matt_warfield

Squamish eats them for dinner.

Russians and Americans should all read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" next time you're on a bivy and feel like bitching. Great TR and pics. NR of Stuart is as classic as classic gets and every TR will get lots of looks.

I am not female, ivan, but here goes. Hope its entertaining enough to be gender neutral. I was going to do Backbone in about 2004 with a partner from Bellingham. He was very late getting into Leavenworth and we sat and pondered what to do. He was going to be the leader and had a notebook on the route. He was studying it and on the side I saw a note from a female acqaintance from the previous night. "You are the most terrific lover I have ever had" Meaning the reason he was late. Great start. Plus he didn't have a permit as promised so I suggested going gangster style and telling any ranger that we were doing a "day" trip assuming no ranger was going to be up on the route. Crack of noon start. Bivvied at the base of the offwidth at which time a helicopter was evacuating some parajumpers off the top of the peak. In the middle of the night I had my head on my pack and smelled snafflehound. We went eye to eye. Literally. Two inches. Luckily I outweighed him. Or her. I didn't check. Weather went bad and we bailed. On the way down one of his buddies who supposedly had done Serpentine followed us out. He just plain disappeared around Colchuck Lk. This is an experienced climber who we just couldn't find. Yelling and looking to no avail. I can only assume a chickie was involved. Went back to the parking lot and every vehicle that anything showing had been broken into. Mine had 200K miles and nothing in because I WAS CARRYING ALL MY SHIT and know how to have a trailhead rig. So I was spared. The yups were not. Thanks for the TR and there are lots of great folks on this site.

A bit of a difficult issue. Aggravation with rope drag vs. extensive time setting up and breaking down belays in the midst of big crowds going up and rappelling kind of is an issue. Small rack of nuts will be fine. Save several for the top traverse. And if you enjoy alpine climbing, get used to carrying some weight. Or you can downselect to cragging, then sport climbing, then bouldering. But alpine requires some fitness and determination whether it be The Tooth or North Ridge of Stuart or a myriad of other destinations. And a 5.10 Index follower should cruise this route with minimal gear. Six nuts, only four on his sling.

Another major issue is when the rappel route matches the ascent route on moderate alpine routes with plenty of newbies. Go early or go late. or in bad weather. Think about moderate crag routes also with solid rock.

If on I-90 also consider Gallatin Canyon, Bozeman Pass. But keep on trucking cuz MT is rarely a destination rock climbing place. Locals might disagree because they are ahem locals

I wonder how many times that has been said.

I had tib/fib fracture last year and have a titanium plate and screws. My career as a foot model is over as is your friends. Hey we earn this stuff. And self arrest is widely unappreciated as a risk. Nice writeup and best of luck to your friend.

After a similar epic on N. Ridge, my next day at work was pretty unproductive. Many a work day or school day has been affected by an alpine adventure that went long: distance and/or time wise.

On Dragontail I slept with my head on pack but still woke up to the sweet smell of rodent (woodrat) right next to my face trying to snafflehound my pack. On another open bivy mice were terrorizing the place. I would just wake up now and then and flip my feet up and down to shake them off my sleeping bag. On Chiefshead CO a marmot came sprinting up the glacier toward my stowed pack while I was on the rock. Poorly aimed rock chucking did not deter it. Not having rodents in the mountains is definitely aid.

These experiences lead to more experiences. Plan a 2 day trip (its been done in one many times but its a big trip) to do the N. Ridge, one of the 50 Classic Climbs. If you have done W. Ridge you can do N. Ridge minus the gendarme. Check a guidebook. It will blow your mind. One day trips require fitness and logistics and maybe hiking at night, preferably on the front end. Sleeping bags and additional crap adds weight. And be on the same wavelength as your partner about goals or you will have to learn some stuff the hard way. But the N. Ridge involves some glacier travel so be prepared. Many on this site have done it but I have the microphone at present.

I'm pretty sure Cedar did some major shit in Zion recently. But I agree with ivan. On a day route shit happens. Multiday you have responsibilities. Sleeping with a poop tube on a multiday route like it is cute cute puppy is a rite of climbing life.

I love stories about big days. It makes you feel alive and Steph's photos are always top drawer.

Everybody knows you can believe anything you read on the internet. And it is nice to know that civil war can happen in Canada also. The US always takes the heat.

Mt Si has been done in around 37 min. to the the base of the haystack. Mix up running at an 8 minute per mile pace with stairs or hiking 4 mph with fair vertical. Adjust accordingly according to your own fast twitch/slow twitch muscle fibers ratio and motivation. There are some very fit people on this site and their goals may not be the same as yours.

And one penalty point for shorts plus gaiters. If poly under the shorts it would be two points. But always like to see good scenery in a TR so nice work.

1) Kurt Hicks rocks 2) Fixed pins are stupid when a bolt will last for 20 yrs. 3) Tat sucks and should have an alternative 4) Oh wait, referring to #2 make sure the bolt will last for 20 yrs. Otherwise don't place it. 5) Tat sucks (refer to clue #3). Nobody knows how old it is and it is unsightly. 6) If a route like Diedre at Squamish didn't have excellent fixed hardware there would be a trail as long as up Everest 7) Tell the Sierra Club if you are just a hiker you will not see hardware. You will see many worse things on the trail than hardware that protects climbers. 8) It takes money to take care of your local crag. Help out.

Check requirements at Yosemite (bears) and Rocky Mountain National Park (marmots and ravens) and Enchantments (goats) It is a world we share with animals and it is a pleasure and a problem to do so but such is life.

I am member 285495 and joined in about 1970. If I was a BSer I'd make the number smaller to look impotent; oh I meant important. They have gotten so big that I would rather buy from a small and experienced shop. I know the thread is about return policy but they have retail sales people instead of experienced outdoor people and I don't like it. If you buy from the right people you don't have to return it because you did it right the first time.

I always recommend a call or visit to the local guide or mountain shop in any area you visit.

I am interested in your perspective on Ethiopia's bad blood with Somalia. But as with others I enjoy posts from people not getting cheated in life so thanks for the info and look forward to more.

I spent the day with a 90 yr. old WWII vet who was shot down and was a POW for most of the war. It was my tribute to the day. Then we ate elk burgers as a tribute to Montana.

I can't believe you posted a picture of your wife in this post. Your posts are ever ENTERTAINING. Keep it up even if you have to make it up. You could write books but then have to pay for psychiatrists to treat the editor's mental trauma.

I have chained my bicycle in the woods near THs and have also drive a beater vehicle to destinations with no custom stereo and no obvious booty inside and no trunk because thieves will assume there are vast resources inside. I have had my vehicle broken into and enough stuff stolen I have thought about planting a bait vehicle and waiting with a baseball bat or worse. I am not kidding and I am not alone. To finish my car theft situation, the guy who stole it did $2.5K of work that I didn't pay for on a $5K car so my carma was cut in half. The outdoor life involves some risk with transpo and gear. If we wanted no risk we would be on the couch watching Dr. Phil.

Or go to the local climbing shop and ask about how to contact Viktor Kramar who is kind of sort of the mayor of Leavenworth climbing. The author of recent guidebooks. When questions come up about fixed pro it is really important to talk to locals with perspective.