Redoubt

Not really, but was there a register on the Middle Peak? That would be a pretty good indication.

Yeah, okay, you're excused. Congrats on the Trifecta. The rap on the log picture seems to capture it all. You're right, where do you go from here? Maybe do this traverse in reverse?

My guess is your gear was stolen by the farmer who actually owns the sheep.

If you need it to do double duty, and you get rained on a lot, maybe synthetic is best. But what kind of alpine climbing will you be doing? For 95% of what I do, I'm only out one night. Down is lighter and smaller and I don't really care if it gets a bit damp overnight because I won't need it the next night. I also go with down anytime the weather looks dry, regardless of how many nights I'm out. I have a light synthetic bag, but I only use it if I'll be out more than one night AND think that I'll likely get wet AND think that I'll be miserable without a completely dry bag (not the case a good part of the year). I end up rarely using my synthetic. Sometimes lack of cash requires that one piece of gear has to work for different uses, and each use ends up being a compromise. But if you have the bucks, get a good down bag for most of your alpine stuff and a synthetic for your backpacking.

Since when you were carrying 60?

My only comment would be that I think you're headed for some serious dehydration. Maybe you can handle that okay, but I couldn't. It looks like from Paradise to summit and back to Muir will be 14 hours and 5 liters of water per man. I would suggest drinking much more at Muir on the way up, and either carrying more water to the top, or carrying your stove. Or carry extra water or the stove maybe to the top of DC and use it on your way back down. Or some other plan to get more water into you. I think you're past the point where saving water weight is going to be productive for you. I'd be drinking way more at Muir, and I'd leave both Paradise and Muir with 3 liters, even if I drank one of them right away. I've entered the caves from two different entrances, but I think there are several and I'm sure accessibility varies year to year. We entered just east of Register Rock, and we entered almost 180 degrees opposite, just west of where the DC trench often hits the crater rim. Good luck, and drink up!

If you're going to be camped in one spot, you can do what I've done a couple times in that situation and build a group refrigerator. We just made a sloppily-constructed small igloo and it worked great. Build something out of snow blocks, or dig a small cave. Not at all hard to come up with something that will keep things from spoiling.

Showing at 8 PM on PBS/OPB

And don't forget to check your dog! They can be tick magnets in some areas. Had to check mine several times a day when I spend some time last summer on the California coast. There are also a few tick removal tools on the market which can be helpful for removing ticks from heavily-coated dogs.

There is really no reason you need to make your route decision until you're up there. And my advice, for a group with very limited Rainier/glacier experience, is to do whatever route that RMI (the guide service) is doing. As of last week, I know they are still doing the ID, but I'd guess there is an excellent chance they'll be doing the DC by the 23rd. When you register, the ranger might know what RMI is doing. Otherwise, just register for either route and then see what RMI is up to once you get to Muir. If you all feel really fit, make sure you start ahead of RMI in the morning. If you simply want to make sure you get to the top, or if the weather is questionable, just wait till RMI leaves Muir and follow them up.

I've encountered numbness like you describe a few times. It has lasted as long as a couple weeks and has always eventually completely disappeared. The occurences have been years apart so I wouldn't call it recurring. I've always just assumed I bruised a nerve or something, and it did make me start taping at the first sign of a crack. In any case, I doubt you're hurting anything by just using ice and waiting to see what happens. Maybe tape it heavily the next few times you climb. I wouldn't be overly concerned at this point.

The one in PDX was about a week ago.

I usually just log on anonymously, but this thread has made me feel weak and ashamed for doing so. Therefore I now proudly cast aside my cowardly secrecy and stand next to the likes of "mec", "tomtom" and "Dr_Flash_Amazing" and say to the world, I AM "REDOUBT."

It is as likely as not that you will have gorgeous weather and many other people on the route with you. But if you are at all concerned about weather, you might just post back here as the date gets near and just ask if anyone with some experience feels like going along with you, even if it's just a day trip for them to accompany you up to Muir. There are a ton of folks on this board who have done this trip many times, who are always up for a slog up the snowfield if breakfast and/or beer (preferably at the same time) is part of the deal.

I wrote as well. And my biggest concern is one I still have. I can't help but think that the total number of guided climbers on the mountain will increase, that MRNP will continue to control the total number of climbers on the mountain, and that independent climbers will find it that much harder to get a permit. It's great that the commercial companies will be concentrated on a small number of easier routes, but RMI in the past has taken seminar groups elsewhere on the mountain. It's one thing to find that you can't get a permit for the Tahoma Glacier because other private parties beat you to it, but it's another thing entirely to find out that it's an RMI seminar group that has filled up the backcountry zone. From a discussion with a ranger last season, it is clear that RMI knew better than anyone how to play the reservation system. I've not yet made any reservations, but I've twice had to change routes due to full zones, so I guess it's only a matter of time before I need to start playing that game. It will be interesting to see how easy it is in 10 years to climb Rainier without being a paying customer, or without having made a reservation far in advance.

Well, one can always hope....

Actually, LBJ signed the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which mandated DST for the entire nation, but allowed states to opt out by passing their own legislation. At that time, the mother of an old girlfriend was in the Colorado legislature when they debated opting out of DST. She said that some state legislators actually argued against DST by claiming that crops would die if they got an extra hour of sunlight, and that cows would be thrown off of their milking patterns and would quit producing milk. She said the only really good arguments against DST came from operators of drive-in theatres. Since it was darkness that basically dictated how early they could start the movie, DST forced them to start an hour later, which fairly quickly put many of them out of business. The history of DST is really very interesting. In the U.S. it goes all the way back to Ben Franklin!

I have the MEC Ferrata Ultras (Schoeller Extreme) and love them, but they are too warm for year-round use. I also have the REI Mistrals (Dynamic) and prefer that fabric weight for most stuff (although I hate the fit of the Mistrals). Like Dave said, a layer below them (or a shell layer over) makes them good for winter. But even the Mistrals are too warm in the summer. I think my next pants will be something in Dynamic or similar weight, but in tan or beige or something other than black. A pair of the Mistrals, for example, in a lighter color would make them far better for use into the summer.

Hmmm, I'm still working on this concept..... Good TR.

I was looking at Degres and tried on a 12 (felt too small) and a 13 (felt too big). So I was looking on the web for a 12.5 and did find some. However, I also found the following on 2 different mail-order sites. Any comments? If this is true, it sounds really stupid and more than a bit misleading. "Sizing Note: Koflach half-sizes are the same as the next full size up. For example, a 7.5 is exactly the same as an 8. Same liner, same shell. The only difference is the number printed on the boot. Therefore, if you order a size 7.5/8 you will be sent either the 7.5 or the 8. "

I don't see anything to suggest that everyone is assuming that greater snow cover will ALWAYS mean less rock fall. Obviously there are other contributing factors, and every climb (like your own that you cited) is unique. But I think most folks, including me, assume that greater snow cover does USUALLY mean less rock fall.

I realize that every rope, once it leaves the store, experiences a different history of use that will affect its strength and eventual useful life, and that there is no reliable way to draw solid conclusions about a rope's current capabilities, or whether or not it needs to be retired. At the same time, isn't it amazing that we all have to ask ourselves this kind of question, and that we have to often put ourselves in a situation of using a rope without being really sure how good it still is? It seems there should be at least some kind of database of test results of used ropes. I know the manufacturers wouldn't want to do it since they would be subjecting themselves to liability issues for false claims (and I think would likely sell a lot fewer ropes). And I know such a database wouldn't be completely reliable since every used rope is different and each rope's history would be anecdotal and inexact. But wouldn't it be useful if there were some independent lab where one could send ropes like the one meatghost has, along with a history, and have it drop tested? The lab could simply report 1) the type of rope, 2) the rope history and age as reported by the owner, and 3) the results of the drop test. While any specific rope report might be suspect, I'm sure there would be general trends that would give us all a better idea of the state of our own used ropes. My own guess is that we would all end up keeping our ropes a lot longer, even as lead ropes, but I really don't know. This brings up another question. We've all seen the widely published guidelines for retiring ropes. After a "severe" fall, after a year of X use, or 2 years of Y use, or 3 years of Z use, etc. Has anyone ever seen any scientific basis at all for those guidelines? Okay, end of rant. It just seems that, even though we're all in a sport where being conservative about equipment strength, we know very little about what happens to equipment with use and age. Ropes specifically, but also any other webbing or cordage. I guess I should either shut up or start this independent lab myself!

The GI Joes on Mill Plain in Vancouver (about a mile off of I-205) sells Oregon permits and is probably open till 9 PM(?). And a few years ago the ARCO station in Sandy sold them. Don't know if they still do. Obviously, I'd phone either one before counting on them.

Birthday Challenge

Using this board, you should also have no problem lining up another couple of competent partners by next summer. In addition to you and your wife learning and practicing crevasse rescue skills, there's probably no better single thing you can do to increase your safety than to go with more than just the two of you.