Ron_R

I am scheduled to climb the Adams Glacier next weekend. Has anyone been in there recently? I'm interested in whether, or not, the road is drivable to the Killen Cr trailhead. USFS has been unable to give me accurate data. Thanks ahead of time for any beta.

Ditto to Rodchester's message. We did the ridge 3 years ago. Camped at 10000ft. Like everyone else, we did not use a rope. Mainly because it was very windy and we thought that with the wind noise that we would not hear a partner's fall and so we would all be pulled off (3 of us). Crossing back over the ridge from Avy Gulch was pretty easy and I think that it could be done safely in several spots even with low visibility. We started our traverse to the ridge crossing well above Helen Lake as we did not want to lose elevation and have to climb back up. As I recall, the traversing got sort of tiring due to snow conditions below the ridge. One foot would stay on top and then the next would posthole. BTW, I was in the Gulch last weekend and Casaval Ridge at that time was reported (by the Rangers) to be in very good shape. Our climb did not go due to snowfall overnight. Have a good climb!

Part of poem, "The Double Life" by Don Blanding: "How very simple life would be If only there were two of me A restless Me to drift and roam A quiet Me to stay at home A searching one to find his fill Of varied skies and newfound thrill While sane and homely things are By the domestic Other One." (after 4 more stanzas, it ends) "The restless Fellow always wins I wish my folks had made me twins" then, Vernon Tejas, returning from an extended climb,"Man moves quicker towards a food source than he does going away from a food source."

Snowfield Peak, trying to be convincing to the group that being a little bit wet isn't a problem but being wet and cold kills!......Therefore, keep moving!

I did the route with 4 others on 6/30-7/1. 4 of us summited with the 5th staying in camp with a bad head cold. The route is in very good shape. We stepped over a lot of smaller hidden crevasses that someone had poked a leg into. This, of course, is more of a hazard coming back down as the snow has softened by then. Around 13800 ft (or higher), the trail winds thru some pretty gnarly crevasses, but the bridges were all very sound a week ago. I guess that this is actually the summit bergschrund. Our climb was done with very good visibility and would be much more exciting if the trail was not well wanded and tracks plainly visible. Have a good climb! Ron

Considering doing the Adams Glacier route in a couple of weeks. Wonder if anyone has been up it recently or knows the shape it is in?

I did not personally climb Sahale but at around 3 pm on Friday, June 8th, talked to 2 climbers in the parking lot at the end of the Cascade River Rd who had just come off of Sahale. They did not use crampons but did rope up and said that they made good use of their iceaxes. The road is still closed at mp 22 (parking area for Boston Basin). This is about 3/4 mi from the end of the road.

oops! I misspelled "mountaineering"

Dan, go to http://www.nps.gov/dena/mountineering/index.html

I did it in 1999 in late June. We only climbed to the very top of the snow and did not top out on the rock. The part that we did was pretty straightforward but featured some steep snow and fairly good sized crevasses. That was a much heavier snow year so I would expect more loose rock showing and wider open crevasses. Our route was from White River to Summerland (snow was clear down to the trailhead, up to Meany Crest where we camped, then up through a notch following the Beckey described route. During a rest stop at our high point, one of our party got nailed by a football sized boulder in the back. Luckily it hit the muscular part and not the backbone. Still it caused much pain and very deep bruising that, more or less ruined a good part of her Summer. Wear helmets (we did) and if you stop for a rest, sit down with your pack on and facing up hill to protect your back (we didn't. I didn't like it enough to go back as I usually find myself wanting to do! Have fun! Ron

What is the site you are using to get the latest NPS stuff for Denali?

Some sites with good pics, some TRs, and some Cascade stuff are: http://climbing.olycon.com/ http://www.accessone.com/~gregsl/index.htm http://www.crevasse.com/

I did the Fuhrer Finger route on Rainier 5 years ago by approaching from a camp at the base of the Turtle snowfield and the Wilson Glacier. In that manner, we could descend the Kautz and retrieve camp. Has anyone done this route by approaching from the Muir snowfield and camping near the base of the Finger?