Juan

Climb: Colchuck Peak-NBC Date of Climb: 6/25/2004 Trip Report: Friend Jon Heller and I had a day (Friday 6/25) to burn at a wedding celebration this past weekend in Leavenworth. While everyone else rafted the Wesnatchee, we went to the NBC on Colchuck. I have climbed this route three times, but always in April or May. Never in late June. Jon had never been up Colchuck. Right now the NBC looks much like the pictures in Nelson/Pothead Vol. I, second ed. Pretty melted out in the middle. It went snow, rock, snow, rock, snow to the top of the gully. With the extreme heat, one big rock fell from the top of the gully but kindly stayed on the snow at a point where we were climbers' right on the rock. The rock climbing is 3rd/4th Class for the most part with maybe two low 5th moves. The snow was so soft we never donned crampons. We double plunged the whole thing. The upper face is always fun. You can take snow the whole way up the face once you leave the ledge system. I'd say this route has a few more weeks left in it. Gear Notes: Placed three pickets and three cams to 1'. Approach Notes: Dry to the top of the moraine.

So Bruk: I was the best man at a wedding in Leavenworth this weekend. At a party Friday night at Ducks & Drakes, I am talking to one of the groom's friends from childhood. They grew up in Buffalo. I can tell by his questions that he has done a lot of climbing around the globe. He is an ER doc in Denver. After a few minutes he mentions that he climbed Rainier two weekends ago. Fifty bucks if you can guess who this nice fellow is. I spent the weekend talking to him. He had nothing but kind words about you. =;-) John Sharp

Hey Tele: Did you see a couple (guy and girl) on the peak? We ran into them on Friday (they were camped at the lake) and she mentioned that peak as an idea for Sunday. Just curious. John Sharp

Bruk: Seriously good job keeping your shit together in those conditions. If I understand your timeline, you had your long night on Lib. Cap on Sat. 6/12. The Montana pair was likely at or around Thumb Rock on that same night. This would suggest that they may well have been blown off the ridge that night or the next morning, right? We were at 7,000' on a moraine on the N. side of Adams the night of 6/12. The wind was gusting at maybe 40 and the slush/rain/groppel was pounding our tents. Nothing compared to what you had. We felt lucky to have decided on Adams instead of the Kautz Rt. on Rainier, which was our other idea. Had we made that decision, we'd have been just below Camp Hazard in tougher conditions, though still not what you experienced by any means. The other pair in my group had an REI Traildome that would not have survived anything more than the conditions we experienced. Timing, as they say, is everything. Cheers, John Sharp

Climb: Mt. Adams -N. Ridge Date of Climb: 6/17/2004 Trip Report: On June 17, the last day of my 40th year (41st birthday June 18), I hiked up the N. Ridge of Mt. Adams to redeem the previous weekend when we were stormed off the peak on Sat. night (June 12). The N. Ridge is technically easy if long and somewhat crumbly. A good and safe solo route. I left Bellevue at 3:45 a.m., and left the car at 7:25 a.m. My arrival awoke three skiers who were sleeping at their cars. To get there, I took FR 23 to 21 to 56 to 5603 to 2329 to Killen Creek TH, as I recall. I hiked up to the base of the ridge, went around to look at the Lava Glacier Headwall, and decided I didn't have time to fool around with a real climb. I hiked up the ridge and topped out at 3:00 on the true summit in a whiteout. The 22 or so people who had climbed the Adams Glacier that day left a nice footpath which helped in the white conditions. The weather cleared a bit on top which was nice. I was back at the base of the ridge at 5:15 p.m. and shot the shit for 30 minutes with the three skiers, who had skied the W. Face of the N. Ridge in fine style. Back to the car at 8:00 p.m., and back to Bellevue at midnight, just in time for the big thunder storm. I recommend this trip for anyone looking for a good workout and safe solo route to the top of a volcano. Gear Notes: Ski poles, crampons (had steel but should have had aluminum), one ice axe, and ginseng. I had no bud green, but it would have helped. Approach Notes: See road notes above. Trail is snow-covered from about 5,700' I think.

The first time I went in there it was rocks on the way in, below the rocks but in thick trees on the way out. Second time it was below the rocks both ways and much easier. If you keep the rocks in view through the trees and pay attention at the head of the valley, all will be well. There is flagging at the head of the valley. As for you Dan, I'm beginning to wonder, what with the N. Face of Shuksan thing and all. =;-) Sharp

Man, does that look different than two years ago, one week later in June. But I'm sure there's nothing to this global warming bullshit. W will lead us through. Sharp

Oh shit. Just my luck. They'll probably yell at me for climbing alone. But the trail should be pounded out more than it was last weekend . . .

I turn 41 on Friday 6/18 and need to climb the N. Side of Adams on Thurs. before doing so, and to make up for our getting stormed on at the 7,000' base camp this past weekend. Who is up for a late Wed. departure from Seattle and all-day Thurs. climb of Adams Glacier route, NFNWR, or whatever? We'll be home Thurs. late, and slightly drunk. E-mail me. John Sharp jsharp@windermere.com

She should be given Ray Borbon's phone number. Or we could set her up with Beckey. I know where he lives . . .

Thanks Loren. I did get through to the ranger on a different number, and I also looked through that ski site that was referenced. Sounds like you can get very close to the Killen TH now via the back route. With this weather forecast dimming, I'm thinking that Adams might be a good bet. Or try to get above the weather on Rainier, or perhaps something easy like the Sherpa route on Stuart. N. Cascades looks to be soggy on Sunday. Doesn't it always figure. Hope you are well, John

What about the approach to Adams Glacier Route? Anyone know anything about this? The ranger is not answering the phone . . . Thanks, John Sharp

Cams to a #4 Camelot will suffice for the route. You might want two for the 5.8 crack at the start -- a matter of confidence. That pitch has some awkward spots for the aspiring 5.8 leader. If you are shaky, you will feel like you are going to pop out to the left. The Bear Hug takes one #4 down low. It's an easy pitch. I always recommend this route to people as the best easy/moderate up there. Rarely has more than one party on it. Have fun. And use Fred's route description and topo. Nelson's sucks. Sorry Jim, but it's true for that route. Sharp

Word is it's unclimbable. At least that's what I hear. Just kidding of course. Have fun.

Chips Ahoy! Point well taken. Trust that I never, ever sit at home because of what I read here. That said, if I see a valuable and reliable piece of information that cuts against an intended route, it may cause me to rethink a plan. The nice thing about plans is that they can always be changed. When we have a babysitter for our three young sons and the weather is good and everything is a go, it's a GO if you know what I mean. The stars don't line up very often, but when they do, we try to maximize the effort within our meager abilities. Cheers, John

Thanks for the reponses. I've been down the E. Ledges twice and I think we skipped the last rappel anyway. I will check out that earlier thread that Ray started. I am always cautious about route condition reports -- I'm sure I have told people something was out, and they then went and did it -- and I have heard people all too often say that something is out and I have then walked right up it. Once, after climbing the Entiat Icefall on Maude in early July some years ago, we met some guys on the trail on the way out who had bailed on the N. Face. They said the whole thing was GONE! Not exactly, was our smug response. My questions were really more driven by the fact that I generally prefer not to expose my wife to too much risk. Cheers all, John

Are you serious about the gully? You sound like you know what you are talking about. This is amazing. Maybe I should change my plans to take my wife up that route mid-June. Perhaps the N. Ridge, but didn't Ray say the E. Ledge rap slings are manky? Sharp

I have never seen the lake even close to melted at this time of year, or so much bare rock around the lake and on the lower moraine. I had the same realization two weeks ago at Mt. Hood. Maybe someone could pass this on to the administration in D.C. because I am sure there is nothing to this warming trend thing, just like they say. How about the incredible shrinking snow pack and glacial system. Anyone catch the article on Lake Powell a couple weeks back? Really great fucking news. John Sharp

After reading this, I think the bush you are talking about died and fell out of its nook after getting a whiff of ChucK's BO. I mean, that is serious stuff! Sharp

Allow me to revise my previous comments -- we did not actually see the May 2003 party, including Dallas Kloke, in the summit register. We saw their names. And our trip was 7/12 I guess. Not 7/13. =;-)

Way to go. Our trip was last July, like the 13th or something. I was with Doug Walker, Craig McKibben, and Sam Shabb. We saw the May 2003 party in the register that included Dallas Kloke. Also, someone had signed in after a Jan. 2003 solo of the N.W. Ridge and over the top, as I recall. That would be a long winter day. Isn't it a cool peak? It deserves to see more people even if just by the std. Dry Creek Route. John Sharp

Tom: Two questions: Did you take the dog, and are you still unemployed? Way to go on this beautiful day. Sharp

We rapped the normal descent back to the basin below the E. Face. It had a huge cornice and about ten ft. of free hanging rappel before you touched snow. Terry went first and the rope cut the cornice but didn't break it off. Then I went, and Crispin asked me to try to bust off the lip so he wouldn't catch his ski tails on the cornice when he went over. I obliged by jumping and walking around on the edge until the whole thing collapsed. It was exciting to fall ten ft. with a refridgerator sized block of snow breaking around me. Other than smooshing my right testicle and getting snow down my neck, no big deal. Kind of comical really. The gully was steeper than Crispin wanted to ski so he rapped before putting the boards back on. It was definitely a great day, and we were impressed by your one tool, one whippet ascent. It's steep in a few places. Good job. John

Two of us snow shoed and Crispin skied -- off the summit. Juan

My nephew Terry Ahern, Crispin Prahl, and I climbed the N.E. Butt today under beautiful skies. We did what is the left-hand variation in Washington Ice. Another pair was behind us and we saw them topping out. Great conditions. No gear except slings for trees at the top of the first pitch and two screws for the exciting ice bulge pitch. It would have been smart to use a piton or two to set a rock belay to the climber's right of the bulge, but we didn't. In places, pickets would have worked, but those places aren't that steep. It took us five hours car to top. It was warm, but any day this week should be good for any route on Chair. Didn't see any whippets, but saw three fat ravens in the dumpster at the Chevron in the morning. John Sharp