Rad

Wow. Thanks for such a detailed set of images, overlays, and beta for the area. This will be helpful for anyone heading up there.

Shit, I'm old enough to know that joke. @JD: Great jorb dudes. Pain is soon forgotten and new plans are made. Climb on!

Thanks all. Naive question: when a slab cuts loose and the weak layer rides down the harder layer underneath it does the harder layer have some melting due to friction? If so, does it re-freeze and actually increase its hardness, thus increasing the chance of future slides down to that base level? Or is the hard base layer somehow perturbed in such a way that new slides down to it are unlikely? In any case, it sounds like this could be a very dangerous year in the PNW both in bounds and out of bounds. Bummer.

I'd echo Gene's comment. Do some homework, pick an objective that you think is within your grasp, and post a partner request along the lines of 'psyched to get out and do X in the coming weeks' and see if you get any hits. You'll get out and start the climbing partner dating process...

Updates: The sodo gym is open. Bouldering only. new holds, new walls, new gym. A good location if you work at Starbucks or live in West Seattle (not me). Word on the street is that development of the location next to SBP is on hold, perhaps indefinitely. It's easy to imagine a variety of factors in play, including proximity to SBP, the WS DOT project that seems to be using space behind the building in question as a staging area, parking challenges in the area, and homelessness in the area. I wouldn't hold your breath on this one...

She went missing August 1st. SAR flew their chopper over that area, and then a horde of wannabe heroes flew drones with cameras all over that area. Plenty of climbers went out to do the routes in the area over the following months. I haven't been up near the Vesper summit in a while, but I'm very confident that's not SS's body. The SS rescue crowd is really wacky (go read it on FB), so I bet some of them will hold out hope and try to 'rescue' that photoshopped red blob.

Was up in Source Lake area last weekend, and it's been clear since then (no new snow). I don't think you'll encounter enough snow to warrant snowshoes, but we didn't get too high. People had been approaching both via Alpental base and the Snow Lake trail. There is a good boot track going up close to the NEB base. Can't speak for the upper portions of it, but we saw a group of 14 (!!!) heading up there on Sunday. YMMV

An inconvenient truth.

So glad you have such a great outcome! I went through a hamstring avulsion, surgical repair, and recovery last year so I can empathize to a small degree - your fate was worse - and agree with the points you've made regarding luck and recovery. In my case, I would add two points to the luck category: having good health insurance and being in an urban area with access to top medical care that allowed me to be diagnosed and then treated by a set of care providers who knew how to quickly diagnose and treat a relatively rare injury. I learned from an online group of people across the world with similar injuries that many are not so lucky. But enough about me. I hope you continue your upward trend!

Hmmm. Video not inserting. Here is the link: TedX talk by David MacKay

There are a lot of mis-representations about renewable energy and fossil fuels. Perhaps the best way to address these is with numbers from 'back of the envelope calculations'. David MacKay, who sadly is no longer with us, was a physicist who devoted the latter part of his life to making the numbers around energy production and usage understandable to everyone. He wrote an excellent book and website: Sustainable Energy Without all the Hot Air. It's available along with lots of other great content for free on the web here Two simple messages: First, there are plenty of things that you as an individual can do to help reduce energy usage, so don't throw up your hands and give up. Second, if you really want to generate a lot of renewable power and you have a country with deserts, as we do in the US, you could go a long way with solar. Here he is in a TED talk.

Lovely. Tank top schwacking. Hopefully no prickers

I agree, though we can both work at the larger level (oppose rollback of fuel efficiency standards) and the individual level (buy an EV, bike, carpool, take the bus).

Stop trying to pass the buck. Most of those companies are creating products you/we buy and use. Gas companies? Put them out of business by switching to renewables. Companies selling stuff we don't need? Just say no. And for the others demand that they abide by environmental laws and regulations and support enforcement of these. Vote for pols that support protection of the environment and planet. As consumers and voters we can and should use whatever means we can to address this challenge. Our kids will be looking back wondering WTF we were doing/not doing when the signs were so clear.

Another reason I gave up beef: 80% of Amazon rainforest cutting is to clear land for raising cattle. linky

It's eye opening to learn about the numbers around energy production, usage, and the climate. That may help inform whether you stop driving to the crag or flying to ski resorts, or if you want to buy a sweater and turn your heat down a degree or two in the winter. Check out David MacKay's book/page if you want to see the numbers: book One small thing: consider an electric car (still not great for long range trips yet due to lack of charging stations, but driving closer to home can work). In much of the PNW we have about 95% of our electricity from hydro, which is a clean and renewable energy source (sorry salmon). I still drive the family minivan.

Wow! Thanks for the report. It falls into a special category of writing because it gives us a window into your minds and hearts. I see parts of myself in the mirror of your words and photos. In the earliest days of my climbing I told myself I wasn't willing to die climbing. I only climbed rocks and never free soloed, so it seemed safe, but over the years I still found myself in more than a few 'if you screw up you die' moments. In the Pacific Northwest, I learned that mountains harbor a lot more of those moments than cragging cliffs, and some are not easy to appreciate until you're in them. My risk tolerance changed when I became a parent but not a huge amount. I've been a dad for over a decade now. I still love alpine climbing, but there are lots of other things I love too. My partners and I recognize that every time we go into the mountains we are rolling the dice. We prepare, we stay on our toes, we talk things through, and sometimes we back off, but we recognize that you can do everything right and still die in the mountains. I'm blown away that Fred climbed for about seventy years without a major accident. I don't expect to be that lucky, and I know my abilities and risk tolerance will continue their downward trend. And yet, I still have alpine dreams and try to get out into the mountains every year. I'm guessing you will too. Thanks again. Cheers, Rad Edit: Ps. The part about your car is disturbing. I'm so sorry. Some humans suck. Karma will get them.

Super. Thanks for the TR. Glad you got lucky on the smoke! Our family goes to Stehekin every year and I've been eyeing those peaks since 2003, wondering if there was any quality rock up there. Sounds like the views are great but the loose rock and choss guarding the summits are rather unpleasant. I appreciate your honest assessment.

Not glacier glasses but UV, eyes, sunglasses: Article on UV damage to eyes Explanation w scientific references You'll note that a significant mode of exposure is reflection off the back of the glasses into the eyes. IMHO, reflection off snow is a concern in alpine climbing. When planning extended snow travel, consider using darker glasses and minimizing exposure due to reflection off the back of the glasses by wearing glasses that are larger and/or fit closer to your eyes and/or have barriers to prevent light entry from the sides/bottom.

Lovely. Such good rock. Thanks for the TR!

Holy Himmelgeisterhorn! We must now engrave thy names in the Choss Chalice alongside the alpinists of yore!

Buy local, support the good guys: Feathered Friends, Pro Mountain Sports, real guidebook authors instead of Rakkup, etc.

The photo above is clearly over the top. But I'm arguing that we need to do more than cover our business and hope for the best. Marmots, mountain goats, rodents, and perhaps other critters may dig up your smelly offering and spread it around. Moreover, if it lies in gravel where there are few or no bacteria and fungi living it'll run into the nearest water source when the fall rains wash through the gravel. So yes, we need to do more than cover it in the alpine. See what Climbing has to say: Poop guide for climbers Maybe I should apply for the PN job

I'd be willing to bet you've had partners who've taken a dump in alpine terrain, laid it to rest in a shallow grave of gravel, put a rock over it, and called it good even though there was little chance their deposit would be biodegraded in a reasonable timeframe compared to if they had sought richer soils...

To be fair, people can be assholes, literally, in the environment. Sometimes it's from laziness or downright deliberate disregard for protocol, but sometimes it's from ignorance. I think a lot of people don't understand that there is little opportunity for biodegradation of their poop in many alpine settings. Bottom line (so to speak) is people should first try to use toilets in the vicinity when possible and learn to do their business 200 feet from any water source, find rich organic soil where decay is likely to happen, dig a hole at least 10 inches deep, bury all business, and put a rock on it afterward to keep critters from digging it up again. If the soil is too rocky to dig a hole it's probably not a good place to go in the first place because there won't be enough microbial activity to decompose things. If you can't find a place to go properly, then use the blue bags you've been provided.