. Mountainzone was a cool site. They got a raw deal.

Herr Blister- from what I've heard about those 'ritas (and their after-effects), EVERYONE be warned.... Lambone- no hardman, just trying to minimize the spray and maximize climbing ejoyment for all.

Lambone- Try the Serpentine Arete or the Backbone with Fin Direct on Dragontail. Both long alpine climbs of moderate grade... meant to do the Arete thhis weekend but bailed due to the weather.

Carolyn- You might also consider Mt. Daniel for a pleasant 2 day trip. Can be done as a ridge scramble (3rd class with some snow) or via glacier (Daniel glacier would require a rope and snow anchors others do not). Can also be done in a day. Mt. Ruth (by Mt.s Shuksan and Baker) is also a moderate glacier climb, with outstanding views of Shuksan, Baker and into the Northern Picketts. Do it in 2 to enjoy the scenery or one, TBD your schedule.

watch out for goats. They kick down rocks too. "Um officer, it was a big, white mountain goat."

Having done the Emmons route on 7/15-16, I'm not if its any easier to get to the base of the Russel Cliffs than any other year (first time I've done the Emmon route). You jag over towards the cliffs around a couple of monster crevasses, then up a steep slope and just right of the Columbia crest. From Looking at Gautheir's photos of the Russel routes comparing them to what I have, eeek. Looks shitty and it'd be hard to get to the base, since the Wintrop is quite broken underneath the cliffs. Send me an email and I'll send you a couple of pics so you can see for yourself.