Weekend_Climberz

Did this route last weekend and it was great, even though we decided to skip the last summit block pitch at the top due to time. I was wondering where everyone else was at on such a nice weekend. The only other car in the pullout was a Preston College 15 passenger van, but we only saw them from a distance. I have the full trip report on my website, so here's the shameless plug: Cutthroat Peak South Buttress

I was up a few weekends back and aided for the first time up City Park. It was pretty cool.

So if I go to Mt. Rainier and say my religion is to pray from the top of the mountain never taking the same path twice, it sounds to me that they can't charge that retarded climbing fee.

I think I'll just bandit climb instead.

I as well have vigorously used his knowledge through his books and can only say that he will be sorely missed by all. He truly helped to make the WA trails and wildernesses better for all to enjoy. What a great life he must have lived.

My buddy parked without one about a month ago and they stuck an envelope and registration form so that you could send money in and buy a pass. He went ahead and did it, but I don't think they enforce it until like Memorial Day weekend (so right about now). Don't take my word on it though. I think there used to be a post about this somewhere... here it is

I'm headed up there, but I'm not going in the direction of the hut.

I headed up there on Tuesday 5/27 and only saw one other person on my way down. I saw hundreds of little trails that lead every which way though, and I could see that 60-70 people were there the day before. Hiking during the week rules.

This looks like is was posted just the other day. 5/23/03 Longs Pass WTA .org

I have a panasonic dv951d with the 3CCD that was only about $1250 and it takes excellent video. I use pinnacle studio to edit everything down to RealVideo so I can stream it off of my website. It takes DVD quality video and can zoom in 100x digitally, and it only weighs about 2.5 lbs and fits in the palm of your hand. It also takes still pictures via an SD card so you can easily move pictures around with the reader that is included. It has worked great for me and has really held together even after dropping it several times.

Anyone with any recent info on routes on the south side? The website really doesn't have much about the conditions. I imagine the Indian Henrys area is pretty much still under a lot of snow.

I was wondering what the conditions were like near the Fuhrer Finger and Wilson Headwall. I was thinking with the snow we have been getting the headwall might still be pretty filled up.

Was up there yesterday 5/18. We camped just below the glacier on saturday night and planned on heading out around 2am. It snowed on and off all night. By the time we got going around 2:45am where we were camped the snow was nice and packed. After when moved onto Heliotrope Ridge proper the snow started to get really deep and we had to break trail after some camps higher up than ours. After reaching around 8500' near the base of the highest Black Butte the snow turn from just-above-the-knees postholing to chest deep backstroking. We decided to turn around there because it was just getting light and we figure it woould take us most of the rest of the day to tag the top. I would say that if we got a couple of real nice days with no precipitation and high temps it may go, but plan on doing some serious post-holing in some areas. Good luck.

Yeah, these guys are worthless and don't do nothing. http://www.king5.com/topstories/NW_051303WABwomanrescued.16198312.html You guys are ungrateful.

Thats been my thought as well and don't they make bindings that will fit a crampon compatible boot, too?

I called the Ranger Station in Darrington this morning and they said the snow starts around 3500-4000 feet. I was wondering if any one has been up the road to Monte Cristo or farther recently (past two weeks) and would like to share trail conditions. I'm hoping I don't have a weekend of postholing ahead of me, and just wanted to confirm that. Unfortunately I won't be able to get snowshoes until next season, but I don't mind a good slog as long as it's not chest deep.

I never made it up there last month, but am thinking conditions are much better now. Has anyone been up there recently, either Poodle Dog Pass or Glacier Basin? I'm not sure what the snow line is at and haven't been able to find anything more recent than early March. I imagine that it may still be under some snow.

I was trying to load up this really cool website that I used to use and it gives me nothing now. Has anyone ever used this site before? If so, do you know where it went? http://www.eparka.com

Just wondering if anyone has recently been up the road to Monte Cristo. I considering heading up to Glacier Basin next weekend and would like to know if skiis and/or snowshoes would be the best option, or if just hiking it would work.

I climbed the south face back in '94 via an obvious crack system on the left hand side. We found a couple of fixed pins about 80ft off the deck, so someone had been there long before us. It was pretty easy climbing (5.5-5.6) with lots of bomber pro. It climbed out of a large chossy chimney to the top. There are lots of potential routes for some easy climbing with nice views, if your willing to hump the gear up and down the mountain.

This is where I messed up, I should have just told the chode that we were day hiking or something. We had stashed our overburdened packs near Lake Viviane and kept hiking with just day packs, but I was ignorant enough to think he was just chit-chatting.

I went hiking with the little girl last summer and had to pickup permits that cost almost $40. No big deal, but then when we got up to Lake Viviane at around 8pm we camped. Now we had planned this trip for a long time, and I was really looking forward to it. I sent off for the permits on the first day that was allowed, marking the slot to camp in the Lower Enchantments. Then I made the mistake of selecting the box that allowed for alternate sites for camping. Well back in the Enchantments we were having a great time. After camping on a rock at the edge of the waterfall emptying Viviane Lake, we woke up early to go look around and see what the area had to offer. We met up with this chode range TJ Broom who decided he would mess with us. He started asking where we had camped and how we were doing yada yada, then asked to see our permit. I happily showed him our pass and at that point I realized that it had been marked that we were supposed to camp at the Snow Lakes (they opted to give me the alternate camping site). He wipped out his citation book and promptly gave us each a $50 ticket, well a receipt anyway. Well a few weeks later once we got the real ticket in the mail, they had upped it to $100 a piece. So for a three day trip I was out $240 bucks. Fortunately my car wasn't busted in when I got in the parking lot. These fucking guys are mobsters or something, it made me wish I had brought my ice climbing so I could have chunked that stupid chump in the head. It pissed me off so bad that I had made an honest mistake and this peon happened to catch me being nice. Had I known that my permit was for the snow lakes I could have just told the MF'r that we were day hiking, because we stashed our camping stuff at Viviane Lake. He told us that he could give anyone a break due to his boss or some BS. Anyway thought I'd let you know that there are consequences to not having that permit. But in the long run those forest service peckers are just stupid college boys who are easily fooled, just don't let them beat around the bush with you.

Went and check the conditions on Sunday for myself. There was barely any snow at the parking lot, mainly just what the snowplows had scooped up onto the side of the roads. Waterfalls were coming down were usually thick fat ice forms on Cave Ridge. We decided to walk up to the Tooth and see what the view was from the top. It was cloudy as we started out and a little bit slick. We strapped on the 'pons and proceded up the trail towards the Snow Lake cutoff. Once we started to round the valley clouds were obviously starting to sock in the area. Once we got onto the open slopes near the gap that leads to the Tooth, things got tough. Here the snow was at least hip deep and even mid-chest in some places, making the going pretty slow. A couple of guys skiied passed us making us wish we had planned a little better, but oh well. We stopped just below a cliff with what seemed like the only solid piece of ice in the whole area. Now the heavy wet snow was starting to pick up and we decided to hangout for a minute. We caught up to the guys on skiis and they were cutting a Rutchblock (spelling) a trying to decide if the slope we were just snorkling through was safe. It took about four jumps before it let loose, but it seemed to take a lot of force. We decided that we had had enough post-holing for one day, especially since we left the scuba gear at home. All in all it was a short fun hike, that really got me pump after a few hours of wallowing in that snow.

I had a friend leave my tent in his call soping wet for a few weeks and it now has those annoying little mildew spots on it. It doesn't seem too bad but I'm not sure the best way to get rid of the stuff.

I prefer using a carabiner wrapped with the prussik rope through the gate several times. It's really super easy to work with when you got gloves on because the biner makes for a nice handle. Anyone else use this or reccommend against?