Mr._Blister

Did you get the beta you needed? I would take this off line but your e-mail does not appear to be listed. John Sharp

Has anyone climbed it this year? We climbed the N. Face of Shuksan weekend before last, but clouds/mist prevented us from getting a good view. I am particularly curious about the glacier crossing/shrund conditions in the approach gully. The N. Face of Shuksan is quite broken up in places, and the Price Glacier, from what little we saw, looked similarly broken up. Just curious; may or may not get to it this year. Thanks, John Sharp

Aidan: My first lead fall was on the same route, but I fell 25 ft. as my belayer was, uh, not paying attention. But the pro held. As for meeting guys on this site, I caution you against spending time with the Captain. He is just out of rehab (something about indecent liberties with a minor), and I don't believe he is playing with a full deck, if you catch my drift. So, be careful. Your pal, John

It is becoming quite obvious that you all need my margarita recipe RIGHT NOW. Check it out. Search for "margarita." OfficeSpace: What will you pay me not to blow your cover??? Lambone: To answer your original question, try the N. Ridge of Forbidden. You'll like it. John (fka Mr. Good Time)

Is this you Jay? I can't believe your feet still hurt. I returned my too-small shoes after that little outing. Your rap slippers were a good idea. John

Everyone: This smells like another set up. Don't waste your time.

Tim: Carry over and out Long's Pass whether you have a day pack or a light overnight set-up. If you sleep anywhere, make it Goat's Pass. But don't expect Rose to be there because she will be with me. John

Marmots in Mongolia? I once ate a pigeon in Peru. And a turtle in Tim-Buck-Tu. And a bat in Bell-e-view. How 'bout you?

Aidan: Did you get the beta you need from Colin, or do you want a TR from me. We climbed N. Face this past weekend (7/21-22). Where were you? We missed you. John

News Flash: Office Space is one of us, boys, not some arrogant newbie. We've all been had. The joke's on us, I guess. You'll have to climb the complete N. Ridge this weekend, though, to find out his real identity! Go to it. John Sharp

E-mail me off line for info on the Barrier, The Chopping Block, and W. Peak of McMillan Spire. It's been 14 years since I was up there, but maybe I can help somewhat. John Sharp

Office Space: I'm sure you didn't expect some of the responses you received, but I'm not sure you fully appreciate how the locals might view the tone of your initial question. If you think 5.9 at Little Si compares to the Gendarme or the crux pitches of the lower N. Ridge (neither of which I have climbed, for the record), I respectfully suggest that you're in for a scary surprise. Many climbers, myself included, rap at the base of the Gendarme because: (1) it is intimidating as hell; (2) by then you're likely to be tired and ready for some easier climbing; and (3) any serious fall on the Gendarme would be really bad news. I know one person who fell on the first pitch of the Gendarme and waited, with broken bones etc., for over two days to be rescued. No fun for anyone. As for what types of climbs you should aim for at your level, please remember (and I say this in all seriousness) that the Cascades are full of routes that are class 3 & 4 that can completely overwhelm people due to their complexity, size, objective danger, difficulty of retreat, etc. Most of us have been humbled enough times to develop a sense of deep respect that goes way beyond the ratings. You may have too, but that didn't exactly come across in your initial post. Hence the strong reaction. All of that said, have fun and be safe. And as a former civil litigator in Seattle, I hope you don't feel the need to sue anyone as a result of comments on this thread or because of your experience on Stuart or anywhere else for that matter. Have a good climb, and give us a TR when you return. John Sharp [This message has been edited by Mr. Blister (edited 07-24-2001).]

Do the Chinese eat snafflehounds? It seems they eat everything else that crawls, swims, slithers, flies, or walks.

My wife and I both have them and love them. We've had them for about five years, and used them multiple times on various local volcanoes, and they are perfect for routes like N. Ridges of Stuart and Forbidden, Sahale Quien Sabe Glacier, Colchuck Glacier, etc. I've climbed up and down hard snow and some alpine ice to about 55 degrees and felt reasonably secure in the aluminums. Anything beyond that I use the steel teeth. The aluminums are so light that you'll often opt to take them just in case.

Mike: Who is Rachel? JS

You're right, Alex. I forgot his name.

We've got two snakes that could easily chow on a snafflehound. If anyone catches a hound in their pack, drop me a line. We'll have a beer and watch the show! Sharp

Get a copy of the new book called, I think, Alpine Select. Canadian author. Just released. Great book, and will tell you everything you need to know about that route, a few others in WA (Slesse, Shuksan, etc.), and many in Canada. I found a copy at Marmot in Bellevue a few weeks back the day it arrived. Dumb luck! John Sharp

To respond to the original question, four of us hiked in to Cathedral Peak several weeks ago, and were rained out. Bummer, but a beautiful 38-mile hike. I suspect that was the last rain in the area. In any event, access to the Cathedral Peak area from the U.S. side via the Chewuch River trail is now on fire/burned out, as far as I can tell. As mentioned above, no impact on WA Pass climbing. Cathedral will have to wait, unless perhaps one can still get there from Canada this year. John Sharp

When I went in there with a partner to do the N.E. Butt we learned at the ranger station from a reliable source that the river was running too high to be crossed safely. That was late July in 1995. This year I would not anticipate the same problem, but if you do encounter this difficulty, the N.W. Buttress (III 5.5 -- see Fred's book) makes a nice alternate trip. You can camp at Five-Mile Camp for that one. We came down the Bedayn Couloir, I think, and it was slow and dangerous. By any measure it is a serious mountain, but I'm sure you already know that. Good luck and be safe, John Sharp

Armed with Jim's description, Bob Davis and I went right to this point several years ago when heading to the N. Ridge of Forbidden. As Jim said, take the right-slanting gully (snow filled when we were there) that starts several hundred feet right of the traditional Sharkfin Col starting point. About half to two-thirds of the way up, look for greyish shattered rock on your left, and scramble up the same. Don't go to the top of the gully. Follow the greyish broken rock up and left by the path of the least resistance to a notch in the ridge, and you will likely find a few old slings. From there, a short, single-rope rap puts you on the Boston Glacier. I hope this helps. We walked right to it and gained considerable time on the groups messing around at Sharkfin Col. Also, we were able to bring just one rope. Need more info? E-mail me off line at johnsha@expedia.com. John Sharp

Alex: We actually did not camp in the lot, but instead drove from Bellevue on Sat., leaving at 4:00 a.m., and returned to Bellevue at midnight. Long day for us and the babysitter! The crux was probably the last part of the drive . . . Like Rochester, we had a real warm day which as I think I mentioned above, obviated the need for crampons. Sloppy, but not dangerous it seemed. I think this route will see much more traffic now with the new Nelson/Potterfield book and favorable reports such as these. And as Alex mentioned, Leroy Basin is just beautiful right now with tons of flowers. Cheers, John

Tod: The top 100 feet or so is still hard snow/alpine ice. We were a bit bored of snow climbing by that point so opted for a rock band to the left of the central snow/ice ramp to the top. The rock was pretty good, mostly 4th class with a move or two of 5.0. From the summit, we went down the opposite side, down the big mellow scree field which is the most common ascent I believe. Part of the way down you bear right and continue down scree. At the bottom of the scree field it cliffs out, so we went right and found bits of trail with the occassional bit of bush to fight through. Eventually, we made it down to Leroy Basin at 6,000'. This was pretty much the same way we came down last year. It seems there are numerous ways off the mountain, none of them particularly hard. Is that your impression too? John Sharp