OlympicMtnBoy

I went up to the Tooth to the 18th, so a bit of the approach was the same. The packed ski track wasn't too bad, but off that the snow was really dry deep powder. It took us 4 hours to get to Pineapple Pass. I was on AT skiboards and my partner was on big snowshoes. It was a pain in the ass either way, but the ski down would be fun, if only I could ski better on short skis with a pack in powder. Check the avy conditions before you go.

Being as I have a four days off almost every other week I'm also up for heading north or east a bit.

Ok, I'm not that experienced at evaluating ice conditions but I'll spill the beans cause I'm nice and I don't have a partner. I've seen a bit of single, or maybe two-pitch ice up at Lake Angeles in the Olympics, although it's a 3 mile hike into it and the snow is soft and deep right now. I climbed a pitch of it about 3 weeks ago when I found someone to drag up there. It's probably better now, although the snow is deeper and the lake isn't frozen enough to walk across. Also I saw a couple of ice sections off the Source Lake trail at Snoqualmie last Thursday on my way up to climb the Tooth. Nasty soft snow and avalanche danger there though, but it might settle down. I'm probably not up to leading much of that, but if anyone else wants to I'd be up for it.

I need to get out on the ice this season! I'm generally free on Sundays-Tuesdays, also every other wednesday. I haven't led a whole lot and my rack is anorexic, but I'd be happy to lead easy stuff or follow WI5 or so, maybe harder. Also I'm out on the Olympic Peninsula if you're up for some exploratory climbing there, or I'll drive east. Email me at stewartmatthiesen@hotmail.com (better) or PM me here. :-)

I've found some bolts over near Mt. Zion as well, on lichen spire there are a couple of anchors, and there are probably (or ought to be) some routes on that big cliff face above the road there.

I've been up Tom Creek a couple of times, solo, trying to get to Dragon Lake. It's pretty nasty after the first bit like Ned said, but doable. I'd stick to the left side of the creek (facing upstream) and you might find remnants of the old trail. There were a few old tattered pieces of flagging still up when I was last there a few years ago. Stick uphill away from the creek a little when you hit the canyons. After that it mellows out a bit again till you get closer to the headwaters. It's a lot of work, unless you like bushwhacking I'd approach from Olympus. It is really beautiful and unspoiled in the Tom Creek valley though. I ran into two bull elk and a herd of 19 cows over 2 days in there.