klenke

Nice TR, Forrest. Exciting, as usual. I looked on the map and, yes, Ingalls Creek is in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness so the snowmobilers "shouldn't" have been in there. Maybe you were hearing all the way over to Teanaway River, which is not in the Wilderness and is a snowmobiler haunt.

I heard about a guy who once got pulled over in Concrete just for turning his head to look at the cop. At least that's what he told me. He said he wasn't even speeding, maybe even going under the speed limit. Maybe true, maybe not true; better you believe when it comes to Concrete.

No beta on that couloir, but here's a picture of Colchuck from last Friday. You can at least see the top part. I think the lower, constricted half is straightforward. Also, see here for more info: Mountainwerks

Hey thanks. That's what I needed to know. I guess we won't be climbing Gunn Peak then. Okay, Plan B...Plan B...

Anybody been up to the Barclay Lake Trailhead (Mt. Baring starting point) lately? Wondering just how far the road is open. T.H. is less than 2,500 feet, so maybe it is or maybe it isn't.

Come to think of it, last Saturday we met two guys camped out on the trail before the junction. They told us they were going off to climb the Ice Cliff Glacier Route on Mt. Stuart. They were asking us if they needed snowshoes and we told them no way. It was noon when we saw them, so they may have also helped to create the bootpath to Lake Stuart.

A bootpath goes that way at the Colchuck Lake Trail junction. Don't know how far the bootpath extends. But, come on Josh, it aint that far to the lake anyway (few miles). In the cold of morning the bootpath isn't necessarily needed anyway.

Heard Cavey got banned. That's all I knows.

Mountie = Catbirdseat

Why, as soon as you arrive, photomatt! Actually, people start filtering in around 7PM. Full throttle occurs around 9PM. Show up at 8PM and you're sure to find some people there.

I will be swinging through SE Washington this summer and want to climb something in the Washington Blue Mountains. I see 6,387-ft Oregon Butte is the highest on the Washington side, but what would offer the best views or beauty in the area? That is, what mountain would you recommend I climb? By "you", I mean that cyberclimber out there who's been living and waiting for this post your whole life. Part of my trip will include a climb of 9,106-ft Rock Creek Butte, which is the highest peak in the Blue Mountains (on the Oregon side of the border).

Sergio, Tom, and I did NBC/NWF of Colchuck on Friday afternoon (4/18) and left nice steps all the way to the summit. Yes, you're welcome. We hiked out Saturday morning.

It would have been nice if the article took the time to show a picture of the part the guy skied on The Lions. I can't really judge until I see a picture of what he skied.

The "Special Issue 2003" (No. 123) of Rock&Ice Mountain Guide Magazine has a feature on Mt. Katadhin. It gives some information on routes up this far-north-of-Maine peak. Not bad. Check it out in a bookstore if you happen past one.

Extremo: Look for a guy wearing a helmet with this name on it and you'll know you're in the right place:

Not booty, but just once in a climbing season I'd like to not find a popped kiddy balloon remnant (usually with ribbon still attached) in the mountains. Seems like I run across one at least twice per year. First time I thought it was a fluke. Now I think not seeing one would be a fluke.

And who's going to buy the card? I nominate Icegirl. That would not be very good if eveyone assumed someone else was going to buy it and we then had nothing to sign at PC.

I agree with that, Matt. I guess you could say we climbed up in the gray area between the North Buttress ridge crest and the Northwest Face proper. In summer when the snow has melted away, where we were may very well be slabby rock under foot. Brown Beckey (1979 edition) says the NB climb "is largely scrambling...often about 200 feet right of the crest." This is about exactly where we went up. In winter, it just feels and looks more like the Northwest Face than the North Buttress. Who knows? And more to the point: who cares?

JoshK: Having been up the NBC last Friday, I was a bit perplexed at the terrain at the col (the prominent one at the top of the couloir that 'most' people probably climb up to). I thought, once we got to the col, that we would simply climb up and over the rocks of the buttress there and continue on to the summit. But the rocks on the south side of the col were steeper and slabbier than I expected. The snow on the tops of the rocks did not help, as it was not deep enough to support crampons. I suppose we could have removed our crampons to climb the rocks. Instead, from a small snow platform 50 feet southwest of the col, we traversed right (southwest) on a high-exposure 60+ degree snow slope for one 50m rope length to a corner (for a follower belay, big cams go well in a crack in a moat/overhang at the corner). From the corner, we continued on the mostly snowbound Northwest Face hugging close to the North Buttress. I placed pieces every 150 feet or so on rock outcrops for a running belay (more a formality than anything since it could easily be free-climbed; just the exposure is high). Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that we didn't climb the North Buttress at all but the Northwest Face. In winter, it seems like the Buttress would be slower. It was an afternoon climb for us, so expeditiousness was the key. We simply did not want to waste time on the buttress. I'm wondering if most people complete the NBC via the NWF or the NB. To answer your query: "How does Colchuck NBC compare to triple couliors on dtail in length, difficulty, etc?" I haven't been up the 3Cs (yet) either, but I'm pretty sure the NBC is much easier and much shorter. For one, there's no WI in the NBC nor on the Northwest Face. The maximum slope angle encountered anywhere on Colchuck for us was probably about 70 degrees (for very short traverses over swales, undeveloped cornices, etc.).

Twice this year while out climbing, someone in our group has found a 20 dollar bill on the ground. What are the chances of that? First time was in the middle of nowhere on Ruth Mountain in February. Second time was below the counter at the Chevron at Snowcrummy Pass in April. If trends continue, I should be finding my next 20-spot in June.

Well, that must have your party we saw heading up the NBC yesterday morning. Sergio, Tom, and I did the NBC/Northwest Face Friday afternoon. Did you use those steps kicked all the way up the face or did you go your own way? In the afternoon, kicking steps from the top of the col then right across wicked exposure to the next corner then up the face was brutal work in soft conditions. Perhaps it was hard snow while you were on it. I was so beat that I did not want to do the Triple Couloirs the next day (getting to bed at midnight doesn't help), so we bagged it for better times when we're feeling more spry and less ached. Oh, and slothrop, that white car be us. Friday morning the road was gated. Imagine our Murphy's Law disgust when we're sorely walking back down the road not too far beyond the Eightmile Creek Trailhead and we round a bend and see six or seven cars parked on the side of the road. We eventually dumped our packs and jogged the last mile or so down the road to our car. We even saw Catbirdseat's car parked down at the road junction. He must have been there with the Mutanteers.

Go solo something. And ignore the necrophilic asswipe.

Yeah, you're pretty safe just posting below another postist on CascadeClimbers Peak.

At about what time did you reach the summit of Colchuck?

FYI: last Wednesday (4/09), the Cascade River Road was gated at the Eldorado Trailhead. Extends the approach a little.