EC_O

Took a recon detour yesterday to Soap Lake/Lake Lenore. Things are starting to come in but nothing touching down yet. Hoping the next week really improves things since it's real cold and the forecast seems to keep things that way for the extended.

A quick web search got me this: http://bit.ly/10B02v0 though it doesn't show the descent gully very well, unfortunately. Are you still trying to get a hold of John? I just texted him to let him know. Really sorry to hear of your loss. I empathize completely as we are all too familiar with losing friends in the mountains here in Leavenworth lately....

True statement. SLR absoltely does not want a new pipeline constructed across their property though. So that makes the FWS the bad guys because they don't want to take their neighbor to court to exercise their legal right? Hmmmmmm.... Given that, guess you gotta choose your battles in trying to improve the current situation. Build an insignificant diversion structure in a canal or spend gobs of taxpayer dollars taking your neighbor to court? I know what I'd choose.

The "dam" in question is a) about 1 foot high (needed only because the owner of Sleeping Lady Resort does not want a gravity-fed diversion system on her property--but continues to sue the USFWS for their failure to improve fish passage on the Icicle; i.e., NIMBY but I want it fixed anyway), b) will be located inside the existing canal (read: NOT in Icicle Creek but in a diversion ditch where salmon don't go unless they're lost!), and c) would negate the need for the current "dam" (which already has passage and doesn't even exist/operate for >9 months of the year) as well as a hydraulic jump (near the canal inlet) that is currently difficult for juvenile fish to pass at low flows. Collectively, these things will absolutely result in better fish passage, which is why a certain environmental group is supporting it. Fish in the Icicle currently have passage up to the natural waterfall which is upstream of all of these changes. Nobody is talking about improving on nature to put them somewhere they've not been, justinp....

This bit of misinformation is beginning to sound a lot like "death panels pulling the plug on granny." Yikes! Show up to the meeting if you want legitimate details. Suffice it to say though, this project will only IMPROVE fish passage on the Icicle ('cause there's already a dam there guys), at least up to the impassable natural barrier (visible upstream from SCT footbridge). I distrust Wrecklamation as much as anybody, but they're actually doing something good here--for once.

Most of the route, that is. A little off-route after the Skywalk Ledge. And for the record, I'm bald and she's beautiful. Hairless apes in the rain I'd say.

Nice work MickB. Funny to hear you ran into Chad moving fast. What a surprise. Lemme know when you're coming to Bavaria soon and I'll give ya a tour of the new digs.

I couldn't help but wonder why you were climbing Buckner with my wife? And how come I wasn't there with her? Well, maybe this weekend.... A job well-done nonetheless. Certainly liked seeing everybody representing the northwest's best (and only, sadly) b-ball franchise, as well as the first iteration of "making an axe of myself" in quite some time. Laughed at JTK's Beckey-era walking stick too...!

Skied that same line this April (?) with a buddy, except we descended the east side of Mastiff down to Lost Lake, then skinned back up to Nason Ridge and blasted a few miles east till we could drop a line straight down to his porch for beers. Guessing it was more enjoyable on skis than all that bushwhacking you musta faced on the descent? Nice work.

Hard to believe there could be more downed trees but thanks for the suggestion. Not sure what Nelson recommends for approaching the S Face Mole but just guessed that continuing up the old 8 Mile road, ascending into and then traversing upper Rat Creek might preferred? Hook Creek is fine though really, just a lot of elevation gain from the Icicle. There's also some cool-looking potential for steep (new?) lines on the E Face Blockhouse...

As requested, here's a few more random pics of the Edwards Plateau.

Trip: The Duolith - East Face Date: 6/22/2008 Trip Report: Wanted to climb something fun today, though roped options were certainly limited (have a fractured wrist). With that in mind, poured through Brown Beckey and briefly contemplated the long, north ridge of Cannon on a suggestion from a friend, but settled on something different. The Duolith (and broader Rat Creek Group) has always held some curious level of intrigue, perhaps if only because of having craned my neck to look up at it from the Icicle many times. Hook Creek seemed the most direct route, if not the easiest. So, getting the ripe early start of 11:30 (mmmmm, bacon), I parked outside the gate and walked over the bridge to gander up the first few thousand feet. It was indeed a wee bit steep, though honestly better than expected and quite open for the first 1000 feet or so (no, you wouldn't know it from this pic). It got gradually brushier and eventually became the deadfall morass I expected. Crossing to the east side of Hook Creek (it's beneath the talus and you merely hear it at times), continuing up slabs, talus and the occasional easy balancey log ascent, I'm deposited on snow at about 4500 feet. Skirt beneath the impressive east face of the Blockhouse and head for the col. Sticky rubber approach shoes meant forgoing the faster snow for dry talus, then scree, then just kitty litter until I had no choice but to pull out the axe. Much to my surprise, some other dumb ass was compelled to come all the way up here recently too! So I followed fairly new crampon steps up to the col just east of the Duolith. The Edwards Plateau is beautiful and feels remote. It is also someplace I'll not likely visit again soon after I'm healed-up (though I am a bit intrigued by the Professor and the Meteor, seen here, with Lighthouse Tower down and to the right), so I took the chance to walk around and take some photos of the cool vernal ponds ("lakelets"), Little Annapurna (you can even see the Flagpole!) and the seldom-seen view of Temple-Prusik Ridge from the north (compare this photo to the drawing in Fred's book--cool). After being impressed with the south face of the Mole enough to change my mind and resolve to come back for it (via Rat Creek though), figured I'd scramble up the short Duolith (seen here on the right with the Mole on left). Easy, exposed soloing on lichen-y rock, past some tat, a truly relict rope (from 1948??), and an old pin. The north summit was a pretty cool a cheval with good cell service (right, gb?). Descent was almost as tedious as the ascent (3 hrs) but more demoralizing, honestly. I wound up in some hateful brush (willow, ceanothus, prickly rose, etc) like this and kept falling on my injured hand and gashing my legs with branch staabs. Sweet. Did get a cool vantage of the Hook though: All-in-all, a pretty fun day into a seldom-visited part of the range. Gear Notes: Solo. Approach Notes: If you go Hook Creek, begin from a small, circular driveway (second dirt road on right after crossing white bridge). Go up. First right of the creek (west), then left, then straight up. Then actually reverse this on the descent and don't be dumb and deviate like me.

I was shooting video on that trip--we were getting blasted so hard I couldn't even dream of pulling the camera out! My partner was gripped enough already and didn't need any additional 'video slack'.... so I understand your predicament. All the other parties that day bailed and we were the only ones foolish enough to push on despite.... Conditions did get better thru the day but we got absolutely violated by the wind when we hit the ridge. No chance/reason to summit in those conditions. So twice now I've gotten turned back from the summit on that thing (put a foot thru a cornice on the German Route b/w first and second summit--saw all too much of the north face at that moment--and called it good). Double cornices the whole way across is nicht zehr guud.

Okay, I'm pretty sure everybody's seen this topic before but...my quick searching only turned up old posts. And since I'm now the proud owner of a new yellow ticket ("Failure to Pay Use Fee"), wondered if anyone has dared NOT paid theirs? Or even contested it? Not totally against use fees, though I think its double taxation bullshit, of course.... I was just lazy that day and didn't get the day pass.

Naw, I cleaned the pin I think? Had to hang tough on one tool whacking at it for a while as the pummeling continued. Sure woulda been a nice freebie though! Joe Puryear mentioned the accident to me recently. Can't remember the details cause I was drunk. Maybe it wasn't even this year now that I think about it?