Chad_A

Earlier this year, a pal of mine and I tried the Fuhrer finger. Made a pretty good go of it; same basic approach as what you're going to do. I've been up to do the Kautz twice, and summitted neither time, but the lower Turtle camp option that people talk of (about 9200 feet in Gauthier's book?) seems like the best option, in retrospect. If it's going to be a warm day, make sure you leave extra early (for both the approach day and the summit day), and take your time. I'd leave at midnight for both. There's variables there to consider, and again, in retrospect, I think I might have done our climb this year differently. I, too, wanted to hang out and enjoy the mountain another day, and take my time, but the weather window closed earlier than expected, and it screwed us out of summitting. Just pick your priorities....if it is super important to you to summit, and the weather is looking good the second night, that you're up (when you're at the Turtle), leave early, get on with it, enjoy yourself afterward. If it doesn't matter to you, like Ivan said, take your time getting up, feel the altitude less, and have less suffering. Sorry about the common sense chat...I've just had time to think about what I would've done differently. At any rate, any day on Rainier is a good one.

Yeah, I know what you're sayin'. I think that I've relegated them down to longer climbs, that are less steep. They're just so damn comfortable...wish they had a bit more ankle support, but then again, maybe that's why they're more comfortable.

Haha...gotcha. I went for a hike to check out an approach for a climb that I want to do, and I found out quickly, comfortable as they fit, they really are kinda harsh on the trail. By that, I mean, I felt like I was walking on a rock. The heels hurt a bit; might benefit from a bit of a cushioned insole. They are nice, though, but I just can't decide what to do with them. Sure, they're comfortable, and they're crampon compatable, but I have inherently weak ankles, and it helps if I have a higher boot, and the Eight's ain't it. I find that if I'm French-techniquing on steep terrain, the ankles roll more than I'd like, and that's after resnugging them. Still, I like them, and I'll have to find a way to use them, because boots that fit this good just don't come by that often

Man, hope you get on it! Let us know how it goes

Nice! I hope to do the NR or the Coleman Headwall this year, either/or. Good to know how things are up there....thanks for the heads-up

Yep. Get all my stuff there, or at least, as much as I can. Bought some of my favorite gear from them; they hooked me up for my Chernobyl, and when I put together my first basic trad rack, they gave me a nice discount. Besides, they're nice there, real easy to talk to, and the guys and gals there can usually give you beta on a route you wanna try, or at least, they'll know someone who can

Cool; thanks for that! Yeah, they're pretty comfy boots. I've done some approaches in them, and some snowshoe trips to feel them out; pretty nice. Wore them on Sandy Headwall, and they did just fine, but, I like the support of my stiffer/higher Boreal Pamirs on steep terrain. Seem to have weak ankles these days:( They do seem to be a REALLY big boot, though; had to adjust the crampons out two holes from my other boots just to get them to fit.

OPEN. Call park for a current road update 360-569-2211. High clearance vehicles recommended. Road is subject to washouts. The Carbon River Road will be closed from mid-August to early September 2004 due to road work outside the park. Backcountry camps and trail heads will not be accessible via the Carbon River Road during the closure. Exact closure dates will be posted when they are made available by the county. Well, here it is, copied and pasted. Finally found it on the park website. Still, any trail notes that are applicable would be helpful.

Just before Memorial Day, we're heading for LR, weather permitting. I was wondering what to expect; I'm assuming that we'll have to approach from Ipsut, because WR won't be open yet. So, is the trail obvious, even if covered by snow? It looks like it simply follows the Carbon River, by the topo, so it shouldn't be that hard to keep track of. Also, what kind of road is the Carbon road, and when should we expect it to open? Is it open now? Jeep road, or well maintained? Any insight is welcome. Looking forward to giving it a shot. The approach will make me go lighter than I usually would; I'll find a way to use that Chernobyl, dammit!

Yeah, I definitely saw ski tracks when we were in the couloir. You guys must've been the ones passing us on the way up the day before. Looks like you guys had a great time!

Should be in great shape. I'm not sure how much snow that Hood is getting; you might want to get a good look at the avy conditions before heading up. It was definitely hardest finding the way down to the Sandy, off of Yocum. After that, straightforward climbing. You'll have a blast. One thing- it's notorious for icefall. At the time we'd been up there, it was so scoured, and with calm conditions, we hardly saw any. But, now, it might have something on top to rain down on you again, so be careful. Have fun! It's a great day out. Glad I finally got to do it!

Yeah, think I'll keep my eye on it, and make sure it doesn't spread. In the mean time, I'll certainly check out the spandura. Thanks CPOLy, for that. By the way, Seattle Fabrics is a good resource to have. I'll have to have my girlfriend show me how to sew; with some practice, and some of their raw materials, I could make some stuff that I'd normally have to buy

Haha...and learning to spell was harder than you thought? Seriously, holes don't bother me too much; the only problem is, right now, they're doing double duty (bike commuting here in misty Portland), and it's nice to not have any holes in them. I'm thinking that actual sewing might be a bit too overzealous at this point, since I'll probably do it again, but something just to "glue" it would probably suffice. I know that Twight mentions "Tool Dip" as a repair alternative in his book; says that it's available at hardware stores. Heard of it, anyone?

Well, evidently, I managed to put a small hole in the left leg of my Schoeller pants. Ideas? I think that a while back, someone mentioned using Seam Grip, or something like that, to mend it (although, it won't be pretty.) Please post anything that is known. I know that they sell Goretex repair fabric, but I've not yet seen Schoeller stuff.

No, that's one thing that did go our way. It seemed to be pretty well held together; nothing coming down. I did hear a couple of bits of rockfall, come to think of it, but it wasn't anywhere close. The cool thing is, it was pretty well set-up, except for the breakable crust; after this next week of weathering, it should get another lease on life, and be in shape a bit longer. I'd really like to do a one-day ascent of it, if the conditions were right. Meaning, I'd want the freezing level lower, so I could start earlier, and finish later. But, as of this point, I think that might be a bit too much to ask

Climb: Mt. Rainier-Fuhrer Finger Date of Climb: 4/12/2004 Trip Report: Had always wanted to do this route; called up to the park, and Mike said that conditions were pretty favorable for giving it a shot. A gent emailed me, saying he would like to head up with me, and after we chatted, I figured we'd make a fine team. The plan was in action. After working Friday all day, I was to meet him at Paradise in the morning, and by the time we met, the snow was horribly soft, so we made the decision to make a two-day outing of it, leave Saturday night and climb to the 9200ft rock camp, bask in the sun the next day, and head for the summit Monday morning. After the Sandy Headwall outing on Thursday, I was more in the mood to not kill myself, and enjoy the outing. The approach to camp, through "the fan" approach, was not too bad; snow had hardened more than I had thought, and the night was beautiful. I kept looking up at the route, and became more and more excited each time. We chatted, and took our time; arrived at high camp at 6:30 a.m. A couple of gents on skis passed us en route to the summit on a one-day climb, and ski descent(?) Sounds like that would be fun! Ate, drank, and slept all day, enjoying the view; warm sun all day. Watched for slides in the hot sun, but nothing came down. We were going to get into the bivy sacks early, get up early, and be on our way by 11:30 or 12 midnight. Well, I must've been tired, because I overslept to 11:10, and by the time we melted some water and broke camp, it was 12:45. This proved to be a blessing in disguise, because the snow crust was horrible...any earlier than that would've been totally futile. My lightweight frame could tread on top of at least half of it; my unfortunate partner, who's prolly 20 lbs heavier than I , was postholing in every step. I could see that he was taxed, but he didn't complain. It must've been really, really hard work. We were making horribly slow time, related to the snow conditions; at about 11,150, the snow finally started to harden a bit; just soon enough for me to realize that the stars above us were gone. Uh, oh. We decided to continue up to see how low the cloud cap was, and I judged it to be at about 12,750, because the cleaver to our left was being cut-off by the clouds just above us, and we were at about 12,250. We bagged it at that time, as we were able to see the cloud more and more as the sky was beginning to gain some light, and it didn't look pretty. We descended the route, happy that we had a chance to do the interesting part of the route (the couloir), and descended the upper Wilson, to the upper Nisqually, to the usual exit ramp that gains you the Muir Snowfield. Had Guinesses in the parking lot, took pictures of the cloud over the summit, and headed for lunch. By the way, the Thumb and the Finger, as well as the Wilson Headwall, are in great shape. Gear Notes: Standard axe, crampons, glacier travel attire. Approach Notes: Really soft snow; Nisqually and Wilson still mostly closed up. With this week's weather conditions, should stay that way for a bit. I'd say that, if you're up for a bit of weaving around crevasses (not too much), the approach directly across the upper Nisqually, to the upper Wilson, is doable. Had I paid attention to what I saw when I was checking out the approach on Saturday, I would've done that, instead. Much shorter than "the fan" approach.

Man, was that ever a nice climb. Thanks to DonnV, and David, for attending! I don't think that we could've asked for better conditions.

Uhh, I meant to say that the majority of time was spent routefinding, and getting down off of Yocum, onto the Sandy. And, when I said that I didn't look at my watch, and that it took me a while to get down, I was speaking of the descent from the summit. Sheesh, I didn't word that very well last night...damn Bridgeport IPA

Yeah, the majority of the time spent was getting down off of Yocum. I didn't look at the watch, but it took me a while to get down. One of the guys had a split board, so as soon as he picked it up from the top of Palmer, he was history. The other guy prolly made it down about twenty minutes before I did; my knees were aching something fierce, and I have good knees! I pity the foo who has bad ones. It was a great day out, though. Very satisfying; one more off the list. Now, if that damn North Ridge of Baker would cooperate...

Climb: Mt Hood-Sandy Headwall Date of Climb: 4/8/2004 Trip Report: Finally did it! Here's the long and short of it. Left T-line at 2:20 am, up to the top of Palmer @ 3:45. Put on warmer layers, and 20 minutes later, headed toward Illumination Saddle. At the saddle, 30 minutes later or so, roped up, sorted the gear, took some pics, and started across. I had the fortune of leading the traverse, and gaining the experience of route finding off of Yocum. The ramp was obvious; the slope going across it was steeper than I had planned. The snow was mixed hardpack/powder, and occasionally, I'd see other's footprints. Also, the traverse was longer than I'd perceived. Getting down off of the ridge was the crux, as I had been told that it would be. On belay, I worked my way up and down the ridge, looking for a way down, but a moat/crevasse had completely opened up, and only a few fragile snowbridges remained, which I mainly could only see from higher on the ridge. On belay, I downclimbed to a snowbridge, (put in a picket, while I was at it; mainly psychological protection)and saw others footprints on it, as well, and knew that it was one way that had been used to get across to the glacier. Well, it was then that I took my first crevasse fall, as I plunged in. There was a nice floor in it, and I fell so softly, that the rope never had a chance to catch my fall. I laughed, and said "oh, man, what am I laughing at? Get the hell out of here, dumbass!" Did just that. The gents following did the same, only they simply jumped over. We traversed to the point, where we were to start up. Since it was straightforward climbing from that point, we unroped, and started up. It became evident that the routefinding, and lack of sleep, had worn me out because the were leaving me behind quickly, once we started ascending. We stopped to take a couple of breaks; one at the top of the hourglass, and once at the Queens Chair. We walked the summit ridge in close proximity to each other, and ended up at the summit at 10:40. Ate something took pics, talked about how much fun we had, and headed down. Then, we huckleberried-it. Thanks for reading. I'll post a couple of pics if I get a chance. By the way, to the gent that emailed me, and wanted to come along this week, I hope he doesn't take offense that I didn't end up inviting him. I had another climber that wanted to go that I had always wanted to go with, and we ended up as a team of three. Had I had a chance, I would've invited him along, and did two teams of two. When he reads this, he'll know that it's him that I'm addressing. Please keep in contact, man, I hope to climb with you sometime soon. Gear Notes: Pickets, crampons, standard ice axe, second tool, screws (didn't use), biners, slings, etc. Approach Notes: Snow was mainly perfect. Alternated between icy hardpack, and some powder that you could kick into. Reid and Sandy are still very closed-up.

May I suggest that you just do it as a day climb? A person, taking their time, can complete the climb in 5.5 hours, and much less if one doesn't take that many breaks. Just a thought. Edit: That's 5.5 hours to the summit, by the way. Most people do it in less than that If you traverse to the Illumination Saddle, there's a nice spot to camp there, FYI, if you're really into the thought of camping up there. Doubt tht you'll have a hard time finding a partner. Have fun!

heehee...that's the plan. Maybe the thumb, instead Either one looks good to me

Damn, glad to hear of an okay outcome. That person should play the lottery...

jcclimber: yeah, I'd be up for the task at hand. I had a gentleman email me, and as it stands right now, we're going to head up on Saturday. I'm pretty comfortable with throwing in pickets, and the such. I've climbed WI3/4 (lead), so I'm fine with the tools, and the screws as well. I don't know if we'll do the Finger as of yet; I just want to climb something. I have a trip planned in May for LR, and in June for Sunset Ridge, so I know I'll be heading back, sooner or later Double_E: Sure! I don't see why not. I don't know for sure what route we'll do yet, but then again, I have a funny feeling that the weather forecast isn't going to hold. Just a feeling. But, if we do the Fuhrer Finger, or something like the Nisqually Icefall, I doubt that we'll stay at Muir. Still, the more the merrier, and I always like to meet new climbers!

Anything. My ambitious side would say the Fuhrer Finger, but I'd have to research it. Basically, I wasn't planning on being able to get on Rainier for a while yet, so any route would be a gem at this point.