tanstaafl

thanks! Here's hoping the temps and my schedule both cool down enough we can get some Darrington climbing in soon. Got some pics of the weekend from my partner. NE Ridge is the right-hand skyline: No need for an ice ax for this approach: Smoke from the Mazama fires: Young gun rapping down:

Impressive; both the trip/climbing and the willingness to suffer! Love the pic of the "tattered and needle-covered Emilio;" I've felt that way many a time. Coming home from the Pickets on Monday I called my man, who said "I assume you slayed," and my partner muttered words to the effect that she felt more slain than slayer.

Trip: The Chopping Block - NE Ridge Trip Date: 07/25/2021 Trip Report: Climbed the Chopping Block in bomber bluebird weather on Sunday. Actually saw another party on the route (!!); two young guns who had left the trailhead that morning and were doing it in a day. Overall saw seven people during our three-day trip, which exceeds the total number of people I've seen in all my previous Picket trips put together. There are a lot of people out there these days. We managed to lose the trail once on the way up and once on the way down, thus providing us with hours of additional enjoyment. As has been stated by others before: DO NOT LOSE THE TRAIL. Drop your packs and scout, the time you spend will save you sooo much more time. When descending the broad ridge from the basin to the snag with the crosspiece and flagging (see pic in Jeff and Priti's Pickets Traverse report), stay left; don't stray to the right. There was a mellow place to wade Terror Creek just upstream of the trail; clearly many have done it before because there was a bit of a trail beat in back downstream to the trail up to the ridge. High points: camping in Crescent Creek Basin with not another soul up there except us, views from everywhere above treeline, nice solid rock and enjoyable climbing on the route, not being mauled by the bear hanging around the TH in the salmonberry bushes, not being nailed by the 10-inch-diameter tree that fell across the trail 15 paces in front of us (I counted) right after I said, “Hold up, I hear something in the bushes.” Thanks to Jim Nelson for the new cams, they're light as a feather. Thanks to Marko, the second-handsomest alpinist I know, for the rack 'n rappel beta. Gear Notes: 70 m rope (some shenanigans to rap back down but nothing out of the ordinary) Light alpine rack to #3 Camalot (really #9 Metolius Ultralight Master Cam) Tat Approach Notes: DO NOT LOSE THE TRAIL!

Huzzah! Thanks Bill. Such a fun route; more people should get on this.

Fisher Chimneys was one of my first alpine climbs and I remember it fondly; especially the bear we surprised in the chimneys who rocketed upwards and out of sight at a speed that was extremely impressive. Congratulations on getting out with your wife; and condolences on the passing of your grandmother.

Indeed. I feel lucky to have climbed with him.

Thanks a million! The only other time I've tried that approach we did not find the trail and it wasn't pretty. Definitely don't want to do THAT again.

Seano, how was the creek crossing/where was it vs the "trail" up to Crescent Creek Basin? Got a gps point or photo or just info if its upstream or downstream and how far? Hoping to get in there this weekend.

I was up at Cascade Pass last weekend to do Buckner and Sahale; the road was closed at MP 18 when we came in on Wed night but open to MP 21 when we left on Sunday. Fortunately one of our party was an attractive young woman who had no problem getting a ride down to MP 18 to fetch the car. Seems likely it will be open to the end very soon. The ranger we saw refused to commit but just said repeatedly, "We're very close." Planning on the PT in a few weeks but we're doing an extendo version and going out via Spider Meadows because we are such rule-abiding folk, plus it gives us the chance to tag Bannock Mtn on the way out.

Anyone tried to get a permit on a Friday at Marblemount lately? I've heard horror stories about waiting for hours and still not getting a permit because the WIC closed before you could get to the front of the line. I'm not worried about the permit availability, only trying to figure out how early I need to be at the ranger station the day before my trip starts in order to get a permit.

16 years later, Rolf is still using those same skis, skins, and helmet.

ha! I'd forgotten about that. Way to get out with your kid btw; that's golden. I started climbing too late in life to take my dad out, he was already in his early 70s by then.

Static Point

You can't drive up the spur road at all anymore, so it's ~1 hour on the "road" and then 30 minutes pretty much straight uphill.

Absolutely. I blame Jason G.

Trip: Static Point - Lost Charms, 5.9, 5 p Trip Date: 08/30/2020 Trip Report: Did a search and the last TR for Static Point was from ten years ago! Rat and I climbed Lost Charms yesterday; beautiful day and we had the place all to ourselves. If you're looking to avoid the Vantage/Leavenworth crowds, this would be a good place to do it. Beta for Lost Charms can be found on Mtn Project or in Sky Valley Rock if you are or know an old coot who has the book. Fun route; more route-finding necessary than most slab routes as you're not just following a line of bolts. We agreed the 5.6 finger crack was a particularly fun pitch. Trail is in stellar shape and Online is sporting shiny brand new bolts and rap stations. Go get it. Gear Notes: Rack to #3 Camalot, slings, double 60m ropes Approach Notes: US 2, north on Sultan Basin Road to Spada Reservoir, take the right fork after reservoir, park in first pullout on left after you cross the bridge, hike up blocked-off logging road directly across from the pullout ~1 hour, then turn left at massive cairn and go uphill ~0.5 hour.

Upper N Ridge solo is still impressive! And just covering that much ground in a day is impressive -- to me anyway. Sad to say, but having climbed in the Cascades for 20 years, the number of things that I am capable of climbing that are close enough to a road to not qualify as a slog are getting to be fewer and fewer, and the number of those that my primary partner, who's climbed in the Cascades for 40 years, hasn't done are infinitesimal.

Noice! Thanks for the stoke. And for reminding me that I have yet to climb Argonaut. That does make the south side look appealing. If it's any consolation, I just returned from a nine-day climbing trip on which I took not a single photo. I will just have to remember that very large marmot with not a whit of timidity about approaching closer, and closer, and closer, until we started asking ourselves, "Is it rabid?"

That second to last photo is fabulous. Looks like a fun day out.

Rolf and I climbed the NR yesterday as the culmination (or maybe "last climb" would be a better term) of a week in the WA Pass/Methow area, and yeah, it is definitely a long-ass walk for two pitches of roped climbing, but gotta say the views are spectacular and the climbing itself was nice enough. Plus I was too wasted in mind and body to do anything more challenging by then anyway. As usual, the walk out felt way longer than the walk in.

If you haven't already seen it, you might be interested in a documentary entitled The Mountain Runners (available from Seattle Public Library) about the historic Mt. Baker Marathon, from Bellingham to the top of Baker and back. The first marathon (in 1911) featured one group of competitors going by train via Glacier and others by car via Deming. A guy from the Glacier side was in the lead until the returning train hit a bull and derailed, leaving him to return via buggy, horseback, and auto while wearing a bathrobe. He came in second, and the bull was grilled for the afterparty. During the third and final marathon in 1913, one competitor spent six hours in a crevasse -- after that the Mt Baker Club decided it was too dangerous. At any rate if you can get your hands on the DVD it's worth watching.

I second this! A few (well, less than 10 anyway? god I'm a geezer) years back we spent a leisurely four days going from Eldorado TH to CCCG via Eldo, Klawatti, Austera, Primus, and Tricouni. It was one of the highlights of the summer. Soooo pretty up there. Recommended for sure.

ha! I'll have to start looking at the photos in your TRs even more closely...

wow. my hat is off to you, sir. congratulations!

huh. Missed the fashion memo as usual. I'm still using $3 men's 100% cotton dress shirts from Goodwill for keeping cool and as a replacement for sunscreen. Maybe that's why I have trouble finding partners?