mike1

Thanks Dane! I didn’t see where Harrer described their route. Maybe I missed it... So are you saying they ascended just east from where Kurz et al were rappelling, putting them on the barrier between the Rote Fluh and the cliff band west of Eigerwand Station. Or did they go up the same line Hinterstoisser was rigging to rappel (where Kurz was stuck)? In other words, up to the purple dot (your topo) labeled “Retter”, then continuing through the orange “Toni Kurz” dot and on? I’m curious, did you read this in the White Spider?

So I started reading the White Spider again and there are some incredible parallels to Mt Hood! I don’t mean the mountain technicalities, obviously. But Heinrich Harrer does an exceptional job showing the media and public reaction to accidents on the Eiger. The public comments are sometimes just as harsh. The media does the same job of sensationalizing the tragedies while failing to produce accurate information. Having said that, there was also some exceptionally accurate and educated reporting. The rescuers were just as dedicated and sincere. The climbers... well, you can’t be much more hard core. Harrer also did an exceptional job explaining the “why”. IMO Joe has done the best at that with this video. If you have never read the White Spider, then you should! A question for you Eiger fan(atic)s, or maybe more of just something to ponder: Max Sedlmayer and Karl Mehringer made it to their resting place at the Death Bivouac in 1935 which was higher than what Kurz, Hinterstoisser, Rainer, and Angerer made it to in 1936 (though not by much). But Hinterstoisser “unlocked the heart” by using the Dulfer technique to get across the Hinterstoisser Traverse. I wonder how Max and Karl did it?

good point.

but can he lead 5.10?

it's not spray.

I've brewed a few carboys of porter and recently an amber ale that was fairly tasty. I like the bottles myself. I'm an amateur but I could be talked into hanging out in an inane homebrew forum.

Not a bad deal for some vintage Ramers

Thanks for posting Dane. I have to re-read the White Spider now! Hopefully they release a DVD in America someday.

Nicely done!

Mountain Shop

I was really close to getting her a Mossberg 590 pump-action riot shotgun, with the 20-inch barrel and pistol grip... I went to pick it up today and it was gone! She'll have to settle for some custom silver jewelry with some cool semi-precious stones and a very cool Nightmare before Christmas wallet. I got tires.

yes... tough battle, but worth the fight.

I get what you're saying (though I personally don’t agree), but the other readers may see this strip and find a different message... one that mocks and degrades. It saddens me to see anything that reduces what the rescuers are doing. These are the kinds of things that put a strain on our volunteers. I can’t say what the intent was from this guest columnist, but it seems to be jabbing PMR IMO. Take a read through what MRA and PMR are saying in the comments portion below the comic. P.S. Kudos to Monty for using this cartoon as a forum to educate.

I fail to see the humor.

that's a different planet...

What if you were already wearing a beacon of a different sort? It occurs to me that it 'might' just be brilliant to use this tool to scan a route with a helicopter. Barryvox

Popular Irish Rock Band Tour

This is very sad news... My condolences to you and your family Scott. I hope the others return safe. Thanks to all of you who are up there working to get everyone home safe.

The reason I want to stay away from hinged is because this first section will be the foundation for future additions. I have an 8 foot wide section of wall with another 4 right hand corner available. All is 10 feet to the open rafters above so I could go higher between rafters if I wanted to build an overhung cave (24" centers - any ideas there?). I have been looking at developing the whole thing at once but in an effort to reduce cost I now plan to break it into sections. I could do a 12' - 35 to 45 degree section on the 4 foot right corner, then build a transition to the other side of the corner next... Hmmmm... not bad. I have a pile of basalt that I hand picked for drilling years ago. Always liked the idea of using rock. Thanks!

I’d like to put up a small climbing wall in the garage this winter - something simple but effective. A couple 4' x 8's prolly. Based on experience, what is the best vertical angle for well rounded training and why (no hinged ideas please)? Gratias

what would it take to get some down here?

:tup: That was awesome!

There are like 5 or 6 good quotes in there, but that was the best one. From CAG, Will Thompson called the dead ice beyond the immense terminal moraine "a very pig of a glacier, rooting in boulders, stagnant and buried deep in its own debris" We passed a lot of primo peaks, but it became apparent - just to complete the traverse in the time we had was challenging enough. I don't think any of us regret dropping in to McMillan that way. I call it an intended variation with an interesting bivy! Looking back at Picket Pass from below... that looked like an interesting undertaking. I will definitely be heading back in there. Immediate goals are Challenger, Fury, Terror, and Inspiration I think...

Thanks! trivia: find the CAG and Routes & Rocks quotes in the TR.

Trip: The Pickets Traverse - late - North to South Date: 8/27/2009 Trip Report: Better late than never... We planned to traverse the Picket range from North to South; entering from the Little Beaver Creek Trail via a Ross Lake charter boat, then exiting the Terror/Goodell Creek basin to my pickup. Specific route details we referenced from the Routes and Rocks of the Mount Challenger Quadrangle booklet and map by R. W. Tabor and D. F. Crowder and the Cascade Alpine Guide 3 - Rainy Pass to Fraser River by Fred Beckey. We carried the Routes and Rocks booklet and map and had the Pickets section from the Cascade Alpine Guide. We also carried the National Park map and some custom maps printed from home. Navigation tools included two declinated compasses and my trusty Avocet barometer/altimeter watch. We carried one cell phone for emergencies as it was reported that you could get service from the summits of selected peaks. A 20 minute walk from the parking lot led us to a boat dock on Ross Lake. A phone call to the lodge and the water taxi was on its way to us. After a 15 mile boat ride on the Ross, we arrived at the Little Beaver Creek dock. 14 miles of trail hiking to the Twin Rocks Camp (camp 1). After our first of many gourmet meals, we were all sipping some single malt and nibbling some dark chocolate. As we had expected, it rained over night. By morning the skies were clearing - less some smoke wafting down from a wildfire just west of Whatcom Pass. After our typical breakfast of dry granola, fruit, and freshly brewed Seattle’s Best; we trekked on to Whatcom Pass. Some hikers we passed mentioned the trail was actually closed from the pass West due to the fire. From Whatcom Pass we left the trial and headed southerly to the eastern slopes of Whatcom Peak. Our intension was to drop to the Challenger Glacier, bypassing the Perfect Pass camp. Traversing talus and slabs of the Chilliwack Batholith we traveled below the Whatcom Glacier through some recent ice fall, then onto some heather benches directly above the Challenger Glacier (camp 2). Ramps we identified this day were our target for the morning approach to the Challenger Glacier. The next morning we got on a ramp and ledge system that lead nearly to the glacier, but we were forced to rappel about 40 meters to the glacier. Setting up the rappel anchor I sliced my palm ever so slightly on a sharp edge of granite. This would be a large infected wound by the end of the traverse as it was right in my ice axe grip. Once on the glacier and roped up we were on our way through the maze of ice and snow. Along the way we walked right by a moulin that was emitting an eery howl from the depths. It was the sound of the headwaters of Little Beaver Creek flowing beneath the glacier. We targeted Mount Challenger and a few others, hoping to make a summit bids as we traverse past. Dropping our packs, we made our way to the snow bridge. What looked like a solid snow bridge ended being too risky upon closer inspection. We searched for other access attempting to bypass the bergschrund and found some snow ramps that led to some rock but we were stopped by weak snow. Time dictated we got back to the packs and finished our traverse to the Challenger Arm camp (3). We found it noteworthy that we had just traversed the entire length of the Challenger Glacier (3 km). A quick descent past a few Mountain Goats and down gentle slopes to deglaciated rock barrens led to us to the some flat heather patches among a mixture of older gneiss mixed with younger quartz diorite. The next morning we descended sloping moraine barrens, slabs, and debris riddled with spectacular crystals and iron pyrite. Tediously crossing refrigerator sized boulders beneath the awesome hanging glaciers of the Northern Pickets led to a lateral moraine, which we crossed high to get onto the stagnant pig of a glacier feeding Lousy Lake. Close to the head of another lateral moraine, we made our ascent to Luna Lake. After quick break at Luna for some fresh tape on our feet, some bread, cheese, venison, and salmon we were back on our feet making the ascent to the Luna/McMillan Ridge. We stopped about 400 feet from the ridge and discussed the next camp. It was about 400' back down the other side of the ridge. Rather than re-climbing the ridge in the morning we decided to search for a camp here. A quick search turned up a beautiful heather bench surrounded by Alpine Larch. Camp 4 was at about the same elevation as, and a couple hundred yards northerly from the large reddish breccia and shattered gneiss fin noted in both guides. Spectacular crystal formations were reported to exist here, but we didn’t have the time to investigate. A few thunder showers passed in the night, but left us a sunny day for our traverse to Mount Fury. After ascending to the Luna/McMillan Ridge, we climbed another couple hundred feet of rock ridge before dropping down the Southeast Fury Glacier. Our aspirations for a quick summit bid on Mount Fury disappeared when we saw the snow bridge over the bergschrund was gone. It really came down to how much time we had. We climbed the glacier to the col between Mount Fury and Fury Southeast Peak. From here we climbed Mount Fury Southeast Peak (AKA Outrigger) to a notch which allowed for a crossover into the Southern Pickets. The normal descent was to traverse the ridge Southerly to Picket Pass. Instead, we decided to finish climbing Fury Southeast Peak then drop onto its south face. We descended to heather slopes and slabs with a few rappels thrown in trying to reach the talus below. We missed our target by one rappel, actually landing on a gneiss bench by torchlight. We made a bivouac of it, clipped to anchors while we sleep in camp 5. Thunder storms brewed in the distance. Morning light allowed for our final rappel to the talus. A quick break for some food, sun block, and water and we were off on a traversing ascent to the other end of the Southern Pickets and the Stetattle/McMillan Ridge. Bushwhacking, climbing creeks, traversing waterfalls and gullies, climbing alder choked notches, and a short glacier ascent put us on the ridge. We found a nice bivy site with flat sandy ground within some rocks. Camp 6 looked like it would be the most comfortable yet! Another superb dinner followed by our ration of scotch and chocolate and our spirits are high. I dozed off to a starlit night sky... By 3:00 A.M. our little bivy site was flooding and already had 3 inches of standing water. We were forced from our slumber to set up a MegaMid out on the snow and ice in the throws of a full on rain storm. This was no local thunder shower... After anchoring the corners with ice screws and pickets, we huddled together under our humble pyramid tarp trying to settle in. Almost everything was soaked including our bodies. We rode out the next few hours shivering the minutes away, hoping the Mid wouldn’t blow away. By the time we were ready to move out, the little bivy site had filled to about 6 inches. Our plan was now to exit along the ridge, easterly to the Elephant Butte High Route. A long an arduous hike referred to by some as a marathon. We agreed that we should keep moving, stopping only to refuel our bodies unless the rain stopped. We knew if we stopped to try and camp without being able to dry out, it could turn bad. If the rain did let up, we would make a fire and camp. Over 14 hours later, hiking by torchlight in the fog with low visibility, we knew we were close to the boot path that led down to the main trail. We just couldn’t locate it in these conditions. I don’t remember when the rain stopped, but we decided it was time to make that fire and set up some shelter. Two wet lighters and a handful of wet storm matches proved a good reason to have brought a flint/magnesium fire starter. We carved a small pile of magnesium and tried to light the nest of wood shavings, but the wood was too wet. I don’t recall who said it, but someone mentioned the stove. The Stove!!! It was like our brains were turning to mush... Minutes later we had the Snowpeak out and shortly thereafter a blazing camp fire! One more great dinner at about 11:00 P.M. and another hour of drying gear by fire, we retired to a soft bed of damp heather in our dry mummy bags. The morning came with sunshine. The storm had passed! We moved all of our gear onto some nearby granite slabs to dry things out even more. After we had prepared our last brew of morning coffee our stove fuel ran out. Perfect! After rehabilitating the fire pit we easily found our boot path and a quick 6 mile hike down led us to the trail head where we took off our packs and boots for the last time on this trip. Pictures Our Pickets Traverse: ~ 45.5 miles. Gear: ~ modest rack of small to medium cams, nuts, and hexes ~ 6 - 24" sewn, 4 - 24" tied, and 2 - 36" tied runners ~ 8.5mm half ropes ~ 4 screws, 5 pickets Should have brought: ~ bivy sack ~ better maps of bail out routes (Park map worked but lacked essential details in topo) Didn’t need: ~ hmmm...... cell phone