MPaul_Hansen

"High Ice" - filmed on Whitehorse Mtn near Darrington, WA

RE: Cannonholes - ridge near PCT, s. of Bear Gap For the geology minded, from Bear Gap walking south towards Sheep Lake on the PCT, there is a "hole in the wall", a 'cannon-hole' in the rock ridge to the right above the PCT trail. Was tempted to attempt to take a photo of Rainier through it...aka like other shots made through the one on the Dome Peak ridge. But rock quality was poor. And also was far, far too dicey to ascend from the trail to the hole, being alone...and unroped + w/o pro. Maybe on another trip when equipped and w/ trained companion(s). Any takers? About 1? hour from the parking lot for the Crystal Mtn Ski Area.

Re: Hut Skiing -O. Trott's european experience Not many in the Pacific NW, not 'part of the scene' for a variety of reasons. [sorry -won't add to your list]. Many, many years (decades) ago, Dr. Otto Trott gently espoused the opinion that huts might be appropriate selectively in the Cascades, based on his experience in Europe. Just FYI ....

RE: New suspension bridge - Design should be recognized as an art. Pushing beyond known boundries can carry risks. Note the sides of the existing bridge are open trusses that allow wind to pass through, [rather than a buff face] and not permit a "shedding vortex" situation that led to increasing torsional occiliations, and then galloping. The truss work under the existing bridge is sort of box-like so it is not so prone to twist due to aero-elasticity effects from wind. Many highly technical references in the UW Engineering Library for those who wish to examine the nitty-gritty details regarding the collapse. PS I do not go on the Seattle Viaduct and have advised my friends to like-wise avoid the damaged structure.

History on US 2 ... About 40-35 years ago plans were afoot to eventually make US 2 into a four-lane highway and by-pass small towns like Sultan as was done to North Bend for I-90. The governor(s)et al at that time deferred US 2 improvements. I-90 improvements 'took center-stage' but even these were delayed DECADES !! (lawsuits,etc.) [no joke] Perhaps some entity [an expanded Sound Transit ?? } could provide occasional bus service to passes as is done in the winter to go to Stevens Pass. Just a thought, no advocacy here. [see NWHiker thread on bus service to/near mtns, ie to Newhalem WA, Darrington, etc.]

Whitehorse Mtn information ... Also see www.summitpost.org http://www.summitpost.org/show/mountain_link.pl/mountain_id/3417

PS There is a similar thread on www.nwhikers.net "Close Calls from Rockfall" Some feel there are useful bits of information to be gleened from such accounts and from other similar sources such as "Accidents in North American Mountaineering", by AAC.

Note: Re: Lundin Peak- E Ridge -suggest 'gap' approach The gap between the two prominences can be accessed by scrambling from below the ridge in the foreground. This reduces the length of the climb. Nice views, an excellent outing for a 'tune-up' to begin the summer climbing season. This was my approach when soloing this route a while back. It might also be of interest to others that this area was accessible by the nearby former route of the PCT. And an ascent of nearby Red Mtn can be tacked-on without much added time.

From the 'archaic' school point of view.... Breakdowns in skiis and bindings in backcountry & approaches can be very problematic....so [though the weight is greater] use a metal sandwich ski with older all-metal bindings with a metal adaptor to allow for heel-lift. Not 100% foolproof, but has been successful for me for many years on many, many vorays such as Mt. Rainier, St Helens pre-erruption, Baker, Glacier, Adams, Sahale, Goat Rocks, S. side of Mt. Stuart, Ruth, Ruby, etc.

At Crystal web site, one can sign-up to be emailed with conditions. Since I do not get up that way much, can not verify how good the emailed information is.

You might also check out: SOLO [especially the manteling sequence] SOLO: Behind The Scenes

Shallow snow avalanche - different scenerio..... Set off by traversing w/GS skiis [carefully] a 1" to 1.5" [YES - INCH] spring-time wet-snow slide starting at the very top/crest of the backside 'Seventh Heaven' of Cowboy Mtn - Stevens Pass. The long, sustained slope accumulated and accumulated the sun-soaked snow, gathering it so when it reached the valley floor [vicinity of Tunnel Crk, west of the pass] the slide debris was on the order of 8', more or less in depth [varied, due to terrain effects, channeling, etc.] Some party members initially felt before descending, no precautions were necessary before cruising down the sustained slope. They were shocked and speechless on the way out to US-2, after seeing what happened...and what would have happened if anyone was trapped, as the slide set up like cement. I guess one can not be too careful!

1. donate to youth group [ ie BSA ] for teaching purposes - rope handling & knot tying. 2. weave into a person-sized hammock ..... 3. make into netting for soccer goal or for gear storage on a sailboat or elsewhere 3. suspend windsurfers and other gear from floor joist in the basement.... 4. etc.

A first-aid item FYI for others - Ski patrollers and EMT's use this method to aid in estimating blood loss. During first-aid refresher courses, Use red food coloring to dye a quart or more of liquid, and spill it. It can give one a rough sense and approximately judge of the amount of blood loss resulting from an accident.

Point of clarification... The Robbins Co of Kent WA has tested its prototype TBM's locally for many, many years...ie Tunnel Boring Machines that include pre-slotting the rock working face with high-pressure water jets [per Flow Industries' technology...and many other features]. Some features are indirect spin-offs from the local aerospace industry. Yes, some UG tunnels in the Cascades have been used for research in the past. A new particle physics research proposal can be viewed at: http://www.mocha.phys.washington.edu/NUSEL/

Perhaps the readers/others on this thread should consider the old adage: "NEVER LET YOUR JUDGEMENT BE SWAYED BY DESIRE"

Greetings Wash mtns are NOT exempt from lightning incidents. See Jeff Renners book on lighting. It describes the gruesome death of Paul Brikoff atop Mt Stuart in 1952. His partner Bob Grant barely survived according to the newpaper account that quoted Dr. Otto Trott. Metal zippers and metal pack frames were apparently melted/distorted.

RE: drug labs, farms etc - armed owners, bobby traps and others, etc.... There is a history, at least in Oregon, of innocent people stumbling across labs, pot farms etc with tragic results. Rather rare occurance, but one should keep this in mind. Cop friends estimate there may be one such lab/farm in roughly a sq mile in Seattle & environs..., perhaps? Near my neighborhood, a 'respectable' person had a potfarm for some time in his basement, and was stealing power from the local utility via UG tap. It was 'raided' first by another - a heavily armed grower/drug dealer who apparently felt this represented encroachment on his 'turf', putting his family in grave danger. Was eventually shut down latter, by law enforcement and the 'respectable' person was convicted. No-one was physically hurt, a very fortunate ending to this....

There are also a number of 'washouts' [as oppose to slides]. One significant west side washout [impassable to cars] is located at the start of the Pyramid Lake trailhead. This is about 1 mile east, more or less, of Gorge Reservoir, impounded by Gorge Dam [the dam is 2+ miles east of Newhalem, WA].

Used, retired rope to teach youth group knot-making.....rope-handling...etc....

You might want to check out volunteer opportunities with BSA in their older youth program [formerly ' Explorers'], now named 'Adventurers. Believe some BSA councils have such group devoted to high adventures, including roped ascents... Be advised, one must first be screened, given unfortunate incidents involving a small number of persons with less than positive motives.

Yes, the world is a less-than perfect place, unfortunately. But it may serve all interests to comment/communicate in a manner that does not engage in what might be construed as incitment, but toward a positive end - to inform others to be careful. And also to be careful in Mexico where US climbers have been, in the past, shaken down for hundreds of dollars by the local police. In fairness - Reminder: vicious murders have taken place in US national parks...

Leave an older car at trailheads.... Successful w/ putting in a kill-switch which 'grounds' out starting current. Not good for late-model cars though. Few thieves make note of the added minor wires under the hood.....

There are number of good to fair references in the Seattle and King County library system. See www. spl.org and www.kcls.org. Go to your local library and ask for 'inter-library loan'

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