Chad_A

Wouldn't that be Florida? How about this: "Gas prices reach all time low- American dependency wanes"

Ballard Alpine Club? Never heard of that. Well, congrats to Sky then!

Pic o' the pack?

Think of the prospects. Maybe we can cohort with the terrorists, and have them bomb avalanche terrain. Dru, should we refer to you as He-Man now?

I know of no such site that provides info on Hood; if you want to know a couple reference points, look here: http://www.nwac.us/~nwac/products/OSOTIM (7000ft) http://www.nwac.us/~nwac/products/OSOTML (6000ft)

This is what I go by... http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/i...p;county=orc027

Well, it's all relative, but the North Face is definitely a rare type of climb for the Cascade volcanoes. It's one I could do again and again and again... and plan to!

Good job man! I did think that exit gully was a lot of fun. Although, the runnels I had to traverse on rotten snow/ice with a bad runout after it gave me the willies. Nice day to be on the mountain, eh?

Chad.. please don't start with Team America World Police "Now...suck my cock, Gary!!"

Wow, small world! Thanks for the comments. Had I known the outcome, you could've come along!

Roger, how can I possibly go around complaining about how old I feel if you're confessing to being 45? Cut it out!!

Jeez, well...literature may state this, but I've yet to meet a person who acclimated that way on Rainier. Most people, who climb the Ingraham Direct, Disappointment Cleaver, etc, grunt their way up to Camp Muir the first day. If a person is fit enough to attempt Rainier in general, I believe that this is a reasonable goal. If this turns out to be too difficult, then the chances of a successful climb need to be in serious question. For a new Rainier climber, I'd suggest this: leave early the first day, before the sun is baking, and the snow is soft. Eat lots, drink lots, and take your time. It's not a race. Once at Muir, continue with hydration, and be vigilant about it. Take foods that sound good. Often, at altitude, the appetite goes sour. It's ideal to take high carbo foods and some protein, but if the only thing you can choke down is Snickers bars, do it. Have your pack and water ready the night before, so all you have to do is get up, eat/drink, pee, rope up, and walk. Drink and eat on the way up, even if it doesn't feel good. If you don't feel strong the morning of the start, sit in camp and soak up the sun, and rest. This is the benefit of giving yourself a good, three day window on the mountain. You can relax, and let your body adjust a bit. It sounds like a lot to summit and descend to the car in one day, but most people are able to do it, especially with the prospect of fresh food, and their favorite cold fermented beverage waiting for them down below. Most of all, have fun. And don't be afraid to tackle a smaller, yet equally beautiful mountain such as Baker if you're unsure of the altitude factor. Also, if you're unsure of your ability to climb Rainier, but still want to give it a shot, hire a reputable guide. When I lived in the Midwest, I fantasized about summiting Rainier, and it took me the third try to get it. Then, I discovered what all the other mountains in the Cascades have to offer. Keep an open mind; there's a lot to do out here! Cheers, and have a great time. Chad

Nice story! I think just about every climber I've met has more than a couple of those that they "left out" when talking to their parents, spouse, etc...

I've done lots of stupid things; that said, this past climbing trip, we did a car shuttle. Halfway up the route, I realized I forgot my car keys at my partner's car. Shit. It doesn't do you any good to have your car at a totally different location at the end of the climb, if you don't have your keys with you. I'll be buying him beers for quite a while for this one. He was quite the patient soul.

Epic! How have you ever dealt with such adversity? Nice pics

Damn, good idea. I just tried, but even at 50x37, it says "cannot be more than 10000 bytes"

Thanks, bro. I don't know what's considered to be "in" for the HW, but to me, it seems like the fall would be the right time. If there's good ice in the gullies on the NF, chances are there's some good ice on the EHW? But, that's just a guess. I did get a chance to look over just as we got on the ridge crest, and it looks like it does get steeper, but it's really short.

Edited to add pictures...

Climb: Mt. Hood-Sunshine Route Date of Climb: 5/4/2006 Trip Report: The original plan was to check out the Eliot Headwall. I'd never seen it up close, and thought it might have some freeze-thaw-freeze on it from the sunny days an chilly nights. So, Nate and I grabbed a light alpine rack and the tools to go take a look. My girlfriend informed me that a third team member would be coming along; "Flat Stanley", a school project of her niece. You're supposed to take pictures of him at interesting places; the assignment was the summit of Hood. I told her that if the climbing were to become sketchy, that he'd have to take the hard leads to pay his due. We started up from the Tilly Jane trailhead at midnight; the trail was slick for my Alphas. Once above Tilly Jane, itself, the walking was excellent on perfect snow. We were at the 6900' cairn marking the drop onto the Eliot before we knew it. The walk across the Eliot to the the base of the route was easy; it's still very closed up. We racked up at the base of the NF cleaver, and masternate32 (Nate) led up. The 'schrund bridges kept leading us right, away from the Headwall. Upon closer inspection, there was no ice to be found on the Headwall, anyway, just exposed volcanic rock with a small ice smear or two. At one point, we could have diverted hard left to end up in the middle of the Headwall; there were a couple snow gullies that lead to the summit ridge from there. At that point, since we were so far right, it would've been a bit contrived to do that, especially since we were basically at Cathedral Ridge. The wind was viscious, especially on the summit. Here's "Flat Stanley" on top. So, we got to take the gear for a walk. In an old AAJ, I saw a gent write that he had climbed the south side, walked the summit ridge to Cathedral Ridge, downclimbed over to the base of the EHW to climb the good part. It's a lot of walking from the NE side just to get to the Headwall for the potentially good climbing, and it looks to be a very short bit. Although, Thomas's book states that "under the right conditions, 1000 feet of water ice can form" on the headwall. On the other hand, what we ended up doing, basically the Sunshine Route, has a very picturesque position to it. For a group looking to get away from Leuthold or the South Side, it's certainly a good option. Here's a windblown/shakey picture of the Eliot, and how nicely closed up it is. Gear Notes: Way too much, but we didn't know it at the time. A single axe and glacier travel gear is sufficient. Approach Notes: Tilly Jane trail is icy in the morning, with exposed patches of dirt. The Eliot Glacier is very direct right now, and easily passable.

"1 new kitty litter pan 1 new plastic kitty litter pan liner 1 new pooper scooper " This is pretty funny. Ya, like they need to tell you that

Very cool. Sounds like you did the high traverse around Yocum; we tried that in December, and got stymied. A good snowpack helps!

For anyone looking to hear interviews on Alaskan climbing (Twight, Donini, G. Lowe, etc.), you have to check this out. Before you do, grab your favorite IPA, Shiraz, Single Malt Scotch, whatever...there's enough here to keep you busy for a long time. It's a shame if it's never been posted before. http://uaf-db.uaf.edu/jukebox/DENALI/html/people.htm Enjoy!

Very cool, man, glad you got out. Fun route, eh? Good job!

I was on Mt. Defiance about a week ago; I ran into deep snow right about 4000'. Probably not too bad; beware that trail if it's slick. If you fall off the "catwalk", you may be in for quite a ride...yikes.

Very cool, man. I thought about ya when I was at Smith the last two days. You mean that Pepsi can stove didn't blow up on you? Heheheheh.....