Nate

You could try asking or searching on the NEclimbs.com forum. There is alot of info on routes in a notebook at the chimney pond ranger station. The best idea would be to get into the park the day before a stay up there, to get in the day of the climb won't always work because the cars start lining up at the gate in the middle of the night and they only allow a certain number into the Roaring brook lot. I've climbed Pamola 4 (5.4)and Armadillo (5.6) in the summer, both easy and very scenic but you need large cams for Armadillo (60 ft fist size crack). there is a 5.10 to the right of armadillo called flat iron and a long 5.9 or 10 in the north basin called Black Fly (much bigger cliff)

Tin foil hat may not help you http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/

I spent a couple weeks backpacking in the national park a few years ago, no trails there, didn't go in the state park but it must be similar. You should expect to be woken up by giant animals outside your tent almost every night, if you're sleeping in a tent. You should expect mosquitos and swamps which really aren't that bad but sometimes you'll walk into an area where you can't get your pack off fast enough to get the bug net out. The other thing that suprised me up there was how big everything is and the obstacles you'll run into just trying to get from a to b. Maybe that won't be such a problem where you actually have trails, but icy river crossings, deep alder swamps, cliffs, grizzlies in your path, and just the fact that everything looks a lot closer than it is made for long days, extra long beacuse you can still be hiking at 11pm. I'd bring a pair of those knee high rubber boots. It will be a good time, eventually you can just go back to sleep when there is something large outside the tent.

www.neclimbs.com has lots of route info with photos, search the forum for recommended routes. Secrets of the Notch by Jon Sykes has the Cannon route info.

Any suggestions on a small rack for use scrambling up peaks. I figure if I'm going to lug the rope I might as well have a little rock pro, I was thinking the 4 smallest tricams and a handfull of nuts.

Shred, The photos are very nice, looks like you had some fine weather. Hopefully we'll get the same. Alex, I thank you for the idea in the first place, I'm pretty excited about it, orignally I was thinking the pickets and you suggested the ptarmigan As for the hitch back, I suspected it wasn't that likeley and that walking out the first 20 miles was a possibility, I was in the area of cascade pass last summer and don't think it would be hard to get up there on a friday or saturday. Might just break down and rent a second car. We're coming from Massachusetts and don't know anyone out there to talk into a ride.

Planning on starting the ptarmigan traverse this saturday with my girlfriend. I'm wondering if anyone has done it lately or based on local conditions what the difficulties might be. Planning on 5 or six nights with a few peaks on the way, Sentinel, LeConte and Dome and any others that look reasonable from the route. Any advice on other good peaks without too much technical difficulties? Also I'm a bit worried about getting out the Batchlor Creek/Downey creek exit, is it pretty easy to tell where we should be when we head into the woods? I hear not too many people go out the River Rd to that trailhead and we will likely walk out but wouldn't rangers check in on things at those campsites along the road? We'll be coming out Friday afternoon 7/16, if by any chance any of you CC.comers are going to be in the area I'd make a ride back to cascade pass worth your while:) Anyway, if anyone wants to recommend some peaks or route finding tips for the tricky areas, or even nice campsites I'd appreciate it. thanks, Nate

Not fishing, finishing. The problem will be getting back to the car. Is it possible to drop down to the east from the Dome area and catch a trail that will bring us to the road between lake chelan and cottonwood? then we could walk back over cascade pass, it doesn't look that for and relatively flat. We only have a week out there and I don't want to spend a lond time walkting roads hoping for rides.

Is Downey creek a popular trailhead? I plan on finishing the ptarmigan traverse there on a Friday (July 16) with the car still at cascade pass, is there a good chance of getting a ride out to civilization?

I climbed the kautz last june, a few hundred feet below the turtle first night, camp hazard second night. There is another campsite area on a ridge probably two hours above camp hazard, it is exposed and high but if the weather forcast looks good it would be an interesting place to camp. it is on the top of the ridge that separates the upper nisqually from the kautz, with pt. sucess on your left and the last big stretch of glacier to the summit on you right. Not a place you'd want to be in a storm though.

A friend and I did the kautz last june 21-24, started at around noon, got to just below the turtle camp and stopped because of a snow storm, next day went to camp hazard and rested, next morning started about 3:30am did the ice section in the dark which was interesting but easy, placed one screw. Summit around noon, placed a picket and two screws on the ice downclimb, back to camp hazard at around 2pm, car by 7pm. It was a great climb for our first time on the mountain but we brought way too much gear. The other route we considered was the tahoma glacier, i think that would have been a little more interesting, with a longer approach and more routefinding it might be better for a longer outing.

Climb: Picket range traverse- Date of Climb: 7/10/2004 Trip Report: I'm headed to the cascades with my girlfriend for a week to backpack, I'm wondering if it is reasonable to traverse from access creek back to whatcom pass. I've read the route discriptions in the beckey guide but would like more info from someone who has done it recently. if anyone can point me in a dirrection i'd appreciate it, what is the recommended gear? The easiest route? Or if there is an alternate trip to get in and see the range or one of the more impressive basins I'd like to hear about it. Thanks, Nate