telemarker

We saw your rig when we came out. I could spend the rest of the season farming for turns up there, so I'll be calling you around the holidays.

Trip: Mt. Cashmere - East Shoulder Date: 12/2/2006 Trip Report: Mt. Cashmere is huge. It dominates the view west from Wenatchee. Heading down Sunnyslope, one sees the East Shoulder of the mountain shooting out, begging to be skied. Fortunately, Travis had the same sentiment, so we headed up. Without the snow, one also notices that there's a logging road that zig-zags up the shoulder, making for a casual skin in the winter. We started at about 3,200' and ended up at around 7,000'. It was therapeutic to feel the warm sun again, we both got sunburns. The smell of sweat and sunscreen and the heat reflected from the snow fooled me into thinking it was March, not December. The top 2,000' of vert was amazing powder skiing, over large hoar crystals. The bottom 3,500' coverage was thin, but just enough to allow us to keep the skis on and make careful turns amongst the stumps and rocks, occasionally finding filled in powder, all the way to the road. We tucked it to the gate from that point on. Gear Notes: 110-88-103. Approach Notes: 8 Mile Road to almost the 8-Mile Lake TH. Trav skinning up logging road, looking back north. Looking south towards Stuart and Co. Silver Spurs on Cashmere Looking west towards big slide mtn. Stopping point. The payoff. Great early season touring.

Would you allow your kids to ascend/descend w/o a harness? While we were coming down, I saw plenty of middle school-aged kids descending seemingly oblivious of the consequences of a slip on the polished granite. What I like about the cables is it's a landmark and an opportunity for someone who never climbs to feel a bit of the exposure and committment of yosemite. I definitely thought it was the crux of RNWF. I wasn't gripped so much as to the consequences of slipping, but rather afraid of the absolute embarassment of falling to my death in front of so many fuckin tourists.

You could freak the tourons out by slacklining the descent.

Choss Coulee.

Borrowed from Supertopo... Half Dome Cables Fatality Having descended the cables this spring, I was gripped, and I had my climbing shoes on and the weather was perfect. Like some of the people said, I'm really surprised more people don't die or get hurt going down the cables.

I'm just real careless with leaving my calk bag open when packing shit away, sending a torrent of chalk over my gear and backpack. Or, I'll sit at a belay and it'll invert. So, a chalk ball is best for a clutz.

Ahh, Tenino...land of the mima mounds of mystery!

How about spit?

Anyone got a dirtbag method for making their own chalkballs?

RNWF 1/2 Dome in first ever visit to Yosemite; Full North Ridge of Stuart in a comfy day; Liberty Crack for 2nd time in comfy day; Planning my next El Cap route for spring '07; Iconoclast in less than 4hrs; Cragging on new routes in Icicle, up high.

You mean this one, eh?

Yeah, RPM, the coolest way to 2 tree ledge. Anyone ever finish off the shield via Edge of Space?

Anyone try these yet in flaring pinscars? How do they compare to the Alien hybrids?

Nice perspective of Mt. Berge. The NE Ridge of Mt. Berge is a cool climb in a remote setting.

Carne Mtn trail?

I shall trek the world over with my (insert brand, color and description here if you want them returned) poles!

I don't agree with you on this one. Twice I've been evicted from the Pinnacles by overzealous wardens and deputies. The orchard owners in the surrounding area don't like it when cars park by their trees and such, as witnessed by the no parking signs gracing that part of the road. Finally, the two times we've been ejected, it was because the orchard owners saw us climbing, looking at us with binoculars from their fields, and undoubtedly making the call to law enforcement. So, bootleg climbing there isn't an option.

Hmmm...let's talk poles and replacing/returning them, shall we? Any of you hikers out there who frequent NW Hikers dot com, let the good folk there know that they left some poles on sno crik trail? And if you could, pass on the word to: The Appalachian Hikers Association, American Hiking Society, Backpack Chat!, GORP, Sierra Club, Potomic Appalachian Trial Club, Mormon Trail Club, Huachuca Hiking Club, and the Dirty Soles Society. Please pass the word someone in their organization may have left their poles on sno crik trail. Please, help ease my pain. Thanks much!!!

Climb: Peshastin Pinnacles Fantasy Climbs-Various Fantasy Routes Date of Climb: 10/21/2006 Trip Report: I and friends decided to take advantage of the only real time it's tolerable to climb at Peshastin. Had the Goddamn park been open, we would have climbed Vertigo and Lightening Crack, two fun trad routes there, especially Vertigo. We then would've hiked up to Windward Direct and climbed that one as well, had the Goddamn park been open. We then would've gone down to Baseball Nut and done that one, then on to Buttebrickle and climed that to round out the day, had the Goddamn park been open. Oh well, maybe we'll actually get on these when the Goddamn park opens again in, oh, June when it's 90 degrees outside again! But of course, I totally understand the work involved with unlocking the gate in the morning, then closing it up again at dusk. Gear Notes: We would've taken a light rack and draws. Approach Notes: Nice hiking amidst the orchards.

Cool. I'll do that. What's the address where I can drop these puppies off?

He bootied it at the base of El Cap.

Yep! That's them! Damn, you must be telepathetic or somethin.

Describe 'em.....

Okay, here's the beta for the belay. You should only climb this route if you have a yellow C3 Camalot, yellow/green hybrid alien, and a green alien. Place the C3 further left in the crack, then the hybrid and then the green alien next to each other. Equalize the BOMBER aliens, and tie off to the BOMBER C3 camalot. Finally, admire the bolt in front of you and wonder about the hardmen who used to place these on lead then climb oh so far above them.