Tod

Where is that?

My buddy and I were the two that saw your fall. Pretty scary, particularly since it was only body weight. Glad you're okay. The old SMC bolts (or whatever they are) on Sport Wall definitely need to be replaced.

This is a pretty interesting mystery. =) Sorry to mark up such great pictures, but I thought this might help confirm the two profile images are from the same location. The following images are definitely from the same wall. I've marked all the similar spots that correlate to each other. This area sure looks a lot like the Stuart/Enchantment area.

Wow, I didn't realize Scott Williamson was still making news on the PCT. On my 1993 hike I remember passing him in Oregon as he was heading north (I was going south). By the time I got to S Lake Tahoe he had completed his hike and got in touch with me and hiked with me a week or two to Devil's Postpile.

Figure about a month, give or take a week. In 1993 I did it in one month, and that was with taking 10 days off at resupply points. One way to look at it: With a 2.5-3mph pace hiking about 8 hours a day will get you there in 20-25 Days (no rest days). With resupply/rest days add in an extra 4 days. Plan for resupply/rest days at: White Pass Snoqualmie Pass Stevens Pass Stehekin With ~16 hours of light during the summer, unless you intentionally want to sleep in every day, take long siestas, and end early every day it would be hard not to hike 8 hours a day when you know you have to get somewhere. As described by hkrhnk11, there are official ways to do your permits (which aren't hard to do), however almost the complete stretch of WA PCT is self issued permits (which is usually done at the trailhead; no need to get permits beforehand). Near Mt Rainier NP, the PCT is mostly outside the east boundary(except for a couple of miles). In the North Cascades NP, there is about a 20 mile section that you may need a permit for, however it is common to just pass through this section and not camp in the park at all. Crossing the US-Canada border is easy, you just hike in (no border station, just mountains and trees). A Passport (or currently a birth certificate with ID) will then get you back into the US if you go back to the US by car. Records: It is not uncommon for people to do 30-40 mile days when hiking the PCT. If you hike 35 miles a day at 3mph non stop for 12 hours a day you would finish the hike in ~14 days. With 16 hours of light, hiking 12 hours at 3mph will get you 36 miles. Your not hiking any faster or harder to get big miles, just longer days. There are some good resources and books to help plan: Pacific Crest Trail Association PCT WA OR Guidebook Pacific Crest Trail Hiker's Handbook (a great planning book)

Good to meet you (wayne1112) and Jhampster yesterday. Overall, the climbing was much better than I expected. Our group climbed the upper falls, well left of the main flow. Pretty fun, but very low angle and lots of snow. Not really that exciting, but was a good spot to play around. It looks like there is some good higher angle ice with good pro to the right of the falls (that seems well attached, unlike anything near the water). We ended up hiking down near the lower falls where there is some ice right on the main trail after passing the lower falls (same area that Trogdor, Colt45, and Alpinefox were in). We ended up doing the pillar on the far left pictured in Trogdor's pic. It doesn't look like much of a pillar in Trogdor's pic, but it's the thickest ice shown in the bottom left of the pic. We went backtracked to the lower main falls where the best ice of Bridal Veil seems to be. Lot's to choose from. We ended up climbing the same line that wayne1112 and Jhampster just did which was really a blast. About 50-60 meters of low angle ice then a great series of steps (about 25 meters) of steeper ice. Very fun. Here's Trogdor's pic again, showing the upper 25 meters of the climb the we (and wayne1112 and Jhampster) did. [All pics are from TrogdortheBurninator's post above]

Interesting project, however it is dissappointing that it only focuses on climber fatalities. Wouldn't this data (and the public) be better served by a complete incident map showing all backcountry fatalities of incidents. All I get out of this is something scary to look at, when in reality it only is a small number compared to the actual number of incidents that occur in MRNP. It is information like this that misserves both climbers and outdoor enthusiasts in general and causes people to think that climbing is a deathwish sport. With some tweaking and adding of more complete information, this could be very useful to learn and teach from.

I'll back that up. It's not a "Fee Demo" anymore. Any tickets issued during the fee demo were mostly tickets that could not be enforced (they were demonstration tickets). Now that the Forest Pass is no longer a demo, it's law, the tickets are enforceable and the state/feds can come after you for not paying. It sucks, though a pass is not required at all trailheads. Basically for the pass to be required, it needs to be an improved trailhead. This means that if it has an outhouse, it's improved and a pass is required: FEDERAL LANDS RECREATION ENHANCEMENT ACT SEC. 3. RECREATION FEE AUTHORITY f) Standard Amenity Recreation Fee.--Except as limited by subsection (d), the Secretary may charge a standard amenity recreation fee for Federal recreational lands and waters under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, or the Forest Service, but only at the following: (4) An area-- (D) that contains ALL of the following amenities: (i) Designated developed parking. (ii) A permanent toilet facility. (iii) A permanent trash receptacle. (iv) Interpretive sign, exhibit, or kiosk. (v) Picnic tables. (vi) Security services. Keep writing your congress people and tell them you want them to get rid of the Recreation Access Tax (RAT).

Go to the source. Most weather reports come from the same place, NOAA. Even UW's weather reports has the header of NOAA (National Weather Service). They also have excellent maps that let you select pinpoint locations and altitudes for your weather report (along with the usual weather discussions and satelite animations). National Weather Service, Seattle: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/ National Weather Service, USA: http://www.weather.gov

Railay/Tonsai has some of the best sport climbing you'll ever come across. Imagine doing an incredible 4 pitch route that is all smiles and then rappeling right into the bar that is on the beach. Most of the info you will ever need for climbing there (and getting there) is the Mountaineers Book "Thailand: A Climbing Guide". Definitely get one and you'll be happy. http://www.rei.com/product/734472 When at Tonsai, it is very kid friendly. Plenty of climbers walking around with infants, toddlers and some kids. Stay at Krabi Mountain View Resort at Tonsai (it's in the book). It is very nice (particularly compared to a lot of the sh*tholes at Tonsai). We spent about $500 Baht ($16) a night, and we were very happy with the place (the place and property is very nice and clean plus it has a shower, and a toilet that flushes which can be hard to come by in Tonsai) There is plenty of diving in the area also. It won't be hard to find a dive shop on the fly... Tod

Thanks! Yeah, I was surprised that Stuart went from little to no activity to suddenly 3 groups converging on 3 different trips. Pretty cool that we all took advantage of some great condidtions....

Trip: Mt. Stuart - Stuart Glacier Couloir Date: 4/13/2008 Trip Report: It was a busy few days on Stuart. Here's another TR of the great conditions found on Stuart.... On Saturday morning we (JB, Greg and myself) set out to do a two day climb of Stuart Glacier Couloir. We made a semi leisurely start to our day with the idea that we would enjoy the day and make camp near the base of the Sherpa Glacier. Sunday morning we set out from camp skinning up towards the Stuart Glacier. Unfortunately, shortly after starting out, Greg had to turn around due to some equipment issues; from the base of the North Ridge on it was just JB and I. Booting up the Stuart Glacier with the couloir in sight. After we rounded the corner from the North Ridge the snow became soft and we put the skis back on and continued up the glacier and over the bergschrund. The Stuart Glacier Couloir was a bit of a powder slog at times, though the three ice steps were pretty fun. This is the third and easiest ice step. The first one was ~80 degrees and 10'-15' The West Ridge was a bit tedious; not much different than climbing it in the summer (discontinuous route with ledges and to many left/right/up/down options). The routefinding wasn't too bad, though drytooling on front point with skis definitely added a new flavor to climbing on the West Ridge. Per the standard route we followed the ridge for a short traverse on the south side then made a short climb (60' feet?) and crossed over to a ledge/ramp system on the north side. Looking back to the West Ridge notch. We followed north side traverse for about 160-200'. At this point we finally pulled the rope out and started protecting a few spots that required a bit more effort. Once we crossed back over to the south side at the small notch below the summit tower we made the easy down and across traverse. One more long tedious and meandering pitch up (via short class 4/5 ledges & blocks) put us on the summit. We made the quick traverse over to the false summit and put our boards together and skied down to the Sherpa Glacier Couloir. There were plenty of boot and ski tracks all around this side of the summit (see other TR's: nice job guys, good climbing and skiing). Skiing down the Sherpa was great powder, but the last few hundred feet quickly turned to heavy deep glop. Regardless the conditions up higher (particularly the upper Sherpa Glacier and Couloir) were fantastic. The parting shot of Dragontail while skiing out the trail to the car. Gear Notes: *Ice Tools and Crampons were needed for the couloir. *We used some minimal rock pro for the West Ridge (#1, #2 and a couple of nuts) plus a few large slings for slinging horns. *Splits for the skiing in and snowboarding down Approach Notes: There are some great tracks up towards the Sherpa/Ice Cliff area. The established trail oddly sets off from the main trail at the first meadow just after passing the Colchuck Trail. It crosses the creek and follows the south side of the Mountaineer Creek. Regardless it is a great track right now and avoids the boulders pretty well.

I've flown with my trad rack in the last 6 months out of and into SeaTac. There wasn't really any real problems, however the screener did give a funny look at the xray and notified someone. I ended up emptying out my gear from my pack until the person found what they were looking for, my nut tool (they had spotted it through all of the other gear in the xray). Once they identified it, I was okay to put it all back in the pack and go (including the nut tool since it was not a knife).

Nope, not Evan's brother. We left the car around 8:30(?), however because we were waiting for two groups ahead of us we didn't hit the rock until ~10:30am. Once we were on the rock Jonah's group showed up behind us. At the top of pitch 2 (two tree ledge) we took an extended nap time to let the two groups ahead of us get some distance. We then climbed two more pitches and caught up to the two groups ahead. We took lunch at the top of pitch 4 to allow for more space and then topped out around 6:30-7:00pm. By 7:30pm we were heading down the trail and spotted Jonah's group halfway through pitch 4.

Uh, wow. That sounds not fun. Glad you guys are okay. We were the group that said hi to you in the parking lot and were ahead of you on route. When we were checking you out from the trail that evening we didn't see any other groups ahead of you that would have topped out in the dark. Hopefully we didn't slow you down in the first few pitches. We were waiting out a few groups ahead of us also and ended up napping at 2-tree ledge and then having a prolonged lunch at the next ledge also. A crowded day on OS.

Anyone have any info on two guys who were running late on Outerspace? We saw them in the middle of the 4th pitch after 7:30pm and they didn't look like they were going to top out anytime soon. Doing the last pitch or two in the dark along with the descent wouldn't be fun...

Wright's Beach Camp on Lake Skaha is great. They got beach and grass camping and the people there are pretty cool. It's the first campground on the right (on Lake Skaha) as you come from the south (west of the airport).

There is some sort of beetle or worm infestation that is eating up much of the fir trees around the Washington Pass area. When I was hiking down the Bridge Creek drainage last month we ran into someone studying the problem and they were trying to identifiy the actual species infesting and determine a course of action. Niether species the researcher identified were native to Washington. From what I could tell from the convversation, the only two options for solving the infestation was either fire (which is inevitable due to the destruction and death of trees occuring) or spraying (which means a lot of red tape and pissed off people). I think she said the infestation started last year? From what we saw going up and down Bridge Creek and beyond, most of the area is being eaten dying in a serious way. If it's not a tinderbox now (which it is), it'll be tinderbomb next year.

Rereading this one I came across the above quote. I am curious as to whether this need for a "trip leader" and "ground rules" is common? Is this part of the Mountie course syllabus? I thought this was an odd comment also for an independent climb (or non-mounty sanctioned climb). It seems the mounties have a regiment of designating a group/trip leader due to their history of teaching new climbers who need a leader and a mentor. A good technique for making sure the newbies stay safe but not a common technique for smaller climbing groups looking to do climbs that are beyond basic. In a more experienced setting, I think climbers rely on the partner theory of climbing rather than the leader/follower. For more advanced climbs, climbers tend toward having a good partnership where you are both relying on each others skills and leadership to create a strong cohesive team. This cohesive team is important and creates a mores skilled and safer group. Do other people who are doing harder climbs rely on an equal partnership with their climbing buddy or do you designate a leader?

The Sherpa Glacier and Coulior would be great for for skiiing down. We were wishing we had our boards as we were wallowing down it in the powder. It's just a matter of lugging your skis up on your pack or dealing with sh*tty skinning on the way up. I wouldn't want to skin up the trail or climbers track with how little snow there is.... Really all of Stuart is ripe for some great descents with the current conditions...

We left your biner and sling. I should have cleaned it, but my mentality of leaving "fixed" gear took over.

We were originally intending to do Stuart Glacier Coulior, but from what we saw and we're hearing there wouldn't be enough ice and snow for that route. Your post was a good motivator, but I looked at your post yesterday and we only followed the same route for about 100'. We ended up taking a more left line that connected with your line at the final ice step. Your tool placement points were well used there . Your post should have helped the boys show took a fall though. They made there own line to the right under the icefall on the verglass. The hazards were plenty there, though the icefall is making no signs of moving right now. The verglass doesn't look fun either... We went in on Saturday with overnight gear, 5 hours from car to moraine. 6 hours to the summit. 2 hours down to camp. 3 hours from camp back to the car.

Mt. Stuart - Ice Cliff Glacier The route is in great shape. Here are some details: Approach: Icicle Creek Road is plowed all the way to the Eightmile/Colchuck road. You can drive about a mile up the Eightmile/Colchuck road on semi hard-pack snow if you have 4-wheel-drive (the gate is open and there are plenty of people that have driven part way up). If conditions change though, you could be dealing with a dangerous or impossible drive with a steep drop-off. Basically from Icicle Creek all the way to the base of Stuart there is 2-4 inches of snow in the trees, and 1-2 feet in the open. There is a great snowshoe trail all the way to the North Ridge and the traveling is quick and straightforward. Climb: The left side of the Ice Cliff Glacier has a great ramp that is mostly snow up until a few short steps of ice. The last step is about 15'-20' of 50 degree ice. There are a few crevasses hidden and visible once you get on the ice cliff. The bergschrund is filled in and virtually non-existant; no problem whatsoever. The coulior has a short 15'-20' step of styrofoam ice that sucks the tools right in. An interesting note: my last tool placement broke the seal on some running water. Once I pulled it out water was running down the ice step. It was colder than 15 degrees so I'm sure it froze right away and made for some more ice to play on. The coulior has some great steps up it now, otherwise your wallowing in soft powder with occasional hardpack underneath for your crampons. Ther is no cornice to negotiate. After topping out from the coulior you have another 800' or so of soft snow on top of hardpack. Most likely you'll need you crampons for the last 100' to the summit and back. Descent: The Sherpa Glacier Coulior and Glacier are quick and a very easy descent. Lot's of powder to wallow in. Gear: ice Tools 8.5mm rope (only used while crossing the glacier because of crevasse danger) ice screws (didn't use) rock pro (didn't use) Notes: There are tracks from a party on Saturday trying to go up the right side of the Ice Cliff Glacier. The tracks head up 40-50 meters of verglass slab. Apparently someone in the party of three took a 40 meter tumble and they didn't get any farther. Also, Colin and Mark are up there right now trying to do the full North Ridge. With conditions and weather, I am sure they'll finish it off. Let the stampede begin!

Here's a link to a great article by Craig Hill and the Tacoma News Tribune on Chad Kellog and his speed climbing accomplishments. Right on Chad! High Speed - Tacoma News Tribune, Oct 10th 2004