Bill_Simpkins

life insurance = don't die. I think the correct term is death insurance. I have death insurance through my employer. I pay about $1 a month. They asked no questions as of my activities. Maybe check with your employer about it.

Didn't you read the disclaimer above the photo? heheh I have a cordelette, thank you, but this works just fine. It is a home made web-o-lette. Works just as good. Plus, it's lighter, takes up less space and you can cut it up for rappel anchors. Just for the record, when that was weighted it was very equalized. It however was not ideal, but that was all the gear I had left on me. I was completetly out of any rope to build an anchor with, and all of the slings were used except for one on a chalkstone which is out of the picture on the left. The biner on the closest strand of webbing was to refine the equalization even further. There was a solid #1 camalot out to the left by the chockstone in a crack. The runner from the chalkstone also was cliped to the camalot and my harness. When pulled taught the setup was very clean and solid. Shockloading sucks, but the position I was in and the gear I had left didn't allow a perfect setup. I also had a solid stance, which helped. I could have taken his weight without an anchor. I posted this picture because it WAS NOT an ideal setup. A picture of a perfect anchor would be boring. Cheers!

Last two pitches of Banana Peel, Sqaumish ( pitches are 5.4) Pisces, Index 5.6 Joes Dyke, Sqaumish, 2nd pitch. Awesome!!! 5.7 Personal fav. High Mountain Woody, Sqaumish (5.8) Brilliant! Rogers Corner, pitch 2, Index. 5.9 Soul Mate, Sqaumish, 5.10 b ish Fatty Bolger, Sqaumish, 11a ( I TR this )

I was very suprised to see crevasses up there. There were dozens of them.

Try this with the gear you have. Aliens .4" to 1.75"-about 6 cams Pink and red tricam on one biner Camalots #0.3 to #4 Doubles of camalots #1-#3 (+#4 if fist crack) Stoppers #2-12 - On one or two biners. Cams each on own biner. (total 6+8+3=17 cams) 3 short draws, 3 alpine draws, 4 shoulder slings with biner on each, one double shoulder sling with biner. 3 extra biners in case you run out of draws and need slings for stoppers. Note that depending on the climb you can leave some of the cams on the ground. Good Luck!

Climb: Mt. Watson-North Face/Ridge Date of Climb: 8/15/2004 Trip Report: Myself and Chuck Eaton went up this little peak 3 years ago and decided to spend the afternoon exploring it a little more. We talked about finding a short, old route that was put up by Dallas Kloke years ago. However we opted for something else. This may be a new route. Don't know for sure. When we go to the little glacier we were pretty amazed that it was littered with crevasses. After taking a nice break, we skirted around the north side to look for the route and see if we could descend down from the col. on the snow. Do NOT decend this way! There are many sketchy melt-outs under the snow with many crevasses ( couldn't believe it for such a small, low peak). So we scrambled up and left our boots and poles at the base. I started out on the short, steep headwall, but after a few placements I saw a fate of gardening and poor rock. So I headed left onto the mellower slab, which left almost no pro and maybe no chance of a belay. After reversing back to my original position, I decided to head up this corner than sported occasional cracks and lie backs. I followed this corner until I ran out of rope (not even an inch left) and was lucky enough to find a well-protectable belay spot with a place to sit. I only had a couple of pieces left, but they fit in perfect, but the setup was still a little getto. Actually...very getto. But there is a solid #1 camalot and a slung chockstone out of view. Chuck followed up. I then continued up a brushy ramp to the top. Lots of heather smearing and pulling. The trick is to get as large as a handfull as possible before you move up. Chuck handled the shrubbery just fine. We scrambled east off the top then rappelled down the South gullie and crossed back over at the col to the SW. Decending this small glacier with rock shoes and a stick was very entertaining. The Mounties would cringe. Kicking steps in the hard snow with rock shoes was very painful. Chuck went back up and got our stuff at the base then we took a long break and hiked out. The route we did seems different than 5th class route explained in the Beckey guide. The book explains low fifth slabs on the W flank of the North side. We went up a corner and ramp to the summit. This may be a new route. Route. Go to Toe of the north side. Cross moating and scramble up crack and features then head left when it flattens out. Around the left 3rd of this area is a corner/ramp thattend up and right, steepish at first. P1 starts here. P1: continue up corner with good holds and liebacks. There is pro every 20 feet or so. There is 60 meters before a good belay spot. Watch for drag. Low 5th class. P2: continue up carner to heathery ramp and take this to the top. There is a good belay on the right side just below the summit. 4th class. A little exposure. ** Basaically, stay between the slabs and the steep wall. Or if you would like to call it the ridge crest, you may. Descent: Scamble down the "reverse Z' ledge system on the E. side as described in the Beckey book. Then rappel or scramble down the sout gullie then head right to a col and decend snow. we had a good time overall. Gear Notes: A few small and large stoppers. Cams 1/2" to 3.5". Red tri-cam. I was lucky to have just enough gear at the belay. A #1 camalot was my best friend at the belay. Bring many shoulder runners and few doubles. Many trees to sling on the second pitch. Bring a Stick, pole, or ice axe. due to the icy nature of this small glacier. Approach Notes: Head up watson lake trail. Take the fork to Watson Lake. After taking the fork and gaining the hill, head down for a couple hundred yards and a path splits off right through the brush. Take this to upper Anderson Lakes. At the N end of the first lake, take a mellow grassy gullie to the top of the ridge, then turn right. Follow a boot path up to the small glacier.

I'm not a huge fan of REi gear, but the Sub Kilo 20 deg Rules. It packs incredibly small.

PM me.

The view isn't even that great up there. Who's bright idea was this? Is this so fat rich people can enjoy the Chief too. Or is is for the next James Bond movie?

It's actually up the canyon a couple hundred yards on the left. Park by the grave/mine entrance by the picknic tables, then walk east on the highway a short bit and cut up a little path to the crag.

Bob has a good point. It should be taken more seriously.

From what I've heard, it's about at 5-6 foot jump across a gaping crack. Since this person told me that the jump was sort of downwards coming off the top, it would probably mean you have to jump the gap slightly uphill. He also said it would be hard to mess it up (going downhill). Hope that helps.

Yeah, I saw someone drop in a hidden slot this time of year about five feet from his tent at Camp Sherman. Someone got swallowed up and rescued last week on the Inter Glacier in a still-hidden crevasse. I would say it is a tad too early this season to go unroped. I'd personally give it another 2 weeks to a month before going ropeless. Then it's party time.

Right on!

Climb: Needle Peak-SW Ridge Date of Climb: 7/26/2004 Trip Report: Went up Needle Peak with Polish Bob. This is the best hike/scramble I've ever done! The views, trail and terrain are amazing. I highly reccommended this easy route to anyone. Anderson Range: Yak: Some weird cell phone tower or something. Dru, do you know what this is exactly? The final part of the route: Cool lounge area on the summit. Gear Notes: water, food, jacket. There is almost no water on route. Approach Notes: mostly a hike. Trail is steep for 1/2 hour, then mellows out. 2 little scrambling parts. If it is exposed or harder than class 2-3, look for an easier way (if you want). Took us about 2.5 hours to top, 1.5 hours down.

I'm not kidding about the time. Last time I went, it took me about 2-2.5 hours with a light pack and my partners 3-3.5 hours with heavier packs. We were not busting our balls either.

Did this happen on the lower, "steeper" part of the Inter Glacier near the big glissade tracks where you first leave the trail, or on the upper, slightly more level part where the path cuts left?

Trail is good to pass. Lot's of water until pass. Bring crampons and ice axe. Hike all the way to pass then head right over small bump then make ascent up long steep slope then traverse up and left under small peak. From there you can pretty much see the route. The hike out can seem tedious.

The things you enjoy, the cars you drive, the planes you fly, the TV you watch, the caribiners you fall on, the friction on your climbing shoes, are all a result of physics research. If you use any of those things, you should be willing to sacrifice something. On another note, I don't think that tunnel in Index is used for gravitational research because the train would mess up the results.

We were watching Moonraker at the pad and noticed lots of granite rock in it. FOund this web page. rio rock

A rope wouldn't do any good. It's a big choss pile. The class 3 is easy. It looks sketchy looking at the exposed bit the first time, but once you get on it, it's not bad. It took us 8 hours. I did it 2 years ago with less goofing around and took 7 hours.

Nice hike and easy scramble. Good views. After 3 miles or so you, cut by the lake and head up steep slopes to the peak. 3 miles to lake, 2.5 more to summit. Polish Bob in action! It is easiest to cross a short patch of the Glacier to bypass some rock. After a short bit, of class 2, scramble some exposed class 3 to the summit. At the top: Nice hike/easy scramble. 8 hours RT with many breaks. About 11 miles RT. Ice axe optional. Ski pole or stick should be sufficient, but also required.

I personally would go with the forged friends. The #1 size sucks because of the stem to lobe ratio, but still works ok, but the others are really good. They make a good addition to a rack when you finally get around to getting camalots or whatever, because they are super light. I've climbed many routes with forged friends with no problems. Get a few tricams for the horizontal placements. Another option you may consider would be this: DMM 3CU's full set (4Cu's suck), sizes 0.5 through 1.75, inexpensive. These are good cams, in my opinion. Forged Friends #2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4. This way you have TCU's, 6 flexable, light cams and light larger sizes.

If I was broke: 1 set BD stoppers(#3-13) Tricams( pink, Red, Brown) Forged Friends(1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4) Then when more money comes in start getting TCU's and BD's.

If you can stay in the hut, all you need is a sleeping bag. I would stay outside in a bivy sack at Muir with nice weather and a warm bag. Probably a 10 degree bag or less. But, if you're just going to Muir, why not bring a tent? It's really not that far. Light pack or heavy pack, it takes 2-4 hours. However, the true trick is to go with someone and make them carry the tent. hehehehe Honestly, I can't remember the last time I carried a tent on a climb.