Bug

Yes. Each SAR unit has a 4x4 team, a snowmobile team, and a Mountain team. I do not know the name of the Whatcom County Sheriffs Office SAR person. But as a member of Seattle Mountain Rescue, I know there is one. "Bellingham Mountain Rescue volunteers and the group Snowmobile Volunteers plan to search the area in the lower Coleman Glacier. Skagit Mountain Rescue will also search the east side of the mountain in case Lafleur went into the Baker Lake area." It is a VERY well organized SAR group and we freely call each other for help. We are volunteers but we spend a lot of time training. After climbing for 35+ years and then going through their training, I was VERY impressed with everyone I worked with and would be very comforted knowing they were looking for me or a loved one.

I have seen a number of rattlers in Icicle. I am always very careful about jumping down to a spot that might be in front of a snake.

The approach gulley throws a lot of people. You will want to rope up for it. Start at the tree in the notch and follow the narrow ramp to the bolt. Then go straight up through the "obvious" cracks and chimneys. AplineFox and I did it a few years ago and finished with a traverse of the ridge to the top of OuterSpace. That was fun too.

Countdown to FW's post discrediting this as having no proof and we are all a bunch of leftist whacko's. 3,2,1....

Thanks, Would you mind packing a crowbar up there too?

Hmmmm. There was a lot of scemeing going on there. I'll remember that. Nice TR and pics.

I sent that one to my fiance. Haven't heard back yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Instant Battle

The walkoff is not bad if you take tennis shoes. Be kind and haul them through the chimney pitch for her. I took my brother and his wife up the climb 10 years ago. She had never climbed anything. She enjoyed it but is still not into climbing.

The American Alpine Club publishes Accidents in North American Mountaineering (abbreviated throughout this site as ANAM) annually. It's a highly informative read of the accounts of incidents, with analysis and comment. In the appendeces, the statistical tables categorize the myriad ways that people got the chop. You can find ANAM in your local library, or order it online from any number of book suppliers. Many years ago I read in this journal, or one like it, that 75% of all "climbing" accidents occur during the descent.

Right ON! My office suddenly seems more confining.

Cool. You got onit.

So let me get this straight. You are advocating eliminating all police forces in the US? Or are you saying you are going to become a Police officer and show us all how easy the job is? Or is it just that you have issues with authority figures?

I live on Lake Sammamish and have three kayaks and a 16' Rebel sailboat. I come home from work and have to decide if I'm going to run, paddle, or sail first. Neener, neener.

Yeah. I never know when I'm gonna get hungry.

Any head lice, crabs, or VD?

Up in Little Yosemite Valley, two friends and I squatted outside the regular camps. We hung our food up in a tree. Yogi and BooBoo fought over it all eveningt and one of them finally fell out of the tree, broke a branch, and got to our food. Then there was a feeding frenzy as they and two other bears fought and rustled around for it. They spent the rest of the night circling our camp growling at each other.

I read all your tr's john. They seem pretty straight forward to me. Being on a hard route defies description if you cannot say, "it was hard".

Griz can travel 50 mile in an casual day.

Some of us resemble that remark. But at least we try.

I saw a nice cinnimon black bear up the Stuart Lk Trail a couple years ago. They are popping out of their dens right about now. Unless they didn't hibernate which is the case in warmer (west side) climates. I have been charged a few times in Montana. Treed a dozen times for safety. And treed by moose a few times too. The scariest time was up the Yack, on the west side of Glacier park. A small, 90-120 lb black bear stalked me for a mile and then charged me for 100 yards full blast. He was probably two years old and had never seen a human before. At that age they are often cut off by their mothers so he was hungry too. I was in a huge clearing with no place to go. He ran up to within 15 feet of me when I charged him. I yelled as loud and mean as I could. I had my knife out and was ready to go down fighting. He was going to eat me if I didn't. He sat down and sniffed the air. My mind was racing. I realized that I could not give him time to gather his courage. I charged him again coming within 5 feet of him. He took off at top speed and dissappeared into the forest. The adrenaline was intense. I was half way back to camp before I realized I was walking still holding the knife.

Shoshone Direct 5 pitches, 5.9 Flathead SF/Ballard-Evringham Route 10 pitches, 5.10b The Red Tower on the Prow, 7 pitches 5.11a

It was gud. Ate sausage. Watched slides. Bought some of AF's gear and a snarg from Mattp. Met some great folks I'd been PM'n forever (Arch really is hot). And Feck was very polite when he told me he "didn't care much for me".

Amanita Muscaria. No. I ate them once in AK 25 years ago and was not impressed. They are a mild toxin, not a hallucinagenic. It is similar to hyper-ventilating. I just liked the specimine and snapped a pic that turned out great. It is even better on full screen.