Timcb

Right on- Spent a couple years in NH and got to do some of the easy routes in huntingtons. It's friggin awesome up there. have a great time

yeah, at least the glaciers were still there, but otherwise cathedral gap and the dc were all sorts of talus and scree. nothing was as loose or as steep as I expected (was my first time on the mtn), but still, not the most aesthetic climb I've ever done. It was fun though

I one-dayed it weekend before last. no ladders and it was passable and basic, no real trouble. the DC itself was totally dry. above the cleaver, the route angled slightly left and up, then takes a Long traverse over to the emmons before switching back around over the ingraham. boot track was obvious and the route seemed fairly stable, though I think I might have overheard RMI talking about it being their last weekend. the penitentes were sweet. well, in any case, I guess it's a moot point, since the weather's now gone to crap.

Well, if anyone is still heading up north, I've got an annual pass (good through aug 04) good for every national "parc" in canada you can have for cheap. pm me

I figure though, that almost all of my usage will either be in a tent or a bivy, so I'm hopeful that drafts aren't a problem.. and even so, I'm not thinking about cutting it too close with the length of the "half." I'm thinking most of the way up my chest. I guess the real breakthrough is really in carrying a very light summer bag and always counting on sleeping in my down jacket. I like that idea about cutting up an older bag.. maybe I'll give that a shot

So in the WM Megalite post, Ice Ice proposed using the FF Vireo in conjunction with your warm jacket as your standard alpine sleeping bag. I've been giving this some real thought and love the idea of carrying only a small 1 lb bag and putting to use all the other insulating layers I've carried up anyway. Anyone out there have any experience with this system (either with the vireo or with Nunatak's Akula or other similar half bag)? under what circumstances has it kept you warm/left you shivering?

I did the route about 4 weeks ago and found it in great condition. definitely didn't need crampons, but was glad to have my axe

So- is there anything at all to say about the different brands of nuts? It seems like there are 10+ different types of nuts available, and I'm wondering before I buy whether there should be anything but cost involved in my decision. weight's an issue too, since I'm most interested in alpine rock, but is there much of a difference in this regard? Folks have any favorite brands or bad experiences to relate? there must be some strong opinions out there. Thanks

Ok, I'm with you to here, but where (with reference to the stream/waterfall entering on the right) do you leave the main gully? the overhanging cliffs that you mention- are they the cliffs that are immediately above (and to the northwest) of the stream? And you're supposed to climb the ledges right above these cliffs? We tried that first (and got a look at them from the side further up) and they definitely didn't go anywhere. We also didn't see the cave mentioned by the other responses- maybe we turned right out of main gully way too early? but then we would have been climbing a good way past that right-entering stream and the main gully still looked like it was going to be fine for a ways. thanks though- this is helpful

So- I was up on the slopes of merchant peak and couldn't find anything of a decent route. Anyone have some beta they could share? So my friend and I found the cobbly drainage off the trail to start up, and followed that through the two waterfall/rock steps. A couple hundred feet above the rock step we came to what I only assume is the steep-walled gully/basin with the stream entering in on the right. We dicked around there for a good bit of time- trying to ascend immediately up and on the left side of that right-entering stream (which ended up being a dirty waste of time) and then trying to climb the steepening heather ledges immediately above the same stream. That ended up getting a little too sketch, so we backed down there, and crossed to the right (southeast) side of the stream (below absolutely beautiful waterfalls). We then climbed exposed 3rd class rock/easy 4th up the rock overlooking that intense looking slightly overhung canyon- right across from the steepening slabs we'd previously tried. Due to lateness in the day and no definite sign that this attempt would go through to the top, we descended steep trees and ledges slightly south of the open rock we had climbed to our last high point. Finally, more or less defeated, we returned all the way to the main approach gully. but from there we could see what looked like another side gully exiting up and to the right above the steepening ramp that had been our first attempt. So we headed back up for our third and last try. We entered the side gully through talus and other assorted loose rock until it opened up to a broader heather covered slab. It stayed fairly steep, but never threateningly so for about 100 vertical feet, until it tapered slightly, making it apparent that we were on top of the cliff that bordered our first attempt to the northwest. We stopped at the top of the slabs, still not seeing any sign of the "inobvious climbers trail," before the climb briefly entered a stand of trees leading to another rock knob. I suspect that this last attempt might have been the best/easiest route to the top described in _Climbing Washington's Mountains_, but am not sure. Anyone have any other experiences to relate? By the way, aside from not actually getting very far at all, it was a great day. The rock (outside of the gully bottoms) is really pretty solid with abundant holds. The view across Barclay ck of the north face of Baring is absolutely spectacular and the cascades of the right-entering creek I keep mentioning were fantastic. Ijust wish I'de gotten an earlier start/could have found some sign of a consistent route.

anyone interested in a get-to-know-you climb/hike/scramble any of these next couple days? go ahead and pm me. I've got 4 days off. get back to me quick before I decide to drive to utah or something rash like that. cool. look forward to meeting you Tim

well, we never actually saw the trailhead. it was either completely buried or the snowmobile tracks we were following bypassed the end of the road. I'm figuring it was maybe 4 or 5 miles though? complete guess. maybe about 1.5 miles below the second closest trailhead (morrison ck campground?).

I climbed the south spur last weekend under great conditions. It took my largish party about 3 hours to go from our car to treeline. Not bad at all. The climb is easy and completely covered in beautiful consolidated snow. there were tons of skiers out, and if you've got the skills, that's totally the way to go. I wish I'd rented some.

Hey Desey- was that you I saw saturday during mid-day while I was skiing and you were descending under the lift? you folks definitely didn't sound too happy. But fair enough- me and my buddy heard both that the snow was really deep and the crevasses were opened up on Sandy, so we decided to go for leotholds. Which didn't really work so well either, since we ended up getting suckered into the first gully up the headwall and, after climbing 50+ degree snow, we arrived at a small notch in the castle crag buttress, overlooking the south side route with a cliff. So that was the end of our day. Still a very positive experience. The mountain is absolutely beautiful. The mazamas? They were up with us at ilum saddle on sat night. The 8 of them said they were also planning on climbing leotholds, but apparently they never even started the route- complaining when we saw them when we got back to camp that the skies were menacing and overcast (which I don't think they really were until about 9:30). So I think they finally started their way up the south side. half of em turned back, but I don't know what happened to the other 4.

Definitely don't climb too early. I camped at the saddle last sat night to climb leothold, but what we thought was the route was Way off, and we ended up climbing the first gully up to the reid headwall (first variation of castle crags). We just stayed right under headwall (where the avalanche was sunday morning) and when we got to that first rock outcrop we just started climbing. The gully was actually not bad- true the snow was kind of sketch- with about 6" to a foot of loose granular over softish styrofoam, but higher up, when the going got steep (to 50+ deg), we were able to sink some pickets. Anyway, you really have to drop and traverse the reid. Get right under Yocum. From what I now understand, that should do it. good luck

So for Sandy, what kinda pro would yall recommend? I take it that all the new snow eliminates the need for ice screws.. but then how many pickets? And this is a two tool climb, yes? Thinking about heading to illum saddle saturday, then picking between south side and sandy headwall for a sunday ascent.

Cool- thanks for all your feedback. Sounds like fun

Hey- what are the st helens descents like? I'm thinking of heading down there 5/4 and am curious about the easiest route for me and my clunky downhill skis. I hear the climber's bivy trailhead is open- start there or still go from the marble snopark up worm flows? Thanks for the tips.

Sort of on the same note, what's the easiest ski descent on st helens this time of year? I'm planning on heading down there this weekend (5/4) for the first time, and I've read from the GPNF site that the climber's bivy trailhead is plowed through and open. Should I head up Monitor Ridge or stick with worm flows? for that matter, how difficult of a ski is it? how much harder than descending from camp muir? Other notes/thoughts on gear/current conditions would all be much appreciated