Dale

A number of people did Horseshoe before 1995. It is on the original Top 100 list (Bulger list), although it really shouldn't be because it does not have 400' of prominence separating it from Buckner. Tod: It's a good thing you did Horseshoe on your way down from Buckner because it sure is not worth a trip in there just for Horseshoe (which I did).

Lowell: Notice I am not describing the whole traverse, just part of it. Also, I am not recommending it. Route-finding errors in this terrain could be costly. To traverse the south slope of Mesahchie would be seriously ugly, I believe. You can access the basin from the Fisher Creek trail (or from the summit of Mesahchie); you can see where the basin is from the trail- it is a gain of roughly 1,000' from the trail. Also, I have no idea what is on the west side of the summit of Cosho, or whether it is feasible to descend on the west side or bypass the summit.

For those with more, rather than less, time on their hands, there is an alternate approach to Challenger: The Eily- Wiley Traverse (those are two lakes on Challenger Arm). From Ross Lake, hike up either Big Beaver or Little Beaver Valley to Beaver Pass. At the old shelter, leave trail and head west (I believe 'west'- no map in front of me) toward the forested hillside that is the end of Challenger Arm. Your task is to find the least steep, least brushy, route up that hill for 2,000'. Hint: Favor the left side of the slope (but not the left skyline). If done right, it works well with little brush. After 2,000', the slope moderates and a good boot path can be followed. At the top, do high traverse on the south side of the arm, through pleasant alpine basins, to the huge saddle at the edge of the glacier and below the summit. Rope up and go uphill. From the saddle, if desired, you can easily access the head of Luna Cirque and continue over to Luna Peak and Fury.

I know that part of the traverse goes on the south side of the ridge crest: From the high basin SW of the summit of Mesahchie, you can traverse to Katsuk; then on to Kimtah and to the summit of Cosho. The route would be very scrambly, rocky, some ups and downs, with some route-finding thrown-in, and limited bivy sites.

There will be a fundraising dinner and dance performance to benefit the Sherpa Education Fund on Saturday, August 16, from 7-9 pm. Location: Himalayan Sherpa Restaurant in Seattle. Cost: $35 ($25 is tax-deductible). The dinner will be "Himalayan Cuisine Buffet" and the music and dancing will be by Sherpa and Nepali performers. Call 206-378-0815, or <Alison@SherpaFund.org>, or visit www.SherpaFund.org/events/ This fund is run by the non-profit Alpine Ascents Foundation, and its purpose is to provide sponsorship for Sherpa children, from remote areas of Nepal, to attend school. I have several brochures for it but contact Alison for more information. Dale F

Just passing along this announcement: Multimedia Show by Himalayan Explorers Connection, Feb 7th, 7pm, Seattle REI. Scott Dimetrosky of HEC presents a screening of "Carrying the Burden", runner-up for the People's Choice award in the 2001 Banff Mountain Film Festival, also slides and video of HEC projects in Nepal and Africa. Email info@hec.org for more info.

Just passing along an announcement from the Sherpa Education Fund: Gear 'Drop & Swap': Saturday Feb 8th, 10am - 3pm, Seattle REI. Fund-raising sale/swap of outdoor gear and a collection of clothing for needy Porters. Raffle for great prizes! 10% of sales goes to Sherpa Education Fund, a 501©(3) registered charity. Good-condition, clean gear only, no used ropes or slings. Details and registration www.sherpafund.org/gearswap/, email gearswap@sherpafund.org.

Several questions: Was there much snow in the gullies on the South Face? If so, were you able to avoid it or were you able to cross/climb it without crampons? Did you even use the gullies, or stay on the ribs? Someone else tried this route several weeks before you, and they said they were turned back by all the steep snow in the gullies.

Josh: I agree that the Fremont glacier would be much the better choice, and much easier to get to, than the Banded. I would expect major crevasses, some steeper ice, on the Banded right now, but the Fremont is flat and mellow and the biggest potential problem would be if the snow finger up the rock has a large moat. The Fremont route is very pleasant from Park Creek Pass. As for Buckner: The NE Ridge looks like a long and serious rock climb. Someone who tried it, and backed off, said it felt long and serious. Looks like the south face for you, so sharpen up those crampons! If you have trouble finding the route through the brushy cliffs between upper and lower Horseshoe Basins, you could head over to Booker and descend from there to the trail. Good luck! DaleF

The summit registers on both Tupshin and Devore (near Stehekin) are originals. I don't remember the dates of the first ascents (hopefully, Beckey lists the dates), but they are rarely climbed and it is a quick read. It is awe-inspiring to hold the entire recorded (human) history of a summit in your fingers on a few scraps of paper. And to see so many familiar names! Some of the 'land management agencies' are hostile to the idea of summit registers, and some of them do not seem to realize that many climbers are very strongly attached to their registers, and that removing registers is very controversial. I maintain that the environmental impact of leaving an inert register on a summit for 100 years is 100 times less than the impact of a single person climbing up there to take it down.

Klenke: I had to go find the map. I do not remember any issue, or difficulty, getting to the summit of Greenwood. I do not actually remember if we were at the north or south summit , but it was a clear day and it was obvious, and there was a summit register (including an entry from a guy who thought he was on Fernow). Actually, it was probably the south summit. Not to worry. Now that I look at CAG II, p. 167, I see that, on Dumbell, at least the summit and the notch (start of the 'goat trail' traverse to Greenwood) are labeled correctly.

Klenke, Mountain Man: There is an easier way on Dumbell (yes, Beckey is way wrong, and the picture is completely misleading). From the little basin south of the peak, on the west side of the south ridge: Scramble up the loose stuff. Find and enter a narrow gulley that ascends diagonally up, from right to left, to the low point in the ridge top. Scramble east, up the ridge, mostly on its north side, to the top. No rope needed or wanted. The narrow gulley has loose rocks, so care is needed. The 'goat trail' to Greenwood is slick. You just scramble up to the high 'pass' on the south ridge of Dumbell, kiss the steep summit block, and the trail is right there. Just contour around, carefully. I would not want to do either route if the ground was very wet or had fresh snow. Dale

We did Horseshoe in two days, from lower Horseshoe Basin, and bivied in the upper basin. If you go over Sahale Arm and drop down into upper Horseshoe Basin (descent considered treacherous by some), maybe you could do it in a long day. There is some class 3 scrambling and a short (50 foot) 5.0 pitch. We used a scramble rope and rapped off. Those who do it unroped complain that the first long step off the summit is awkward. It didn't look that bad to me. From the bottom of the S slope of Buckner, ascend left up a small, open basin that hugs Ripsaw Ridge. Just S of a vertical pinnacle just S of Buckner ("Fire" something, I believe), scramble up to the ridge and down the west side, about 50-100 feet, to a big ledge system. Go south, very roughly 100-200 feet and follow the ledge back up to a notch in the ridge. Horseshoe is the small pinnacle on the south side of that notch. Climb obvious ledge on the east side of the ridge. If rappeling, we used a 20'long sling to wrap large slab. May be sling/rope segments in place. You guys are right that Horseshoe does not have 400 feet of clearance from Buckner, and it is not worth the trouble it takes to get there, but it is on the 'traditional' list. There are some others on the list that are questionnable, too. If going up from lower Horseshoe Basin, to upper: There is a route that, amazingly, avoids almost all the brush but it may be hard to follow. About 100' below the mouth of the mine, on the north side of the creek, scramble straight up a steep dirt/gravel alley between a small rock buttress on your right, and the brush on the left. If you see a steel cable along the alley, you are in the right place. Most of the way up, see a bare slab thru the brush on the left. Go to it, to its upper edge, then up thru brush roughly 20-50 feet, to open grassy ledge with small stream. From here, you can avoid any more brush. Flagging highly recommended from here, to find your way back.