Otto

This is a fun-to-read, well-themed trip report. I read it all, it was entertaining; don't thank us, we thank you!

Thanks for the excellent TR. Good writing and informative photos are appreciated.

Wow, I want to do that trip. Thank you for the good photos.

Thanks for the link to an entertaining article. I would not have seen this otherwise.

Nice work, nice photos. What camera are you using? And yes, we are growing all the time, on the good trips anyway. I enjoyed the photos and reading of your 'freeing experience', well said.

Trip: Crystal Lake Tower - SW Rib Trip Date: 07/03/2022 Trip Report: We two Seattle climbers made a pleasant 3-day outing to Crystal Lake Tower. Having climbed Whitehorse Mtn. with Kellie McBee the previous week, I imagined we'd be in shape for this. After gleaning details of the route from trip reports here, and, of course, Fred's Cascade Alpine Guide, we carried out the trip without any trouble. A leisurely hike up Ingalls Creek for 7.7 miles brought us to Crystal Creek. A ribbon on a log marks a spot to turn uphill. Blowdowns made the boot-track hard to follow at first, but we soon picked it up. It goes into big boulders on the way into the tarn basin, where I somehow had my camera out for this shot: Camp was found in some trees near the tarn, where we could see the objective of tomorrow's climb: Under clear dawn skies we made our way around the left side of the tarn to the left side of the route's toe. I have long been enchanted by the Nightmare Needles, having climbed Little Snowpatch with Mark Landreville in 1989, so I took some shots along the way: Easy simul-climbing starts the route, and here is Kellie coming up: Little Annapurna is just across the creek: We knew to aim for a large-looking white headwall and pass it on its left side. My partner expertly scoped it out: Wonderful, improbable ramps curve around the final block of stone to the summit. The obligatory summits shots were made: The Enchantment Lakes were still snowy in a mellow late-season way. Crystal Lake is bottom left: I once climbed McClellan Peak while trying for Argonaut in a whiteout, by myself, so I enjoyed the view of where I once stood: It was with relief I walked the easy descent along goat tracks to the area of Enchantment Pass. The snow was soft and giving, with no need for crampons, though we had brought axes for balance in case of ice. I had stashed my big pack at the base of the route, so I had to hike back up for retrieval while Kellie waited. Exhausted, camping was a relief until it began to rain. I had just finished boiling water for dinner and dashed into the tent with it while Kellie cooked hers. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled in the night, rain came and went in alternation with perfectly clear, starry sky. Next morning we abolished breakfast time and got out of there fast. It rained hard for a bit, we soaked up the water in the bush, slipped on lichened rock, tumbled over logs, slipped on roots and ferns, fell backward and forward, and hit the Ingalls Creek trail with gratitude. An easy seven miles to the car, hooray! Gear Notes: Single rack to 3", one 60m rope, ice axes Approach Notes: Legendary

Trip: Whitehorse Mountain - Northwest Shoulder Trip Date: 06/25/2022 Trip Report: Four of us climbed this standard route on a sunny day in late June. After many years of passing by the mountain on the way to Darrington slabs, wondering when I'd get on it, it was a relief to stand on the summit. Mark and I started the hike at 6:30am, Kellie and Russ a little later, and returned to the cars at midnight. The snow was firm enough for good footing, and the moat was unexpectedly easy to cross. Our 30m rope was just enough to cover the summit rock climb. My thanks go to Mark, Kellie, and Russ for their competence and conviviality. Traversing to the High Pass The short rappel into the moat The spacious confines of the moat Looking back down the glacier to High Pass Out on the planet Gear Notes: Two 30m ropes, a medium nut and a green Camalot Approach Notes: Straight forward, nothing much to add.

Masterful photog. work. Thanks for this, and the info on how it's done.

On another visit this week, on Tuesday, I chopped out the last of the road obstacles. The road is now free of anything new that would cause a bike rider to dismount. I do like a long, smooth downhill ride! The first two were located just before the first culvert. First one, before: After: Second one was the worst obstacle. I dropped it onto this skid log and pushed the cut log off the road. Almost there: After: The last two were above the first culvert. This was the biggest of all: After: Fourth and last was a double alder: Phase two: After: During celebration ride:

Yesterday I cut away most of the downed trees that would cause a bike rider to dismount. My saw ran out of gas with three left. Next trip, I'll bring an axe for those... This winter, the road was blocked by large boulders below the old parking lot. Don't drive to the rocks as there is no easy turn-around. The best parking option is the grassy lot about 100 yards below the recent road cave-in. About 3/4 mile below the old parking lot, it holds 4-6 vehicles and the derelict trailer is gone! Before: After: Many singles like this: The Main Wall from the road:

There were no new road slides or other road-bed damage from this winter. However, much was deposited on the road! Many alders and a few small firs have come across the road. A chainsaw will take care of them. But there is a stopper: a boulder the size of a VW beetle slid onto the middle of the road. The location is about a mile below the old, wide, parking lot. This is about a half-mile above the good, narrower, parking spot below that newest road cave-in from three years ago. This is where one should park when visiting. There is no good turn-around at the stopper rock, nor pullouts for parking.

Thanks for the link! That must be a bizarre place to climb, an old Welsh quarry. On my one trip to England I climbed for a day at a quarry in the midlands, it was strange. Anyway, a good short flick.

That shot just below the Crowder photo, a fang against the red sunset, was mighty good. Thanks for posting.

Fantastic outing! Just preparing the approach was a big achievement. Thanks for the great trip report.

This site is indeed still useful and often a good read. I like the many trip reports with inspiring photos. Thank you for carrying on! Bill Enger

Yes, that's how we did it (not via Megalodon Ridge, however!) way back when there was a bus to drive you from Cottonwood back to Stehekin. Is there still?

Very nice, thanks for doing this. Are you thinking of supplying the daily photo yourself, or are you inviting others to post?

Beautiful photos, thanks for posting! Looks like a fine hike.

David Whitelaw and I finished this new route on August 4. Jim Nelson was in attendance to take some photos, but did not climb it with us. The route is called Indentured Servant, and is located 100+ yards left of Tooth Fairy. It's a sport route of five pitches, all bolted, like this: P1 some sustained 5.10a, 12 bolts P2 5.7, 9 bolts P3 5.8, crossing a giant chockstone, 6 bolts, P4 5.10b, reachy stemming up a V-slot, 12 bolts P5 5.9, sustained .9 face climbing for over 30', 6 bolts We built it to climb and rappel with one 60m rope. For P1 we extend two of the clips with alpine draws to avoid drag (see photo). Rappel the route until P2, then drop straight down into the deep gully where there is a final anchor. The route finishes on the North ridge, so you can traverse right and up to the summit. One could also walk off the North Ridge route. All bolts are 3/8" SS wedge bolts. Belay/rappel anchors are either SS chain w/ ring or two bolts with rings. The first person to climb it besides David and me was Ken Ford, on Aug. 12. Then David's friend Kelsey Gray from AK joined us for a couple of days of exploration, and they climbed it together on Sept. 2, while I took a rest day in camp. Then I brought up Robin Taft for an outing of Tooth Fairy the first day, and this route the next, on Sept. 12-13. Here is Ken Ford finishing P1, showing how the rope takes a nice curve if bolts 6 and 7 are extended David W. has drawn one of his beautiful topos for this, but we won't publish until next year. One doesn't need a topo to climb it, however, just find the clean toe of white rock to the left of a major gully, and follow the hangers. Bill Enger

A very informative trip report, thank you. Nice work with the annotations. That is a huge amount of alpine rambling, something to look forward to!

Yes, it's always cool to do that bonus pitch of Silent Running. I've led it a couple of times, it was so fun to follow you up it. But, the name, 'Road to Silent Bonus Tour'? Hmm...

Indeed, thanks Curt for the Tour! Had a fun time climbing this with you and tanstaafl.

Well, yes, that's a nice photo. Was it done with your RX100 or the D7100? On a tripod?

Absolutely. A classic, self-motivated, big day out. Well done. Pardon my asking, but did you use the tag line at any point?

Remove the nut with a 9/16" wrench. Turn the blade of an old hack saw 90 degrees and saw the bolt off close to the rock. Punch the stud down in the hole with a hammer. New bolts are not to be placed on old routes. Keep the hangers and make a wind chime.