Mountainstyle

It looks like August up there already. Things are pretty melted out, plenty of crevasses to navigate around (anticipate taking longer to summit). Everyone left Schurman between 10-10:30 PM for the summit bid. Snowbridges are pretty unstable. We were up on the Emmons July 19-20. A climber on a rope team ahead of us punched through a crevasse in the corridor, was injured (broken leg), spent the night, and required a helo rescuse the next morning. Exercise plenty of caution this time of the year. The attached picture is of Interglacier, which is normally under much more snow. The red line is the route most folks (including RMI teams) were taking up/down, the blue line is the one we took. I was told that a week prior to this picture, you could glissade down most of interglacier. Things are melting quickly! Good luck.

Lee, Beautiful description. I was so happy to hear from Judah and find out he had finally conquered Yocum. We have eyed it for years. Judah is a college friend, we have climbed together on a number of occasions and enjoyed some great adventures. He called me the day after the climb to relay the news (because he knew I'd understand). Breath-taking writing too. Congrats to you both! -Sarah

Oops.... knuckle head alert. I saw this post on craigslist. Hope it wasn't your ice axe this guy walked off with: http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/spo/841952508.html I stole somebody's Ice Axe on camp Muir this sat (camp Muir, Mt. Ranier) Reply to: sale-841952508@craigslist.org [?] Date: 2008-09-15, 1:35PM PD Ok i did not steal it, but in a mixup with all the ice axes, my rented axe from feathered friends walked off with somebody else, while exactly same one walked off with me. Now I need to find an owner so perhaps he can return my rented one, and I will gladly give him his. Max 253-973-3411

Looks awesome Kevin. Climbing Adams this weekend if you want to go. Not as ambitious as Stuart, but you are welcome to come. Leaving Friday after work. Call me if you are interested.

I started my M.S. so now I have school too, sucks. I am hoping I can swing something next weekend. It depends on how much reading I get done. Thanks for the cold warning.

Any updates on Fires? Planning on heading up this weekend. Kevino, you around? I think you are in town all weekend. We are leaving Tacoma tonight after work.

Well said.

Check the thread/TR about the black spider route on hood. There was a post there that said the berg on Sunshine was fully open and not passable, they got to 10,000 feet and turned around. I just spent 4 days on the N. side of Hood. Came off last Friday the 25th. The roads to Cloud Cap and Tilly Jane are both open (thanks for the clearing Jerk). Its looking sparse out there. Lots of open crevasses, lots of rock fall. The elliot drainage is also not fun to cross down low. Good luck if you go. I wouldn't be overly optimistic about a summit on Sunshine this late in the season. The good news, I didn't see another soul except for my climbing partner for 4 days... a rare situation on Hood! Have fun though.

Aren't all of us aware of the risks associated with climbing? Don't we all take those risks to some extent? Isn't that part of the "unexplained" that unites us as climbers? Where would we be as a climbing community if we didn't take risks? Sure a helmet would have been my choice on that route. But who knows if a helmet would have made a difference in this situation? We can only speculate. Climbing is about a series of choices, risks, suffering, elations, failures, and great personal successes that some will never experience or know. What we can realize is that this man spent his life helping others and died tragically, but doing something he loved. May his family find peace (and can the media bug off?)

That's really terrible. I was out on the N side tues-Fri and didn't see another soul until we crossed the elliot drainage, and we saw people hiking on the moraine. It's definitely a dangerous time of year to be climbing, I am very sorry for his family and son. The only bit of hope in it all, he was out in the mountains doing something he loved. RIP

Has anyone heard anymore about the climber that was killed on Hood this weekend? 55 year old man from Eugene, sad. Link: http://www.katu.com/news/local/25982069.html Things were definitely moving around up there this week. I heard he was descending cooper spur.

We survived. Words to the wise, Cathedral Ridge (like Oregon High says) is best climbed when covered in snow. Lot's of choss. Definitely knew I was in the cascades. Everything is open on the N. side. Didn't see anyone for four days. Left from Cloud Cap on Tuesday. The first challenge was crossing the Elliot drainage. There was massive flood damage this winter. Someone had fixed ropes on either side of the crossing, but it was still hairy. I'll try and post some pics tomorrow. All and all it was a good four days in the mountains.

I want to hear about Yocum in the summer? Sounds crazy and fun. I've tried to get her two winters in a row, but encountered unfavorable weather. Going to be speding 4 days up on Hood this next week. Approaching from cloud cap, moving up cathedral ridge, camping at the base of the queens chair, scouting yocum and desceding cooper spur. Should be a good time. Anybody been up there recently? I live in Tacoma, but I've heard visability is pretty bad with all the smoke for the CA wildfires?

Thanks for sharing. Makes us all stop and think about our climbing practices and how easy it is to get over-confident in our abilities when we've been up a mountain several times, with a great and trust worthy partner. Glad you both made it back safely and both still love the mountains!

So you guys made it? Thanks for the invite, if you go again please call and I won't be such a puss this time.