nightfly

Looking at a trip in the spring, I am wondering how many folks out there have gotten away with running single layer boots (nepal top or other) at these lower elevations. I always ran double boots on all my previous Ruth trips, but I seem to remember partners who ran single layer boots that time of year maybe with overbooties? That was 15/20 years ago. I know the tech has changed. GO!

Were headed up for some skiing but i'm thinking of taking a detour for a day. Is the ice still in back there? I can't remember if the upper part sees sun yet and if that make's it considerably more dangerous due to rockfall? Any thoughts? Will the park still let you get snowmobiles back there this time of year? Road to Nowhere? Anybody been back ther lately? What's in, big, and Fat? Regards

We seconded it a week days after Ivan and his partner. We were up on the route canal for the Ham and Eggs when they were out on their little foray. I don't remember if they backed off because of the snow or what, maybe they were jsut in craging mode. I cannot remember. I do remember they kept us well fed bcause we did not bring up enough food. Snow condidtions were ugly that year, and I am sure they encountered the same shit as us. A little crust on top of three feet of unconsolated TG. pretty scarry for the steep snow climbing. Pretty fun and fairly reasonable. A good bump up from the H & E before getting on Shaken or Levatation

The "Unforgiven" is the left leaning slash inbetween the two big hangers on climzalot first pict. It would be a good way to summit both the Bear & the Eye tooth. Snow conditions were pretty shitty when we topped her out so we chose to bail, but given the right snow you would be crusing rather quickly once out onto the gaicer on the left. P1: m5 (fairly serious) P2: long snow P3: scetchy thin ice m5/wi5 P4&5: "the sweetness" killer sticky water ice in a long chimney.

Hey all, trying to get stoked on the next year already loooking for good picts of the ruth in general, lower ruth, good photos of bradly - espechally the east face and london tower. please email to nightfly45@yahoo.com

Hey i may be dopey; but at least i get up shit. and that guy looks like a hardman to me.

All I can say after growing up there is look for the cairns they should still be there even after six years hike up about a thosand feet and poke areound there are sme good to be had keep going for another fifteen minutes (on a dry trail) up and around when the trail starts to jog right park it and head straight up you are aiming for a large yosemite style corner that acesses a rather large chossy wall. winter only as things migth need to be frozen. there are a few shitty sport climbs in and around as well. Rock on

Sorry bro I guess i jsut got ahead of myself. Growing up so close I have known that face for years, and just thought I would spray a little; as being a faceless unknown name on you computer screen tends to make people do. Are you talking about the cabin up at the top of upper Dearmon Rd, The one that if my foggy memory serves me is pretty run down or are you up around powerline pass parking lot, Andy P grew up at the end of the street first right just past the turn off to the parking lot. He was a cranking mother fucker; the son of indian chef, adopted to white old school mountain folks. My friend for years; sadly some demons you jsut can't escape. You can get pretty rad up there when the mountains have snow and the winter chill hits town. The Chugach choss is the stuff. if you can climb comfortably weaving together a web of frozen turf and iced together flakes you will be comforatble anywhere. Pretty rad, that 4000 foot alpine north face jsut a quick jaunt away from a town of 300,000. And there is so much more if you can get your hads on a snowmoble. Sadly enough after twenty plus years I had had it, and now it is the desert all the way for me. Tan girls are much better to look at anyway.

Sorry to drowned your stoke but the line on the right is the "Right Ski Track" I think it was a Sassara mid 1990's Hard to tell but it looks like the "desprate and Dateless" variation Which was Sunkist/Stover/Fay 1999. But could have ben the Fay/Sunkist variation on the other side of the diedhedral which was 1999 as well. Ptarmign peak has been been looked at for thirty years and who knows what kind of hard asses lurked there. Andy Payton god rest his soul, grew up a two minute walk from the glen alps trail head. He was a psycho mother with jim beyer desert repeats -- solo; and who knows what kind of shit he laid on up there. But party on wayne it is probably a fourth or fifth ascent. Looks like hookers was a bit thin this year NOW That is A climb. Contact Carl Tobin for the real scoop. The old guard had been out there poking around for a while now -- Teal, Garvey, Sweeny, Hunt. If you really want the shiznit keep on biking and head around to the North West face. Some sport climbs exsist but the real meat and potatos will have to wait till next winter. empty spaces produce mindless faces J1 P.S.And if you find a rusty Dana designs bag of gear up there it is mine. That's what smoking too much of the AK Crypto weed does to you -- you jsut plain loose you mind (and other things).

Hey there, just checking in and seeing if anyone has any good ideas for a high line set up I have heard lots of beta but just thought I would fish for a bit more. i have heard that at high tension that folk release everything onto prussiksand keep the biners as a backup. also how do you get the 9/16 through the big tubular for a hundred and fifty foot line? Is there a special technique or do you just flail through the process? anyway we have a good one out here in the desert and once we get the rig down we will be haveing all sorts fun. any info would be appreciated this has been a message form the climbing center of the universe in western colorado

That is NOT what it looked like a few years ago in early sept, guess that one is off the list unless the snow gods get angry. you guys are the bomb thanks for the info.---Oh yea what a killer picture. hasta

Hola Amigos, I am gonna be back in town for a bit in late november and have J-berg on my mind. Looking to fire the coulor, so it probably will be a weather dependante kinda thing. I have been looking things up on the search engine but just thouht I would put it out there again. Has anybody been up there that late, good decent options, road info, thoughts, ect, possible musings.

Strange place for a desert post but there were Lots of Northwesteners out in the desert in late november. missing one pair of Tan colored Mega Drus. lost at the base of Thumbelina or possibly sunflower tower. around the 20th of november. just thought it dosen't hurt to check.

Hey Everybody. Only two weeks left for me in the pacific northwest for awhile. With a week and a half of time off before we go i wanted to get out a bit. i have been looking around but time is short. Looking for condition beta on these routes and any others that have been kller outings for folks. feel free to post if you have any info i would appreciate it greatly thanks. How cold has it been getting at night in the pickets lately? has it been consistant? Buckner north face. Any Ice? Norheast face/ridge Forrbidden? Stairway to heaven coulor, J-berg? (that just my name for it) North central rib Triumph Fisher Chimny"s and the north face on Shuksan Baker's north ridge. Or anything else for that matter that has been good to folks. I would like to get in some good ice but it just might be a bit early for that yet any way thanks for your posts. James

Anybody out there been on this one, any beta? just looking for any little tidbits that might help. I have the becky guide but were just looking for some extra info. thanks

What's up. just went up to play in my back yard yesterday. the road is finally open to the upper dungeness. fired up tyler peak on a semi clear day and got a good 360 view of things. royal basin looks like clear sailing until you gain the lake. things are still looking way alpine up there. We had a bunch of snow this year. the peak at the end of the dungeness ? is looking sick. better be up for the twelve + miles to get back there. Buckhorn and Iron and that whole cirqe is looking mighty tasty as well but i am sure you will need skis past the tubal cain mine. Tyler was cruisr, killer dear trails the whole way. semi soft in the afternoon but things firmed up on the north east face. the summit pyramide was kind of a bitch, short but lots of up and down and around steep chossy gendarms getting over to the proper coulor. I decended the snow into the basin then traversed/ bushwacked left as it pinched off. regained the trail after about twenty minutes of side hilling. maybe four hours but i was'nt counting a nice day all the way around. I don't know what to tell you about the permits, i have yet to get a ticket myself but i am sure it is only a matter of time. peace out

I found this one intreresting so i thought I would putin my 2 cents and let folks know what is going on in my neighbor hood. We have a local crag. it's chossy buy it is all we have that's close. it is a crag. we have an individual i will call him --- rockhead. rock head has climbed for two years. I will give him props that he has a lot of energy but he has little experince base. rockhead, bolt ladders up routes with his bosh. bathooking his way up and leaving a nice dotted line of holes behind him. throwing a nice 1/2 incher in every three feet. natural gear abounds throughout his lines but your will find a shinny hanger next to a bomer nut or cam every time. rockhead defense is that the place is a chosspile, and that no natural gear can be trusted, however, he has hardly any experince with the sandstone with which he is dealing with let alone places like the Fisher Towers or Black Canyon that are far worse. He says he is bolting these hard climbs-(5.11-5.12) on lead and that this is in good style, but in fact by aiding things first and placing bolts as he goes he is sandbagging clips and putting anchors in the wrong places. Now here is the crux of things,as climbing in our area it starting to take hold and become more popular. newbies are climbing these routes and thinkng that this is how things are done. Now as this mindset like a virus spreads and these kids disperse to other areas and there own "new area" they hang some shiny clips in some old man backyard. He calls the forest service to complain and then one day that forest service manager becomes head forest service manager, Now that's a bummer for us all. If you can't do it without bolts leave it for someone who can. That person will eventually come along. In the process you are preserving a resources for future generations. Bolting next to natural gear even on sport routes/areas is not the direction we want our sport to go. As a community we need to help shape the future. Just my opinion

Fired the Green Dragon this week. Pretty basic with a few exciting moves here and there. A small step up from the Town Crier here's what i brought. Metolus: gey - red / doubled up on the blue - redWild Country: 2-#2 / singles through #5 + an extra #4 camalot and #4 Hugh Banner flexi-fit these last two ended up being just more wieght. Another purple Metolus would have been nice.Full set Wild Country Rocksdouble set of Hb brass RP's2 hooks: BD Sky Hook? & a talon-leave the talon2 cam hooks: mini & thin regularsix lockers / 10 free climbing draws / six extra biners / one double length sling.I also brought a hammer, 2 blades, 2 arrows, & two heads. !!There was absolutely no reason at all to nail at any time on this route!! What few fixed pieces were totally bomber, the only copperhead was on the last pitch and it's looking really good. So bring your hammer like a good climber should -- and leave it in the bag. didn't do the true first pitch, maybe next time.second: pitch was wet and mungy. long third: has a short pucker section. >100'fourth: is the goods, just killer. >100'fifth: well, when you get past my nut you tell me? The best beta however is for the decent. - you can make it to the top of the second pitch from the top of the fourth. keep in mind that i have 200' ropes. Just my opinion Oh yea I almost forgot.The new owners of the index cafe have new hours. They serve up one mean Burger and a whopping plate of fries to boot. six bucks-now that's a steal [ 04-05-2002: Message edited by: nightfly ]

Nightfly is headed out of exile on the Olympic penninsula for a bit of R $ R at the Index Town tavern this morning. Will be there till Wedensday evening/Thursday morning. I am sure i will be doing a bit of climbing as well. White and grey VW With Colorado plates. Bring your jugs. Don't have an objective but the upper wall keeps calling me back. and the weather should be killer. come on down.

Yea, but he is pretty funny though.

Hey there folks,Does anyone know where I am going to find a WFR intensive in the next three months. Somewhere on the west side of things would be the nice. But i am fairly easy and mobile. Any bites would be greatly appreciated. Thanks [ 03-07-2002: Message edited by: nightfly ]

You must have been psyched. Let me clarify things. I am not as much down on the individuals, as i am down on a system that they must support-(simply by working for the park service). They Defend their actions in the name of preservation and wildlife diversity. Now I have a story for you. An old girlfriend from Alaska was working the summers for the service up there. It was determined by someone that a particular species of Spruce Hen was to be introduced to some area in central Alaska. (Anybody who has seen a spruce hen will tell you that this animal will not thrive anywhere it is not suppose to). Her job as a forest service employee was to eradicate all possible natural predators. Six weeks of bloodshed was enough for her. This was three years ago. I regretably have only met one young fellow that was enduring the company bullshit in the hopes of someday having a say in stopping the continuous flow of band aid solutions. In my opinion; for the most part the 'company' is all about walking a line drawn by some unseen entity with archaic ideas, and making others walk it too. If it is not broke don't fix it!

I will say this much about the Olympic National Park. Those guys sure get paid an awful lot to sit on there ass. I have rarly scene a forest service vehicle (let alone an employee on a trail), on my many trips up into the park.--I live thirty minutes from multiple trailheads. Poor Road conditions, Washed out roads, deadfalls in the trails, this is the reality of a park service that prefers to sit in there extra cozy headquarters instead of actually driving, and hiking they're turf. With the Constance Trail road out, that makes three of the four major access roads into the Eastern Olympics closed down. And that my friends is the future of our park system. Did you know that the Olympic park has the highest paid employees in the nation. Go Figure.

I was just up at Angeles lakes three days ago, there was five to six feet of snow. We crused around and checked things out. We were sloging, and wished we had brough our skis for the last half mile of the trail. Things were phat up there however snowpit test revealed a solid snowpack on east and west facing slopes with both shovel shear tests backing up the findings, finially cutting loose at the surface. This was before the recent storm cycles and we have been hammered since. Things started out cold and got progressivily warmer and you all know what that means. But things should firm up in a few days if we get a break. The Mt. Angeles trail is fairly steep and 4 miles long. But once in the basin a hours skin will get you where you want to be. Leave no turn unstoned

Nightfly is headed east for a few days of R&R at the Index tavern. (My home away from home). just hanging around and thnking about getting on the upper wall if the weather holds. Drop on by, Old VW Camper w/ Colorado plates. I'll have a cold one in the cooler. Thinking about taking a two day recon up to Mazama. Any Takers?