MATT_B

Found this picture. Not exactly sure when it was taken but it looks a little thin . . . . http://www.kgw.com/news/Snow-falling-in-Portland-Metro-area--185317242.html?gallery=y&img=3&c=y

What about Mazama Glacier on Adams? I was up there once that time of year and it was great but that was a long time ago. If memory serves me, no rock, easy ice, reasonable to navigate over and around cravases. Another one that is within striking distance form from Portland would be Jefferson. I did the Jefferson Park Glacier in October once and really liked it. That too was a while ago but I remember having not too much rock fall, easy ice, and easy rock. The rock was even relatively solid compared to the other local volcanic choss piles.

"crossed a distance of 40m (44 yards) in just over two minutes at a height of 1,800m (1,968 yards)" There must be something wrong with this. That would mean the canyon walls are almost vertical and 6000 feet high???? Not that it would matter too much if things went bad . . .

Wish I could swing something like that. Just out of curiosity, what is on your list of "major volcanoes"? I think it goes without saying that Rainer and Shasta should be on the list. I somehow doubt Mt. Tabor will meet your criteria. Where are you drawing the line? Is it a height thing? Does difficulty play into it? I look forward to seeing a TR when all is said and done.

You have a week so make a road trip out of it. Smith is a weekend trip for Salem. Leavenworth is a long weekend trip. If you haven't already been there, I would hit Yosemite Valley and do some classics. The weather could crap out on you but it is a must visit place and there is so much to do and see. You might could be climbing in a t-shirt, snow or anything in-between. I wouldn't discount Bishop either. There is a lot more than pebble pulling down there. Why limit it to 13 or so hours? In the grand scheme of things a few more hours of driving opens up a lot more doors and can still be done in a day. After a winter of rain wouldn't it be nice to climb in shorts and a t-shirt for a week before classes start up again?

It does get run by kayakers every now and then: http://www.oregonkayaking.net/creekframe.html

kind of depends on how far up the 200 foot rope you are . . .

You would get much better bang for your buck by doing long routs out at index (upper town wall). It is a bit of a drive for a weekend but that is where I would go. Practice even in marginal conditions. May in the valley can be very like so be prepared, even the end of may. A1, A2, A3 just numbers. If you are really ready and efficient enought for the mescalito you shouldn't be woried if it is really A2+ or just A2. Don't fortet to practice halling setting up your ledge and the like. Get on it and lets see some index TRs

I used a hub cap we found along the road once. Not the best but it worked . . . I'v found a but bag is much better. Maybe not quite as comfortable but lighter and a lot easier to hall around.

I cant remember what I had even though it's only been a couple of years since my little one could ride on the front. When they are that small they are not very heavy at all and carrying them is not much of an issue. I would recommend not getting anything too bulky. When they are small enough to stay up front they need to be protected from the elements. I would make sure that all your jackets can zip over the kid to keep him/her warm and sheltered. When they got bigger we went to a frame backpack style. I looked at a bunch of them and came to the conclusion that most of the medium to high end packs road roughly the same. Some of the VERY expensive ones were a little more comfortable but not much. Most had more bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at. Personally I think simple is better. I went with a used bear bones Kelty of off c-list for 25 bucks and it has survived my two kids and many many miles.

Just out of curiosity, has a MLU ever been a key component to a rescue? I seem to remember a number of years back a news report about a rescue where the MLU was used to "help" find the injured party. If I remember correctly it was some relatively minor injury on the south side in an easily accessible location on a day with near perfect conditions. Even though the MLU was used it wasn't really needed. I agree with Mtguide, the MLU technology is outdated and that sash blows. There is better technology out there and even that can be improved. It is just another toy in our bag of tricks. That being said I would not like the state to tell me what I will be putting into that bag. Dane, Thank you for your comments. Agree or disagree it's nice to see an educated, reasoned argument that differs from the masses.

I've been wondering how well an old climbing rope would hold up for crabbing . . .

Statements like this make me think that a ban on bolting in the wilderness might not be such a bad thing . . .

Tequila, Triple sec, Lime, Glacier ice and a nalgene with a salted rim.

Sounds like you have not done a lot of multi pitch climbing. Get your systems worked out such as swinging leads, halling, jugging, setting up a wall anchor, managing large amounts of gear, ect. You can burn a ton of time futsing around at the anchors trying to figurre things out. It may sound crazy but my partner and I did some of the worlds shortest 2 pitch climbs at the collums halling a small bag of rocks and everything. It was painfully slow and a big mess at first but it payed off in the long run. Best to do on a wet day with no crowds. Another thing to consider is that a wall rack (usually) is going to be heavier than a free rack. It will drain your energy faster and make freeing that 5.whatever pitch feel harder. Even if you plan on doing an all or mostly free route get at least some aid experience under your belt. As to where to climb, I bet you know all the local areas. Do lots of cracks and avoid the bolts. Basalt is more similar to granet than smith tuft is but it's all good. Have fun and drink lots of water.