Juan

We were so going. So you climbed it yesterday? Car-to-car?

Hmmm. What do you think Dru, er, Dr. Sherlock? Nov. isn't here yet.

Sky: Is that really it? That looks like it is fairly low or in the middle of the route if I remember right. Maybe the section where you are gaining the ridge? The other question I have is how do you manage to climb so much??? You are on it, man! Thanks for the pictures, John

Ouch indeed. I think I'll send her there by helicopter.

P.S. Erik: What was the deal on Triumph? Cripin said you guys wandered around on the glacier for a while, then maybe packed it in. =;-)

E-Doggie: Oh yes we do need to party. Your place or mine? My wife wants to give you a hug, but that's it. PonchoVilla: Thanks for the Shuksan picture. You just answered my question! What a year it's been. Thanks all. Juan

She could eat those routes for lunch. Jim how was Terror? Juan

Ah. Thanks much. Hopefully it will stop before 8/14.

I am going to Shuksan, weather permitting, weekend after this. My wife has wanted to climb it for years. Does anyone have any recent info on the amount of alpine ice now showing on the N. Face route as well as shrunds etc.? When I climbed it in late July some years ago with DPS and Colin, it was easy neve. No pickets or screws were needed. I'm guessing it's a different animal this year. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated and would help us make our decision. Fisher Chimneys would be the back-up of course. Cheers, John Sharp

Way to go. The N. Side routes are falling like flies. Soon, day climbs. Do you mean Erik Snyder? My wife kicked his ass on N. Face of Maude once. Maybe he's not so fat anymore. Sharp

Way to go Michael and Theron. We too found the climbing really cool once you hit the heather. I don't recall quite as much difficulty getting to the heather, though. The snow gully was certainly easier than the rock to the left, and the 5.3 label, which everyone disputes, was cribbed from Fred. Jim should amend it. It is clearly harder. I remember sitting with Bob and Jim on top of the summit ridge right in front of the summit pyramid. We had been going for 12.5 hours at that point, I think. What a sensation as you look down on your car. Should've signed in, God damn it. One funny moment: While taking a break during the heather stretch, Jim pulled out a can of grape pop. He sucked it down, then tossed the empty can over his shoulder thinking we weren't watching. Sort of summed up our trip, I guess. Very glad that Doug's Direct is becoming the std. You did it just right. =;-)

Freeman: Were you with Craig Mckibben when you went up there? 19 hrs. car-to-car is quite respectable. We were 10.5 camp-to-camp, and had we hiked in and out the same day, the total would have been about 15. Most parties we saw on Sunday left the car at about 4:00 a.m. carrying almost no weight. Regarding the rap anchors, the rangers encourage people to walk down the S. side to the big ledge system that then wraps around the W. face, as you know. There would then be a fair amount of downclimbing and raps to the start of the W. face rappel, which consists of six rappels. Below that is 3rd/4th class terrain to the slope above the bivis. None of the five parties who climbed Sunday did the S. side/W. face ledge thing. We all downclimbed the ridge and/or rapped to the yellow tape. We made six raps to that point, three of which were from bolted anchors put in by Jordi the Ranger two years ago. They are pretty easy to see when it is still light out. From the yellow tape, we made the six raps down to the lower slabs. I think if you stay on the ridge, it would be quite possible to find the raps in inclement weather. Doing it in the dark would be tough and maybe terrifying. The whole experience would be really scary if you were on top and the skies broke loose. More so than many other peaks. It is the most intimidating III 5.4 we have been on, but we are pussies. John

Wow. Had Brad and I not gone to Canada, there would have been 8 people on the route. Amazing. Do tell about the route. I hear it's lots of 4th to low fifth with little pro. One 5.7/5.8 chimney at the top. Was that your experience? How about the gully to the Mustard Glacier? Much snow still? Thanks, John Sharp

Climb: Uto, Sir Donald, and Young's-S.W. Ridge, N.W. Ridge, and N.W. Face Date of Climb: 7/24/2004 Trip Report: My longtime great friend and climbing partner, Brad "Alex" Platt of Boulder, CO, and I climbed Uto S.W. Ridge, Sir Donald N.W. Ridge, and Young's Peak N.W. Face on July 24, 25, and 26, 2004, respectively. This is an annual (almost) trip for us -- our sixth in nine years. In 1996, our first year, we dubbed it the "Tour of the Ancients." We have since shortened it to simply "The Tour," and renamed ourselves "Team W.A.R.T.," an acronym for the "Wannabe Alpine Racing Team." The ever-so-versatile "W," however, can also be used to mean "weary," "whimpy," "whipped," "wasted," "woozy," etc. It's a perfect fit for us. At 41, we are getting on in years, but we are not so sure we are ancient. Yet. In the past, we have toured the E. Ridge of Forbidden and Sahale Quien Sabe, Lone Eagle Peak, Crestone Needle, Rainier, and Fury. This year, in the face of the predicted N.W. heat wave during our chosen weekend, we blew off the Pickets (the stated objective being Mt. Terror's N. Face) and headed north. Boy, are we smart. Parks Canada has really got things figured out. Once at Roger's Pass, everything from acquiring the needed park passes to discussing the new rappel route on Sir Donald was handled with the precision of a Swiss watch. And the red-headed girl who helped with the process kept us going all tour. We dubbed her "Red Hot." The Roger's Pass campgrounds are pristine, and the cafe at the hotel serves a mean burger. All in all, Roger's Pass makes a great basecamp for these Selkirk routes. Uto (PD 5.1) is a fun warm up for the classic Sir Donald, but for the fact that you have to stare at Sir Donald and wonder how you will ever get down alive. After schlepping our gear from the car to a point below the Uto-Cir Donald Col, Uto itself took us 1:45 from the col to the top and about same to get back down to the col. Good bivi sites are available below the W. Face of Sir Donald (provided no more rock slides come down -- we didn't have any). A rock "food kivi" is recommended as the area hosts aggressive rodents. Sir Donald itself, our second objective, is amazing. The N.W. Ridge (D- 5.4), made famous by Roper and Steck in the 50 Classic Climbs in N.A., is everything you'd expect. Kind of like the upper N. Ridge of Stuart but with a greater ability to psyche one out due to the unrelenting exposure. The rock is superb, the holds plentiful, and the raps are well designed. Sir Donald took us 4:30 to the top from the col, and 5:20 from the top down to camp. After climbing Sir Donald, we took more Advil, whiskey, and tobacco, and hiked back down to the road, armed with a recommendation to climb Young's Peak from a guy named Lee. We inhaled double burgers and beers at the hotel cafeteria, headed for the campground, nabbed the last available campsite right next to the outhouse, stole kindling from the ranger's fire circle, and finished our whiskey fireside. The Tour was in full swing, and we slept like logs. With an alpine start of 8:30 a.m., we spent climbing day three (Monday) hiking up Young's Peak (F 40 degrees). Young's reminded me of Chiwawa's Lyman Glacier. Fun and easy with killer views from the top. Hanging out at the Asulkan Hut on the way down was blissful. Only Red Hot and beer could have improved the situation. We then headed back to Seattle, with a night spent at a groovy hostel ("Some Sun") in Revelstoke, where a spider chewed on my arms and feet. You get what you pay for. All in all, this was a fabulous five-day road trip for a pair of old marrieds with kids, seeking to once again feel the bliss of true freedom that only comes with a flexible schedule. We highly recommend this outing to anyone looking for great moderate routes in British Columbia. Gear Notes: Rock rack including nuts to 1" and cams to Camelot #2 and eight over-the-shoulder slings (could have used four more to extend simul-climb leads). Ice axe and aluminum crampons for Young's. Approach Notes: See Selkirks South by David P. Jones

So what did old Jim climb? And did anyone do Terror N. Face this past weekend? Sharp

Catbirdseat: You are right on all counts. We were full of hubris to think it was a two-day affair. I think it's either do as Loren and Jens, Colin and Bart, and others above, and climb fast and light without bivi gear, or make it a two night/three-day trip so you don't have to rush on the bad rock (which covers any route). Jim and Bob and I tried the former tactic, but Jim REALLY slowed us down due to his advanced age. A helicopter was called to find us, which it did, in the parking lot, drinking beer. We were more than a little red in the face after that. Jens: How did you almost get the chop? Sharp

Stefan: Did you bike up and down the CJ Couloir? Gnarly!!! Perhaps a first. Seriously though, I think Jim and Bob and I hit the couloir wrong because it was just raining rocks when we came down it. It certainly is direct though! Off White: Your descent sounds tough but practical. Would the fire have changed this one? All in all, I think we kind of made our lives harder than necessary. The fire debris was the real kicker on the way out. As for the climbing itself, I think we are just getting too cautious for that stuff. Should probably stick to better rock as a rule. Advancing age seems to bring more caution and smaller balls. Cheers all! Someone go nail it in a day, and don't forget about Doug's Direct. It's a winner. John Sharp P.S. Big Jim: I was ready to go last night, but you never called!

What do you say Jim. Should we do it again and retrieve your Ti pins? Alas, my summit total for the year is meager. It's back to Granite for me! J'Berg was a reality check for sure.

Climb: Johannesberg Mtn.-E. Ridge Date of Climb: 7/12/2004 Trip Report: In a recent post on Goode, Ivan suggested that the term "mother fucker" be used to spice things up. In that case, I'll just call it like it is: J'Berg is a mother fucker. That said, it's also a peak that gets under your skin. Or at least my skin. Big Four had the same effect, but no longer does now that I've been to its summit. I had to give up on the N. Rib in winter in favor of the Dry Creek Route in summer, but whatever. J'Berg has stayed on my list since the July 1999 trip up the N.E. Butt. (1957 var.) with Jim Nelson and Bob Davis. On that trip, we climbed the buttress, got to the top of the upper snow field, and sat down at 5:30 p.m., 12.5 hours after leaving the parking lot, and a very short distance from the true summit. We had hoped it would be a day climb, and so had planned to be down or nearly so at that hour. Not even close. We were tired and going to be overdue. Moreover, we had no cell phone with which to call our wives. We discussed whether to run up to the true summit to sign in, but Jim and Bob vetoed me in favor of trying to get to the CJ col before dark. As it turned out, we skipped the summit only to end up in a naked bivi still four hours above the col. This was a bad decision, I later realized, because it meant I had to go back to sign in. Unfinished business. I asked Bob a few years later whether he would like to go back, and he said he would rather be "dipped in shit." Jim felt the same way. So, with the peak firmly wedged under my skin, I set out to find a partner without any real concern for which route was taken. Doug Walker was game. He's been climbing since the early 1970s, and once tried the 1951 Tom Miller N. Butt. route with Todd Bibler, but backed off due to avalanche conditions. Doug is the only non-employee REI Board member who actually climbs, and is as solid as they come. The fact that he pesters me on every trip with geography quizzes, Civil War trivia, and math brain teasers, is simply something that must be endured. He tolerates my music and drinks my whiskey, which says something for the guy. We set a date many months ago, and the weather cooperated. We left Seattle Sunday morning (7/11) and left the car at the gate on the Cascade River Road (Eldo trailhead) at 8:45 or so. We reached Gunsight Notch in a few hours, and were bummed out when we looked down the steep gully on the other side. We knew the Gunsight Traverse is considered "tedious," but it also looked damn dangerous to descend. So we opted to try "Doug's Direct." This was an unproven means of getting over Mix Up Peak, and it worked like a charm. To do this (and we know from cairns on the back that we are not the first to have done so), proceed on the Cache Glacier to the upper climbers' right on the snow as if starting the Rowland Tabor route on Mix Up (the N. Ridge). Scramble straight up to the ridge crest instead of bearing left per the N. Ridge route (class 3-4). Don't go to the deep notch on your right, but rather look straight over the top. If you've hit it right, you'll see more class 3 on the other side, then a long passage of heather heading down to the alp slope that separates Mix Up from the Triplets. Descend on the path of least resistance. If you look at Beckey's green guide, the drawing that covers J'Berg to Cache Col has the words "alp slope" in the middle. Our camp was just above the word "slope." Room enough for two bivi sacks plus running water. Beautiful view spot with sun until late. We drank a pint of whiskey, took Ambien, and slept well. Actually, we overslept. We left camp at 5:45 and headed to the CJ Col. We dumped gear below the col, because we had decided to exit via the little used Middle Fork of the Cascade River trail. Doug had hiked this in 1974, and said it was pretty good. How much can a trail fade in 30 years, right? From the col, we roped and scrambled up, placing gear when possible but seldom setting a real belay. I sort of remembered the route that Jim and Bob and I had descended, but it is not hard to figure out. Just climb the first bit of rock, then some snow, then head to the rusty shitty rock on the left of the skyline ridge (to your right looking up). This eventually forces you to bear left on a nice little ridge. Rap slings here. You then have to cross the steep snow depression to head up to the summit ridge. Nelson has a picture of us there in his book. The tracks in the snow to my right are goat tracks. Doug and I crossed and climbed up steep snow and were on the summit ridge by 11:15. We weren't breaking any speed records, but were moving along with reasonable care. Unfortunately, the summit is still a long way off. Mother fucker. We picked our way along and got to the point where the true summit is obscured by a shorter tower. We could see cairns on the other side of a shitty gully, and it is fairly clear which way to go. In looking at this gully, I couldn't recall being scared on this part of the descent with Jim and Bob. But wouldn't you know it, we looked at our watches (12:15), thought about how much dangerous terrain we had already covered and would have to retrace, and just plain lost interest in the mother fuckin' top. The fact that I had been over this terrain before didn't seem to change the fact that neither of us wanted to proceed on Monday. So we justified our bailout several times over and headed down. The demons would either dance again or be vanquished, but this ascent was toast. The descent is tedious as care must be taken with every move. You cannot drop your guard. We did one rappel with two 30m ropes tied together, and arrived at our gear stash at 3:30. We packed up and started downhill to the Middle Fork, knowing we had to drop 2,700' to the river. This starts as heather, then bushes and two stream crossings (heading left and down), then becomes reasonably open timber. Oddly, we found evidence of an old trail at about 4,000'. We ran out of timber at 3,800 ft., then crashed through ugly slide alder, nettles, blow down, and other noxious vegetation until it flattened out. We headed down river to the first real trees, and found the old trail within minutes. We then lost and re-found the trail no fewer than ten times, sometimes finding it by looking underneath the nettle canopy. We thought things would improve, but they only got worse. Recall that the south slope of J'Berg burned last year. When we chose to descend this way instead of over Doug's Direct, it hadn't occurred to us that the forest had burned down to the river. But it did. And in many places, the fire burned from the roots up, which allowed the trees to fall over in the massive rain event last October. So the trail is almost obliterated, and you have to cross over, through, and under hundreds of burned and broken trees while heading down, often while sidehilling on loose rock and ash. We got absolutely beat up by this terrain. Really bruised and bloodied. No place for a couple of old guys just out for a little fun. Eventually we ran into the better South Fork trail where the two rivers converge. We wandered down this a bit, then ran into more burn/blow down. We then hit an old two-track road. We walked this until it dead-ended where some escapist freak once had a camp, then headed up slope to find the road again. Soon enough we were at the Cascade River Road, 3.1 miles downhill from the car (which was at Eldo trailhead). Doug lost the rock-paper-scissor contest (predictably, he tried rock first, then scissors; I beat him with paper, then rock, which works every time). He walked for the car while I sat in the dark in the dirt, popped codeine pills, and lathered up with bug spray. The time was 9:00 p.m. We got home at 1:45 a.m. having had Cheetos and beer for dinner. What a glamorous hobby this climbing. In sum: (1) J'Berg is a huge dangerous mountain by any route, and I can live with the consequences of once again not putting my name in the register; (2) We are amazed by the speed with which some people have climbed up and down this the peak. We must really be losing our edge, to the extent we ever had one; (3) "Doug's Direct" over Mix Up seems to us far superior than the Gunsight Traverse, and certainly better than descending the CJ Couloir late in the day, which Jim and Bob and I found terrifying in July 1999; (4) our exit strategy would have been fine until the fire of 2003. I seriously doubt anyone will restore the Middle and South Fork trails, which renders them all but useless. Gear Notes: Rack of small nuts to #7 Wild Country Rock, four cams from yellow Metolius to .75 Camelot, and a #5 Metolius hex. I also placed one #3 LA on the upper snow portion. Regular 60 cm ice axe and a 43cm Stubai Third Tool hammer, two 30m ropes, and aluminum crampons. Approach Notes: See above.

Dru is exactly right. Colin and DPS and I went that way a few years ago and got to the bivi in 3:45 or so. No brush but for one small bit at the creek. John Sharp

Way to go Forrest and Dan. I'm all jazzed up about the Pickets now! Going back soon . . . Sharp

Nice D'Tail TR yourself my man! You climbed; I hiked. Juan

Too funny on the cam. One inch of course. I'm always exagerating size. I have slides on real film but nothing digital. What have you been up to? Juan

Ramuta for sure. You can call his parents shop on Stewart too. Sharp

Hola! She had an accent -- maybe Canadian? -- and said she had never been to the area. We figured they were Squamish hot shots maybe. Glad you guys had a good day. Is that Kyle Flick to whom you refer? Juan