dryad

Last call for takers. C'mon, you know you want to!

True, but my point was that one of the pair may not want to simulclimb AT ALL, in which case long pitches with the experienced one leading would be faster than short pitches. Maybe instead of naming the more experienced one "leader" and the less experienced one "second" , I should have called them "Mega Hardman" and "Gumby dork" for added clarity.

That's pretty damn slick! Don't have to rely on wedging a fattie knot in a rap ring or biner. How much would it damage the biner to have it knocking around and falling down when you pull the rope? Somebody must have a link to drop test results bookmarked.

I assumed the guy was referring to a 100m 9mm or similar rope, like 2 doubles put together, so there's no weight penalty over using doubles. One possible benefit I see in being able to do 100m pitches is if the leader and second have vastly different ability levels, so the second wouldn't feel comfortable simulclimbing and would prefer to pitch it out. If the odds of the leader falling are very small, it wouldn't be a big deal to use a single thin rope, and then the second will have the security of a toprope. But yes, communication would become a huge problem if the route is anything other than a straight line and it's not windy or anything. I bet it would be really hard to transmit rope tugs over such a long distance. Heck, it's hard enough over 50m if there's rope drag.

I came across this while having double ropes on the brain: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Forest/7290/climb/tac/tac4.html In a nutshell, the guy is advocating the use of a 100m rope in the alpine so you can do 100m pitches over relatively easy terrain, then fold it in half and use double rope-style in sketchier sections. And you can do 50m rappels without worrying about a knot. Thoughts?

Yes, the best solution of all is to have more than 2 people (2 rope teams of 2, or even just a third person), but so far I have just 1 taker for Blueberry Hill. Anyone else want to go?

Have you ever gotten the dangling rope stuck in a crevice or whatever? That just sounds like a clusterf*ck waiting to happen.

Say you're a twosome climbing a route than requires double rope rappels so you need to bring a second rope. Sure, you can just carry it with you, but why not climb with it as you would with a double rope system? I've never climbed with double ropes so please enlighten me to pros and cons. I understand belaying with 2 ropes takes some getting used to. Would using 2 fat single ropes as doubles, rather than skinny real doubles, make that worse?

I don't know if I'm insulting the place by calling it sport climbing, but I had a great time at 3 O'clock Rock in Darrington. The routes we did (Til Broad Daylight and Under the Boardwalk) supposedly have gear placements here and there but we didn't use any - the bolts were enough. There are harder routes too. Tons of fun if you like slabby face climbing. Really pretty place with some alpine feel. Topo: http://www.seanet.com/~mattp/Darr/arch.htm

Yeah, that wanker is going on Friday. I can't join in cuz I have this funny little thing called a job.

I had so much fun in Darrington last time that I want to go back and tackle Blueberry Hill this weekend (Aug 16 or 17, either day is fine). I'm learning to place gear and would like to lead some of the easier pitches, but need a ropegun for the harder stuff (tops 5.8, I think).

On the summit of SEWS the second time, I had an ORGASMIC POWERBAR EXPERIENCE. It made me think of the "orgasmic beer experience" thread a while back. Maybe I was just really hungry or delirious from climbing all day, but biting into the dense chocolatey proteinaceous goodness of a chocolate brownie flavor ProteinPlus PowerBar was the most supremely satisfying sensation imaginable at that moment. And the last few mouthfuls of water I had left in my bottle to wash it down with were the sweetest ambrosia on earth. Strange the simple pleasures in life. Other observations from this climb: - The yellow alien is a mighty useful creature. I think it was used on every pitch, or just about. - Those big shady belay ledges with big convenient anchor trees were really nice. - Damn, WA Pass sure is pretty!

Thanks. To further clarify, I'm looking for shoes that would work for trail hiking and rock scrambling type activities. I most likely wouldn't use them on snow, so don't need something waterproof or good for step-kicking. I love the light weight and breathability of trail runners, but I want something with ankle support, as I've been repeatedly twisting my ankle lately.

Anyone have these? Opinions? Are there any other similar lightweight high-top trail runner approach type shoes out there?

I'd like to nominate the corner crack on Hammerhead Rock in Leavenworth (5.6) for the list of routes that are good for doing one's first trad lead. It's short, it's easy, it can be toproped if you want that security blanket, and it happily swallows up any and all gear that you can toss at it. You can place something every 2 feet if you wanted to. Heck, there's even a rock horn you can sling. Other suggestions?

Just want to give a to the salesguy who helped me out with pack shopping the other day. I tried on a few, none of them fit right, and he said, "None of these packs fit you, don't buy any of them, come back some other time". Real integrity there to not try to sell me something that wasn't really right.

Ok, here's a little trip report... Met rr666 at 6am in Lynnwood. Got to the trailhead around 7:45. After a slight navigation error and what we affectionately called the "alpine variation" to the approach with some scrambling and bushwacking, we were at the base of the South Buttress at 8:30am. We started on "Til Broad Daylight" with rr666 leading. We did 2 full pitches until just before the long traverse and decided to rap down because we had just 1 rope and it didn't look like there were enough anchors to do single rope rappels down the Tidbits route. And in the words of rr, "Traverses suck anyway". Then I lead up "Under the Boardwalk" (1 full pitch), and it really was as easy at MattP said. Love those knobbies. We were pretty much done by noon. Overall, a super-fun pretty mellow outing on some great rock in a beautiful setting. I'll definitely be back. Thanks MattP and GregW for all the beta, and rr666 for the great company and rope gunning! Tips: 1. If you're heading to the Arch area on 3 O'clock rock, look to your left shortly after you enter the clearing on the main trail. There's a pretty decent rocky side trail that goes straight there. We walked right by this and got to the North Buttress then made our way back south along the base of the wall. Not a big deal, but nice to avoid it if you could. 2. Get there early! Boy were we grateful we did. By the time I was halfway up "Boardwalk", the rock was getting so hot that you couldn't hold on to anything for more than a second or your hand would start burning. Good thing it was super-easy friction climbing that only required fingertips for balance. As we were packing up to leave around noon, another party showed up looking to do the same routes we did. 3. Don't miss the great ice cream at the Shell gas station just outside Darrington on the corner of that road that leads to Whitehorse Mtn.

Dude, anything purple is MINE! You should know these things by now.

Just get some cheap expendable thrift store rain pants that you won't feel bad about trashing.

I've never been to either and would like to go one day this weekend. Anyone want to check them out with me? Beta would be appreciated too. What are some nice moderate routes?

Here's a silly trivial question. I'm planning on going up Glacier Peak (Sitkum Glacier) this weekend and since it has a sizeable trail approach I was planning on wearing tennies and then switching to boots later on. What would be a good place to do the switch and cache the tennies on the way up? At Kennedy Hot Springs? Farther up? Is there a place farther up that's obvious enough that I won't walk right by my stash on the way down? Thank you!

Here are some pix. I didn't take them, hence I'm in them. I swear i'm not just an attention whore. The ascent route View of the Elliott Glacier and approach ridge On the upper slopes Waiting to descend through the Pearly Gates

Redmond!!! C'mon, I know you eastsiders are out there! Speak up! We can hang out at the Marymoor rock beforehand. Dave, you can ride your bike over on the Burke. Only 26 flat miles, piece of cake. It'll be great!

I have to say I had a REALLY REALLY REALLY awesome time! I couldn't have asked for a better first alpine climb. Thank you catbirdseat for leading such a great trip! I can't wait to see the pictures. BTW, the weather was absolutely georgeous. Not a cloud in the sky, infinite visibility, pleasantly warm with a balmy breeze while on the route. I know the rope leads were kinda disappointed by the lack of icy conditions as they had brought ice tools and screws, but I for one was perfectly content following in catbird's big giant bootprints.

I stand corrected - they're easy to find if you have any clue whatsoever as to where you're going.