iain

or at least carry something more substantial than a pocket knife. perhaps a coping saw?

just point 'em down and you'll hop over most of the baddies.

follow the bolts. hang left when routes cross. great route!

Just traversed over to Sandy HW Saturday. It's all good in the hood, go for it. Too bad you have no weather to work with right now, and snow is falling again up there. A few folks were bailing off of Leuthold's at the saddle, but I didn't press them for why. There was some drifting snow that they seemed concerned about, but I didn't see much in the way of tracks over there so I can only assume they made that assessment at the saddle. Cross low over Yocum for easy travel (down a ways around a rock buttress after crossing the Reid).

patience trask, it will take time for them to learn from us that life is not about material things

Finally had a go at this gem today (5/03/2003). Left Timberline for Illumination Saddle at 0600. Encountered several groups at the saddle backing off of Leuthold Couloir for one reason or another. Bad weather was forecast for later in the day so we were questioning our decision making. We felt good about making it out before the weather, so we skied down onto and across the Reid Glacier. No crevasses in sight yet. Getting over Yocum on skis started out okay but we threw on the spikes when it got too steep and icy for our liking. Sandy Glacier is totally covered. We crossed right in the middle and over Cathedral Ridge. Crossed above Barrett Spur over the Ladd Glacier. Coe Icefall is impressive as always. Some bigger cracks beginning to show in places. Skinned up a ramp onto Snowdome, skinned to top of Snowdome to cross the Eliot Glacier. This was the only stretch we roped up for. There are some big whoppers opening up here but all were bomber bridges. More just a series of holes to avoid. The bergschrund to access the north face gullies is still bridged but just barely. We skied down the Eliot a ways in the worst breakable crust I've encountered in awhile. There is an awesome colorado-style ice climb up the east lateral moraine of eliot right now. looks totally sweet. huffed and puffed up cooper spur to tie-in rock. and became enveloped in a whiteout. stumbled across the newton-clark glacier in the soup, hoping not to run into the icefalls we knew of out there, but they were all very well filled in. skiing in a whiteout on glaciers you rarely visit is intimidating, and perhaps rather foolish. glided across the wy'east face and dropped into white river glacier. traversed out to wind up just above the palmer lift. excellent adventure on this oregon classic. looks like we beat the weather, but only just. the thickening clouds added to the experience. we brought crampons, axe, helmet, 8mm line, glacier gear, and were glad we did. I wore plastic mountaineering boots instead of my at's and regretted every minute of it. skiing refrozen avalanche debris and nightmare breakable crust above crevasses in invernos was some of the most challenging skiing I've done in awhile. all climbing routes encountered are in. Go get it!

lenticular shmenticular

what, and you'd just have this skeleton arm like in the Terminator? no thanks.

I thought those already were girls' shoes? sure looks that way to me!

last year when I was there, there were swarming wasps trying to mate or something in one of the cracks we were halfway up

that must weigh a ton. I'm not a big fan of overengineering to counter stupidity

I thought that was a myth. Where do you get 'em.? Anyway, you can get any Rx drug in Mexico for cheap maybe you should cross-post in "Overheard on the way to Certain Doom"

exactly. also micro word. just give me a 500k word processor that rips. I don't need all that extra crap.

in a convenient tote no less!

erik I know how long you've wanted to send that route. keep working at it friend, one day you'll find yourself at the chains!

if I am going up again on that route this year it will be because I am forced to.

a 200 lb boulder? that's not exactly enormous

...and a "rough" english translation? skin w/ spines I guess

thanks to an un-named moderator you get to download the full trail map for mt hood meadows on each page I post now

isn't like 80% of people consider themselves above-average drivers

yeah there was all kinds of waffle mix and syrup on the blackmarket in the metro area. there's something exciting about eating hot golden grahams

thanks for the update, and for making me lose my lunch

red october is aid

please understand hood is the last place I want to be these days oh wait nevermind I'm mistaken. mt. hood gives me the wood apparently.

no one packs on the pounds like the typical costco member.