Pencil_Pusher

Between Tacoma and Everett is a town called Seattle. There's gotta be something worthy in the U-district, right off the interstate and equidistant for both north and south folks. Blue Star Cafe is the only place in that area that comes to mind now and even they don't have pool tables. Caveman, get a hold of your partner in crime and figure out a place around Seattle.

Hopefully nobody responds to this bullshit. ...no sooner said than done. [This message has been edited by Pencil Pusher (edited 07-15-2001).]

As to the conditions on Adams Glacier, I do not know. We met two guys on July 13 coming down near the PCT who said they'd gone up the Adams Glacier. They carried refrigerators on their backs and used poles in their hands to support/balance all the weight. It did look like the lower part of the glacier provided access to the route, but the NFNWR route had plenty of water ice on it so I wonder if this would be true for conditions on the glacier too. [This message has been edited by Pencil Pusher (edited 07-15-2001).]

All, thanks again for the beta. I had to beg a couple of buddies into going along with me and Rob. The weather predictions weren't good, but we decided to go for it anyway. We got to the Killen Creek TH at 9ish-pm Friday night. After a bit of hiking in the dark, we reached the base camp area at 6800 feet. Great place to bivy. Next morning we got up and left at 5:40. At the lake and start of the glacier we roped up and started heading for Adams Glacier. Negotiating crevasses and the schrund weren't too obvious until you were right there. But it was fairly easy going with us relatively easily getting to the base of the route. We did note some somewhat fresh looking tracks coming up(down?) to/from the Divide Camp Trail area. I wonder if some other folks had just gone up there? Anyhow, we were a party of four with an 8.8 rope, eight screws and six pickets. Our plan was to move until we thought it appropriate to chop the rope and go in teams of two, we each had a mtn axe and ice tool. Bob thought we wouldn't place a single screw. I am happy we had all of the equipment we brought. As it was, the route was quite a bit of water ice with crappy snow covering. On running belay we went up using all screws and pickets in the first thousand feet. Changing leads, I was dead-beat tired(we kept moving as a team of four), we kept on up some water ice, (read hard and fatiguing for us Seattle folks). Thankfully the slope eased up to where we could unrope around 11000. Around there is some running water, silty(yech!) but better than nothing. Reaching the false summit, we roped up again and headed on over to the actual summit. Bob punched through to his thighs on one crevasse coming down from the false summit, totally not obvious as I obliviously lead past it (they put the slow man in front). I swapped out lead with the second and punched through a crevasse but used my forward momentum to do a slow belly flop and a "Shit!". I didn't bother to stop and see how deep it was, the two behind me said the hole was big and deep. FYI for all others, that was right near a wand with yellow tape on it. Further slogging brought us to the summit. Got a good photo of a big dog on top. The mountain must've been warning us with the noxious sulfur emissions as we headed for our descent of the north ridge. I got nicked and bruised more on that stupid ridge than on the whole ascent. Not only does it suck, it makes any climb anywhere near it dangerous as hell. Loose rock is all over the damn place and any route near there would pose a major rock hazard. As it was on our route, I saw two rocks go whizzing by on the first part, while we were on the schrund, and heard one while on route only to see it go whizzing by, a few feet away and hauling ass. We all said we thought it was an aircraft with that first, initial sound. Anyhow, I think folks could continue to do this route without schrund or crevasse problems for another month, probably longer. There is considerable water ice on route and the snow quality made for some iffy picket placements in places. I can't imagine it getting any better so screws are the way to go, unless you're good enough to go without them. Another thing, what's up with all the permits? Parking, wilderness use, volcano pass... a tourist would have to jump through bells and whistles while visiting. Leave it to the Seattle folks like me to bitch and whine about it. All in all, a great route with some good guys. The weather was maginificent with no clouds until ascent day and then only in the distance. Not much wind and nothing but sunshine the whole day. Another thing, it took us 10:20 from camp to summit. No speed record for sure.

Yeah Pencil Pusher, I did this route this weekend. What an awesome climb.

Great Mike. How many drinks did you have before you thought it'd be funny to do this post?

Adams, NFNWR, where our crampons will pulverize the pathetic crystals beneath.

If this was the sunshine state, I wouldn't complain about folks not wanting to climb given the forecast for this weekend. But we don't so my turn at spray. What gives? People around here afraid of climbing/hiking in the dark? Do we just bring our headlamps to watch food cook? A little cloudy weather gonna turn you around? I'm no gung-ho dude by any means, I just wanna hear some opinions short of some long lecture on the dangers.

The fear, the horror!! We may be just one Forbidden Peak between us! (I have no clue at this point if we're headed up Adams or Forbidden) Glad to see somebody's dropped you a line. I'll try not to drop any gear if you're below. Well, I sure won't drop any "gear". -Gary

I'm scared of Caveman. I fear if I ever meet him on the outside, he'll pick me up like a ragdoll and toss me around, the big lughead he is. I'm also fearfull of climbing which is why I read all the trip reports out of my monthly Mountaineers magazine and modify them so I can post a climb I just "did" on this site. What I'm looking for is an internet-chick that digs my style. I fear someone will find out what my identity really is. I fear I am the only one to have a picture of Ronald Reagan smiling, framed in his house. I fear I will not be accepted by all these hardcore climbers on this site. This one really chokes me up all day, makes me wanna cry. But now that I've found you, Wil Carter, you're my diamond sparkling in the sunshine.

Damn dude, that's some of the best beta I've gotten and more than I'd ever expected! Thanks to you both for the insight, I'll post again when we get back monday.

I personally would respect the 400 pound male or female that throws on their swimsuit or spandex. Not that I'm attracted to that, but they're folks too and y'all should show more respect for people different than what you like. And I definitely agree with who-ever made the comment about stick women. Who the hell thinks they're attractive?? Holy hell, they look scrawnier than a broom handle and it amazes me the magazines push them as beauties. Ya' want beauties, pull out the girlie mag or go to a strip club where (hopefully) there are no stick women. THAT'S what guys like, obviously.

Anybody have any info on this route? If so, how feasible would it be to consider doing this as a day trip? Anybody been up on the Adams Glacier lately?

Umm, Johnny, spandex coated cellulite is a good thing. All hail female sport-climbers!

I think Rod's right. Little climbs for little climbers like me.

Anybody ever done this route? How are the conditions up there, on the north side? Thanks for any info.

Nobody could guess what my job entails.

Heck yeah it was worth the approach. We were no way near as fast as Cascade Climber, but the whole route was enjoyable and the weather was great. It was hilarious this time because the same buddy and I tried Mt Thomson last year as our first trad multi-pitch climb. We thought we had gotten 200 feet up before bailing (we were sloooowww, and by CascadeClimber standards, we still are), but in actuality, we weren't but one pitch up. It's funny how perceptions change. If we had more sunshiny weekends in the year than we do, I'd love to go back and climb it again. Maybe another year. Have fun.

A buddy and I did it as a day trip this past Saturday. Leave the crampons and ice axe at home. There's some snow to descend from Bumblebee, but nothing that made it hard for me to self-arrest with hands and feet... oops. The scree on the approach is probably the hardest part of the climb. Basically you'll scramble up to the notch and start off to the left going left/up until in a chimney of sorts. Top out over the rocks and then head up left towards the bushes. Big ol' root is one fine anchor. Of which, notice the 40+pound rock sitting against it and the gash it left in the root. About 20 feet up my partner pulled it free and sent me to pucker-land as I dove for cover, missing me by a foot. Beware loose rock... So the second pitch just goes straight up from that root and I can't remember. Just stick to the ridge as much as possible. If you get in to a bunch of lichen or hard climbing, you're off route. Once you break up onto the slab (a way easy slab you easily walk on), just follow the corner on up, it's a helluva lot easier than taking the face just past the corner and that damn tree. I can't remember, but I think it's some six pitches. You'll hit the false summit then go down to base and keep climbing up the last bit of the west ridge before you top out. Friggin' huge ass piton somebody bashed in on top. Descend by following ridge east, I think you'll keep heading east until you come down on two trees where you can do a single rope rap down to another set of trees with obvious webbing. Another single brings you down to some easy down scrambling. Keep along the foot path that sticks close to the ridge. You'll reach an obvious saddle with snow on the ridge and descend a light footpath down. There's water to be had at the lakes and also at the base of Thomson (streams). And there's booty to be had!! We got two singles and two biners on our trip! As for pro, we had basically a full set of stoppers and 1, 2, 3 camalots. I'd leave the 3 at home next time. Rope drag was a huge problem for me as I tried to go the full length on the slab once I climbed up on it, to maximize the pitch. It was extremely difficult if not impossible to communicate with my partner and took a big effort to make sure the rope was tight on him versus friction on rock. Quite a few rocks to sling.

I'd be kinda interested too. Take a chill pill, Wopper.

Along the aesthetic lines (I was almost feeling guilty on the sunflower seed bit), is it more proper to chew my Levi Garrett or sunflower seeds? Yeah... I don't swallow. I'd think folks would rather see my shells than globs of spit chew on the ground or on route. Biodegradeable (chew) versus aesthetic (shells).

How wired and how much of a nut are you?

Beck, Have the beers there, all the rest of us can whine and bitch and come up with another one later. Good job getting it from gab to reality.

Now that I have Percoset for the kidney stone (pushing pencils is hard labor), I'll be headed up Mt Thompson's West Ridge.

There were rumors that the earthquake did it in, but this isn't true. Funny thing is, while climbing Prusik I saw it, but when I went up Little Annapurna (supposedly the best view of the pole) the following week, I couldn't tell it from any of the other needles. But it's still standing... I think.