Mtguide

Second that; in spite of a stated federal corporate tax rate of about 33%, most corporations, nationwide, pay little or no actual taxes due to write-offs, loopholes in the tax codes, tax breaks on the state or local level to attract business, etc. In Oregon, giants such as Nike, Intel, Tektronix,etc. have for years paid the minimum of $10.00 (yes, that's just TEN dollars, the decimal's in the right place) per year. If corporations would, or could be made, somehow, to pay their fair share of federal, state and municipal taxes, the state would have the funds for essential services, maintenance and infrastructure, Oregon health plan, etc. Not to mention schools and higher educ., adequate numbers of State Troopers, cleanup of environmental problems. National infrastructure, rail lines, highways and bridges,health care, proper care for veterans, mental health, Superfund toxic waste sites, the National parks and Forest Service recreation and trails( a big issue for those of us on this site)could all be fully funded. The cities could confront and manage the challenges of homelessness,gangs and drug trafficking,the list goes on and on. Not that I have any illusions or delusions about that happening anytime soon. There is a flip side, in that charitable donations are largely tax deductible, thus the existence of large corporate foundations for everything from education to cancer research to Public Broadcasting. Nonetheless, these kinds of funds never reach the problems and people in desperate need outside of such channels. Only the states and cities themselves are able to know where and for what items funds are needed. So, because the corporations and the super rich amass more and more wealth,while slashing jobs and cutting wages, us little people wind having to pay more for the basic needs and simple joys of life such as trails to hike on, decent schools to send our kids to, reasonable safety and security in our towns, and a few bottles of reasonably priced brew waiting in the creek at the end of the climb. Cheers!

Many of my regular BC ski buddies and I have for years practiced removing our ski straps once we enter skiable terrain in the backcountry, even on known slopes, under favorable(safe forecast)conditions. Not only to avoid shoulder injuries, but because you should never take avalanche forecasts, or the slopes, for granted.

For those with a literary bent, I suggest "Adventures in the Skin Trade". For those of a political/financial mind, "Full Disclosure". And I'm surprised no one's suggested "Full Monty". There's also "Hosers", "Tool Time", "All Racked Up and Nothing to Wear", "Space Balls","Will Climb for Clothes", "A Mighty Wind", "Harder Than It Looks", "Rude Boys", "Gotta A Lewd Attitude", "Straight Up", "The Spice Channel", and my personal favorite, "My Ex Got Everything But My Climbing Gear". Oh, and of course, this climb can only be rated XXX.

Hey, it's America: Shopping list found on the sidewalk- (American Eagle/Crossed Flags symbol at top of page, titled "Things I Gotta Do Today": BeeR cHiPs ciGs BulleTs Have a Nice day ::

Very sorry to hear of Don's passing; I only met him a couple of times, but his personality left an indelible impression, warm, bright, and genuine. A truly fine person. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. "Cattle die, Kindred die, Everyone dies. But the good name Will never die Of one who has done well." -Viking Proverb

Thanks so much for your post; it's indeed a very moving and beautiful place,and seeing this brought back in a rush the thoughts and feelings I had when I was there in 2003. I also have several friends whose graves are there.

Chinooks are used on Denali; on a trip to Talkeetna in 2003, we saw them practicing on the upper Ruth glacier near Mountain House. Not terribly high altitude (they were doing landings on the patch about halfway up the W. face of the Moose's Tooth), but someone in Talkeetna told us Chinooks have gone to some very respectable elevations in the mid-teens on Denali.

Stashing booze in the mountains has been common practice for centuries. The St.Bernard rescue dogs of the Alps with their kegs of brandy on their collars is one early example. My first personal experience with the extent to which it can be taken was while I was working as a guide and packer for Irv Lozier at the Box R Ranch NW of Cora and Pinedale, Wyo.back in the early 80's. This incident was presaged by the fact that I was hired over the consumption of an entire fifth of Jack Daniels at a table in the Cowboy Bar in Pinedale, one bright spring afternoon in April. Irv Lozier is a pretty colorful character around Pinedale,a Vietnam vet with 2 silver front teeth, built like a fireplug,a plumb forked cowboy/packer/guide, and used to be ( he finally had to quit, it was literally killing him) a prodigious drinker. Irv wanted me to come with him on the first pack trip of the season, a 5 day swing through the Section Corner Lake country of the northern Wind River range. We had 5 or 6 guests,another guide named Rocky, and Irv and I each led four pack animals. The lead animal in Irv's string was a big old Missouri mule about 18 hands high named Simon, I think. It seemed to me like a lot of pack animals for such a small party, but there was a reason for that. The first two miles out of the ranch are a long steady uphill grade, and it was a hot day as we left the corral,Irv in the lead with his string, then the guests, and I brought up the rear. We'd stop every once in a while on this climb to let the horses and mules "blow", or catch a breather. The second time we stopped, I noticed Irv way up ahead, lean over from his saddle and reach into the crotch of a tree he'd stopped beside, take something out, and then turn in his saddle to reach under the cover of Simon's pack. Then he reached over into the crotch of the tree again and put something back. The next time I watched a little more closely, and this time I could see he was swapping near empty flasks for full ones. This continued all day long with frequent stops. At one creek crossing, I pulled up next to Irv as we let the animals drink. He reached into his saddlebag and came out with a flask, and said "Here, ya better have some o' this, she's good for what ails ya," with that big silver-toothed grin. It was Christian Brothers Brandy and Welches Grape juice, pretty nasty stuff. Finally we got to camp, and unpacked the horses and mules. I hadn't personally packed all of the panniers, just several in my string. As we helped each other unload the heaviest ones, I could tell that four panniers were completely full of filled flasks, and two more were mixed fulls and empties. No wonder we needed so many pack animals. Over the rest of the week, we stayed over for a day in a couple of different spots, and while Rocky and I took the guests on dayrides up to scenic views or fishing, Irv would take off after breakfast with a mule packed with booze, stocking the mountains for hunting season in the fall. When we got back to the Box R at the end of the week, three animals came back with their panniers full of empties. I mentioned it later to Norm Busselle, Irv's foreman, and he laughed and said," Oh yeah, hell, Irv's got thousand of bottles stashed all over the entire northern end of the Bridger Wilderness. I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that you're probably never more than about 50 or 100 feet from a bottle of brandy in this country, you just gotta know where to look." In later years, I ran across some of Irv's bottles way to the south end of the Winds, in the Wolf Lake and Rainbow Lake country, near Mt. Bonnevile,( Irv used to have a hunting camp there) and way up high nestled in the crags up above Tipi Creek,sheep hunting territory at the extreme northern end. So, if you're ever in the Wind River range, headed down after a climb or backcountry ski tour, maybe pushing snow in a whiteout, and need a bit of a pick-up, just look around a bit, cause you're likely close to some long- forgotten "Lozier Water", as they used to call it.

I was actually watching the launch on live coverage from CNN.I'll never forget hearing the Mission Control flight controller calling out the airspeed and altitude as the rocket rose, and then, when the rocket exploded, pausing for a moment, then saying in a completely flat,almost robotic, utterly emotionless monotone, "Obviously a major malfunction...". It was appalling; in the next few moments, the camera showing the open air spectator gallery focused on Christa McCauliffe's mother in the stands, looking up at the sky with her hands trembling at her face, in utter shock and disbelief. Mercifully, they turned the camera away as she turned towards her husband and broke down. The camera then went back to the explosion cloud, with the auxiliary twin fuel tank rockets spiraling crazily out of control, until they too were detonated by Mission Control while they were still over the ocean. Then the camera began to track pieces of debris falling out of the sky, trailing smoke, until they struck the water. It reminded me immediately of the terrible tragedy that occurred on the launch pad in the 60's when Gus Grissom and two other astronauts were killed in a fire inside the space capsule when an oxygen tank sprung a leak. Space travel is indeed extremely dangerous; while astronauts don't necessarily have to have the same kinds of skills required of fighter pilots, they are nonetheless literally "riding fire" into space, and things that go wrong can transpire in split seconds, irretrievably. Their chances are very,very slim, in any kind of problem. So, they definitely do have to have "The right stuff", like the test pilots and fighter jockeys in Tom Wolfe's book of the same name. They face instant incineration as a part of their job.

Possibly the N.face of Pinnacle Peak?

So let me get this straight, your wording is a little confusing; when you said "the County has changed their plans to decrease funding.", does this mean that they DO intend to to decrease funding for Madrone? And if so, by how much? Does this mean that money earmarked for Madrone has already been spent on Knightsbridge? Just what in the hell is going on? Wasn't funding for Madrone somehow legally committed or locked in? These commissioners sound like a very slimy bunch.

That's pretty cool, I'd like to hear about that, maybe see some photos, over a brew at PubClub sometime. And Peter Arnett; now THAT was a great journalist and newsman. They'd probably never hire someone like him nowdays, too accurate, articulate, and penetrating. Also the difference between my version of the quote and the real thing, it conveys a whole other level of nuance and intent: "...it became necessary...". Words do make a huge difference. "A tenth of an inch difference, and heaven and earth are set apart." -Chinese Ch'an (Zen) Proverb

Many thanks, I stand corrected. After all, we are talking about clarity,and that means attention to detail. I'd honestly never bothered to check the source I first got that quote from, years ago. Hm, for that matter, I have to admit I'm not entirely sure it was Edmund Burke who said "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." Thom Paine? Jefferson? Patrick Henry? I had a wonderful American History teacher in high school who told us to never be afraid to ask a question, because, "it's better to look stupid for five minutes, than to be ignorant the rest of your life."

"We had to destroy the village in order to save it.." -US Army Ranger mission report, Vietnam, 1971. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." -Edmund Burke "Liberty is always unfinished business." -Title of American Civil Liberties Union annual report, 1956

Wow, Bill; excellent-almost a whole university education right there.

The purpose of a broad-based general education, and the older traditional classical university education, including things such art appreciation, literature and the humanities, is to give us a more humane and truly civilized understanding of the world at large. It's certainly possible in many schools today to get a degree in some area of science or technology without more than a smidgen of exposure to the arts, but if you look closely enough at anything, you come to find that things such as geography, engineering,chemistry,physics,etc, are, in and of themselves, very, or extremely advanced forms of art. And you can't get into geography very deeply before you start running into all kinds of history,archaeology, anthropology, architecture, politics,- in other words, the arts and humanities. Everything we do as human beings is a form of art,whether visual,conceptual,physical or theoretical. Even war; witness the, ahem, LITERATURE Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf referred to from his West Point studies, Sun Tzu's The Art of War,(incredible book) during the first Iraq War. The arts and humanities give us a foundation from which to reason, evaluate, and yes, to examine our feelings about life and about what these various endeavors and disciplines we engage in, are actually FOR. And I'm not talking about touchy-feely, but about what makes anything we do worthwhile- to have a drive and passion, a dedication to some purpose, or to simply be able to do and appreciate something for it's own sake--such as (!) climbing. About as useless a sport as there is,especially in the view of those who write letters to the editor demanding the closure of Mt.Hood and the imprisonment, institutionalization, and financial excoriation of climbers every time there's an accident on the mountain. Why? Probably because many of those who write the letters have had little if any exposure to the arts and humanities, and consequently some very limited views of what human beings, or mountains, for that matter, are all about. I mean, after all, it's just a big 'ol ugly bunch o' ice n' rocks, n' junk, right? An' people? Climb? Do somethin' as crazy azat just fer fun? "Goddamned hippies!! Get A JOB!!" I agree that some of this stuff can be boring--there is indeed good and bad, great and tedious, or middling classical or contemporary literature, art, etc. But a lot of times it's because you don't have the right teacher - someone who knows how to get the magic of the material across to you. And that's not your fault. I struggled with algebra and calculus in high school and college until I ran into a professor who broke the whole thing wide open for me; the next thing I knew, I was literally living in a different world. As it happened, I wound up as an artist and writer, from starting out as a major in natural history. But to this day, those "boring" classes in inorganic and organic chemistry, and the attendant math, were some of the most valuable I ever took in terms of stretching my perceptions of reality, and in developing the discipline and persistence it takes to be a working artist, and not just an educated dreamer. Dreaming, however, is also important, so important, in fact, that none other than Albert Einstein himself once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." This is only the guy who pretty much made the world as we know it, possible. All that knowledge is pretty useless, unless you have some idea of what to do with it. It also reminds me of what the speaker at one of my commencement ceremonies said; "Always remember that your plumbing, as well, as your theories, must hold water." Comparative literature is all about the way people have dreamed, day-dreamed, imagined over the ages, plumbed the depths of thought, emotion, human experience. Seeing that others have been over the same ground, the same questions and difficulties, hundreds or thousands of years before us, we can learn from their mistakes or successes, and, possibly avoid repeating history, or re-inventing the wheel. Otherwise, we're in for trouble. Big trouble. We've come pretty close to it during the Bush years, and this is regardless of whether you're a liberal or conservative. It's become very clear that an administration run by a president who boasted about never reading newspapers, a VP and Sec. of State who had utter disregard for history or cultures other than their own, who stuck to narrow,black-and-white thinking ("you're either for us or you're against us")and rushed in where angels feared to tread, have brought us all down,whatever our political persuasion. So much of this could have been saved by even just a little reading of Shakespeare, not to mention Disraeli, T.E.Lawrence, Caesar, and Marcus Aurelius,or Abe Lincoln, to name just a few. They'd all been there, done that. But nooooo... they didn't even bother to ask GW's dad anything about war,diplomacy,Iraq, or anything else, for that matter. Of course some of that useful history is not all that long ago. In Nazi Germany, a entire generation was raised with very circumscribed ideas about what was and was not "acceptable" art and literature, while being very highly trained in the sciences and technology. Millions of books were banned, and burned, in an effort to rewrite history and literature,to focus thought, opinion, and maniacal pride on an ethnocentric pinpoint. The result was an educational system that produced people who could design, build, and close the doors on the gas chambers and cremation ovens, and when questioned about it later, say with complete equanimity, "Vell, I vass chust doing my job...". To this day there are Germans young and old who think that Adolf Hitler was "a very nice man." The arts and humanities can probably never completely prevent this kind of thing, but they go a long way towards making this a world where people are likely to think twice before committing anything to the flames.

This country needs to do what Japan has done to recognize and honor those who have become masters of their particular art or craft,and have made groundbreaking contributions, which is to name them National Living Treasures, and to provide a lifelong stipend of support.In the climbing world, Layton Kor would surely be one of these.

Back in the early 70's, some Seattle friends of mine were heading back home after several weeks climbing in Yosemite. On the way out of the Park entrance, who should they see standing by the side of the road but Warren Harding, thumbing his way to the Bay area. They picked him up and had a great time as Harding, in rare form, regaled them with legends of the Valley. Eventually they came to I-5 and had to drop him off as they turned north for Seattle. Saying goodbye and shaking hands all around, Harding stepped out of the car, shut the door, and just as they were about to pull away, leaned his head back in the window with a wild eye and huge grin and said "And DON'T- be good!", turned away with a wave and trudged off laughing.

There's an excellent description of the the Mountaineers route on Whitney in "High Sierra Climbing", author Chris McNamara, pub. by Supertopo,2004.

I'd second that idea on being competent with all methods; and in my own experience, there are times when knowledge of the map, combined with compass and altimeter, have actually given a better working sense of where you are than just a GPS reading. I'm probably somewhat predjudiced on the side of map,compass and altimeter simply because I learned that method as a kid in the Boy Scouts, and began climbing many years before GPS ever came along. However, GPS has now been cleared by the military to a much higher degree of accuracy than was originally allowed. It used to only be good to within around 200 or 300 yds for civilian use, a pretty significant margin of error, not really acceptable in a serious blizzard whiteout on dangerous terrain. At that time, I wasn't too impressed. Now it's about 5 to 10 feet,or even closer, much more workable. In any event, it can be vital to have that "sense of where you are" in three dimensions, not just as waypoints along a course of travel, and that's where your altimeter, your ability with the compass,and your own understanding of the topography, can save you a lot of grief in a grim situation. Little techniques like knowing how to navigate around an obstacle by departing from your compass bearing at a right angle to your course of travel, and then return to the original bearing,are quite a bit simpler and faster with a compass.

Dear old George; if he hadn't come along, we would've had to invent him. His quote reminds me of the famous phrase from the Vietnam war: "We had to destroy the village in order to save it...". Unfortunately in this case, it's the national economy.

He's referring to Mirror Lake. From the snopark on Hwy 26 it's about a mile and a half up to the lake. From the lake to the top of TD&H is about another 1.5 mi. If you stay out from under the peaks and away from the runout slide paths you should be OK. Check the USGS Government Camp 7.5 min quad which shows the summer hiking trail. It's just about completely free of avy hazard, easy grade, smashing view of Hood to the north and Jefferson to the south. A shorter jaunt is to go up to Ghost Ridge,which is on the trail that takes off from the Barlow Pass snopark going south to Twin Lakes and the Frog lake snopark, or you can also do the Buzzard Point/ Beaver Marsh trails as a loop if you have a limited amount of time and still want some nice views. Also, pick up a copy of an excellent map titled "Mount Hood Ski and Snowshoe Trails", published by Mark H. Wigg, 2007.Cartography and graphics by GeoDataScape are beautiful, all the trails are there. A big improvement to the earlier "Mount Hood Ski Trails" map published in the early 90's. You can get them at The Mountain Shop, Oregon Mt. Community, etc. It's also a good idea to always take the USGS quad for the area you're going to. Mt. Hood North and Mt. Hood South in the 7.5 min. size (1:24,000)will pretty much cover it, sometimes some of the adjacent quads if you're going outside of the area covered by those two.

Seconds and thirds on "take an avy course", PLUS, once you've gotten your training for Level I, you want to progress on to level II and III if you intend to spend much time in the backcountry. It's not cheap, but then what is your life and the lives of your friends worth? Good avy training is a bargain at the price. Actually, this very kind of snow season we're having, is an excellent opportunity for learning and advancing your understanding of a wide variety of avalanche-prone conditions. The snowpack out there is a textbook example of everything under the sun and then some. And, PLUS PLUS, you want to practice,practice,practice. Any good avy course,even a Level I, should include enough hands-on with the various kinds of pits, snow crystal analysis, beacon practice,etc., to enable you to conduct your own practice, with the backcountry partners you'll be going with. Everybody needs to be fully equipped with beacon, probe, shovel, analysis kit, and all need to know how to use them with expertise. If someone gets buried, you have only minutes to locate them and dig them out. The most important thing is always, to take responsibility for your own safety, don't just leave it up to the group "expert". Even genuine experts can get caught, as demonstrated a couple years ago, sadly, during a trip guided by the famed Swiss guide Rudi Beglinger of Selkirk Mountain Experience near Revelstoke, B.C., on the Durrand glacier.This is one of the premier guide services and heli ski outfits in the NW. They lost several people on what was considered a normally very safe slope. Nor was it a very large slide. It's a common misunderstanding that the only dangerous slopes are the big ones. A little hill 8 or 10 feet high above a swale may not look like much, but it can certainly hold enough snow to completely bury and suffocate you. Another misconception is that you're safe if you're not actually on the slope, or if you're well out of the runout path. Well, surprise,surprise: Famed climber Alex Lowe was killed by a giant avalanche that traveled almost 5000 feet of elevation over several miles; they saw it break above them, and by the time they realized they were in it's path, they couldn't get out of the way in time. In the late 80's a massive slide at Utah's Alta ski area "escaped" the out-of-bounds area, jumped a huge ridge like water slopping out of a bathtub, and came smashing down onto a long-established ski run, snuffing out the lives of two snowboarders. Later that same year in Upper Logan Canyon,Utah, an immense slide traveled fully 12(yes,twelve) miles before finally jumping and burying the Logan Canyon highway 40 feet deep and fetching up against the opposite wall of the canyon. We went up to see the debris pile once the road was cleared. It was full of deer carcasses which looked as if they'd been through a meat grinder, chunks of trees about 3 or 4 feet long, many almost 2 or 3 feet in diameter, with all the bark stripped off and all the branches snapped off short, and boulders the size of cars and small houses. Very,very impressive. If you think I'm trying to scare you, may I hasten to assure you that I am. Get all the knowledge and training you can, and when the NWAC says the avalanche danger is high to extreme, stay the hell out of the backcountry. Even moderate avy danger is plenty of reason to modify trip plans to less risky areas. An avalanche is an avalanche is an avalanche, no matter what the conditions were rated, and you're still just as dead or seriously injured under a moderate forecast as you would be under an extreme.

Late March might not be the most stable weather, with springtime approaching. It can be a particularly deceptive and dangerous season on Rainier and the other Pac NW volcanoes. My vote would generally be for earlier, actually starting right about now on your weather watch of the NOAA forecasts. The major caveat is that we are in an extreme avalanche situation at the moment. So you'll also need to check the NWAC (Northwest Avalanche Center) forecasts for updates. It doesn't happen as regularly as it used to, but we still tend to have a one week to even two week break in the progression of winter storms anytime from about Jan 10 or so, till mid-Feb. For many years, this has been the period that winter climbers watch for in the forecasts. The weather will enter a very stable, and very cold pattern on the peaks, and it's often relatively calm. In these conditions, deep and relatively stable snowpacks have buried the crevasses, making the glaciers and icefalls far less complicated. In early Feb. of 1967, we were able to take advantage of just such a mid-winter break to do the first winter ascent of the Nisqually Icefall. It was a very fast and pretty straightforward ascent, with only a few technical pitches on the upper headwalls of several of the largest crevasses. The weather was absolutely clear, very cold, about 5 above, and calm for the climb and descent, but under clear skies, the wind picked up to about 50-60 mph once we were back at the base of the icefall(we descended the ascent route) and continued to increase. We arrived back at Camp Muir to find our brand new REI McKinley tent virtually exploded and torn to shreds. We grabbed what gear we could find and beat a hasty retreat down the Muir icefield. With a mountain like Rainier, you can't let your work or school schedule dictate when you'll make your attempt, unless you enjoy flirting with disaster. You have to watch for the weather window in the forecasts, and begin your climb as the weather begins improving, to give yourself the largest possible opening to make your climb. Once the forecast indicates improvement, go then, even as the stormy weather is diminishing but still present. I'm not advocating ignoring avalanche conditons, however; you may have to wait until fresh snowpack settles and consolidates, but you can at least get up to the mountain, and make it up to Camp Muir, and get yourself in postion to go. Above all, do not try to race or beat the weather if the forecasts indicate a deteriorating pattern. Things very often move in off the ocean many hours or even days sooner than predicted; you want to have huge respect for that mountain. Rainier is not to be trifled with, nor is any peak for that matter. You may have heard of the Mt.Hood tragedy of 2006, when three climbers died, basically because they underestimated the mountain and the weather. Previous experience on Denali, and the fact that the North face of Hood is just a day climb, may have given them a false sense of confidence regarding what it would take to get up and back down safely within a very short weather window. And while Hood is only half the height, and many, many times less the incredible mass of Denali, it is nonetheless the equal of any mountain on the planet in the violence and ferocity of its' weather when conditions are right. So you want to give Rainier, at three times the mass, and another 3000' of elev., the utmost respect, and plan and prepare for every eventuality. Take an ultralight weather radio, know how to navigate in a blizzard whiteout, and be in top shape. Finally, don't ever be afraid to turn back if the weather starts to break down. The mountain will always be there another day, and you need to be alive to climb it.