andyf

Years ago, I was buying life insurance and disclosed that I climbed. The agent paused for a minute, thinking. Then he asked whether I was part of any "organized climbing club." I said no (truthfully). I waited to see if I'd given the wrong anwer. The agent paused again, and then said "Oh...good." I was issued the policy.

I'm in Spokane for work next Wed/Thurs (April 23-24) and would like to get out the evening of the 23rd. Interested in Mirabeau or Rocks of Sharon sport (haven't climbed at either place), but will also go elsewhere. PM me if free. Andy Fitz

You can definitely hike up from the highway if the Soup Creek road is snowed in. Watch for ticks. Even with snow on the ground, you can often drive far enough up the Soup Creek road to comfortably hike in. The road is usually snow free before May; in low snow years, I've driven nearly to the crag in February. I haven't been over there this winter so I don't know about the current snow levels, especially after our recent dumps. Have fun! Andy

I have a message in to someone I know at Weyerhaueser corporate to try to get some clarity. But as I read the website (linked above), the closure/permit access system is only in place from Aug 1-Dec 31, with normal access the rest of the year. That's my take as a lawyer, although I admit that may not mean much... Andy WCC Board Member

Thanks again. Last week the surgeon (who I was seeing for the first time) switched me to a full-length brace and told me to come back in a month. He wants the MCL and other knee trauma to heal more before dealing with the ACL. I'm hoping I can get surgery scheduled in March to have a chance of climbing again this fall. My fear is that I'll come back in a month and be told he's booked for the next two months!

Thanks for the input. The "possible partial" description came from the physician assistant who called me the day after the MRI. Today I saw the actual MRI write-up. It's a bit more sobering: "Anterior cruciate ligament is torn. There may be a few fibers still intact, but the majority of the ACL is torn." I think I'm looking at surgery...

Ski accident on 1/13. Initial diagnosis was Grade II MCL sprain (partial tear). Follow-up MRI shows "possible partial" ACL tear and the orthopedist wants to go in with an arthroscope to check things out. Two questions: 1. Assuming the worst, what experience do people have returning from ACL reconstruction? I know it happens eventually, but how long before I can expect to really climb again? Boulder? 2. Anyone deferred surgery and just stuck with PT? I know a skier who's done this; wondering about any climbers who've had success. For reference, I'm 48 YO, generally climb solid 5.11 and boulder V4, enjoy sport, trad, and bouldering. That's what I want to get back to. I've missed two of the past three seasons with shoulder surgeries (both shoulders), so this really blows.

Interesting link, especially the correlation between DC and frozen shoulder. I've had both shoulders operated on in the past 3 years and had some degree of frozen shoulder after both surgeries. I also noticed glucosamine and hand vibration mentioned as possible exacerbating factors. I took glucosamine for a number of years and I've put in a lot of hours scraping rocks with a trowel/scrubbing rocks with a wire brush/drilling rocks with a Bosch and hammering in bits of metal, none of which are kind to the hands.

Just stumbled on this thread while looking for something else (Anyone had surgery for a partial ACL tear? How soon after surgery can I climb 5.11? Boulder?) Anyway, I've been climbing since 1985 and started noticing lumps in my palms about 8 years ago (around the time I turned 40). A couple years later I was diagnosed with DC. Last fall I really started feeling tightness in my palms (I have chords and pitting) and I felt like it was starting to affect my climbing, doing yoga, etc. So, I went to an orthopedist at Group Health here in Tacoma who does both the NA procedure and collagenase injections. He said I didn't have enough contracture to consider either procedure at this point, but he recommended cortisone injections in the nodules. He has DC himself and said he'd been shooting up his lumps with cortisone for years. He thinks it has retarded progression of the disease. I'd always stayed away from cortisone before, but I went ahead with it. I have to say that I've hardly felt any tightness since and the nodes even seem to have shrunk some. I've rarely been aware the condition over the past few months. BTW, I don't have red hair. But my daughter does, and I do (did?) have a few red whiskers in my beard! Damn Vikings...

Dave helped me out with my own little project a few weekends ago. (Eight tanks of gas consumed for that one, too.) I can also attest to his prowess with a chainsaw! Thanks again, Dave.

Someone named them.

Yeah, it's easy to access most of the top anchors at MR. Also, at the Royal Columns, Columns Holiday (http://www.mountainproject.com/v/columns-holiday/107588465), Stress Management (http://www.mountainproject.com/v/stress-management/105922227), and The Arete-Acal (new full length version, http://www.mountainproject.com/v/the-arete-acal/107115398) are easily TR'd 5.10 face climbs.

Not discounting any bad experience you've had, but that's a pretty strong statement. Over the years, there have been rashes of break-ins at Index, Leavy (Snow Creek parking lot), and Exit 38 on a far greater scale than anything I've ever heard of in the Tieton. I've likely spent as many, if not more, days climbing in the Tieton as anyone (especially if you include cleaning days) and I've yet to have a single issue. Not that that means a damn thing the next time I park there... Back to the original post, check out the Chunkyard (just east of Moon Rocks), where there are about a dozen routes in the 5.8/9 to 5.10 range. The rock looks like absolute crap, but try the climbing before you move on. There are a few shorter 5.10 and under sport routes at the Cave, although the better routes are all 5.11s. Lava Point is a good option, with a quite a few fun 5.10s. Finally, there are some newer (not in the guide) routes in the 5.9/.10 range at South Fork, although again, most of the better routes are a bit harder. None of these are easily accessible for setting up TRs. Have fun!

That's it. Very pretty spot, though. Thanks for the reply.

I'll be in Friday Harbor on Thursday with some time to kill. I know of bouldering elsewhere in the San Juans, but is there anything on San Juan Island? I can be discreet, both with beta and my activities. Thanks for any help. Also, climbing aside, any tips on hikes or cool places to explore? My son and I might spend the night if sufficiently motivated. Andy

That's poison ivy, which grows east of the Cascades in Washington. Also watch out at Trundle Dome in the Icicle, some of the cliffs around Mazama, lots of spots at Banks Lake, Minnehaha (Spokane), and along the river near the Royal Columns. Poison oak grows west of the Cascades in Washington (watch out at Fossil Rock and everywhere in the Columbia River Gorge). The leaves have the same three-leaved pattern, but are shaped like oak leaves and less droopy. It also often seems more shrub-like. I recently spent a couple hours bouldering in an oak forest near San Luis Obispo, CA. The entire ground cover of the forest, everywhere, for acres, was PO!

I've never had a problem in many years of climbing in the Tieton. However, about 20 years ago at the Cave, a friend of mine who was in the middle of cleaning a new route watched helplessly as a couple of guys busted out his truck window and ripped off his drill. Later, another friend and I named a route "Mark's Window" in honor of the glass shards left behind.

Well, Jim's not the only possibility... EZ access once the snow melts.

So I don't want to intrude on anyone's sacred ice climbing territory, but anyone looked at Strobach for summer rock potential? I've hiked that cliff line a couple of times over the years, most recently probably 10 years ago, and always thought it looked...interesting, but I've always been focused elsewhere in the Tieton. There are dirty swaths where the winter ice forms, but there's also lots of clean rock, and the striking arete to the right of TRLM has always stuck in my mind. Just wondering. Andy

I think Sobo and Off mean on the west side of the Cascades, not the park... Anyway, yes, I know of people climbing there over the years. Not me, but people I know. From what I recall hearing, there's a lot of wall hidden below the tree line with a lot of moss. Above the moss (which I think they aided through), the rock was supposed to be pretty good, with lots of edges like some of the Tieton rock. Despite the proximity of the road, I think it might be pretty adventurous getting in there. It's also something of a scenic landmark (I've seen photos of the wall in coffee table books) in a VERY visible location. I've always felt kinda squeamish about public/Forest Service reaction to the extensive cleaning, anchors, etc. that would be required for anything more than a few exploratory routes on the wall.

Bitterroot. The flower is bitterroot. Nice report!

I've confirmed directly with the WDFW's Oak Creek Wildlife Area manager that there is no closure in effect at either the Royal Columns or the Bend. And unlike past years, both cliffs have indeed been open all spring. The area was closed briefly in February until this year's nest site was confirmed. Since then, there's been a limited area closed directly around the nest site with no climbing areas affected. We should all hope that this approach is successful; it could signal more limited spring closures in coming years, assuming the nest site stays the same. My closure information can be confirmed by calling the Oak Creek Wildlife Area office number and listening to a recording: (509) 653-2390.

State Parks negotiated a 25-year agreement with BNSF to establish a crossing right over the tracks. The WCC funded the deal ($5,000) out of our Index fundraising. The deal just got finalized last week. There won't be a bridge, but rather a board crossing of the tracks (like you'd see at a driveway) with fencing put up along the LTW side of the tracks. Climbers who are headed left to the LTW and right to the Country/UTW will need to hike along the other side of the fence from the tracks to keep the RR happy. We can continue using the current parking area (which is mostly in BNSF's right-of-way). We might eventually be able to move the parking area over to the Gun Club property (currently owned by the Forest Service), but that's probably a few years away. Andy Fitz, WCC

I have to think this stems from the Mt. Si NRCA Public Use Plan (1997). I took part in the development of this plan when I was an Access Fund volunteer. The Plan has some ambiguity, but I don't believe it puts a restriction on new route activity at WWII, which is lumped in with the "Little Si" areas under the Plan. This is, in fact, exactly what we discussed during the public workshops on the Plan. It's on the ground impacts (trails and staging/belay areas) that need to be minimized at WWII. On Mt. Si proper, climbing is much more...regulated. Here's what the Plan says, in relevant part. Don't attribute the factual assertions in the last paragraph to me: . . . . 1. Allow recreational rock climbing only on Little Si in designated areas. 2. New climbing routes are allowed within designated areas only. 3. Continue working with the climbing community to increase stewardship of the NRCA. 4. Continue to monitor the area for environmental impacts. . . . . Currently, rock climbing is focused in five areas. Three of the areas are grouped together on the Little Si trail. [...] The other two areas, Canopy Crag and World Wall II, are isloated areas east of the trail. Impacts here are presently minimal and increased use will result in soil compaction, erosion and trampled vegetation, especially at World Wall II. These areas should be carefully monitored for damage from increased use. In contrast to the high use at Little Si, less than a half dozen rock climbers climb the face of Mount Si. Climbing activity may have an impact on mountain goats and peregrine falcons that use this area. Due to the nature of the rock on Mount Si, extensive "cleaning" of the rock occurs. This results in the climber removing large rocks and debris to make the area safe for climbing. This is a safety concern for neighborhoods and hikers below the climbing. However, climbing is the only way to monitor and study wildlife (mountain goats, raptors) and climbing here should be alowed by permission of land owner for monitoring purposes. (Emphasis added.)

OK, now I'm going to finally get on Goose Egg! Have to wait for my shoulder to heal. Nice work guys!