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DanO

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Everything posted by DanO

  1. https://www.google.com/search?q=ski+pole+self+arrest&client=tablet-android-samsung&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZquy9tvfUAhUI2mMKHQI6BXwQ_AUICSgB&biw=1280&bih=800#imgrc=OgJual7EQDdLmM: I do something like this but upper hand is lower and pole is in arm pit, pole less likely to break with lowest section retracted. Works very well with medium soft to soft snow, likely a LOT better than a ice axe in very soft snow. Not as good as axe in harder icy snow. It is a shame this skill is not well known. I am thinking of building my own poles because of the lack of knowledge of this skill etc, and the gear for it that I would prefer. I would want a hard solid spike for the lower section of the pole for most usage. Like steep slick ground and for snow. Dan
  2. Anyone know of trekking poles designed for self arrest via pole In arm pit method? Works well if pole does not bend or break. Dan
  3. Whitepine creek or whitepine drool, is still in, it is slowly going away due to melting. I climbed it this last Saturday. I guess it should last a few weeks longer, while melting and ice going away to rock and snow. I hit a few soft spots.. The most easy way to climb is to start over to the right take most easy path up to tree to right, sling the tree then climb up and left taking the most easy way, can repel a tree far left not at the top of the climb or climb to the top of the ice fall someplace. around 3+ the most easy way, solid 4 other ways up. Dan
  4. Anyone know if White Pine Creak is still in? It is between Leavenworth and Stevens pass Thanks Dan
  5. OK, I think a bothy bag can be the best in certain situations. For what I want and most of what I do I am going look into getting a light square tarp. It is possible to fold a tarp into a small 2 man pyramide tent for two with a trekking pole (videos on net). A tarp bivy combo will leave you dryer in the morning and so less likely to wet out gear. And can do a fire if under tree line. The lightest breathable Bivi's that are cost effective that I know of are Tera Rosa's tyvek bivy 5.5oz . SOL escape bivy 8oz, and SOL escape lite bivy 5.5oz. Look for the breathable escape bivy sacks. The more heavy one is equal to a 50 degree F sleeping from what read on the net. A non breathable blizzard bag is another option. Hope to have personal extra bivy gear weight under 1.5lb including pad and fire starting gear. I think a bothy can be lighter and better in many situations but for me a light tarp and bivy should be more useful more often, so I will hold off on the bothy for the time being. Thanks all.
  6. So it seams that if conditions are really bad up high a bothy is a OK option for an emergency. A tarp bivy combo is likly better down lower and in not as bad conditions. I am thinking of equal weight systems and two or more people. I will try one out and see if I can get it to breath better and stay warm. Another situation is where one person is carrying emergency gear for two or more for some reason. Then bothy may be better, especially in no trees for fire when stoped, IE above tree line or on sea shore etc. Otherwise tarp and fire is my preference for longer term stop. Taking quick comfy breaks may make a bothy worthwhile enough to carry depending on the whole situation of trip out, and have emergency overnight shelter to boot. Thanks
  7. http://www.fieldandstream.com/node/1006033122 I like to bring Firestarter, if one makes it to the treeline and has a ice axe or can get a stout stick to dig with then can make a fire bed. One way to entertain yourself for a long cold night. I actually prefer a tarp with long fire combo for emergency shelter but often pretty far above tree line, so hard to find dry wood in quanity. Lack of being able to use fire with a bothy was bothering me, a fire bed solves this problem and is a way pass time for several hours. Bothy bag steam bath!!
  8. Likely right on being a sweat lodge, from what I read from UK forums it is not a bad option for two or more people as it can be fairly warm for the weight, 10 to 20+ degrees F over outside temp. It is not as particularly good for an overnight as for a break in nasty weather. I think I will try one out and see how it goes. One concern that I have is wetting out down gear. For me it would be used for emergency bivy, I think weight wise it can make sense, if your willing for two and more to only carry it and light pads with clothing. I think the two man would be ok for super light for harder climbs, the four man for less hard climbs. The Two man is pretty tight and less likely to bring in gear, the four man should be more more comfy for two and can bring in gear or more people-if had too. This just my thinking, I have no experience, there are lighter bothies than the brooks range one, but it is said to be breathable, so that should help a little with the wetting out fog inside. Thanks
  9. Thinking of getting a Brooks Range Alpini Shelter 400. http://www.brooks-range.com/alpini-shelter400-p/4005.htm Any info or experience with bothy shelters? Can two people sleep in a 4 man bothy for a night with only moderate misery? Thinking of using a bothy and pad combo with clothes. Could add in a SOL bivy and light quilt or a puffy. Mostly for summer usage but can be in any season , in cascades. Is there a better bothy than the Alpini? The other option is two people with SOL Bivi's, pads and a very light tarp. This is for emergency use on lower moderate climbing routes. So looking for lighter than for intentional biving. Thanks for reading.
  10. Did Whitepine creek Yesterday "Washington ice guide book" Page 86, In enough but soft and plenty of bare rock under snow, plenty of bashing out soft ice to bare rock with tools as well, doable but thin in places. We started at the right of the falls wondered up and right to a big tree about mid way. Then went up and left, and farther left before the absolute top of climb and repelled off a tree. Our Green sling is still on the tree we repelled off of. I imagine conditions will be better in a week or so. I suggest crossing the railroad bridge and walking in a good ways up the tracks to see the climbing spot/falls then angle in to the ice falls--if you have never been there before. Doing this method you will run into water in a low area. Unless you go around this low area to the road that runs across the face of the area before the falls. If you go straight into the cliff area without spotting the ice falls the falls are very hard to find, lot more work to boot and time wasted. Did not use snowshoes, snowshoes seem to hurt as much as they help but make your own decision, it may be deeper snow as well into the future. Snow up to crotch in places, mostly below the knees and lesser though. Great fun!!! Grade is about 3 to 3+ if you pick the easiest way to go Grade 4 and maybe more the harder ways.
  11. Hello, I decided to try a kind of poncho called the packa. The type I am getting is silnylon. So it is an non wetoutable hard shell upper. For legs not sure yet, will try some light gore tex pants that I already have. Other options are chaps or rain skirt or non breathble hardshell. The advantage of these hard shells is not worrying about drying them out at camp. Second approach at the same time is a pertex wind shirt with much pile/fleece. I will likely use a merino base layer since it is much more comfortable wet than a polyester base for me. The goal is to shed light rain and staying dry by the pile pertex method. If rain comes too hard, shed layers as needed and go to the non breathable but ventable hardshell approach. At camp, take off outside hard shell rain wear. Then use sleeping system to dry out the rest. Using a over rated sleeping bag. In my experience one needs at least 20 degrees over rating to dry damp to wet clothing. I am going to use a semi breathable vapor inner bag or layer to protect the insulation of my sleeping bag. Going to try a tyvek inner bag first to see how it goes. Stephenson's warmlite bags have such a vapor barrier built in and it works very well. When you warm up in bed you fan extra moisture out into open air, of course wring out clothing before you get into place if needed, you can see the need for an over rated bag, 20 degrees +++ over the expected lowest temp. After you get the bulk of moisture out, sleep like normal and be dry by morning and the plan is everything inside the event bivy sack to be dry by morning ready for next day. I am surprised that a semi breathable inner vapor layer is not more commonly made by sleeping bag manufacturers. If I use a down quilt, event bivy sack, with a semi breathable inner vapor sack. I think I can dry clothes and keep the down dry. Even in a 100% humidity outside environment the down quilt inside the event bivy sack should have a much dryer micro environment---at least in the morning. I like wool clothing well enough except it is harder to dry than synthetic, so at this point will keep wool to a min, even leaning toward Synthetic socks and gloves, even these small items hold a lot of water and dry slower.
  12. To Montypiton I have been thinking of pertex and pile/fleece for general clothing and getting light silnylon pants and jacket for when it is really raining hard. Any opinion on silnylon rain gear? I like the light weight. Do you have any other rain gear that you recomend? Thinking of something to put on when raining hard, otherwise use the more very breathable gear. However if you know of more heavy rain gear that stays on all the time I would check that too, thanks for any information. I have not found much of non breathable rain gear made for hiking, but seen a cargoule by serria designs that may work. Would prefer something can use with gear and harness but am considering anything. Have a thought to use a campmor silnylon poncho as well, pros and cons for most everything. Thanks
  13. I really like thin merino wool for base layer, wool is warm when damp. Warmer than many nsulators wet, fleece/pile are almost as warm and synthetic puffys are likely warmer when wet or at least as warm wet, nothing soaking wet is that warm. The thing about wool is it is heavy, heavier wet and drys really slow. I may circle back to wool again but for now I use it for a base layer and it works great for this role for me. However, I sometimes bring a mid weight merino wool zipper neck sweater, it is that or fleece/pile. With synthetics you have a chance to dry them out in a sleeping bag, almost no chance with a lot of wet wool, that is my experience. Thanks
  14. Further, If I was going to build a wet weather quilt, it would have a semi breathable material for the inner. Enough to let normal body moisture travel out while sleeping and SOME more to dry clothing but not too much to overwhelm insulation. The outer material super breathable and then use a event bivy sack. Likely better to use a synthetic insulation quilt but I have down for now, need it over rated for wet weather. I myself would prefer a rating around 0 to 10 degrees, you need that extra warmth for drying clothing. Alternatively, Make a sleeping bag with the same semi breathable material on the inside with super breathable outside material, best would be Event for the outside. Either down or synthetic, but synthetic is likely better if wetness did get in, but either would work, depends on preference, down is my favorite if it works. Since I have a Event bivy sack(check out the Borah gear Event bivy, best deal on a Event bivy that I have seen to date) And I have goose down quilts, I ordered a Tyvek bivy sack,(Tera Rosa Gear) very simply made and very light at 5.5 ounces to try out as my semi breathable vapor barrier inner sack. Plan, craw into Tyvek sack, and then get into down quilt and Event Bivy. Get warm and then fan out moisture from time to time until manageable, then sleep while drying wet clothing. As you can imagine you want a overrated sleeping quilt to do this. So I am using a zero degree down quilt when dumping rain. Will it work? most Likely, but unknown by me, as it is untested, so will test at home. I put clothing and sleeping gear in waterproof sacks, what is the opinion about back pack covers? Sort of hard to use with gear on the outside, such as ice axes and snowshoes, Opinions? Any pack cover out there much better than the rest? I have not used pack covers to date.
  15. Thanks Everyone, I suppose the goal is to be warm and wet rather than wet and cold, mo matter what system. The pile and pertex system from the UK depends on making a micro climate at the skin that is dryer and is pumping the wetness out by body heat, works if your moving, warm and hopefully not overheating. If not moving then in camp inside a pile pertex sleeping bag drying out, or drying out with some other equivalent bag of some type. I guess a modern version of non breathable hard shell rain gear that would work is something made out of silnylon. Rain jacket and bibs. Using minim amount of clothing, wet with some sweat, this seems like a good option when out there for a long time. If the rain stops you dry the inner layers super fast by taking the outer layer off. You can put on some other kind of outer layer if needed while drying Some options, gear out of pertex or event or equivalent and wear the lest amount of clothing possible. Can keep on pertex or Event or equivalent and dry out that way. Maybe a better system for off and on hard showers and for general usage??? I myself don't mind wearing a merino wool base layer if warm enough in the rain as I tend to run hot and sweaty anyway. At camp to hang up what you don't want to dry and use bedding to dry out what you can dry or want to dry. I myself would prefer to dry out as much as I can, as in most everything. I have experienced a semi breathable vapor barrier inside a sleeping bag and it works really well, Stephenson's triple bags work this way. With a way over rated bag, you get warm and then fan out the moisture from time to time as you warm up. When moisture gets low enough you just sleep and dry things out over time. Wool is hard to dry in a sleeping bag but polyester does well. I am considering the hard shell non breathable, verses Event with pile/fleece, verses pile with pertex systems. I am also thinking of instead of pile/fleece clothing is mesh clothing. Or maybe some odd combination of all the systems. If I was going to get a synthetic sleeping bag I would want the inner layer to be of some sort of breathable vapor barrier, something like gore tex in effect and let the outer layer breath completely, IE very breathable material. I have a Event bivy and would use that in the combo. The Event bivy is super breathable and won't hardly restrict the moisture coming out the total system. With unlimited time, money and most importantly will I would test all possibilities. Maybe I will do so to some extent but for me to do so would take several years. I already have a good bit of gear and will use that while picking up more stuff here and there and see what works for me. Recently I have been renewing the outer DWR layer on outer clothing, giving it new life for awhile. Using Atsko water proofer, it seems to work fairly well. I will have some sort of semi breathable vapor barrier inside my sleeping bag or quilt, either down or synthetic. Good chance I make up a synthetic quilt as I want someday. By semi breathable I mean waterproof but somewhat breathable, something like a lower breathable waterproof jacket material. I am kind of thinking of a pertex wind shirt and pants along with a silnylon hard shell to put over that for poring rain. But still thinking. Still thinking and researching. Thanks
  16. I have a larger down bag that has a waterproof but breathable fabric on the inside and it works pretty well drying out very wet clothing and not collapse the down. It is a sort of breathable vapor barrier. I can use this bag but is a little heavy and bulky to carry. Also it is not water proof from the outside in and must have a very good shelter(good tent) around it. It is too large with down mat to go into my event bivy sack. I also use a event bivy sack and down quilt. I would like to be able to dry out very wet clothing in this after hiking out in the rain and not collapse the down insulation in my sleeping quilt. The ways I am considering is a breathable vapor bag, something made from a gore tex like material, and use this inside the sleeping bag. To warm up and fan out the moisture from time to time inside the clothes I am wearing. This inside a very overrated down quilt for the expected temp. This would in effect protect the down quilt insulation but not leave you in a sweat box once your dried out. Another thought is to use a synthetic over quilt, over the down quilt. Ether alone or with the gore tex vapor inner sack. Can a synthetic over quilt work alone? If so, maybe this is the best option. What temp rating for the overquilt for colder rainy weather? Another thought is to get a 20 degree synthetic quilt to use alone in rainy weather, thinking of one with clamisheild insulation. To use alone or with the inner gore tex vapor sack. Thoughts? Thought of getting a buffalo pile sleeping bag but seems too heavy and bulky to be suitable. Would really like to try one out but a little expensive for experimentation and likely too bulky and heavy to carry. Very big and bulky as compared to down. I want a wet weather system that can handle drying out clothes when soaking wet. Ideally, set up shelter and lay down sleeping system. Shake out wet clothing and wring fleece and pile clothing etc, go into sleeping system wearing wet clothing, get warm and eventually dry out clothing in some hours. Sleeping system dry and ready to go next night, no worries. Maybe this is impossible without a pile sleeping bag? Any thoughts?
  17. Very nice tent, on a lower budget silnylon tarps, rectangular or square can do a lot of variations and be fairly lightweight. The light bivy sack and light weight tarp combo gives a lot of options. One can fold a larger tarp into a enclosed pyramid shape for one or two people for harsh weather or have it unfolded for better weather and lower down situations and for more people. And you can carry your light bivy sack up on summit day for an emergency bivy. One can get a larger silnylon tarp and a good light bivy sack for about 400$ or less or a little more depending what you get... at a weight of about double that cuben super tent... But still not that heavy at 3 pounds or so. Maybe in a few years cuben will drop in price....
  18. It is difficult to know and remember where to draw the exact best route up, so look closely yourself on the way.
  19. Trip: Buckner - Out of Horseshoe basin and back. Date: 8/13/2016 Trip Report: Hot and buggy, lots of flies not so many mosquitoes. We wanted to do Buckner from Sahale glacier but no overnight permits to camp at the glacier. I imagine many more will be forced onto this route choice after failing to get a Sahale glacier camping permit. However later in the season it seems a good enough option as the snow looked thin for the traverse from Sahale glacier to Buckner and back. But we did see a party of three doing it, couldn't tell how they did it though? Coming out of Horseshoe basin is a bushwhack and rock scramble upward. The bushwhack is only semi difficult if you go the best way. It is best to use a GPS with tracking to find your way back or use cairns or flagging. We left a few cairns, but sill had to use GPS back tracking to find our way back down. Once above the bushwhack area in the green belt and the upper scree fields the going went well, not that bad. As your moving toward the mountain we went up the second left hand snow field (that looked good). We climbed the mountain left to right on the snow, had a rock section in between snow sections where we kept the crampons on. The snow was steep, not extremely steep but close. We used one ice axe and one trekking pole without basket up and down with no protection. Coming down at 3pm the soft snow had my full attention, and I wondered how self arrest would work out so I went down slowly face in, my partner went faster face out. A trekking pole with no basket works pretty well in one hand, just extent it far and it goes in the snow deeper than a ice axe, ice axe in other hand. The upper rock scramble above the snow at the point we went up was easy 3rd class. Plenty of water on route. When got back down to the lower bushwhack and rock scramble it was getting dark. We were not that fast up and down and also got a late start about a hour+ after daylight, so ended up on the bushwhack rock section at dark and unable to tell where to go exactly and had to use the backtrack feature on the GPS. At full dark we decided to Bivy as we thought it too dangerous to continue in the dark. It was a shiver bivy, I had a backpack with it's support foam to lay on and a bivy sack. my partner only had his clothes. In the morning with our GPS backtracking and cairns it was fairly easy to find our way down back the way we went. Going up, when starting out. Looking at the climbers right side of the upper basin We went up at the upper part of the basin at about the lower part of the snow field--located at the creek. Start out right above a waterfall creek and moving upward then left on a bench toward a upper waterfall creek. Again-starting out you scramble up and left, ie go up some and move left on a large rocky bench, keep moving left on broad bench to somewhere before a waterfall, then move diagonally up and slightly to the right, having rock and/or bush whacking how much each depending where you go. About 60% of the way up you cross a creek while moving diagonally right and then keep moving diagonally right (and up) upward on mostly 3rd with a few 4th class rock sections of rock with vegetation. Keep moving up and you run into nice open fields. When at the upper end of Horse shoe basin it is fairly easy to see this route, I would not do the tree filled ridge lower down the basin that one guide book seems to indicate. Just look at the rock and you can see a sort of zig zag pattern. Up first then left on bench, then up up and slightly moving to the right, look for the rock. Gear Notes: Ice axe, crampons, rope and a little pro if anyone shaky on semi steep snow (not super steep, but had my attention) or on low level rock scrambling. GPS with tracking is nice, some minimal bivy gear just in case if possibility of moving slow. Approach Notes: Bugs in the basin, the higher you camp the better it is to get out of the bugs.
  20. I forgot to put in my email wretyduf@rocketmail.com Thanks Dan
  21. I have a Gatewood cape and inner fly for sale, full price on both is $135 plus 120$ plus tax and shipping. I will sell both for $120. In very good condition, only used two times. http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/raingear/GatewoodCape.html http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/nettents/Serenity.html It is very good for lite weight hiking and camping with rain protection in combination. I decided I like a bivy sack better for what I do. Thanks Dan
  22. I have done some climbing with the pack and it did well for me. I have no way to compare it to the other major brands, but I like it. Dan
  23. Trip: Whitehorse - Date: 7/30/2016 Trip Report: Don't underestimate the hike in, it is a semi bushwhack with many climber trails and different ways to go. I did not run into much devil's club though. It is a work out. Mid July, there was water at the 4000ft pool with it's campsite above, it is mud by July 30. There is a small stream of water running down the trail a ways below the now gone pool of water. It has a couple of small catch basins made out of mud, don't know how long it will last. Above Lone tree pass up high along the ridge line there is a meadow at about 5000 feet, good camping. No water there at July 30. Little water there mid July, may be good water there early July?? It is a 4 foot by 3 foot dug out mud hole made to collect water. There is water at bear lake, that should last the whole summer season, but you have to lose a lot of elevation to camp there. Most would not want to do it. After you drop down the back side of the mountain, high pass is the third major gully that looks like a pass. At July 30 there is a patch of snow about 30 feet wide 50 feet long that has nice water RIGHT before high pass (at around 5000ft). I guess it will last the summer season?? There is also a small hidden stream of water right before this patch of snow in the same area right before high pass. We found some hairy scrambling on a rock line before high pass, probably there is a better way than we went, beware of blindly following climber trails. At the ridge line at high pass there is only enough room for a single one man tent and one bivy sack and be semi comfortable. Not enough room for a two man tent, could try but very uncomfortable--if possible. Could be more spots for a few more bivy sacks, but not comfortable. There is snow to melt at high pass, could tent camp at the glacier at high pass, but not flat glacier, may want to bring a tool to make a flat spot. If you hike from high pass up the glacier about 200 yard there is water running on rocks that you may be able to get too, there is a gap between rock and snow that varies. Likely want a rope. Snow does not firm up much over night, may want some pickets, we use ski poles for pickets. Also there are some places where you can use to belay from, via between the rock and snow. Mountaineer's belay worked well. No ice on glacier where we went, we had no use for ice screws. Did not summit, went to the right of mountain and climbed a rock ridge section above the steep snow. We were climbers right of the mountain on a rock ridge. No tracks on snow to show us where to go from high pass. Camped at high pass, very enjoyable, had good weather. Bivy sack great to see stars at times in between the fog/clouds, the high light of the climb for me. I was toasty warm with a 20 degree bag in a bivy sack with all my clothes. In July through Aug+ or so, there are bugs in the cascades from 3000 ft to 5000ft or so... It can be bad or only semi bad. We had bugs but only semi bad for us. The hike in and climb is likely better early season with lots of snow. It is better to do the climb in dry conditions during summer. The likely hood of falling down and get busted up is much higher with wet rock, grass and mud. Gear Notes: Pack light no more than 35 lbs unless you want to suffer. Ice axe and crampons, if you bring rope bring some snow protection of some sort. Water is harder to find after mid July.
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