Juan

Hey Kurt: Other than being slow as hell, you guys did good. Did you see Doug Walker up there? Sharp

Thanks very much Stefan. Was it worth the effort? John

Hi all: I'm wondering if anyone has done the std. route up Mt. Despair as described in Kearney's book. Two days or three? Worth the trip in the fall, even if the snow would be gone? Thanks for any beta you may have, John Sharp

Hey Colin: I met Bruce Miller this past Sun. 9/18 climbing in Boulder Canyon. He was with some guy named Rolando G. and they were walking up 5.12s. Maybe you know them. Anyway, Bruce said something about a sleeping bag blowing away on you and Scott on your trip. Have fun when you go back. I'll bet there's lots of fresh bird eggs for your brother over there . . . Cheers, Sharp

Coup de what?

Thanks so much for this info, Joe. The friend who wants to go (last name Beckey) has said it is snowy and would take an "indian summer" to dry off. Maybe it's best to wait until next year. Rats. Would we have better luck to the west by chance? Should I take this off line? Thanks, John

Though I don't have such a good picture to show it, we downclimbed the CJ Couloir on July 20, 1999, and there were no cracks to contend with. Continuous snow and lots of rock fall. It was frozen quite hard, but not yet ice. By the third week in July this year, the snow wasn't even close to continuous. Sharp

What part of Aug.? It sure looks different now . . . Loren -- I thought your comments were excellent. And yes, the climbing on your route looks a lot less brushy -- maybe even more "fun," than the N.E. Butt. Ivan -- you better add this one to your list. John Sharp

Hey: Thanks for the report. Should I plan a trip to Assiniboine in the next week? A friend is interested in going, but says that several recent snow storms have covered the mountain. We'd be doing the std. N. Ridge. Are there good websites for weather and conditions updates? Thanks very much for your input. John Sharp Seattle jsharp@windermere.com

Josh has a point, and of course you guys have huge balls. I remember being in the steep heather section of the N.E. Butt. in mid-July 1999 and watching/listening to shit calve off that glacier. I think Bob Davis remarked that he was glad he wasn't down there. I heartily agreed. Way to go fellas. Doug Walker (aka Doug of Doug's Direct fame) and I often say, when and only when we reach the car, that we "cheated death yet again." In this case, it sounds like you really did. Cheers, John Sharp

Yeah, very nice waterfalls. It's a neat place and worth the effort to get there. I love the ridge that leads up to Pyramid. Very alpine. The blueberries are DIVINE right now.

Um, can we go back to the part of the report where Pup says he could "feel Dan grunting on and off"? Sharp

Very cool Michael. I'm thinking, in reference to my little Snowfield report of today, that I should carry a video camera and some sort of odorama device to really capture the essence of the aftermath of Backpacker's Pantry Kung "Pow" Chicken. I just need our webmasters to adopt the John Waters' Odorama scratch and sniff system with sniff card (with but one noxious odor) as used in his 1981 cult film "Polyester." For a musical score, perhaps the Captain and Tenille's "Muskrat Love." My soundtrack would go something like this: "Muskrat Susie and Muskrat Sam" POOOOOOOOH . . . Oh my fucking God that stinks . . . "makin' muskrat love in muskrat land" WHOMPPPP . . . Oh sweet Jesus not another! You get the drift. What do you think??? Sharp

Yeah, Chester, I'd wait until next June for this one. The Colchuck glacier is shit and dangerous right now. Your plan is totally doable and will be more fun and safe in good conditions. Camp at the lake, then bag Colchuck via the std. route and Dragontail from the mellow gully on the back (which starts essentially across from the Colchuck/Dragontail Col on the back of Dragontail), then down Aasgard, pack up, and hike out. Sharp

Hey Kyle: I remember you guys climbed it Memorial Day weekend. I would have been up there too, but my partner was filled with "dread" because there was snow. I put the slide film in my camera at my bivi and took lots of great shots Fri. afternoon and yesterday on the climb. But I missed the proof on the bear. It really looked like a big one. Getting bigger with every re-telling, in fact. Soon it will morph into a grizzly. I'll respond to your e-mail of last week off line. Cheers, John

I simul-soloed this route yesterday (Sat. 8/27) after catching up to the other solo climber (the other "Red-headed John") part way up the Neve Glacier. We finished the climb together, which was fun. Neither of us had a rope, and the glaciers (both Colonial and Neve) are as broken as any glacier I've ever been on in many years, so care must be taken. The glaciers are mostly ice, melting fast, and passable with a great deal of zig-zagging and easy stepping/jumping across cracks. Aluminum crampons were fine. The bivi spot next to the little lake at the snout of the Colonial Glacier is quite nice. Soft sand and a pretty waterfall nearby. The Other John stayed up on the ridge, which was a good move given the incredible farts I had all night after eating Backpacker's Pantry Kung "Pow" Chicken. What do they put in that shit anyway??? My bivi sack was one major Dutch oven from dusk to dawn. Ugh. The hike up there took me 4:15, and it is true that, this late in the year, you have to go all the way up the ridge and under Pyramid Peak before you'll find any drinkable water after leaving Pyramid "Lake." I think the approach rates somewhere between Boston Basin and Goodell Creek. One exciting moment occurred when I was dropping down from the ridge to begin the scree traverse under Pyramid. About 150 yards in front of me and exactly where I needed to go was a large black bear eating the incredible blueberries. Haven't seen one in the mountains for many years. I did the "hey bear, you bear, go away bear" yell/arm waving thing, and, realizing that I can be a real prick, he ambled down slope and out of view. I took several great pictures with no film in my camera. This is a fun route and a fine solo if you don't mind wandering around on an open glacier rather far from the road. Cheers, John Sharp

Chuck or anyone else: I've been up there twice, but never tried to get through the glacier to Inspiration. Chuck: Do you think your long end run exit strategy would work now, three weeks after your trip? I'd like to try Inspiration in two days. Would be nice to have three, but two would work if we were efficient. Thanks for the beta. Sooner the better. John Sharp

Has anyone done this thing in the last two weeks? Would it be too muich for a day trip for the average white guy? Thanks, John Sharp

This sound somewhat familiar, though Dan Smith and I left the car at 8:30 and summitted Torment at 4:30. Similar non-blistering pace. Oh to be human. Sharp

Have clearance to climb Fri. or Sat. or both. My tick list is short and nothing left on it is hard. Anyone? John Sharp Swellvue

Holy shit the N. Face route on Forbidden looks different than 1998 in early Aug. It's a real ice climb now. Sharp

Brian Miller could speak to this too . . . Thanks for the photos and response. Amazing what has happened to the glaciers this year. Sharp

Ivan: I've got Friday to play. Do you have any takers? Call my cell phone -- 425-765-7747. We just moved so I'll have to dig for my gear, but it can be done. Something at Cascade Pass maybe? John Sharp

Hey Jason: Good job. That descent is tedious, but at least it's exposed. Did you do the snow face to get to the ridge (as Jim describes the route), or the complete ridge from the toe? I would guess the snow face is pretty much alpine ice now. Is that right? John

I once saw a group of native fish. They wore headbands and rode small horses. Not sure where they came in. Sharp