Juan

The party of four was Doug Walker, Todd, Gus, and Julian Simon. They left the car at 8:30 and got to the top via the N. Face at 1:00. Pretty fast, eh? They said they saw you at one point but then didn't see you again. Sound like the day was a good one. Way to go. John Sharp

I called that guy who was mentioned in the thread on this site a couple of weeks ago (Tom? Don? Can't remember). He is with the N. Bend Ranger District, I think. He said we can't park at any Alpental lot unless and until the situation is resolved by paying a fee for parking (in addition to your trailhead pass) or the creation of another lot. At such time as we have high pressure following warming and I can get up there, I intend to check out the situation in the lots and see if anyone is hanging around ready to chase us away. If so, we may have to suck it up and hitchhike or walk the entire road from its beginning. If no one is around, then I'd say just park and scamper to the Snow Lake trailhead. We should all call or write or e-mail and give them our two cents. The land (all the Alpental lots and the first 1/4 mile of the traditional winter trail from the upper lot) is Alpental's to control under the lease, per that guy. But the more we work with them to find an alternative that does not cause them to lose revenue (primarily from skiers turned away for lack of parking), the better the chance we have of regaining our toe hold to good access. Let's get on it. John Sharp

Based on your recon, what would you expect to find on Chair (N. Face or N.E. Butt) this week? Anything? Thanks for the beta, John Sharp

I had coffee with Fred today. He was feeling a little under the weather but still hopes to ski this weekend. Total committment. Should be a good talk.

I now have three sons, the youngest being 3.5 months and the oldest being 7. I did almost as much climbing after our first child was born than before. Not quite, but pretty close. About 20 days a year after the first son. Some was with my wife, some without. I also climbed harder and better on rock, snow, and alpine after kids. It doesn't make sense to ramp up on the danger scale when you have kids, but that's what I did. After the second child, more good climbing, but more difficult to justify leaving my wife with both for a weekend. She still got out, but only about five days per year. Ask Erik Snyder about the time she kicked his fat ass up and down the N. Face of Maude in a day after having two kids! Now, the third child promises to complicate things considerably. Asking her to take care of all three while I'm gone for a weekend is not something I can do too often. I've gotten in five days since he was born. I owe her days off. Fitness level? Down for sure. Too much working and parenting. Body fat percentage? Still holding at 11%. More a function of diet at this point. So, having one kid will not do you in if you take charge and offer your spouse opportunites to do what she enjoys. Good luck, John Sharp

MattP et al.: My post on page 1 may have inferred that I advocate flaming people who are "gumbies" and/or post TRs on basic climbs. It may also have inferred that such posts are a waste of time. I did not mean to infer either. I am a gumby and have posted TRs on some easy climbs. For the sake of clarity, I don't think flaming TRs is good form. Because it's so common, I understand why so few people now write TRs. No one likes to be put down for their achievements. Why would you share your excitement at climbing the Sitkum Route on Glacier Peak when someone is going to rip it apart? Like everyone else, I enjoy reading a good TR. My point regarding climbs like Sahale Arm or the Tooth in summer is simply that I don't generally read them because I can pretty much envision the route. A post about either climb in late November, however, would be interesting because our recent weather will have an impact. Be it a hard route or basic climb, done by a gumby or hardman/hardwoman, a good TR is a pleasure to read. I wish there were more of them. I haven't seen much in the alpine lakes and north cascades section lately. I doubt it's because people aren't getting out. I think people are just sick of the bullshit that sometimes comes at them. Let's see more TRs, and fewer reasons not to write them. John Sharp

I rarely post TRs anymore, but that's in part because I am not getting out too much. Too busy having kids. For what it's worth, I've always liked well-written TRs, provided they are fairly short and to the point, with a little humor. Think of Bill Pilling's style, with a joke or two thrown in for good measure. I don't need to read about someone climbing Sahale Arm or the Tooth in summer, but if a person wants to write about basic climbs with little variability, so be it. I find greater value in reading about routes that are climbed less often, and I try to write the same. I consider such TRs more helpful to the climbing community at large. I think you can write a good, pithy TR that will help others who need/want beta, are bored at work, looking for ideas on what to climb, or all three. Like Ray, I'm not into a move-by-move description of a route. It's hard to write well using that style. That's my two cents. John Sharp

Let's just say the mountain goat was smilin'. Crispin got sloppy seconds. Bahhhhhhh. Juan

Good job. The only tracks you would have seen anywhere on the Lyman were ours, I think. We never needed to rap, and downclimbed the short steep step at the highest shrund (far climber's left on the descent, against the wall). Fun climb, eh? Did you do it in a day? Juan

Sure thing. How did you get to the top and on which day? Also, did you find a black ditty bag in the parking lot? I seem to have left it on top of the car or something, and lost a pair of glasses in the process . . . Juan

Friend Crispin Prahl and I had hall passes for Fri./Sat. and learned that the road to the Phelps Creek trailhead was re-opened. The Trinity Fire is under control. With a good forecast in hand, we went in to Chiwawa on Friday at the crack of noon. We camped on top of the ridge that is above (climber's right) what's left of the Spider Glacier. We were a ten minute ridge walk from Spider Pass and at about the same elevation. It was cold and clear Friday night with very little wind. Temps in the mid 20s. Glorious weather. No running water but snow to melt. The Lyman Glacier route looks very different than it did last July. There is 3-5" of new snow in the area, and thin ice smears over much of the shaded rock. We crossed the lower shrund on the far right and headed up the third class, ice smeared rock. Easy terrain. You can avoid the entire snout of the very broken-up glacier by staying right. You might be able to get up on the far left too. We had another shrund to tackle farther up, and it required about six feet of easy ice or snow covered rock. We are such studs. For the final shrund, we walked above it, then up to the ridge for the short scramble to the summit. No one has registered since late Aug. The mountain was evidently crawling with Mounties mid-summer. We missed out on the summit pin award ceremony, but maybe next time. This is a good easy climb right now. Take steel crampons and one axe, maybe two though you don't really need a second. A thin short rope was a good idea on the upper glacier as many cracks are lurking, but covered with new snow. Go get it before the big snow falls. John Sharp Bellevue

Ouch Ray! You brute. Other guy: See my report on Big Four from this July. Ray: Have you done that one? Extreme in the extreme. Juan

Nice job Michael. I would love to do it this time of year. Did it in July 1987. What do you think it would be like in the winter if it was another low snow year? John Sharp

Hey Chris: Is it worth going up to Chiwawa this coming weekend, in your opinion? Or will I just get blocked on this route by cracks. It was a no-brainer last year in July, but this is a different year to say the least. Your thoughts will be appreciated. John Sharp

Correction on the address to get tickets: vbrown@positiveplace.org, not vbrown@Kpositiveplace.org. Tickets are $125. Juan

You should consider the Dry Creek Route if the goal is to get to the top in a day, especially a short fall day. See my earlier write up (July this summer). It's not bad. Good luck, Sharp

Yep. Thanks though.

Hey guys: These are great suggestions. I thought about W. Ridge of Stuart. I did that one in '94 with a guy and we were really slow, though never off route. My wife did it in '99 with two old farts and they needed 11 hrs. car-to-car. I'm thinking Prusik because of the chance of better weather, drop dead scenery, and an easy climb. It will be a long day, but I think if we leave Seattle at 4:00 a.m., we'll be home before Sat. morning. Jim knows that my summit count this year sucks. Even one will help at this point! Bob is right about the obvious baiting. And ChucK, you know I love that Kaleeten Peak! Cheers all, Juan

Bob: What did you do in B. Basin, and where have you been since, uh, May? Missed you at my birthday; still waiting for my present. Juan P.S. The baby and Kirsten are fine.

Hey cool. Is this where you take potential girlfriends? Will the hike kill us?

These are good ideas. What about the W. Ridge of Prusik? I've never climbed it, and it sounds pretty mellow, albeit with a long approach. Erik, you know I don't mind a long walk now and again . . .

Help! I don't usually ask these questions, but I need advice. I've got a friend coming in from CA on Thurs., and our best-friend wives are going to let us go out on Friday, all day, to climb something. As we have six kids under seven years old between us, two of which are newborns, the fact of this hall pass is amazing. So we must seize the moment big time. He has climbed Shasta and Rainier (the latter with a guide), but no rock. He is in great shape, very athletic, and enthusiastic. Trouble is, the fire reports are suggesting that: (1) Sahale and/or Sharkfin may be in smoke from J'Berg; (2) WA Pass also smoky?; (3) Chiwawa road closed, so no Maude N. Face or Lyman Glacier routes? What do you guys/gals know? I don't know if I can bear to climb the Tooth or Ingalls again. Not sure he has enough experience for Stuart N. Ridge. Maybe W. Ridge. Any ideas here? We are looking for up to a 12-hour day. Don't mind a grunt, and we could probably get up to 5.7 with a quick on-the-spot tutorial. Your thoughts will be appreciated! John Sharp

Point well taken on the price. I guess we just have to think of it as a charity breakfast with a cool speaker. As for the logo thing, I don't have a clue how the sponsorships work. The only piece of free gear I've ever received was an old ice screw from a friend in Boulder!

Hey Sphinx: Not sure why you call Ed a jackass; I've never met him, but people say he's a very modest and selfless man. Pretty good climber too. As for the event, the good news is that about $115 of the ticket price is tax deductible. Something to think about. John

Ed Viesturs will be making a 30 to 45 minutes slide presentation at the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club ("The Club") on Nov. 6 at 7:00 a.m. It's a fundraiser for the Club. The cost is $125 per head, and all proceeds go to the Club. To reserve your space, please contact Val Brown at vbrownk@Kpositiveplace.org. I know the time of the presentation/breakfast is early in the morning, and $125 buys a lot of beer, but this should be a good chance to see him in person and hopefully see slides of his latest trips. Think of it as an "alpine start" to the work day. Cheers, John Sharp Bellevue