John_Roper

The beast has been tamed. http://www.rhinoclimbs.com/Images/MoxSE.07.03.78.9.JPG This really is a stupendous effort and accomplishment. John Roper PS: The following is from Harry Majors. (I have asked John Roper to kindly post these comments for me, as I seem to have misplaced my cc.com password, and my antique 11-year old computer is experiencing difficulty in downloading some webpages.) Incredible! Absolutely astounding!! This first ascent by Mike and Erik of the legendary, difficult, dangerous, and highly intimidating East face of SE Mox represents a mountaineering achievement of the first magnitude in the North Cascades. With the sole exception of the direct overhanging central diamond on the North face of nearby Bear Mountain, no other recognized "Last Great Problem" of the North Cascades has remained unclimbed for so long (64 years now), nor received as much notoriety, as the East face of SE Mox. The great problem that the young Fred Beckey first glimpsed and recognized on June 21, 1941, from the summit of Mt. Spickard, and which thwarted his efforts over a quarter-century later in September 1968, has now been conquered. From the vantage point of North Cascades mountaineering history, Mike and Erik's ascent of the East face of SE Mox is of equal importance as Fred's 1951 first ascent of the East face of North Index (which marked the first use of bolts on a major climb in the Northwest), as well as the Gordon and Cooper's 1960 first ascent of the North face of Mount Baring (which marked the first use of Yvon Chouinard's chromium-molybdenum knifeblade pitons in the Northwest). The 1951 Index and the 1960 Baring north face ascents opened up two distinct historic eras of technical and alpine "great wall" climbing in the North Cascades --- and I would venture to predict that with the 2005 ascent of the East face of SE Mox we now stand at the threshold of yet another new era of climbing in the North Cascades. Another indicator that we now stand at the gateway to a new era of North Cascades climbing are the superb aerial photographs of John Scurlock. These magnificent winter photographs, with their intricate filigree of ice and snow --- clearly delineating crack, ledge, and fissure systems on isolated and remote peaks in the North Cascades (which would not be as readily evident in summer) --- greatly facilitate, in advance, potential solutions to route-finding problems on unclimbed routes in the North Cascades. (During the SE Mox ascent, it must have been very reassuring indeed, knowing that John was flying high above these two intrepid climbers on this forbidding wall, serving as their guardian angel.) Mike and Erik --- You are correct. The traces of a previous visit on the lower right side of the East face of SE Mox are remnants left by the unsuccessful August 1958 Portland climbing party. An account of their pioneering venture appeared as: Paul Williams, "An unclimbed 'No Name' Peak," Summit, vol. 6, no. 5, May 1960, pp. 19-21. (A further clarification appears as: Dee Molenaar, "Letter questions location of 'No Name' Peak," Summit, vol. 6, no. 6, June 1960, pp. 22-23.) If you, or any other cc.com readers, would like a copy of this 1960 article, on which the routes of the August 1958 party (on the lower right half of the face) and the September 1968 party (on the lower left half of the face) have been marked, let me know, and I would be pleased to mail you copies, with my compliments. --- HarryMajors

Greetings Dan Lauren, Interesting coincidence, as Jerry Huddle, Sofy (my 13-pound dog, a rat terrier), and I had this view of your route from Marmot Ridge of Thunder Glacier, Lincoln, and on to Seward Peak, the evening before you guys did it. http://www.rhinoclimbs.com/USGSMountBaker.htm Who had been to Seward's top besides Dallas Kloke, Brice Simon, Mike Bialos, and Gene Mickle (was it?)? Can you mark your route on this photo, please? John Roper

Jonathan de Ferranti, from his computer in Scotland, has created a mind-blowing digital panorama of our Washington peaks as viewed from the top of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. www.sol.co.uk/v/viewfinder/seattle.gif Bill G, are you watching?

Virtual Klenke from North Gardner: http://www.sol.co.uk/v/viewfinder/ngardner.gif And just in time, since Paul now has a real job. Jonathan de Ferranti from Scotland tells how to do it. http://www.sol.co.uk/v/viewfinder/technical.htm It would be nice to see the 360 degree virtual "view" from all Top 100 peaks, so we can settle the question of "What is the Top 100 peak from which you see the most Top 100 peaks?"

Ragged Ridge on June 6, 1970. Second peak down page. www.rhinoclimbs.com/Top100byP400.91-100.htm JR is looking a little more Cosho-ish, these days.

Here’s another shot of the Buck Horn Arete . Second picture on page.

One good turn deserves another, all year, any time. Nice one, Phil and Sky. Glad to see you cruised and were not crucified by Crusoe Couloir. http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tr0506;action=display;num=1118961286

Whoa, John S.—that aerial of Robinson’s Crusoe Couloir does it proud. And Curt, yes I loaned that photo to Peggy for the 75 Scrambles book, and those three sentences in CAG to Fred. We spotted the somewhat hidden route in 1984, and did it with Reed Tindall in ’85. Pretty straightforward, except it was icy enough in June to make Reed a little concerned on dull 10-point crampons he threw in at the last moment.

Robinson Mountain – Crusoe Couloir There is a shot of the north couloir about half way down this page. http://www.rhinoclimbs.com/WashingtonsTop100byP400.31-40.htm

Did Lage (in 1925) precede Lloyd on Blizzard? Could one of Lloyd Anderson’s FAs (with a different name then) be an answer (now) to one of Klenke’s questions?

Fellow climbers and explorers, Flagging is an important issue related to preserving the quality of our dwindling wilderness. Plastic flagging is litter, plain and simple. Even worse, it has led to permanent trails up pristine ridges and slopes, where there were none before. I was lucky enough to have grown up in Newhalem when that town was the end of the road, a generation before there was a North Cascades National Park, before there were flags, and now ground-in paths to once untrammeled places. It used to be an adventure just to get above timberline. Route finding in the woods was an art and a challenge, up and down. When my buddies and I first headed into Eldorado, Pyramid-Colonial , the Chilliwacks/Depot Creek, the Southern Pickets (Terror Basin and The Barrier), Blum, Axes (access) Creek turnoff, Primus-Tricouni, Stout Lake, Azure Lake, etc., there were no flags. There were no trails. We can't get that back, but we don't have to make it any worse than it is, or destroy other approaches. If you come upon a flag that was helpful to you, fine. But grab it, and practice your wilderness route-finding skills on the way down. Leave some unmarked hillsides for my kid and your kids to explore. Tear this trash off the trees. Fill your pockets with these eyesores. Make the wilderness wild again. It does the soul good! It does the wilderness good. Thanks for listening, John Roper

There's a good shot of this couloir in red CAG, p.135, 2nd edition. We looked up at it from the Skagit-Ross Lake road, and looked down on it from the notch on a recon trip up Silver Creek to Silver Lake in 1970. Just a matter of time before one of you guys is skiing it.

Actually, no, not yet. But it's on my list of things to do in the Skagit drainage. Hope it doesn't bother too much to say this, but Don S and I have talked about climbing this peak together. (He rejected Finlayson, to retain his dignity, but since it's a named peak of the Skagit, I'm not above sneaking over there too.) Want to come along?

F,W, W, F, from the east (while standing within the Skagit drainage), just north of border. Just a guess.

Orthanc http://fan.theonering.net/middleearthtours/orthanc.html Caradhras http://fan.theonering.net/middleearthtours/caradhras.html

I have not seen any sources that give the black magic twist to Mesahchie. Is there a Canadian reference for this? This is not a good word, in fact, it is the worst thought in Chinook Jargon. Here's what a couple of authorative dictionaries of the Chinook Jargon say about this word: The Chinook Book by El Comancho (W.S.Phillips) Copyright 1913 WICKED--VILE--SINFUL--DISSOLUTE--VICE--ROTTENNESS--OBSCENE--DEPRAVED--VICIOUS MESAHCHE "Mesahche" is used in Chinook to indicate anything worse than "Cultas" (bad). It conveys the idea of dirty vile-ness, vice, rottenness, etc. It is probably more often used to describe things as being obscene, depraved, etc., than in any other sense, though it covers the whole catalogue of things or conditions that are "worse than the worst," "rotten to the core," and all like ideas where the term "bad" does not reach far enough. It also means dangerous or "danger-from" vile things. The words used before or after it qualify its meaning or it is used to couple the vile meaning with the ordinary meaning of any other word. Examples: "Delate mesahche man," "A very wicked man." (Wickedness understood to mean "the limit of human depravity" from all angles). "Mesahche klootchman," "A harlot." .... (Spellings as are.) The Chinook Jargon by George C. Shaw Copyright 1909 Me-sah-chie, adj., n. © (Chinook,-Masachi.) Bad; wicked; evil; vile; sin; bitter; cruel; depravity; dissolute; dung; filthy; immodest; nasty; obscene; vice; insolence; unworthy; unruly; iniquity; unrighteous; naughty. Example: Elip mesachie,--worse..... "Mesatchee,--bad, vile, vicious in the sense of vileness, filth, dirtiness, etc., whether in the abstract or in the concrete." PS: Never did think those goofy, so-called Minas Ithil (FA really by Mike Swayne and Don Ihlenfeldt on 7/28/62) to Caradhras (Sarhdarac, spelled backwards) names had any relevance to North Cascades toponymy, and wonder why FB bought into these.

Harry Majors wrote Say it ain't so, Harry. This forum, and the Cascades climbing community, will be much better served with your continued interesting insights and research. Your nuggets about the Moxes, the Ptarmigans, Wolf Bauer, the Ragged Ridge names, Fred's peak totals, etc. have been fascinating. I don't see that you've said anything disrespectful, argumentative, degrading, or untrue about FB or CAG in your posts. You've called a spade a spade, as you know it. Ignore the sharp elbows. Truth be told, FB knew about the original names on Ragged Ridge (personal communication, plus Panther and Holyoke were in AAJ, and Ragged End and Gendarmes were in Mountaineer Annual), and he was aware of the English equivalent of the Chinook Jargon names he applied: Wicked/Obscene (Mesahchie), Middle (Katsuk), Behind/End (Kimtah), Pig (Cosho). Why he picked these names is another question. He also knew about Himmelgeister Horn, and The Blob, and The Stump, and Spectre. Keep the fun coming, Harry. Don't make us wait for your next book!

Ray asks... That's easy. The Wild Hair Crack on Himmelgeister Horn (red CAG, p.110). The route drawn on the photo in the guide is in error. The lower section is correctly drawn, but we stayed out on the face all the way to the top of Himmel Point ("subpoint"). Incidentally, the Firey's name for this peak was Himmelgeister Horn, or Himmelgeisterhorn, which means "Horn of the Sky Spirit." To shorten it to Himmelhorn takes the spirit out of this name.

I think we all agree that Fred Beckey has been the premier pioneer in identifying and completing classic climbs of many of the great peaks in all of North America. His Cascade Alpine Guides cover a small area of his interest and expertise, and are the finest guides ever written on a mountain range for accuracy, thoroughness, and clarity. That he has compiled most of this information by research, map study, and interviews, rather than by personal hands-on experience (summiting 8-28% of the peaks in these guides), is notable. I think Harry is trying to make the point that when people say something like, "Beckey says this, or Beckey says that, or Beckey was off base here," it wasn't necessarily Beckey's experience. He simply wrote down what someone told him.

Harry Majors wrote.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All three volumes of CAG index a total of 1232 peaks, named and unnamed. Of these, Fred has climbed a recorded number of 192 peaks. This is equivalent to 16% If subdivided by each volume, the results are skewed. CAG-1 lists a total of 313 peaks. Of these, Fred has climbed a recorded number of 87. This is equivalent to 28%. CAG-2 lists a total of 451 peaks. Of these, Fred has climbed a recorded number of 36. This is equivalent to 8%. CAG-3 lists a total of 469 peaks. Of these, Fred has climbed a recorded number of 70. This is equivalent to 15%. The reason why the percentage figure for CAG-1 is so high, is because of the comparatively greater number of pinnacles present in the Enchantments, and relatively fewer number of significant peaks present south of Snoqualmie Pass. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nice work, Harry. So Fred has done 192 peaks in the Washington Cascades that he felt were worthy, plus some of less than historic quality. I know he's also done Sitting Bull, and let's give him credit for Si, if Dru wants. He hasn't done a ton of tourist climbs. What others does anyone know about? Maybe Ray can squeeze a little blood out of the turnip. It would be interesting to compile his total WA list, including the Olympics.

It should be noted that if the CAGs have errors in route descriptions, the fault is not so much Fred Beckey's. The rare route goofs usually lie with the person whose brain Fred picked. That Fred got it right so often, especially when he'd never been to a particular peak, has always been the thing that has amazed me. Harry, do you have a number as to percentage of peaks listed in the various CAGs that Fred has actually stood atop? It will surprise.

Bingo, Paul. Here's a list of all the peaks in WA with 2000 feet (or more) of "clean" or "proven" prominence. http://howbert.netherweb.com/mountains/WA_all_2000P/WA_all_2000P_list_Psort.html And a map of all those summits: http://howbert.netherweb.com/mountains/WA_all_2000P/WA_all_2000P_map.gif

OK, since we are on the topics of prominence, and the Finney, Gee, Round, Higgins area (aka "Loggers Island"), and quizzes, what is the peak with the greatest prominence in Skagit County? Is it something like Dome, Eldorado, Snowfield, or Buckner, the Skagit County High Point, or something more mundane? For those not clued in to the prominence concept, it is the elevation difference between the summit of a peak and the lowest contour that encircles the peak, but no higher summit. If water were to rise to this encircling contour, it would cut the landform off as an island, and the elevation of the island would be the peak's prominence.

Tod asks: Any comments/thoughts on the original names of the peaks within Ragged Ridge? The short story on the Ragged Ridge names is that the 1966 FA party of the 8795' highest peak named it "Panther Peak," at the head of Panther Creek. The next 8680+ foot peak west was first climbed in 1968, and called "Mount Holyoke" after a party member's alma mater (OK, not the best name in the world). The 1970 FA party called the last high peak (8332') on this ridge, "Ragged End," and the 8600+ peak just east here "Gendarmes Peak," after the multiple spires on the summit ridge. A few years later, a guidebook author changed the names that the FA parties had applied to these peaks to Chinook jargon terms, some of which are not particularly inspiring concepts in English translation. The following translations are taken from George C. Shaw's 1909 work, "The Chinook Jargon." Mesahchie means "bad; wicked; evil; vile; sin; bitter; cruel; depravity; dissolute; dung; filthy; immodest; nasty; obscene; vice; insolence; unworthy; unruly; iniquity; unrighteous; naughty." Not a bad name, I guess, if you consider the quality of rock on some parts of this mountain. Katsuk means "the middle or centre of anything." Kind of a weak mountain name for a Top 100 peak. Kimtah means "behind; after; afterwards; last; since; back; rear; subsequent; younger." Another uninspired choice. Cosho is "pig." What's the thought here?

Tod- Our climb of Inspiration (on 7/4/92) in the pouring rain, through the waterfall, on a peak where you personally dodged the German translation of your name a couple of times (by rock and snow), was one of the more memorable trips I've ever had in the North Cascades, as well. Long day, but nothing like your athletic day-trip of Sahale, Boston, Buckner, and Horseshoe. I'm intrigued and happy to hear that the register on Boston is still intact, 35 years after Gary and I climbed it on 7/27/68. In those days, you could nearly always count on getting a history lesson out of the summit register. The register I mentioned above on the Ridge of Gendarmes had been undisturbed for 46 years (1939 to 1985) between Thompson and Bressler's visit and mine. And regarding Custer, on 8/10/71, we were able to tell that we probably had the second ascent of what was then called Matsaac Peak (Custer), and the 4th ascent of what was then called International Peak (Rahm). We weren't any more impressed with the quality of rock here than klenke, calling them "Rubble" and "Grunge" amongst ourselves. And Harry, Thanks for the update.