Rad
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Posts posted by Rad
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Heading North for a few days and thinking about taking one or more of our teen kids up W Ridge of Sky Pilot. Can anyone comment on the conditions of the Stadium glacier? Crampons and ax essential? Rope? Moat issues? Seriously crevassed? Can these be easily skirted?
Any info would be helpful. Thinking of approach and deproach via gondola.
Thx much
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4 minutes ago, KaskadskyjKozak said:
Rad, we did indeed stop at the N Fork camp on the 20th. I think it was around 1 pm or so. We dropped down, hung a bag with our last day's food, and headed out in about 15 min.
you are spot on about the timing and this is why I have been thwarted. I always tried for the 3rd weekend of July and often there are thunderstorms forecast about that time to add to the scheduling shenanigans. It is a committing route and I would hate to be exposed on that ridge through a storm
You were well ahead of us. We didn't start hiking from High Bridge until about 3:30, arrived at North Fork around 6. We both had absolutely perfect weather. Not a cloud in the sky for days on end, no smoke, not too hot. Truly magnificient. On our trip, I snapped photos of 31 different types of wildflowers in bloom.
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Sweet! We were camped at the N Fork campground on a fam backpacking trip on the 20th, so maybe you passed right by us.
It seems that timing is key on this route. Too early and you're in for a dangerous creek crossing. Too late and the glacier/moat issues are sketchy. And then there is the 8000 foot descent in the sun... Hopefully I'll get this done at some point. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Wow. I'd also read the accounts from this past weekend and guessed that he was toast. So great to hear a happy ending in the mountains. Sounds like he could have been torn apart like a medieval tortue rack victim if the anchor had been any stronger.
Phew!
Maybe the mountain spirits are telling him to take up golf...
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Sweet and sloppy.
"...complete with a horsefly - where do these things come from?" - I'm sure it was thinking the same about you.
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Love it! I'm glad you and your small hands could make it to the top.
I think there must be a nuclear reactor on the N Face of Vesper because that aspect melts out faster than the E slopes of the mtn, as evidenced by your photos and my experience and the fact that climate change is a liberal hoax perpetrated by fake media.
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Once the fire closure is cleared, I would think you can get by without an ax. I did this route in early August a few years ago and we didn't have to touch snow. We stashed bikes below Burgundy and biked back around to our car to save some miles.
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Lovely. We were on a family backpacking trip that weekend around Stehekin and the weather was perfect.
Thimbleberries are the bestest!
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On 7/26/2018 at 10:55 AM, cgolden123 said:
I remember checking CC.com almost every Monday morning last season, and it always felt like there were 5-10 new trip reports to read...
Can't express how much I love this site, I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't...
Thanks for the enthusiasm. Most folks here are just as stoked to see pics and read about your (mis)adventures on 5.8 trade routes as read about 5.12R FAs. So please share your via TRs. They're a way of transporting us from our desks/couches into the mountains.
Climb on!
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@JasonG that's a powerful tale that says a lot about you and Tim as well as TJ. RIP.
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3 hours ago, olyclimber said:
Not disagreeing with you, but it is pretty amazing how "passionate" folks are about this argument, which I suppose pits "access" vs "winderness". As in, if the land is the peoples land, but they are too out of shape, handicapped, or unmotivated to use it then what do they care what happens to it. So people want to maintain existing roads and infrastructure so that enough people use the land and care about it and will maintain it. This "shit hole" is governed by the people (at least in theory) and if the majority would rather drive their RV to managed facilities rather than backpack in to unmanaged wild spaces...that group will win.
And on the other side is those that see the value in wild spaces, not just in the landscape but in the mind. A place were you can go and escape the humans, the crushing spread of the humanity. A place were you won't be hassled by the Man. I would think that all of us here are in that group, but actually it isn't so. I recall some spirited arguments back and forth whether to rebuild/restore the Dose road washout on the Oly Pen.
Barring some great scythe like a virus or war that wipes out the human race and knocks population back it sure seems like things will only get worse and worse if you want to escape your fellow man or enjoy solitude. We can create more wilderness by designation, but there is going to be more and more people getting sick of being stuck in an RV traffic jam. Just try to go camp at a state site on the Washington coast during the summer. If you didn't reserve your campsite 9 months in advance, you are SOL. The earth isn't getting any bigger.
My view is that there are different kinds of protected areas, and that all of these have value:
1 - High use areas concentrate impact, are carefully managed, may be crowded, likely have limitations on spontaneous access. Examples are overnight permits in the Enchantments. Some have tons of facilities, like Yosemite, some are in the back country, like Enchantments or Grand Canyon.
2 - Medium use. Trails, trailheads, parking, forest service roads, and a variety of parks. See medium use, have some facilities, often have areas of high use within them and areas of less use. Examples, Blue Lake Trail and climbing around WA Pass, Mt Rainier climbing and hiking. Trails along the I90 corridor.
3 - Wilderness. This is the most protected, where people are visitors who are not to remain, protection is more important than human use. Examples: designated wilderness areas.
There are climbing and other adventures available in all three of these. Some need more advance planning than others. Learn the rules, follow the rules, and let's behave like a civil society rather than a bunch of selfish idiots. This will improve/maintain good relationships with land managers who have the power to limit/increase our access to the natural places we love.
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Wow @JasonG, it looks like instead of rolling the dice you were climbing them.
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Nice Scott. I was gassed when we did that track in 19 hours C2C. Ropes and trad gear slow things down apparently, but I'm not willing to go without them.
Jornet fans should check out this piece in UKC from his recent record there: Peak running record by Jornet in the UK
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On 7/5/2018 at 11:16 AM, mtangeman said:
It's well worth the journey out there. Would be even better to bivy up high and spend a few days!
There's an outstanding bivy at the base of the wall that should still have some water nearby. Flat. Great views. Close to your route. And you walk past it on the way down so you can stash gear if needed.
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Lovely adventure and TR.
Thanks for posting!
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A well known local climber, who shall remain nameless here, was confronted and ticketed by a NOCA NPS ranger for not having a permit. He thought he didn't need a permit and explained that to the ranger. He was ticketed anyway and went to court to contest it. The judge not only didn't waive the fee but quadrupled it because the climber clearly didn't understand the message of why he was being ticketed and needed to be taught a lesson about respecting authority. I don't know whether this person technically needed a permit or not, but his attitude landed the first citation and its subsequent doubling.
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Nice looking rib there. And giant trees
Tim's Jalapeno chips. Mmmmm
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Thanks for posting.
Note to self: don't be that dad!
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My daughter was born on the solstice, so I'll be celebrating her birthday!
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Sweet! Impressive on many fronts.
Thanks for posting the TR.
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2 minutes ago, AlecE said:
Haha, fair. I assumed the glacier would still be there, was thinking about the rock. It looks mighty tempting....
Go get it and put up a report!
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7 minutes ago, AlecE said:
To sorta hijack, what are the odds that Goode is snow free right now? It's been pretty warm, but most of the TRs I've seen are July-Aug.
What do you mean by snow-free? There's a glacier at the base. You mean the rock? It's probably clear after this heat wave. I bet this is a great time to go get Goode, wish I could be there myself, though creek crossings may be cruxy.
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Anyone know this guy or know anything about his whereabouts?
If so please contact NOCA NPS.
See more in this brief article on the search
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Nice TR. Thanks for posting.
It's smart to go up there when snow is still covering a lot of features, like that gully in your photo. When those melt out they'll be unpleasant at best, dangerous in many cases, and downright impassable at worst.
Challenger solo in a weekend? That's a lot of ground to cover and a big glacier as well.
Be safe, have fun, post more TRs!
Cheers,
Rad
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Sky Pilot w kids = question
in British Columbia/Canada
Posted
Perfect. Thx!