bobinc

They aren't peaks, but some of the spires in The Menagerie (near North Santiam River, east of Sweet Home) are fun and get you up to some good views. Don't know if they are described in detail anywhere other than Nick Dodge's old (early 70s) Climbing Guide to Oregon. William Sullivan's Guide to Wild Areas of Oregon has some mention of them plus discusses non-volcano peaks elsewhere in the state (mostly NE Oregon -- Blues/Wallowas/Eagle Cap).

Years ago at Smith, as we were walking back from a route, someone saw our gear and asked, excitedly, "Are you guys rappelling? (and then, in a smaller, less excited voice) ... or just climbing?" Recently Pub Club exchange (I was told). Someone asked Beckey his opinion of the biggest remaining problem in the Cascades. Without hesitation, he enthusiastically answered, "The Forest Service."

Did this about ten years ago in early April and it rained/snowed much of the time. Made the final climb up the gully more sporting! Seem to recall two sections of steep hiking through trees with a ridge connection in between. These get you up to a notch then a small bowl below the gully that takes you up near the summit. This would be a good place to camp; not sure on water, however. The overall elevation of the thing isn't great, so it's unlikely much snow is left in the gully. You may have to hedge bets and carry more water than you would like. Distance/time to the camp isn't extreme (3-4 hrs?) so this shouldn't be too bad.

A really fun one (also described in the Dodge book) is the Turkey Monster, down by Santiam Pass. Friends of mine in high school climbed it around the same time we climbed Monkey Face. They reported finding tent pegs hammered into some of the aid portions!

Let's see if I can finish this without running afoul of the many "features" of this site... Shuksan -- Fisher Chimneys (Hell's Hwy was interesting because there was a big crevasse open that year requiring us to chop steps up the other side with long axes (no crampons); went with a beginner and we had a great time; White Salmon Glacier -- outstanding skiing all the way from the summit plateau in mid-July (big snow year) Liberty Bell Beckey Route (in a June snowstorm with novice climbers; no one got too worried and the snow made it gorgeous) North Early Winter Spire NW Corner -- got a bit freaked leading the layback pitch but got through it; again impressed by partner's lead of the OW above Middle Cathedral, Central Pillar of Frenzy -- outstanding variety, fun jams, and we chatted with one of the Huber brothers on the descent

Good thread, obviously. Let's see... JTree: routes on Lost Horse Wall -- just long enough to get off the ground a ways and the moves are generally lots of fun Bird of Fire/Exorcist/Diamond Dogs -- didn't lead 'em but that made me even more impressed with my partner! Forbidden (NW Face of N Ridge) -- we were underprepared but ran into people with enough ice pro and had a great time in perfect weather (except for descent with falling-apart boots)

Good thread, obviously. Let's see... JTree: routes on Lost Horse Wall -- just long enough to get off the ground a ways and the moves are generally lots of fun Bird of Fire/Exorcist/Diamond Dogs -- didn't lead 'em but that made me even more impressed with my partner! Forbidden (NW Face of N Ridge) -- we were underprepared but ran into people with enough ice pro and had a great time in perfect weather (except for descent with falling-apart boots)

I, too, like to travel fast at times and enjoy seeing more terrain and perhaps bagging extra peaks with a lighter load to carry. I've speculated that, in fact, Olympus could be done in a day or thereabouts. But when you add in the amount of time it takes to drive there and back, the variety of ecologicial climes encountered to/fro, the uniqueness of the place, etc etc, it just seems ridiculous to rush it. I must say, in general, that most of the climbers I encounter around here seem to have mostly athletic accomplishments in mind when they head out, rather than enjoying all the things the mountains have to offer. I'm up for a track meet now and then but find I am increasingly more interested in a longer look at the geology, plants, and related elements of the subalpine and alpine.

Washouts and brush are preservers of wilderness values.

I am not surprised it has been done, but that doesn't address the question of whether it SHOULD be done this way. The area has so much to offer other than an athletic challenge that it is almost sacrilegious to approach Olympus this way. But perhaps some of you have done the climb a number of times already and are looking for a new challenge.

I'm pretty much "old school" on the cell phone thing but in the one time that I needed one (just to report an overdue return, not to call in air support), it would have prevented so much upheaval that I have no reservation in considering throwing it in on certain climbs. That being said, when you only have yourself and your partners to rely on in difficult conditions, it's amazing what resources you find within the group.

You can't be serious. If you are, why?

Hey, Matt: After this, the big walls in the Valley will seem ever more forgiving. Don't beat yourself up too much over this. The weather can change awfully fast and then it's hard to know what is best to do. I have wished for a cell phone to notify loved ones of my situation before (on Johannesburg) and even though it is odd how you could only get 911, the result was a relatively quick resolution. Bob

I used to have the clown shoe physical evidence hanging from the rafters at my office but eventually had to get rid of it. I used duct tape and 4 mm parachute cord to try and hold it together but relief was only temporary. The left boot failed in the middle of the easy slabs on the way up and the right boot failed during the rappel. Talk about quality control! These were original Koflachs purchased when the NFace went out of business in the UDist years ago. The same thing happened in 2000 on the way down from Bonanza with a different pair of boots. Not as much drama and humiliation, though -- the delamination happened at Holden Lake. So only had to do the flip/flop routine back to Holden.

I've descended the route twice. It's not such a big deal. Jim's description is apt. The easiest way to go wrong is to not descend far enough down the rappel gulley before traversing off to the right. The going is easier down lower. I'm not sure of the overall number of rappels, but I seem to recall 4 or 5 double rope raps (with a 45 or 50 m rope). The closer it seems you are coming to rappelling onto the Boston Glacier, the easier it will be when you traverse. The only other challenge is to be able to identify the right gully to head up to regain the E Ridge. The place you want to come out is a notch which is very obvious from the other side. This is more or less where the scree trail changes into the beginning of the climbing on the E Ridge. It may be so many people have done the E Ridge descent/traverse now that there is a faint trail back up that gully, but if not, you just have to take your best shot at it. If you don't hit the gully, there may be some stuff harder than 4th class to get back onto the ridge. We did the NW FAce of the N Ridge last time around and really enjoyed it. I have seen some recent TRs for the NFace that also sounded good. Also, I suggest trying an alternate route to the Sharkfin Col route. It was re-described recently; don't have the thread reference, but my general advice is to go up a gully about 200' right of the Sharkfin Col and then downclimb or rappel the other side onto the glacier. There may be a moat issue on the other side, but given this is a pretty good snow year, it should still be okay. Send me a PM and I can get you better info on this route. Good luck.

Boated the Wenatchee on Sunday; looked at the clouds rolling over the crest and wondered... Snow Creek Wall looked clear yesterday, though, and temps never got above perhaps 75 F so would have been fine up there.

Amen to the Middle Fork closure. Get out yer mtn bike. And remember: brush is a preserver of wilderness values.

Jim Nelson can order them; 5.10 is notoriously bad at shipping the right order the first time, though. They're probably eating hash newtons at the warehouse.

Chiwawa via Lyman Snowfield. Saw herd of 8 goats near Spider Gap and plenty of smoke from the Chelan fire (which cleared out pretty fast after the early morning).

The Buck is all indoors; it's best to bring a good respirator.

Part of the bike/car/pedestrian problem in Seattle is that we are in a gray area in terms of both rules and politeness. Years ago, when I was a bike messenger in Boston, it quickly became clear that there was a complete absence of rules, and, because of this, no one had any expectation of consideration from other users of the sidewalks and streets. This made for much more exciting riding (which isn't for everyone) and also enabled one to get across town very quickly on a bicycle. The police presence was nonexistent and the continual construction projects made every day a bracing steeplechase. In Seattle, the combination of quasi-bike lanes, jaywalking penalties, and impatient motorists puts everyone in a different state of readiness (mostly to be pissed off at all the other people who aren't following the rules). This makes riding anywhere close to downtown simultaneously boring and dangerous. I find myself alternately angry at cyclists or pedestrians (when in a car), motorists or pedestrians (when on a bike), or motorists and cyclists (when a pedestrian). Regardless of all this, I agree heartily that Ken Schramm is a prick.

I think the N Side of Unicorn looks solid; I was talking about the grim southern route.

Main Peak of Bonanza. Unicorn Peak in the Tatoosh deserves a Dinnerplate Award.

Thanks for the TR. Went up there last summer to recon and got up toward the end of the higher spur of the logging road that heads out of Howard Creek toward the ridge that contains Cinderella. Do you just continue up that way and then traverse left toward Boot Lake? It appears you might have to descend quite a bit from the end of this spur before climbing back up onto the ridge. We also went back down the spur and headed north on the main road to see if that way would go, but it looked more obscure.

Be advised ... the Park Pub had a "makover" and no longer has cheap pints on Tuesdays. Still has lots of taps, though, including Guinness.