genepires

man. those ticks are insane! we were out there wednesday and had a tick fest also. I don't remember there being that many ticks around in may. Anybody have a guess as to how long the tick season lasts?

the NF is probably not in good shape is it has been very warm for the last week or so. wouldn't waste the time to hike up there. TC (triple c) should be good though, as it is higher in altitude and should freeze solid every night. march n april are good times for TC.

was up there all this week. One could drive to within about 1/4 mile of the trail head. The trail is mostly all snow covered to the clear cut. You will have ot remove the skiis about a dozen times for bare spots though. Obviously above the clear cut is all deep snow waiting for your skiis. We got about 4 feet of good light snow there last week. There is a nice snowshoe/sled track that should be good for skiers. We didn't make it up to the saddle though (lots of wind loading during the week) so you are looking at lots of trail breaking to get to the glacier. We were up to our knees with snowshoes on. yum-yum.

I seem to remember a tr by jayb this last fall going up to those ice flows off to the right of the summit pryamid of shuksan. (they must be at about 7000 feet though) You asking about those?

yes it is there. Is it ice or super steep neve with bits of ice? Probably. Good times!

Still going out to l-worth this week? I would like to head out that way so send me a PM and we can arrange the ride.

EDK is the euro death knot which is a overhand knot used to tie two ropes of similar diameter together.

If you ever find yourself in the same jam as simon, lowering using multiple ropes and having to pass euro overhand knots, I have a nice simple solution to the problem. Use a MUNTER hitch. Major note is that this only works on the EDK. No struggle with the EDK as it simply worms their way around the hitch. There is a little "pop" that must be done (try it and you will see what I mean) but it passes on its own. For those of you who think this is a unsafe practice, I learned it on a AMGA rock guide course. This is something that I think everyone would benefit from knowing. Try it at home.

It is a short 10 hour drive to banff, so pack up the bags, drive all night and beat up the junkyards n grotto. A wise man that I greatly respect once said, "If you want to climb ice, go to where the ice is". I think he was implying that I get the heck out of washington.

Couldn't get the website up but I have a POS computer. Anybody else have problems with this link?

cascade crags "fake ice" is always "in". Yeah it is steep, but it is a TR.

I always liked those small "haloween" sized snickers candy bars. Just the right size and caloric content for while being on the go. Lots of packaging yes and rock hard when cold, but it is cheap and power packed. The highest calorie to price ratio.

Call the company you were thinking of using. They should have the most updated info. Unless they lose all their user days, then your plans shouldn't change. If the company has a half way decent office, then they shouldn't book trips they can't offer. (unlike the airlines)

Anybody out there ever use a BD viper? Heard that there may be some flex in the shaft due to the unique shape. Any opinions on this flexing or general comments? thanks gene

It must not have sold well last year cause this year they are calling it the "mixmaster". Hoping to catch a ride on the swelling mix climbing rage. Maybe "stretch speed ascent" was too many words and confused our simple brains.

If your buddy is up for some rappeling, then you can have a rad adventure by spending some time in the canyons as mentioned before. Most canyons there are basically hiking and rappelling. Few involve bits of downclimbing, usually chimneying, but you can choose easier routes to avoid that. (kolob and imlay canyons are serious routes) Here is a website that has tons of info on the topic of canyoneering in zion. The site also has info on other places. http://www.canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/ I would recomend: keyhole canyon - easy, short and narrow. good intro pine creek canyon - good fun, easy acccess, standard narrows - no rapping, just plain stunning hiking heard tons of good stuff about mystery canyon and subway too. Nice thing about canyoneering is that you rarely hike uphill. Most canyons will need wet or dry suits for march. But they are cheap to rent in town and they will let you know what kind of gear to get. I think a dry suit costs about $80 for three days. My friend Darin Berdinka has done more routes than I have, so if you are interested, try to get a hold of him. SOme canyons have quotas so maybe a reservation might be a good idea.

Would like to leave next monday to go to the sierra's for some alpine rock climbing fun. Would like a week and a half stay. But I am flexible with time. Hoping to do 5.8 and 5.9 alpine rock peaks down there. Also some t-meadows slabs. Leave PM. gene pires

Got all week off and would like to do some alpine climb if you got the time off. Possibilities include: Buckner N face forbidden n ridge clean break colchuck ne buttress joffre central couloir (is it in?) goode ne ridge nooksack tower early morning spire/dorado needle not alpine but interested Yellow brick road university wall or cannibus wall leave PM's if interested.

I thought that since dragontail is in the alpine lakes forum, and they share the same highway approach, that it would be here. But I guess it is on the north side of the highway. Is the highway what seperates the regions? I assume that the moderators would do the forum change. thanks. The approach is very nice. Easy trails and cross country work. One has to get off the trail at around 6400 ft where the main trail does this huge traverse to the right. Look for a faint step trail going straight up to the right of a small creek. That descent that was later decribed, is that the south shoulder ascent route? I could see the trail from a distance and looks very nice and safe but longer. Would do it next time.

Went into maude to do the north face this week and had a great time. The route is in great condition and is a full 2000 feet of perfect cramponing and tool daggering. usefull beta if you go up there. the high camps (killer bivy about 6700 feet) have small creeks and good sized snow patches for water. There are sites at about 7300 feet too but lack any water. There are some snow patches and bivy sites just below the saddle but then you would have to go back up to get your stuff if you left any. There is a big shrund at the bottom of the route but looks easily passable on the left. Nelson describes a traverse from the seven finger/ maude saddle. He says to drop to 7300 feet but I kept traversing across at 7600 feet to bypass the shrund and not lose any more height. (I am lazy) There are several finger of snow that go all the way to the top. The snow is very hard and perfect for crampons and tools. Never was able to stab in the spike but relied on the picks as daggers. Classic! There are a couple of exposed ice bits that are very fun. The ice is very old and hard like water ice but only 40 to 50 degrees. Good times. It was cloudy so the temps were cool. As soon as the sun came out, two volleys of rocks came flying. A watermellon sized one came within 2 feet of me. Get a early start. The descent, who knows? I started down the right gulley then it starts branching. Being a chicken I kept traversing to the south till I could find a gulley that was a clear shot all the way to the base but ended up almost at the south buttress. I bet any of those gulleys would have been fine but I didn't have a rope and didn't want to go back up the gulley after hitting a big drop off. My route involved lots of traversing and lots of loose rock. Another option is to go to the south shoulder (nice scree) and then traverse back to high camp. There is a small trail going down the worst parts. Anybody got down nice and quick? Get out and enjoy.

We were on the becky/davis route which is to the right if the route in nelson's guide. That route looks really good if you are fond of chimneys I suppose. Another route on the tick list.

Got some free time this week, tues to thursdsay. Would be interested in alpine rock or darrington area, but open to most everything. email at genepires@hotmail.com or phone at 360-805-1024

Does anyone know if the gate is locked to get into the anderson river area now that the watchman is gone? If so, how does one go about getting a key from the logging company? Any phone numbers? thanks

Very thoughtfull and I am sure that someone will be very appreciative. I would surely wish that someone would buy my gear and return if stolen. But I have always thought that my climbing gear was safe from theft cause it would be difficult for thieves to sell it. Electronics and photo equipment are easy targets as they are easy to offload. Those bastards at squish haven't found a easy way to sell camping/climbing gear and that is our salvation. I don't want to be an ass, but now those kids will know that they can sell rock gear and go on the prowl for more. Why not just get the cops on them and bust there punk asses. There might be more gear to be returned in their homes. Don't get me wrong, you did a kind and thoughtfull act and if you ever come across any of my gear, I will pay you double to get it back.

Was in there last year, late august I think. For that time of year, lightweight hikers are OK but I would want to have those little 4 point instep crampons. After the saddle, going downhill, there is a fairly steep and icy (for just tennies) slope. It had lots of big suncups that helped but an axe and LW crampons might prevent an epic. If you use burlier boots than tennies, you can get by with chopping a couple of good steps on the worst part. Don't know when you are planning to go but you might want to keep that in mind. Also, the bivy on the NE ridge (after one pitch on climbing on the ridge proper) is awesome. Comfy and not a single light anywhere. (exept the stars of course) Plenty of good water when you get off the glacier onto the ridge. Enjoy!