Blake

Maybe over in the 'Dark Continent', here in the 1st world countries, we'll keep whipping on bomber hex placements.

This is a great thing to know for emergency situations, but godDAMN is it painful to use. For guys. If you know what I mean. ...You know.... ...The nuts... ...Smashed.... ...Yup. ....Painful.... It also loads the locking biner along multiple axes which is probably not such a good thing, but if you are taking >6kN falls on that harness, you'll probably wish you were dead anyway. For extra fun, try it with one of those ultra-skinny mammut runners. I hear you on the issue of not wanting to fall while wearing that thing Pax. I've mostly used it to belay friends on top-rope while they climb wearing my harness. To prevent the tri-directional carbiner loading, I usually pull one of the side loops throuhg the other loop, then through the crotch loop (or a similar thing), and clip straight into the one loop, which avoids this issue.

I can use a 48" runner and pull a loop between the legs, and one around each side of my waist, then connect with a locker and it works for me. If you are much fatter then you'd need to use a longer piece of webbing.

Are any of you guys a part of the the group of three that we ran into on Sat evening? You were going up to bivy, and climb for the day Sunday.

To those who have hiked along Bridge Creek all the way to the highway at Rainy Pass, how easy would it be to connect to the highway at its southernmost point, and avoid the last 2.1 miles of trail all the way to the Rainy Pass parking lot. It's been several years since i've been North of Fireweed Camp on this trail, but the greentrails map makes it look like a logical shortcut, as the road and trail run parallel for the last two miles.

Makes me feel better about my own inability to retrieve it. (twice)

Don't even go to the SW gulley. Head directly to a prominent twin-topped larch and go left from there along obvous third class to a belay spot below the two dead snags and the offwidth crack. The first pitch is probably 5.6 or so and protects easily. It's a much more direct and logical start than to go up the gulley to above the giant chockstone and to downclimb left to the base of Pitch 2. Billygoat was refering to the TR I posted from last week. It's reasonable to be able to extrapolate future conditions based upon snow levels a week ago, and our current weather. I'd advise against snowshoes. IMO they are not worth lugging up the trail merely to avoid a couple hundred yards of knee-deep snow.

But did you get the free cam? Even with Bill's funkness device it was still a lost cause for us. Billy, I don't think that sport route is really so "ruthless" we just lack the skill to do it in style!

WC Hexes > Metolius hexes

Sounds like the same exact thing that happened during the FA of "Frogs in Space" at Mt. Erie.

Nobody's found it yet?

Eric, if you want to improve your technique and strength on small holds, head down to erie and do one of the many sport tens. Small holds that are hard to find make any decent hold feel like a bomber jug.

I'm all for Hexes, but I think the above is due more to cam/nut popularity than anything else.

The height at the peaks, as suggested for ideal pitching by BD is 52" so I'd guess the 44" would be the dip in between the peaks. IF your support poles are only 44", it will be too low. FWIW I like my betalight, but you need to remember to collect a couple sticks i you don't have poles already that you will use.

So I think that it's cheating to tranquilize the bear. Climb the line as-is or back off, don't "bring it down to your level."

I've only got experience with the WC curved hexes, but I really like mine and place them on just about every route I do. I even had my previously reluctant partner using them routinely by the end of last weekend. They are way cheaper than cams as well, especially if you must leave a piece behind.

Get a set of used but still useable WC curved hexes, then a set of nuts (whatever catches your fancy, they all work). I'd suggest 24" runners as well, as you can triple them up "alpine draw" style into 8" quickdraws, but they work for real climbing as well. Throw in a few cams in the common sizes, and hit the rock.

Looks like a fancy Hawaian Windshirt... nice!

Looks like that bear has a tranq dart sticking out of it.

Climb: SEWS, Liberty Bell, and Le Petit Cheval-SW Buttress, Rapple Grapple, and Spontaneity Arete Date of Climb: 5/29/2005 Trip Report: Washington Pass Goodness I hooked up with MEC for a weekend of Alpine rock in the unseasonably snow-free Washington Pass area. We were originally going to do a few climbs on the Liberty Bell group one day, Spontaneity Arete (Kangaroo ridge) one day, and a Burgundy/Paisano link-up monday, but work obligations arose and cut our trip a day short. SEWS - SW Buttress I really enjoyed this climb, although I didn't lead either of the two wide crack pitches. We started just to the left of a prominent two-topped larch tree, and went straight up to the offwidth crack, it worked much better than traversing in from the right. Blue skies and high temps had us climbing and summit-lounging in T-shirts for most of the afternoon. After rapping down the gulley and retreiving our snaffle- chewed gear, we walked over to the Concord-LB gulley. Luckily the gulley was deserted on the way up, except for one scruffy old white-haired climber famous in the area. We decided to try the "Rapple Grapple" route as something more challenging than the Beckey Route. Having little knowledge of the route other than it's proximity to the Becky Route, we were able to follow obvious cracks systems. I'd definitely give this route a look if you are in the gulley already, and the Beckey Route is in use or you are looking for something a bit different. Sunday we climbed the fairly new "Spontaneity Arete" route on the N. end of Kangaroo Ridge. (below Burgundy Col) The trail leading to the base of the route is easy to follow, and whoever used about 400 yards worth of neon flagging tape to designate an obvious path through the wilderness can come find me to get it back, as long its before the next garbage pick up. The route has three really fun pitches, a good deal of 4th/low 5th, and would be a great way to introduce someone to alpine climbing or trad leading. Many of the crack systems eat up passive pro, and are solid hand/finger sizes. Highlights include a fun exposed headwall pitch and a nice 5.7 layback crack on the last pitch. If anyone has a nice picture of the North end of Kangaroo from the area, let me know. We bootied two Nalgenes, three carabiners, and a spectra sling over the weekend. The oddest part of the weekend was a hardcore cyclist that Billygoat and I saw on Hwy 20 while leaving Mt. Erie Friday, MEC and and I saw FRiday evening east of Mt. Vernon, and then MEC and I saw again Sunday afternoon as he had just crested Washington Pass. Gear Notes: Big Cams for the SW Buttress, other than that, a standard alpine rack. Ice Axe and crampons are not needed, and it looks like you wouldn't need them to get to Burgundy either. Approach Notes: The approach to the Liberty Bell climbs is snow free most of the way. Gulleys and scree directly below spires have a foot or two of soft snow.

#4 Orange Robot Cam (#3 Camalot size)stuck behind flake at a ledge near the top of a single pitch trad line @ ERie. Location, "mid mountain." As of friday it had an oval biner with it as well. Enjoy the search

JW ?

I meant more "with the current conditions" not in general, but I appreciate the input regardless. All I know of Rapple GRapple I stole from the NC mountain guides page "While often overlooked due to the popularity of its nieghbor, the Beckey Route, this climb offers some of the best quality moderate climbing on Liberty Bell. Often combinged with an ascent of the Beckey Route, or used as an option to avoid the crowds, this route provides 3-4 pitches of sustained 5.7 finger and hand crack climbing. While almost half of all ascents of Liberty Bell take place on the Beckey Route, this climb (only 100 feet away) is rarely done and has become a favorite among our guides."

Can anyone out there give me a heads up on the approach to this route on Lib. Bell? All I know is that it starts near the Beckey route. P.S. Am I crazy for thinking that N. Face of Burgundy and/or Paisano will be a realistic day trip this weekend?

Always so helpful.