Chad_A

Whoa! Take it outside boys...the infamous "that's it, meet me at the bike rack" quote.

Very nice; I was wondering what John and Dan were up to these days! I might go up there and check things out myself; it's been a year, and I miss the area. As for the Cruisers, well, just remember, they're people that couldn't build a *real* custom rod; they had to buy some piece of shite wannabe that underneath, is nothing more than a Dodge Neon Anyway, congrats on the climb, glad you all had a good time, and thanks for the beta. ---Chad---

Your welcome. By the way, I edited it; obviously, the TH comment would've been in the recent PAST, not the recent FUTURE. Duh...too much caffiene this morning.

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB2&Number=443883 Our TR is about a month and a half old, but may give you some insight. When we were there, the route, and the approach were easily manageable; the slots were just starting to show themselves, but either easily walked across, or avoided. With the freezing level being consistently below the typically broken up/tricky approach to the base of the Headwall, and the precipitation that the area has received since we've been there, I can only imagine that the snowbridges are in even better shape. I'd also imagine that the route is a pretty moderate snow climb right now, with steep areas; except for the icefall area that we climbed through, we saw very little blue ice, and only swung our tools over our heads in a couple of areas. I'd heard that, in the recent past, the road was closed to wheeled vehicles a couple of miles from the Heliotrope Ridge TH, but that should be open, and melting out soon, if it hasn't already. Sorry if this isn't the most recent information, but no one else has piped up, and thought I might try to help. Have fun up there, and post a TR when you get back.

Thanks for posting; I'm sure that many will benefit

Damn...wish I would've known sooner. Too late now, but I'll be checking back for something later this week. Wednesday?

Oh, man, that's terrible. Sorry to hear about that. I'm sure everyone here will keep their eye out for it, but I don't know what you've lost; I suppose you could notify Next Adventure about what happened, in case someone goes in there to try to sell it all. Probably a long shot, though. I think I'm going to strip all the stickers off my truck, and keep a dark blanket in it to hide my stuff when I have it parked at THs and such, from now on...seems like break-ins are on the rise everywhere. Then again, maybe they're just getting posted here more.

When's the next session? Might want to come out.

And one more...

Oh, yeah, that's really important. It depends, though; it can be genetic, or induced by being obese. At 215, you're not obese (unless you have a really thin "frame" underneath); if your father doesn't mind, and has a blood sugar monitor, you might want to check yourself out next time you get a chance. Your result should be somewhere between 65-110. And, try it after you've been sleeping overnight, or gone a good eight hours since eating. That's when the most accurate result is...your "fasting blood sugar level." I'm 32 now, and I've kept off 55 pounds that I managed to lose 10 years ago. Takes work, and I get tired of having a semi-strict diet to do it, but I'm glad I do it.

Haha...oh, yeah...and walked away hungry, still! Chris- I took that pick from Sam Jackson Rd. up by OHSU where I work. With some good binoculars, it's an okay place to scout out the west side routes

I sometimes get burnt out on Hood, since it's so close, and if I only have a day or two off before I have to get back to work, it's where I'm heading. But, it's a great training ground. And, it really is nice to have such a nice looking peak to stare at on the way to work...not to mention, I can be at 11,235 at 7 in the morning, and in my living room by early afternoon (after a mandatory stop at the Huckleberry Inn, of course.)

Hmm...maybe the Mowich road won't open on May 22nd?

Footbeds would probably help, for sure. Might want to visit a podiatrist if the pain persists. Orthotics really helped me out. Also, might help to just start over with a new set of shoes. (I think that, on average, a set of running shoes are only good for 300 miles.) Like someone else mentioned, check out a store with trained personnel who can put you in a pair of shoes, have you run in them, and be able to tell if they fit your stride (pronation vs. supination, and the like).

D'oh!

Hmm. I don't know about that. That doesn't really take into account objective hazards, that send you home, that happen on climbs in "good conditions". objective hazards = marginal conditions. there will always be another time with lower hazards. seracs, rockfall, forest fires, wet cracks whatever. Ok, let me back up here. Are we speaking of "failure" as in " simply not getting to the summit as a whole"? Or are we talking about the failure that one can do something about, but couldn't or didn't do?

I have fingered and fondled Mr.E's dovals. I like them, but my one complaint is that it is tricky to tell which way "up" is with them. That is, which side the gate opens on. Otherwise, nice lightweight functional biner that is good for racking gear and general stuff. For biners on draws/slings, I prefer an asym biner like neutrinos, trango superflys, whatever. Noticed that, too. Had some stoppers on some, and glanced at it...opened the gate the wrong way, and promptly dumped a few off. Able to retrieve them later, but still...guess maybe "which way is up on a glance" comes with using them all the time. I don't trad lead that often.

Hmm. I don't know about that. That doesn't really take into account objective hazards, that send you home, that happen on climbs in "good conditions". Yeah, probably failure. Or, as a copout, a "diversion"? Probably succeed. If you struggled into the unknown with the skills you have, and deal with obstacles necessary (even though unplanned), fair is fair, and you did the route. Oh, and to stay on topic, Baker was the difficult one to get, for me. Well, I could've done the C.D. route and tagged it, but I didn't want to do it that way. 3 failures on the North Ridge, and one failure on Coleman HW. Finally, success this year

Hard to guess what the Max slope angle was, but I was certainly needing to swing overhead in a couple of spots, so I'd guess 60+ degrees, and as gentle as 45 degrees in spots. Nice meeting you all up on the hill. Bit of a small world, eh? Actually, I'm surprised we didn't see more people, with the goregeous weather. I was quite surprised to have the route to ourselves.

Thank you all for stopping in to take a look, and for the compliments!

Good job, Oleg! I think the only two things that I remember differently, are the elevation of the bivy---8100 ft, and the line that we went through on the route. Still, that's a perfect TR. It was great fun, and right up until the nasty ice crust during the traverse, totally secure. Here's some pics: Baker Splendor: A better picture of me...that one from Oleg's post is the worst I've seen...hahaha: The Headwall: Colfax: Hotel Anderson: Getting warm in the sun in Hotel Oleg: Oleg and Colfax: Oleg at the crevasse rest on the Headwall: Oleg on the final slope of the HW: Oleg on the summit: IPA goodness post-climb: And finally: The route. Forgive the crude red line! Don't have photoshop, darnit. Oleg was a great partner. Have to do it again sometime, man!

Very, very nice, Ade

Leaving Portland today, and going to sleep at the Heliotrope Ridge TH tonight. If anyone wants to climb, we're still looking for a third. Call at 503 679 1187 if you're interested. Steep snow and ice experience necessary You can email me, still, or PM me, up to about 11 am. After that, we'll be on the road.

Teehee.....man, I'd almost pay for your plane ticket at this point