rat

Nice find. I have wondered about that area over the years. How did the large gully immediately west of the TH look (probably lower angle than it looks head-on)? There is also a rumored ice climb up the west facing water streak not far south of the TH but catching that in condition might be tough.

Lots of work for Drew.

That is an outstanding trip up an amazing valley. For future reference, there is a direct line to Phantom camp via a brush-free Picket Cr. trib with only a couple short cliff sections to negotiate.

Cuz they're lazy sods that don't want to take the risk of killing a "guest" or have a "guest" kill them. This guide-produced climb had many of its pins, next to perfectly protectable cracks, disappear some years back https://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/topic/53230-fa-of-n-arete-of-varden-creek-spire-6222007/

Man, you get after it. Your winter ascents of the Bulgers, while just bumps on the map compared to your summer achievements, seem to have stood you in good stead. Congrats. How many country high points to go?

Sorry, found a home for 'em already.

Only placed a couple times since buying it in the late '90's. Photos on request. Will not ship but will deliver in Seattle area or along the I-5 corridor up to Burlington. $100 cash.

Kind words but hopefully made tongue- in-cheek. We are for the most part just the cleaners for many previous greats and, in our case, often for Mike and Wayne (cue the Winston Wolfe clip). Mannijo, I can't honestly say it was worth the approach and certainly not a classic in any ordinary sense. Onward....

WHAP....well at least he didn't inadvertently use an acronym that the snowflakes would redact. I mean who's against whaps? Yeah, he probably shouldn't list it on his CV. As one who works in the woods, I have a lot of respect for how fast a fire can move. Luckily, the start zone, wind, & overnight showers were in our favor. The Baker River deproach would have been an adventurous cake walk if necessary but someone, not gonna say who, thought it was nuts. Thanks for the info, Mark. If one wanted to roll the dice with falling snags, the fire might improve the approach to Bear Mt. until the brush returns. However, I bet the NPS closes it next summer due to safety concerns.

"Classic of the range" that just needs a little traffic to clean it up..... IV?! Only because someone is pretty damn slow, not gonna say who. Gotta say that Mike's & Wayne's ascent of Spectre, while not directly up the SW buttress, was a very impressive feat.

way to put it together....that's a lot o' walking. has your son caught the bulger bug?

gneiss.

as darin alluded to: June 24 at 10:13 AM HAMPTON FOREST CLOSURES: We are sorry to announce that due to increased risk of wildfire in Oregon and Washington, all Hampton forestland will be closed to the general public until further notice. With state resources for wildfire response already stretched thin, we feel this temporary closure is needed to protect forest health and public safety. We understand the inconvenience this can create for those who use our forestlands in the summer. We intend to resume public access at the end of fire season. For more information on other private land closures in Oregon visit: https://ofic.com/private-forestland-closures/

i climbed it in the early 2000's. two points supporting removal of the added protection bolt are: 1. the bolt does change "the character of the route"; and 2. previous retro efforts did not feel the need for an added bolt. at this point i don't really care whether you remove the added bolt but bear in mind that just because you think you're doing a public service doesn't always mean it's so. rock on...

i'm not surprised you couldn't reach steve risse as he is dead. not sure about his wife. http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199432900/Steven-Craig-Risse-1952-1993 it was clearly not so much of a "death route" that you couldn't rope solo it & the route has been retro'd 2x already. http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Washington-Pass-North-Early-Winters-Spire-Labor-Pains the internet is such a hard place to find info.....

not sure if dustin is referring to oregon's spring mt. or washington's but as of yesterday, the other side of the tracks was not "free of moss and debris". that said, it climbed better than it looked. someone has re-grubbed a good portion of the approach trail, perhaps as a covid clampdown project, so maybe a renaissance is in the works.

"They will be logging around the Heliotrope trailhead right up to the Wilderness boundary" is somewhat inaccurate. If you drill down on the map on Pg.5 of Appendix D, you will see that the project area does not extend south of the Grouse Creek tributary bisecting the road turn where the trailhead is located. Grouse Creek, the wilderness boundary, is almost certainly a fish bearing stream downstream of this trib's junction and will get a no-cut 100' buffer. The language on the NCCC's webpage is so over-the-top emotional that I strongly urge diving into the USFS documents before commenting. Makes a person long for the smell of the GP tissue mill to give the crack "pulp farm for Trump's business cronies" a veneer of respectability. Just a sample after a quick perusal of the documents: NCCC's cited acreages bear no resemblance to either Alt.1 or Alt.2 acreages shown on Fig.14 of the DEA. Road runoff & fill/cut slope failures are a legit concern among others. However, if you look at Pg.26 of the Draft EA this proposal will ultimately reduce road mileage & density of roads. This project is expected to take 10-15 years. Recreationalists of all stripes are bound to be inconvenienced for some period of time near these units. I believe most don't lack imagination. Have at it.

overly kind words for the likes of us..... been trying to be responsible during these plague times but hoping for a better summer for all. there is no shortage of choss in the cascades though i agree with eric that lemolo needs a repeat (or another line). it's on par with bear mtn.'s dnb but more committing.

the closest comparable wx site (~6000' elev.) is the green lake snotel on this site: https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mso/fwxmaps/ksew.php

if your starting point is mrnp, you may want to first look into traverses in the olympics. it's probably the shortest drive but if you want to bivy in the park itself it's probably the biggest hassle due to the reservation system. there are some traverses in usfs wilderness outside of the park (e.g. the brothers) that don't require a permit. another nearby option is the goat rocks wilderness (see the jason's tr for curtis gilbert). both areas are mostly crappy rock but it's only class 3/4 so what could possibly go wrong? if the wx turns to shit, try the east side of the alpine lakes wilderness or the chelan-sawtooth. you may burn a day driving to/from each of these areas but would see a side of the state & could drink innumerable canisters of knowledge as recompense.

off white's & grossman's route, stellar eclipse, comes in from left of gato negro and tops out on the ridge above "whine spire" label on the photo.

more info, & some conjecture, about this proposal. the biennial wwrp budget was approved for $85 million as of 4/28/19. given the current situation, it might be considerably less in the next budget. the parcel is currently owned by santana investments llc based in carnation, wa. the 2020 appraised value as forest land is $8745. granted, its value for scenic & recreational use exceeds that. source: https://blue.kingcounty.com/Assessor/eRealProperty/Detail.aspx?ParcelNbr=3223099013 contrary to the access fund's info, there have not been any forest practices applications (accepted, denied, or withdrawn) for any land within sec32/t23/r9 within the last 10 years. source: https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/fparssearch/FPARResult.aspx?legal=23,,9,,E,32 i can think of only 3 ways to access the timber on this parcel: 1. reconstruct the road through the park from i-90 (dnr permit seems unlikely); 2. haul out via the cedar river watershed (more road reconstruction than option 1); or 3. helicoptor to a landing within the watershed and/or along i-90 (more permits and probably not economical at this time). anyone know the asking price for this inholding?

granitic rock of some stripe. it's the poor man's enchantments: shorter routes, more exfoliation, & more lichen but many fewer shitshow mountain athletes.

okanogan-wenatchee also closed. icicle road gated at snow creek parking lot. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/okawen/alerts-notices/?cid=fseprd717017&width=full

the photo in this thread suggests ice on nyg, pe, & tt but they might be a bit snow-covered at this time: http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=42748.0