robertjoy

I currently have a pair of Lowa Mt Expert boots. I have had similar (nubuk/goretex) mountaineering boots forr the last several years. I swear by TECHTRON boot spray. It is squickly absorbed into the leather, and is incredibly water repellant. One big advantage is that is does not affect the appearance of the leather, it doesn't "goo it up", so the boot still breathes and looks like new. http://www.rei.com/product/624530

An overdosed of "Charlie Sheen", makes love seem pedestrian!

Can we presume you mentioned you are WHITE, so that your driver could pick you out of the crowd at SeaTac Airport?

Sierra Designs HYPERLIGHT 3 AST: ~6lbs I have used this tent for several years, it is very roomy. Room for two and all gear. Two man version is also available (rarely). I have one of those too. Hyperlight 3 has been discontinued, but you can usually find it on EBAY for between $150-$180. http://cgi.ebay.com/Sierra-Designs-Hyperlight-3-AST-Tent-Footprint-NEW-/130489702987?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e61cada4b

The problem with dyneema knotting is obvious, but the real-world problem is with girth hitching dyneema to any other sling. See links provided by others here. In a pinch, who wouldn't be tempted to use a girth hitch to extend an anchor?

With the experience of raising 4 kids, hiking with them, etc. My wife and I carried the little ones using a Japanese "onbu-himo". These are great, fold very compact, can carry a heavy 4 year old in a pinch. Baby must be old enough to resist head-flopping (2mo?). Back carry facilitates the parent working while carrying: ride a bike to store, cooking, ironing, etc. Suitable for larger child when front carry is certainly not. Hard to find, but they last forever. see YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gmw-sZByTA

In the northwest, avalanche season is WINTER/SPRING. When weather/terrain conditions indicate high avalanche danger your recreational climb should be postponed. If the avy conditions are moderate or lower, you would still need at least a shovel to dig a pit and evaluate actual conditions as you are climbing. You should also have a beacon so that you have some chance of effecting a rescue, rather than simply relying on your own prediction that YOU could not be surprised by an avalanche during Avy Season. Cheap, lazy, and arrogant are not good character traits in a climbing partner. Isn't safety equipment ALWAYS carried in anticipation of a rare accident, not merely for frequent events, like leader falls in rock climbing? Tarp, bivy sack, extra gloves are all carried to deal with problems which usually don't happen.

For a beginner, I would suggest strap-on crampons such as the Black Diamond Contact Strap (stainless). These are suitable for a wide range of boots, from flexible sole light-weight hikers to stiffer medium-weight mountaineering boots. If you eventually get a pair of plastic boots (non-flex), a step-in style is better suited. And the Contact Straps are not well suited to STEEP snow or ice where front-pointing is expected and a non-flex sole is best.

Climbed it with my (beginner) wife two weeks ago. We had a 60m rope, and that took us to the notch with about 6 meters excess (3 meters on both ends. This would indicate to me that a 50 meter rope might require some downclimbing. Thirty meters will not make it.

I am wondering about climber access to (upper) Lemah Creek basin. We will be camping at Lemah Meadows, but I see online that the PCT has been closed because of fire damage from 2009. Is the .5 mile section linking Lemah Meadows and Lemah Creek actually damaged at all? I suspect that the closure was pushed thru to the Lemah Meadows junction for the sake of simplicity.

We'll be camping in the Core Enchantments later in the week. I was wondering about snow conditions, dry camping spots?, and availability of liquid water (to avoid having to melt snow). Any information anyone?

I have a question about the same area. Apparently, the section of the PCT just south of Lemah Meadows is "closed" due to fire damage (2009). I had been planning to climb Lemah from the Lemah Creek headwaters, which entails approaching from Lemah Meadows south for .5 miles on the PCT until the bridge at Lemah Creek. Is this section actually impassable or dangerous, or was it just simpler to continue the closure up to Lemah Meadows? The lady at the Ranger Desk has no idea.

Planning to pack in to Lemah Meadows via Cooper Lake, climb Lemah. Rangers have no report on trail conditions. Has anyone been up there in July? Trail conditions, bridges, snow level?

Buy a pair of Black Diamond 3-section flicklock trekking poles. I just measured mine at 25" (collapsed). 5'2" is not so short that you can't use a collapsible trekking pole. http://www.rei.com/product/768624

Comparing the snowy track with the link: bear-tracker etc., It looks more like a dog... "feline: the leading edge of the heel pad has two lobes, dogs have one"

I am planning to spend the last week of June packing in to Lake Ediza (Shadow Lake Trail)and climbing Mt Ritter and Clyde Minaret. I'm wondering how the snow level looks now. Can the trail to Lake Ediza be fully melted out by that time?

May I suggest the LOWA Mountain Expert GTX. This boot is lightweight, quite flexible, slightly insulated, goretex. http://www.lowaboots.com/catalog/ShowBoot.cfm?StockNum=2100273099&Category=1&Type=m

I spent 3 years in Japan many years ago, and was sold on the practicality of the traditional Japanese "back" baby carrier, called the Ohmbu-himo. These are incredibly light, simple, and inexpensive. Having the baby on mothers back is less stressful on the mother's back, and enables her to do all the household chores with hands free, and baby entertained. They are VERY hard to find, even on the internet.

I'll second Red Rocks. Lots of climbing with great approaches. Interesting hiking. Try a buffet for dinner mid-week, or for kids one of the casino family amusement parks. Glimpse a showgirl!

For the last couple of years I have used ENELOOP batteries by Sanyo. The hold a charge very well when not in use. But most important, they are less subject to losing charge under conditions of cold, such as we often experience climbing with headlamps at night. I also use the same AA size Eneloops in my GPS, and my headlamp. see link: http://www.eneloop.info/home/why-eneloop.html

check out They don't sell actual glacier glasses frames, but this is a very good price for prescription dark glasses (80%tint). worth a look.

Finally, some genius engineer has developed an inexpensive (yet highly amusing) solution to the mountaineering problem of glissade-wear. Note: adult size only up to waist size 42. http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=7211&dir_id=1034&group_id=18885&cat_id=18889&subcat_id=18893&adv=2835&cm_mmc=Inktomi*Prod_feeds*Prod_feeds*2835

After watching this movie i bought a green wide-mouth nalgene bottle and affixed a professional looking label: caution: NITRO This movie is a classic just for the creative use of nitro to solve a mountaineering problem.

I use barge cement to repair minor peel-off or rips in the rands on my mountaineering boots. It is very effective. I use tightly pulled duct-tape to hold down the section which is being re-glued. I understand that this is exactly what a shoe repair shop would do.

If you are stopping to climb Mt Shasta, you might consider packing in to climb Mt Thompson in the Trinity Alps which is very close to Mt Shasta. I can say that the Three Sisters and Mt Adams (and Hood) are not really in good condition this late in the season. By this I mean too much exposed volcanic scree. Mt Thompson is granite, and even with little snow it is beautiful and pleasant to climb.