mr.radon

I'm usually pretty good on the paved streets now (vs my youth) but get me behind the wheel on dirt and I can't control myself. Jdog would testify that I really like to rally on the dirt roads. My favorite was my old 1986 Jetta. Good power, great tracktion, very controlable in power slides, good low end acceleration. I've hit the high 80's on the dirt road to Mount Adams. The best way to beat the ruts on dirt is to go really fast. It's in my blood I'm half German and half Austrian. I love the autobahns. Check out the attachment, this was on a bus in Ecuador, the driver is passing the beer truck!

No you can't get one for $20K, but we don't spend a dime of our own money. We build it all from scratch with lots of unpaid overtime. But we get almost all of the parts donated, and what is not donated we cover with sponsorship money. So I guess if you get sponsors like we do you can make it for free. In addition to the two Pikes Peak racing trucks we've built we also built a Land Speed truck which holds the record for Class 8 in single and dual axles and a drag racing truck, which we just sold. Although I've never gotten to drive the Pikes Peak Hill Climb truck on dirt, I've been in the passenger seat (when we had one) with the driver we hire to race Pikes Peak for us. I'd have to say it was a once in a life time experience, scared the hell out of me and I like to drive real fast on dirt. A few years ago our driver wrecked the truck. That 12,600# truck turned five good sized trees into tooth picks. Lucky it was three weeks before the race and we were able to get it fixed in time for the race.

I've got one saying for four wheel drive owners. Four wheel drive, four wheel slide. The only thing a four wheel drive is good for, 2 things actually, are: 1) Gets you going faster so the wrecks are more spectacular 2) Gets your mechanic to send his kids to college I just got an older Subaru. Awsume car, but a dog when rally driving up the dirt trailheads. I liked my older model Jetta, loved to power slide around curves. I met the Subaru Rally team this year at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. Unfortuantly one of the cars wrecked at another race and two of the drivers I met died. Here is the ultimate trailhead vehicle. 0-60 in 4.2 seconds. (open attachment) What I do when I'm not climbing. Build race trucks...

catbirdseat: You're throwing criminals into your statistics? We're talking about responsible gun owners, not outlaws. Thats why there are so few people getting charged with a crime when they defend themselves with a firearm, they are resposible. I bet most of the criminals already had felony convictions and weren't supposed to have a gun anyway.

You said it. I didn't. Listen, I could come up with ten times the number of unjustified shootings in the same time interval, but I would be boring. I'd like to see that. I'll have to dig out the study done in Colorado. Five years after the "Make My Day Law" was passed the State issued a report on the number of justified uses of deadly force to those where the homeowner was charged with a crime. The result was that only 2% involved charges being filed. I can't recall how many of these 2% were actually brought the trial. That works out to 50:1 against your theory. Catbirdseat, are you just shooting your mouth off or do you have some facts to back up your Wild West theory? We'd have a whole lot less gun crime if a law was passed that put any criminal behind bars for life if they used a gun in the commision of a crime.

catbirdseat you're full of crap....... The media only highlights questionable shootings to further their own agenda. Most shootings by law abiding citizens are justified and the media doesn't hype them up. They only want to make hay about the idiots with guns. A few good stories: Woman in justified shooting of intruder in Seattle. Homeowner shoots pair of alleged thieves Two women capture suspects Alleged home intruder shot, 'critical' Self-defense eyed in incident's wake Slain burglar had served 4 prison terms Falls burglary victim shoots suspect, 19 Jury says rancher justified in killing Bank robbery suspect is shot

I like the Colorado "Make My Day Law" Lady has a restraining order against her boyfriend. He starts bashing down her door one night. She calls 911. As he gets the door open she unloads 6 45cal rounds into him. Police show up ten minutes later. The now dead boyfriend is found to have a 9mm in his waistband. Wonder if he just wanted to have a friendly little chat with his girlfriend? Another one, Florida if I remember. Guy gets car jacked, the perps stuff him into the trunk of his car. The perps drive for a few minutes and then stop to check the guy, they think he might have a cell phone. Perps unlock truck. Owner pops out brandishing two handguns, tells them to hit the deck. The perps don't, both have their car jacking careers put to an early end. For home defense a pump action shotgun is the best. If someone is in the house and they hear that sucker getting cocked, they've got to have some big balls to stay around. If they do the shot gun is a whole lot better then a pistol or assault rifle in the house. Too bad the liberal media doesn't harp on all the justified shootings as much as they harp on the isolated unjustified shootings. Every responsible citizen should, vote and own a gun.

I'd like to see if anyone can beat these: Most stupid place to get gear stuck (The Tooth): A stuck cam on the "Tooth" of all places. First the follower couldn't get it out on the way up, then the two couldn't get it out on rappel. I got it out on the first try - look before you pull guys. Most gear left on route (4): A few weeks ago we followed two guys up Diedra. I removed two nuts and my partner removed two nuts.

I was once young & dumb too. But you can’t really avoid the facts. I sincerely hope JoshK has a wonderful marriage and beats the odds. I also hope adventuregal gets her wish too. However, I was reading that the divorce rate is dirrectly linked to how old the WOMAN is at the time of the marrage. The younger the woman the less stable the marrage. So if you do decide to tie the knot adventuregal, be sure your done adventuring

What’s missing is that the undivorced 50% aren't all living in bliss either. I'd say over 60% of them are wishing they had the balls to get divorced and find life barely tolerable (like my parents). So the success rate is under 25%. I've had several friends of mine get married and then 3 years later tell me if they had to do it over again they would stay single. So I know there are a lot of non-divorced people out there hating life; be it because of kids, finances, religion. Better be compatible & respect this person your attaching yourself to for "life" or its gonna suck for the rest of your "life".

Rather then bore everyone with all the climbing Jdog and I did at Squamish this weekend I thought I'd post a TR of the most interesting route. (and not just because of the climbing) Well we had just got done with Rock On, dry, and were still a little sore from the 12 pitches the day before so we decided to do an easy climb on the Apron. We parked the car and to our surprise there was absolutely no one on the Apron at 3PM!!!!! We decided on Banana Peel. We geared up and headed out to the start. To our disappointment the only people climbing were on the start of Banana Peel. We looked at Diedre, no one was lined up or on the route We decided to make the climb more interesting then normal. We doubled the 70m rope with the intention of simoclimbing the route. I lead the first five pitches but felt I wanted some of the gear Jdog had cleaned. I stopped at the anchor and got a couple of cams from him and finished the route 48 minutes after starting up. What a climb, no waiting! As we headed down I stopped to look at the guys on Banana Peel. Well, the first thing I notice is a solo climber, male, at the top of the climb, wearing nothing but rock shoes and a chalk bag. I say, "Hi nature boy, nice climb?" His reply mentioned that is was a great climb, all 12 minutes of it. But then upon reflection mentioned that the two guys he passed probably didn't think it was all the great having to look at his crack. I'd have to agree. From somewhere he pulls out a pair of shorts, and headed down. When he got off the slabs and on the trail, off came the rock shoes and he walks back to his car barefoot! So even though this was the easiest climb we did all weekend, it was definitely the most interesting! Now this is the second time climbing that I've run across a "Nature Boy", why aren't there more "Nature Girls"?

I'm going to at least one of these meetings. I hope they reduce the number of guided parties or at the least the number of clients going up a particular route all at once. Those RMI wagon trains suck. Last weekend I set up my telescope to observe Mars from Sunrise and watched the RMI guys heading to the summit I counted over 20 people in my narrow field of view. They create this unholy bottle neck. I also wonder if the park serivce is going to take over the guide house, cook house and bunk house that RMI has been using all these years. I read the guide house needs major work to it. If so, I wonder if RMi is going to pick up the bill?

No joke! From the Seattle Times. Urban climber electrocuted scaling drugstore building By Ian Ith and Michael Ko Seattle Times staff reporters Tyler O. Miller was a typical senior at Western Washington University in Bellingham, friends and family said: an outdoorsy, adventurous young man, an "athletic nerd" with an analytical mind who dreamed of writing sci-fi screenplays and novels. He also loved to scurry up the sides of buildings like other people scale mountainsides — a pastime some call "urban climbing." "He climbed a lot of buildings in his time," said his college roommate, Colin Dalvit, 21. "He looked at it as solving a problem, and he liked to go where most people didn't go. That was his deal." But in the darkness of early Tuesday, after shimmying up the side of a drugstore building in downtown Bellingham, the graduate of Blanchet High School in Seattle bumped into power lines and was electrocuted before his body fell 30 feet to the pavement below. "He was just messing around, and he got into kind of a tight spot," said Bellingham police Lt. Craige Ambrose. "And it was a maze of wires up there where he was. Miller, 21, an English literature major, was on a climbing excursion with a couple of friends about 1 a.m. when he fell from the Rite Aid building into an alley off Cornwall Avenue. It appears Miller accidentally bumped his head on a high-voltage line, which he may not have seen, and then fell into other lines before plunging to the ground, said Whatcom County Medical Examiner Gary Goldfogel. Paramedics tried to revive him before pronouncing him dead, police said. "He never showed any signs of life after he hit the ground," Goldfogel said. The official cause of death was electrocution, he said. The fall probably wouldn't have killed him. While Miller may have had a couple of beers before his climb, investigators don't think alcohol was a factor in the accident, Ambrose said. Miller's friends, who weren't Western students and weren't named, won't likely face any charges. "Urban climbing," sometimes called "buildering," is not a new pastime, and police at Western and at the University of Washington say they don't encounter it much anymore. Still, enthusiasts on the Internet boast of a "local renaissance" in the activity. It was more popular in the 1970s, when students at the UW went so far as to publish a guidebook rating various campus buildings for climbability. The climbing rock near Husky Stadium was built, in part, in hopes of giving people an alternative to climbing up Denny Hall. One UW spot that remains popular is the towering exhaust stacks in Red Square, though climbers "usually get caught before they get off the ground," said Annette Spicuzza, assistant chief of the UW police. "They can be arrested for trespassing. It's dangerous. It's just not safe." Jule Gust, 25, a recent UW graduate and secretary of the UW Climbing Club, said she knows several people who enjoy climbing buildings. "It's good climbing because it offers interesting structures for training," she said. "But it also helps that it's illegal and kind of exciting, and you have to go during the night. I guess the ones who still do it, do it because of the added thrill." But police said it's a thrill that isn't worth it. "Hopefully this is a passing pastime, and I hope to get the word out that it's not a good thing to do," said Jim Shaw, chief of the Western Washington University police. Tyler Olson Miller was born Feb. 18, 1982, and except for his first four months, lived with his father, Bern, aboard a sailboat moored in Ballard. He grew to 6 feet tall, an easy-tanning, blue-eyed athlete who won awards in martial arts, his father said. Still, he was quiet, though not an introvert. He didn't try to compete for attention, and he was helpful, wise and serious. "If you can visualize this, he's an athletic nerd," said his father, 60, a Seattle computer programmer. "He liked rock climbing, but he liked video games. He liked hiking, but he was also into collecting cult DVDs." Miller took up climbing about five years ago, and nurtured his outdoorsy, carefree attitude while at Western. "I sent him away as a nice little capitalist, and Western turned him into a tree hugger," his father said. In college, where he worked at a local Taco Time, he made a lot of friends because he made people laugh but interested them with his analytical conversations, his roommates said. And he was always the first to jump up on stage at the karaoke bar, or the first to try a challenging climb. "He was fearless in everything he did," roommate Dalvit said. "A complete original."

I've seen my share of bad car accidents. I've been a first responder on a couple of occasions but the worst scene I have ever come across was a car/bike accident. Taking a shortcut from Boulder to I-70, going skiing, my date and I came across the scene right after it happened. The biker died right there in the field in front of us. One leg was separated from the body, most bones in the lower half were just crushed. The poor truck driver had reached down to change radio stations and swerved just a little to clip the guy. The driver was besides himself. After the paramedics arrived we ended up turning around and going back home. Didn’t feel like skiing that day.

"Boeing Sucks!" is still stamped on my water bottles and other gear I brought out to Denali but I didn't bring any of that stuff. Elevation Map Here is the TR on my experiances: Wonderland Trail: 93-95 miles, 24,000' vertical elevation gain and loss. 8/15/03 Wake up very apprehensive about this weekend. I make sure my boss knows I will be out Monday, maybe even Tuesday. I load up my backpack. I had looked at a new lightweight backpack for this trip, but figure stick with what you know. I know I need a bivy and sleeping bag. I have a wonderfully light North Face +30F down bag. I also throw in my down jacket stuffed into my Metolius climbing harness bag, light weight and will serve as a good pillow. I add my lightest ¾ length blue foam pad. In the pad I roll a baguette. I line the backpack with a garbage bag, and stuff in the sleeping bag, down jacket. On top I throw in a pair of light weight gloves, polypro pull-over, my wool cap, my micro light LED headlamp with fresh batteries. I take my cell phone in case I can call Steve to let him know if I'm doing plan "A" or "B". He plans on meeting me at White River on Sunday to hike with me. I bring two tubes of GU for food, along with a can of Spam (1080 calories), 13 breakfast bars, some (24) beef jerky stick @ 30 calories each. I add a plastic wedge of the rindless brie cheese and throw in two packets of tuna fish for lunch. In my backpack's bladder pouch I stash my Platypus which I fill with cool-aid. I bring cool-aid to make two more batches. The pack is relatively light. I go to work and still remain apprehensive. I get stuck in a meeting from hell and can't leave till 4PM. I head off, traffic is a nightmare. Big mistake, I didn't call ahead for the backcountry permit. I forgot I did this last year, they had taped it to the ranger station door. I have a choice to make, hike illegally or forget about it. I decide to go. I brought a little note book along to document the trip, on the first page I write a note to myself; "The hour of truth, can it be done? YES!" I love the weather, rather mild. I make good time to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground. I've been up that section three times now, boring. I turn into the hut and sit on the porch noting that Jeremy was right, this would be a good place to sleep. However as I grab the log book I hear someone rustling inside the hut? A female pokes her head out and asks what the heck am I doing? Do I have a permit? I'm honest with her and tell her my story. To make a long story short she tells me to head back to Longmire and get a permit in the morning! Right!! I head back to the trail and camp along the trail, figure I'll be up and out of there before anyone wakes up. I throw the backpack high up into a tree about 40 yards from my bivy and slide off to blissful sleep. I wake up many times at night to the sound of rain. I'm having flashbacks to last year. 8/16/03 Wake up to nothing but dampness. The rain is gone but the area is wet, wet, wet. I eat a few breakfast bars, retrieve the backpack out of the tree; it's soaking wet. I pile the damp sleeping bag and wet bivy into it. I'm heading down the trail at 06:04. I hope the ranger hasn't called me in. My shoes were dry up to this point, however, as I passed vegetation my shorts, polypro long johns, socks and shoes became soaked in water. My feet started to squish with every step. I can feel the feet wrinkling up as I walk. Blisters are starting. There are only a few glimpses of the Tahoma Glacier as the clouds lift and then drop again. The high point to South Puyallup Camp Ground is neat, you follow an old moraine for a distance. The river crossing on the suspension bridge is thrilling in the day time. I don't stop as I pass the campground. Nor for the next or the next. Soon I'm at Golden Lakes, by this time my knee has started to pang just a little bit. I debate stopping at Golden Lakes, I head on to Mowich River. The river crossing here is tricky as most of the bridges are out. I take a brief 40 minute break at the camp ground. I set the pack next to me and check out the feet. They are water logged and sore with blisters. I eat a little bit of the baguette with cheese and a few jerky sticks. I set my pad out and sit on it resting my back against a log. A few people are in camp. I pull out the bug juice and apply it to my arms. The bugs are bad here. I catch a mosquito sucking on my right big toe. For the twang in my knee I take 800mg of Ibuprofen. After 40 minutes I get up and headed up to Mowich Lake. Heading up the trail I stop for water at a small spring popping out of the ground. At the lake I enjoy the view of the lake but the people annoy me. Noisy, smoky and just unpleasant. I had gotten used to the sounds and smells of nature. A bit past Mowich Lake is Ipsut Pass, wonderful area. I dropped down the pass eating berries as I go. I quickly get to Ipsut Creek and remembered the snowy days when we hiked in from there to climb Liberty Ridge. Soon the Carbon River Camp Ground is behind me and another suspension bridge. After Dick Creek Campground I started thinking I could make it to Granite Creek. However the steep path to Mystic Lake convinced me that I had gone far enough today. As I arrived at Mystic Lake the sun was setting and the view was wonderful. The entire Willis Wall, Ptarmigan Ridge, Liberty Ridge and Glacier were lit in a deep red glow from the sunset. I walked to the end of the lake to see the reflection and actual sunset in the clear surface of the lake, OUTSTANDING. After sunset I nabbed a camp spot and pitched my bivy. I ate Spam with bread. I sleep very good and very soundly. 8/17/03 At 6AM I got up ate the left over Spam and continued on my way. My socks were still damp as were the shoes. It grimaced as I slide them on. I dumped the rest of the water from the day before and filled the bladder with cool-aid. Today was going to be hot, I could feel it. There was a small detour near Granite Creek Camp Ground. The trail had washed out. I was drinking a lot of water/cool-aid. After Granite Creek the trail levels out a little bit as you approach Sunrise. As I crested the plateau near Sunrise I ran into a huge Marmot. Near here I run out of water. I don't stop at Sunrise but just continue to White River where I know there is tap water on hand. Descending to White River is painful, I do not like the steep downhill sections. I fill up on my water; no cool-aid. From here on out I'm expecting to see Steve. As I head down the road there he is coming up it. He turns around and parks. I ache as he gets ready to hike. Soon the two of us are hiking up to Summerland together. The views on this hike are very rewarding. The day is hot. It's nice to have Steve hiking with me for this section. At Summerland Steve and I take a break. I eat lunch. A few breakfast bars, jerky and some water. I talk to two young guys going to Indian Bar Camp Ground. Steve and I head out for Pan Handle Gap; the trail still covered in snow at some points. Steve turns around about half way up, I continue up the trail and over the pass. The trail down to Indian Bar doesn't ease up right away. There are a few areas where uphill travel is still required. The two young hikers are keeping pace with me all the way to Indian Bar. From the trail the view of Indian Bar is wonderful. The flowers are just growing all around the camp and waterfall. At Indian Bar I say good-bye to the two youngsters and continue on toward Nickel Creek Camp Ground. I cry at the steep uphill section as I leave Indian Bar. I have to take a break to catch my breath, this hill is steep. Soon I'm losing elevation and set a good pace towards Nickel Creek. I pass a pair of dayhikers with a video camera. They don't like the dust I'm kicking up so they run past me. At Indian Creek I take a short break near the creek, eat something and refill my water bag with cool aid. I take stock of my physical state. Now that I've had a chance to rest and re-hydrate I decide to finish the route tonight. I quickly head to Box Canyon and see the parking lot. I cross the bridge and continue till Maple Creek. After Maple Creek, had I known the conditions of the trail or the amount of up hill to get to Reflection Lake I would have camped right then and there. The vegetation along this trail was recently cut. The cut vegetation hid rocks and roots. I had to be very careful here. The uphill was murderous. Just horrible. Reflection Lakes didn't come soon enough. Just a few miles in I had to put on the head lamp, which made trail walking even more difficult. I ran into the road several more times and finally made it to the last highpoint Reflection Lakes. I didn't bother to even look, I was totally focused on finishing the trail. After the Lakes the trail dropped rapidly. One more interesting creek-crossing left and soon I was back at Longmire. That parking lot look so wonderful, my car even better, what a neat machine, no walking involved. WOW I did it!

Norman_Clyde: How much did it hurt? Not a lot only when I got home. What part did you suffer the most? My feet started to hurt around Mystic Lakes, 1/2 way. My right knee started to twang heading down to Mowich River Camp Ground. It hurt worse with each new downhill section. The most I suffered was from Maple Creek Camp Ground to Reflection Lake. The last uphill was too long and the vegitation was recently trimmed. The trimmed vegitation was laying on the trail. It was getting dark and there was no way to tell if you were going to step on a rock or root. In less then a few minutes I had almost turned my ankle twice. For several sections I had to shuffle my feet to make sure I was not going to step on a hidden root or rock. Last thing I wanted was to get carried out the last 5 miles. What kind of footwear did you choose? I had on brand "NEW" Trail running shoes. I bought the lightest pair that were comfortable. A good choice. I forget the brand, I think they are made by Rebock? Very light and flexible. Not enough arch support though. My arches are a little achy right now. What was the longest hike beforehand? Training hikes were all less then 12 miles. Most much shorter. Last year I did about 50miles before I bailed, so I knew what I was in for. KEVINW: I found I could not go downhill too fast. I used to run the Pikes Peak Marathon but running downhill blew out my knees. I would not advise anyone to run the downhill sections of the Wonderland Trail. Personnaly I made my best time going up a slight incline. I ran a few flat sections early on but not much at all.

Lets dispel some myths starting here. Total hiking time was 33hrs 10m. The guy that did this in 26 hours was in damn good shape. Downhill sucks. I planed 22 minute miles, I did 21 minute miles. I did NOT run/jog. I did not get assistance, I carried all items with me. I did haul out trash I found on the trail/CG. I did not take breaks except for: Fri: Sleep Sat: sleep, lunch Sun: sleep, lunch, 15m break I planed a three day trip, I shortened it to two so I didn't have to burn a vacation day at work. Yes, I went to work Monday. NO, it was not productive. My polypro top & bottom are gray, dull and boring. My shorts are gray, dull and boring. My socks are gray, dull and boring. My shoes are gray, dull and boring. If anyone else does this trail, no matter how fast or slow, I tip my hat to them. This was harder then my summit day from 14K camp on Denali. The Wonderland Trail is a true classic.

Last year I called in advance, the park service taped the backcountry permit to the door for me. This year I forgot I had called, I thought that you could self register like in the winter which I do all the time. As it turned out I had two choices, I was lame and took the easy one. I hiked without a permit. I figure how am I all that different from dayhikers? I was wrong to do this and no-one should follow my lame example. I had wanted to sleep on the porch at Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground, but there was a ranger there so I slept on the trail near the Mirror lake turn off. To make up for my lameness I sent a PM to Mike G. to apologize.

The times are listed below. Here is what I brought: Light weight North Face down bag & blue sleeping pad OR Advanced Bivy Bladder for water Small backpack Down jacket (pillow) Polypro pull over, light weight glove, wool hat (sleeping) Trail shoes & socks, Long john top & bottom Sunglasses, ball cap, bandana, shorts Cell phone (not used) Food: Rindless brie, bagett, (1) can of Spam beef jerky, tuna fish (didn't eat), about 30 packets of GU (60% consumed), (13) breakfest bars (8 consumed) toilet paper (didn't use), Didn't crap once. Brought cool-aid. Started with cool-aid, then water, cool-aid, water, cool-aid. So I filled up with water 4 times. No filter, looked for spring water, plenty around. Clockwise Time Split Longmire 20:25 Pyramid Creek 21:32 1:07 Devils Dream 22:13 0:41 Indian Henry's 22:38 0:25 S. Puyallup 7:44 9:06 Klapatche Park 9:04 1:20 N. Puyallup 9:54 0:50 Golden Lakes 11:28 1:34 Mowich River 13:24 1:56 Mowich Lake 15:38 2:14 Ipsut Creek 17:16 1:38 Carbon River 18:06 0:50 Dick Creek 18:53 0:47 Mystic Lake 20:39 1:46 Granite Creek 8:09 11:30 Sunrise 9:40 1:31 White River 10:42 1:02 Summerland 13:13 2:31 Indian Bar 15:28 2:15 Nickle Creek 18:25 2:57 Box Canyon 19:07 0:42 Maple Creek 19:54 0:47 Paradise River 22:54 3:00 Longmire 0:35 1:41

Apparently the fact I ended that with a question mark didn't sink in? And I said details would follow. But since it's been raised, I could have easily have done it in 48 hrs had I not hiked for the first three hours on Friday night. I would have been better off sleeping at the parking lot and leaving Saturday morning. I know I could have done it in 48hrs, but "Officially" it was not; hence the question mark.

***********Start of chest thumping********** Well I got it! I'll post details later, but here are the basic facts: Clockwise from Longmire Left car: 20:25 Friday night (stupid) Arrived at car: 00:35 Monday morning Details to follow ***********End of chest thumping**********

What happens with a failure to pay?

I lost my Olympus C-720 UZ digital camera Saturday on Mount Adams. It got misplaced on the descent somewhere after we took off our skis. We climbed up and skied down to where the snow stops at a huge cairn. I don't know if it was there or further down, maybe even at the trailhead? It is in a Red OR insulated water bottle holder with an extra memory card. If anybody helps get it back to me there will be a significant reward. BTW, the top 500' vertical sucked due to the huge sun cups. After that the skiing was GREAT!!!!!. Only had to take the skis off to cross over a three feet section without snow, otherwise a rapid and fun descent.

I tried last year just before my shoulder sugery. I wanted to do it in 2 1/2 days. I did about 50 miles in 24hrs, then I bailed. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't miss the Pre-op for my surgery. I brought tablets for water, two plastic tubes of GU and about 25 additional packets & one Fred Meyer's french roll. I wanted to go self sustained. Had a bivy and light weight sleeping bag. Only brought a light weight wind breaker to put on and a BlackDiamond LED headlamp. I did a bit of hiking in the dark. Used light weight running shoes. Since it rain about 50% of the time I was out I got soaked, as did the down bag I had. Part of the reason I bailed. Will try this again in a few weeks. Anyone here if the trail is 100% free of snow?

If you PM me I'll send you my trip report on our climb (party of 2). We accidentally climbed Pyramid Peak in the dense fog; a ranger stated he had done the same too. When on the cleaver route finding is basic. However, we did have to do one rappel to get on the right ledge, we could have backtracked but didn't want to waste the time. Lots of rock exposure in some places. We did it late in the year. You do have glacier travel in some spots. I didn't bring a helmet, pretty dumb, but the size of most rocks that came whizzing by a helmet would not have helped. Did a bivy at 13K on the cleaver. One of the most memerable nights on Rainier ever. Good view of the Kautz parties and people on the Paridise to Muir trail.