klenke

Yeah, you're right. Not the International Glacier but the east side of the Maselpanik Glacier, particularly up the glacial finger extending up to the summit. Will edit my previous post. Hey, it's raining outside here in Seattle! No way!

Agreed that the Maselpanik Creek approach would be shorter (in terms of distance on foot) so that would also be an option. However, there are reasons that make the Depot Creek approach better: 1) no technical equipment needed (the Maselpanik Glacier may require a rope), 2) one gets to admire the truly spectacular waterfall at the Depot Creek headwall, 3) the drive to the Depot Creek trailhead is shorter from the west (Vancouver, Seattle, et alia) than Maselpanik Creek, 4) trailhead access can be guaranteed (closure of Maselpanik Creek to vehicle traffic is apparently a possibility), and 5) the end of the Maselpanik Creek road is somewhat overgrown (according to mattp or Alpinek or both) thus requiring unpleasant road bushwhacking. I think we're only talking about an extra hour of hiking going the Depot Creek way. Re: Devils Toothpick and Tongue We saw both these and McNaught Peak (Pk 8200+) while there. The Tongue and the Toothpick look quite nefarious, as the names imply. I will post a picture tomorrow afternoon. The South Face of the Tongue plunged way down in the Silver Creek drainage along way below the outlet of Silver Lake. In fact, I don't know if we could ever see the bottom of that face from Rahm. The Toothpick and the Tongue would be worthy objectives for serious alpine rock climbers. Go for it Dru!

It'll go, dude. Way! 'kn-a! (i.e., what Matt said).

A while back I created a thread asking what were are the chossiest high peaks in Washington. Well I can say now that Mt. Custer takes the cake (for me at least so far in my climbing endeavors). What a heap of shit!! Rahm was only marginally better. By the time we got to Spickard, its semi-chossiness felt as solid as diamond. On Mt. Rahm it was interesting to see only about 15 parties had climbed the peak (and signed the register) since 1995. Most recently it was our very own mattp and AlpineK (and their friend whose name I forget). That's two parties this year. Only one last year. None in 2001. One party in 2000 (Roger Jung of the Jung Climbing Machine). Other notable names were those of the Top 100 peakbagging crowd. No register on Mt. Custer so no way to know just how many have been up there in the last decade or so. And no way to read all the cuss words shouted at the mountain. It would be interesting to know how many have done the Rahm-Custer ridge crest traverse. If you want to do both those peaks (say if you're a Top 100 kind of climber), then that's the only way to go. The views of cerulean Silver Lake from the traverse are incredible. Due to an easy basin WSW of Custer, it would be possible to climb Custer and Rahm in a day from the Depot Creek trailhead (after a car camp). If any of you Top 100 guys want beta, let me know. If you are not a Top 100 climber, then my advice is ABSOLUTELY DO NOT CLIMB MT. CUSTER. It should be spelled Cuss-turd.

Thanks Wazzumountaineer and Nolanr. I've now got some useful beta for the Seven Devils Mountains.

Dru, I already asked this question. Albeit, she hasn't answered yet, so maybe if we team up on her. Maybe I'll send her a friendly email to find out as she's probably already put off by the spray banter in this thread.

Why's that ironic? Seems perfectly normal to me.

Come on, Dru. You know worms don't crawl, they slither. Paula: question: you said you were on a glacier where the worms once were but are now gone. How do you know this? Do they leave feces traces, etc.? I will keep an eye out for your little oligochate friends next month. I may even go out on the Depot and/or Redoubt glaciers. ---Paul

Ah yes, one of those humorous moments in Klenke's history of climbing. But, Mark, you know you loved the excitement of it all. All that Canadian pot you were transporting incognito under the back seat must have been why you were sweating so much.

I actually measured those two routes a while back. From the point where you take the Arlington exit off of I-5 to Rockport it is about five miles shorter going the Darrington way as opposed to the Sedro Wooley way. But there's more to it than that. In going the Darrington way, you will be slowed down less often and for less amounts of highway since the towns are smaller (essentially only Arlington and Darrington slow you down in town). Whereas, the area around Sedro Wooley is one long clusterfuck of traffic with a lot more traffic lights. Then you've got to deal with possibly congested traffic on I-5 through Burlington and Mt. Vernon. All this and I'm not even mentioning that sorry ass town called Concrete. All told, my assessment having drove both routes a number of times is that the Darrington way is up to 20 minutes shorter each way. However, there are more food choices in Sedro Wooley, thus possibly compelling climbers to go that way back.

Just a little FYI: New name for Newberry Crater

bastards got your pole!

Maybe what you want is here. Or maybe it's here. Or maybe it's nowhere.

Well then. We could then gang rush him, pull his pants down, and tie him up to the nearest post. Then he'd be the "Full Moon Rope Up" for the day.

Clogs are my favorite approach shoes. They're wooden, so I feel that much more at one with nature.

Great Lance Schuldt. Maybe Team U.S. Postal Service will need you in 2004 for Armstrong to draft off of.

Great! A few of us were thinking of doing this route next weekend but it sounds as if it might be getting out of shape. Is this your consensus? The schrunds down low and the lack of snow at the notch make it seem less aesthetic if I'm reading your TR correctly.

For what it's worth (my outrageous fame, that is), I would definitely be interested in seeing a free-use climbing facility akin to Marymoor Park under I-5 someplace. You can contact me through this website if you need some volunteers (to try out the new rock ).

Thanks, Martin. Look out for a new mountain soon to be put up (well, within a week or two) on SP.com: Gypsy Peak of NE Washington. I figure at least one peak in the state outside of the Cascades and Olympics deserves to be put on that site.

The couple occupying the Oregon Butte lookout also clued me into the Seven Devil Mountains east of the Snake River. They were very faint thru the haze. I have had a desire for a few years to climb He Devil and She Devil but I've found very little info on the area. That could be a good thing if I felt like being adventuresome. I'll swing through there one day soon. Got to go back to the Wind River Range sometime anyway. When I do, I will check out the Seven Devils. I have this thing about peaks over 9,000 feet in the Eastern Oregon area. I know that the Seven Devils are in Idaho, but they're close enough to Oregon to get my attention.

I honestly don't remember if he made it. I do vaguely remember the video playback in my head, but I can't remember the outcome. For some reason, I want to say he caught a toe on the roof and thus did not land smoothly. I s'pose a search of the web could throw some light on the answer.

I have already climbed in the Wallowa Mountains, thus my mild excitement in being able to see them from Oregon Butte. I could also just vaguely make out the Elkhorn Mountains in the haze to the SSW. Your right back at ya.

Climbed Oregon Butte from the Teepee Trailhead yestreen in 65 minutes (what a slow poke!). If it weren't for the view of distant Willowa Mountains of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, I would have to rate the climb as But because of said distant view, I'll only say it was The trough for the spring below the summit was probably the most interesting part.

Josh, there was a picture of Stilleto Peak on Sergio's site (www.sverdina.com) from his Birthday Tour a couple months back. The image was taken from somewhere near Copper Pass ENE of the peak. Go to the Birthday Tour mountain page on his site for the pic. Sorry, I'm at a library computer in South Dakota, so don't want to take the time to provide a link for you. --Paul

Greetings from Edgemont, South Dakota, which is on the edge of nowhere. Getting ready to harness the power of Harney Peak (highest peak in this state). All of you who complain about this ugly peak or that ugly valley should definitely not travel to far east Colorado or west Kansas or south Nebraska. That's some of the most boring real estate out there. The endless nothing. The only trees you'll see are the ones homesteaders have planted around their homes. Anyway, congrats on Goode NEB. Told you it was a spanker if you don't expedite your progress. I see you guys must have used that broad bivy ledge I told you about 8,500 ft. Ciao. Got to run before this town puts me to work doing something time consuming and unrewarding...like breathing.