JRCO

Can I go to? - Wait I have kids and a mortgage - Can I stil go.

As you walk up the road past the lower Elinor trail head, you come around a bend in the road that crosses the creek. At the bend walk up the creek about 10 yards, cross the creek and follow the tree line that seperates the road from the clear cut walking on the clear cut side of the tree line. You will see little red tags that mark the trail. The trail continues along the tree aline gradually gaining altitude until you hit a prominent ridge going up through the clear cut. Look for the trail and more red tags on stumps and what not. The trail continues up to the uppper Elinor Parking lot.

I believe there is actually a marked trail through the clear cut. It says a bunch of time

Mike, It's to bad the one incident sticks in my mind more than the many other times that Park Rangers have been more than helpful.

The funny thing about the incident on Hood is I was next to the chair lift. I admitt I did not have a backcountry permit but neither did the crowd of people downhill skiing next to me. Frankly I just forgot to get the permit in my haste to catch the chair lift to avoid some hiking. I was more than apologetic to the ranger but he conintued to brow beat us for 30 minutes on his authority in the mountains. Finally we told him we would walk back down the mountain and get a permit if he would shut his mouth.

Speaking of permits and climbing rangers, what kind of authority due rangers have if they catch you without a permit? Can they give you a fine? Can they force you to leave the mountain? Can they arrest you? I met a ranger on Hood who thougt we could do all of the above.

For all you Colorado climbers, Bent Gate in Golden rents them if you would like to try them out.

I thought the saying was a 5.10 climber has a job. A 5.12 climber does not.

JayB - I too have climbed many of the South Platte runout slabs. My thoughts are why even bolt the line if your fall will result in death regardless of the bolts. I don't climb those routes unless the runout parts are supper easy. Even then it scares the hell out of me.

How about that little friction move on the West Ridge of Prusik?

Wear your helmet. I think most of you out there rely on your brain to fund your climbing habit.

I believe there is a book and a PBS show called "Skiing the Cascade Volcanoes" that my have some info.

Thanks Erik and monkeyboy. I will give it a try. If you don't hear from me after this weekend call 911.

If you read the little book that come with your petzl ascender, it says it can be used for rope soloing a fix line. Has anyone done this? If not, what is the set up with a gri-gri.

So I have trouble finding a partner lots of time. Any suggestion for rope soloing? Fix a line and use a jumar?

I say big deal. Some one out here climbed (hiked) all 54 in something like 10 days. Another guy skied every day for 365 days. If this guy skied all 54 in 10 days I would be impressed. Keep in mind that you can not compare a Colorado fourteener to Rainier. You start from a lot higher elevation - 9000 to 10000 feet usually - and walk up a trail.

I dare anyone to say that they never climbed the South face of the Tooth.

I can't believe no one has mentioned "Humptullips, WA"

Not a serious question but the excuse I usually hear. I guess the question is "how much are you willing to spend to increase your chances?" Education - yes; Avalanche beacon - yes; Avalung - maybe

Why can I get a digital cell phone for $69 but a digital avalanche beacon costs $300+.

I took the avalanche 1 course last year. They spent more time on not getting caught in an avalanche than how to rescue some one buried in one. I think the course instructor pretty much had the same statistics on survival if buried. More than likely you will be dead before someone finds you even if you have a beacon.

http://news.theolympian.com/stories/20020115/HomePageStories/168732.shtml. Interesting article. Sounds like people in his group tried to tell him it was not safe.

While at the UofW I had a friend who was a mountaineer. He had planned a hiking trip in the Olympics one weekend with his other mountaineer friends. I asked if I could go and was told no because I had not taken the mountaineers basic course. Keep in mind this was not a climb but only a hiking trip. I never talked to him after that.

My opinion is mountianers have no business being in the mountains. The are a safety hazard to us all.

http://www.climbingboulder.com/rock/db/south_platte___pine_area/sphinx_rock/sphinx_crack.html