Juan

In other words, you climbed Dreamer. Matt said you guys had fun. Way to go. =;-)

Dude: You can handle it. If the fifth pitch looks like too much (it won't), then rap off and you've still had a good day. Give us a TR so we know you made it. John Sharp

Matt has it right. And for the record, when I was there with Erik and his pal last year, we got completely baked about five times. And it wasn't even that hot. =;-)

Just as a suggestion: If it's as hot as the weatherman says, Static and Darrington will be cookin'. Take lots of water and plenty of BBQ Sauce, with a high SPF. And have fun. John

Brooks and Whitelaw books sold to Dru for .83333333 cents (U.S., not Cheese Money) each. Way to go, eh?

While in Idaho this past weekend, I found copies of two out of print books that I have had since the mid-1980s. I found two copies of "Washington Rock" by Brooks and Whitelaw, which was published in 1982. It covers Darrington, Index, and Leavenworth. I also found a copy of "Washington Rock Climbs" by Smoot, 1989 edition. The former (Brooks and Whitelaw) is particularly good for Darrington; The latter (Smoot) is best for Static Point and WA Pass. Make me an offer I can't refuse! John Sharp (425) 765-7747

E-Dog: Send me a line and tell me what you've been up to. Sharp

The east ridge descent is fine; read Nelson's first book. I've done it twice after climbing the east ridge and north ridge routes. If you're not comfortable on the exposed third class ledges (after about five single rope raps from the top), then you should stick to the west ridge descent. Also, if you don't know which tower to look for to get back up to the east ridge, you will be frustrated and might make the local papers in the wrong sort of way. Frankly, I'd go down the west if you go up the west. No surprises that way. Hope this helps, and be sure to post of short TR. John Sharp

Yeah. Raining. Maybe you could do the backstroke up Silent Running. The Kone was hot on Wed. John

With a view of Bonanza Peak? As for Bonanza, Bob Davis, Ian M. and Jim Nelson did a ridge route next to Mary Green route two summers ago in late July. S.E. or S.W. ridge. I forget which one, but it has a feature called the Yellow Step which the avoided for lack of pro. I was supposed to go (in fact I planned the trip), but my second son was born the night before we were to leave. They did the route, rapped the normal route, and lived to tell about it. Bob can be reached here via BobInc. Jim is PMS. Hope this helps. John Sharp

Ray: What did you climb this weekend? Juan

Nice pictrues. Lowell: Who was the first to ski the CJ couloir, and how often is it done? John

This is tragic. My wife's step mother's daughter's first husband died in Foraker in the late 1980s. Not sure which route. Losing a son would be unthinkable; to lose all three would be the end for many of us. What else can you say. John Sharp

Mike: You said Black Diamond athletes. Do you mean a few jocks who live in Black Diamond, WA? I'm confused. Help me out here. Juan

Good job guys. I sure wish we had had sunshine last weekend. Since we were on the route in a bad storm and had severe conditions most of the night while bivying on the ridge (planned bivi), the whole thing took on a more serious tone. Glad you guys did not have a repeat of that scenario. I wasn't sure what to rate this one. Would you call it III AI2 right now? Cheers, John Sharp

Bob Davis and I have both had Star Techs for three years, and other than internal stuff needing regluing a few times, they rock. John Sharp

I think Matt got the cuffs 'cause he's the only one who looks to be over 21. Thanks for a great PC. Well worth the trip from the Eastside. John Sharp aka Juan aka JuanTwoPunch fka Mr. Blister fka (and still really should be) Mr. Goodtime.

I have a Beal Stinger, 50m 9.4 cm, lead rope, three years old, a couple short slab slides but no whippers. Would be good for back up or hauling or whatever. Maybe could be used to tie a dead deer to your car. In any event, it's yours for free. Call 425-765-7747 or use jsharp@windermere.com. I also have a few biners that I'll trade for beer. Thanks, John Sharp

Indeed. Give a call.

Early July is a good time for the route. Nelson/Potterfield approach works fine (over the col instead of around). The route is a pretty long day climb or overnight. One light axe, aluminum crampons which you may not need, and a short skinny rope are fine. Helmets are good too. John Sharp

Oops. Centimeters, milimeters, it's all euro babble to this yank. In any event, the rope and biners are gone! John

Ray Man: I think you'll be fine. Just don't catch anything nasty in the hot springs, if you know what I mean. Juan

Bob's report is sufficient, but I'll add a few thoughts and call it a TR. Basically, the weather and the forecast lured us up, then tried to kill us. Once we topped out on the Ice Cliff route, the four of us were wandering around at 8,700 ft., in 30+ mph winds and heavy snow, at 7 pm, looking for a place to hunker down. It was the kind of situation where people get hurt if they aren't careful. We looked around a bit, having to yell in the wind to be heard, then headed down a ways below the ridge. After I triggered a 12-inch slab of wind deposit, we headed for two marginal spots about 100 ft. below the ridge where route tops out. We decided to stay put and "enjoy" our planned bivi. Too cold and windy for a butane stove to boil water, so no hot fluids. No dinner either. Not much sleep with that much wind and 1 lb. bags in very uncomfortable sleeping quarters. Yesterday morning early, the weather was still very cold, but the sun was poking through. The storm appeared to have passed. Crispin and Brian had summit fever, so went for the top, leaving "camp" at about 7:30. Crispin soloed about 200 ft. of exposed 50-degree frozen snow using two tools to get to the true summit. Brian passed on that part. They reported seeing a guy with a dog and four skiers near the top. As an aside, Crispin and Brian soloed the entire Ice Cliff gully, and soloed down the Sherpa. Bob and I were glad to have, and to use, pickets for running belays. Never needed ice screws and didn't see any opportunies for rock pro. Self arrest on the upper Ice Cliff route (as well as the cliff itself, of course) would likely be impossible with such hard snow and the steep pitch. With the high wind, snow, and spindrift, the pucker factor was serious, and our energy was quite low when we topped out. Yesterday morning, Bob and I figured that with the bulk of the technical stuff out of the way, and being basically pooped, we'd call it a trip. We headed down the Sherpa starting at 7:30. Careful downclimbing required with crampons balling up. Boot-axe belays lent some peace of mind. In better conditions you could walk down it. Crispin and Brian somehow passed us on the way out by taking a more direct trail, and we reconvened in the parking lot and ultimately Gustavs for grease and beer. All in all, a good adventure for a group of four old guys (our combined age is about 170 years). And for the record, Crispy and Brian pretty much kicked our butts going up and down, and they are both in their mid-40s. We need to acquire and post their training regimen! That's about it; e-mail directly if you need the nano-details. Hopefully, no one else got stuck in this unexpected weather event. John Sharp

We did it last May 31. Hot as hell. Some snow on backside of the top for replenishing, but the approach and route were dry. If you go with your cousin Colin, I trust you'd dispense with ropes, pro, and such. Right? John Sharp

Expect to be bummed when you think you're at the top and realize how much farther you have to go to reach the true summit. Take skis or a snowboard.