KaskadskyjKozak

Trip: Ruth Mountain and Icy Peak - Standard Traverse Date: 9/14/2013 Trip Report: The days are shorter and the immaculate weather of summer is deteriorating right quick. Alpine options narrow. What to do? What have I not done yet? Partners? Ruth-Icy. Fuck yeah, motherfucker. T-storms and 70% precip are forecast Sunday, but Ruth is doable on the first day, and that campsite with Shuksan's huge full-frontal nudity is hardly a consolation prize. We go for it. We march march march up the low angle trail to Hannegan Pass, treading on mounds of horse shit - sometimes fresh and almost runny. It's fucking hot out. Ruth looks good. Yeah a bit worn and used up, but still quite "doable". A mighty gash is visible, but so is a snow bridge, even from afar. From Hannegan we pass the half-dry pond, and ascend the mud gully from hell. Some of us fall, ignominiously, on our keysters. Eventually we emerge from this poop chute onto open, rocky, bone-dry slopes. It's hotter. I sweat like a whore in church, wringing a few ounces of sweat from my bandana repeatedly. We round the ridge, Baker appears like a ephemeral ghost. Ruth, Shuksan, Nooksack tower, the Price Glacier... it's like a row of Playboy Centerfolds. We ascend a dry ridge to snow, rope up and head up and climber's right in a great arcing traverse, avoiding a few cracks that are visible. Eventually we hit the Bergschrund, make a hard left and cross a mammoth snow bridge. The snow is firm, as befits the surrounding mountain porn, right up to the top, despite the heat. We are alone on the summit of Ruth. We savor the moment and drop to camp along the ridge. There's still a snowfield, a trickle of water, and glorious, glorious mountain porn. And the sunset provides an explosive, orgasmic, kaleidoscopic finish to it all. We are truly blessed. The winds are bad all night. Both outside the tent and inside. Backcountry Pantry my ass... more like Backdoor Flatulantry. But I digress... I imagine we will be in a white-out for sure come dawn, as forecast. So let it be written so let it be... But wait, no. At 5 am, it's completely clear and starry. FUCK YEAH MOTHERFUCKER!! We arise. My share of a coveted bottle of Stumptown cold brew hits the spot and starts both my motor working, and my bowls to set in motion. We avoid the shitty-gully-from-hell by staying just left of it, find the climber's trail and do the long, dry rocky traverse to the base of the glacier on Icy. En route, thanks to Stumptown, I release the Brown Hostage. We enjoy similar conditions to our previous day - fine firm snow, a few easy to avoid cracks, and easy routefinding to climber's right to end run a gaper, and find a huge snow bridge up across the schrund. We round the rocky ridge and scramble to the base of the final gully. My favorite partner MM solos up it. I drag a rope (glacier) for others and place two pieces on route to the rap sling. We are treated to perfect weather and views. No storm in sight. This. Is. Fuck-ing. Awesome. We reverse our path down, becoming progressively more tired and insistently eager for the beer in the car. We fail to beat the clock by only a few minutes with about an hour of rain, Donner und Blitzen. We headlamp a few minutes too. It's all good. Except for maybe the shweaty balls and swamp ass. Fuck yeah, motherfucker. Gear Notes: Ice Axe, Crampons. C4 #1, #4 BD stopper.

guide

Nicely done! And cool pics!

No goats at all - just some traces of their poo. Tons of people hiking the trail to the lakes though

Trip: Tomyhoi Peak - SE Ridge (Standard) Date: 9/8/2013 Trip Report: Tomyhoi is mostly a walkup with one short, exposed class 3 section. The setting and views are pretty awesome and worthy of making the trip. I did it C2C with 3 friends yesterday. We hit the Beer Shrine afterwards to make for a perfect September day. Yellow Aster Lakes: SB and MM ascending the short snow traverse to attain an notch in the ridge: SB on the most exposed section of the ridge: N Cascade glory from near the summit ridge of Tomyhoi: KK and MM on the summit: MM and PG downclimbing class 3 to a notch: Canadian Border Peak and American Border Peak above the Tomyhoi Glacier: Gear Notes: Ice axe. Crampons were nice for the short snow traverse. Approach Notes: Gorgeous

suckage!

Well-stated! This is what bothers me - for the reasons curt states. People who solo generally come to this path intentionally, as experienced climbers. Newbs don't need to be inspired to solo routes like W Ridge of Stuart - they need to become experienced enough first to make this personal choice.

Wacky. You might like it. [video:youtube]icEHA2DGFCk

You betcha! "You betcha"? She didn't even finish her term yet alone need a limit...

My partner and I simul'd on all but the crux pitch using a 60 m skinny folded in half.

Although I will not be making a return trip to Jack Mountain, I definitely will be returning to the Pasayten.

We experienced nothing like what you described below. We had a 40' rap to mellow terrain. "We got the rope ready and put it though the rappel ring, my biggest worry came true. It didn't reach. Looking down I dreaded the idea of having to get off the rope and down climb the last section. I knew that if there was anyone to go down first, it would have to be me. Looking around I said aloud "there's gotta be another way". We both knew there wasn't. This was the only way down. The rappel position was the worst I've ever seen. The people who put up the webbing couldn't have done much to fix this. With the slightest tug the webbing moved which worried me. We secured it on as best as we could. I said a prayer and got on with the rappel. To start out I had to go over to the right where there was a minor ledge. With one hand I held on to the brake and the other I held the rock. I had to traverse more towards the webbing to get it in motion. But as I got closer it became increasingly more over hang like. My arms were exhausted from the climbing and were starting to give way. I could not figure out a safe position to get to."

Yes I read your TR - you must have been off route. The class 4 step was blocky and only 40 feet long. The rappel off of it was onto a mellow ramp which we downclimbed (class 3)

Thanks Nelson. There was indeed some loose rock. I'm training for J-Berg next year. Wanna come with? :-)

Undoubtedly Nelson slaughtered the goat with a multi-tool, drank the blood directly from it's carotid artery, then consumed the liver raw, before butchering the beast and grilling it in the traditional Argentinian manner...

Well done (on all counts)!! Molodtsy!

When I climbed the route a few years ago we did it in 2 days and the 2nd day was a death march at the end. I recall the time breakdown being something like 12 hours camp to summit to camp, then 5 hours from camp to cars.

Nice one Nelson! You should have brought a tin of SPAM, however ;-)

Trip: Jack Mountain - South Face Date: 9/1/2013 Trip Report: Several friends accompanied me to the Pasayten this weekend to climb Jack Mountain. We approached via the Crater Mountain trail to Jerry Lakes on Saturday, climbed Jack on Sunday and returned to camp a second night at Jerry Lakes before heading out Monday. Our approach and deproach avoided the glacier completely. Because we were a large party, we were a bit worried about managing the loose rock (yet alone climbing near other parties). As it turned out a party of 4 was also up there this weekend, but everything worked out with both parties summitting within an hour of oneother. The rock fall was not any worse than an other similar cascade route and we only had one scary moment where one of our climbers grabbed and let loose a porta-hold on the class 4 section. Fortunately, she did not lose her balance (or nerve). The rap anchor we found and used on the way down was a bit sketch - nobody got warm fuzzies fro it. Some pics with captions follow below. The team's first view of the objective from the end of the Crater Mountain trail: Ascending scree and talus below trail's end: View back shortly after leaving camp on summit day: Sun appears on summit day: Class 4 step: Class 3 scrambling on the S Face: Ascending the summit block: Summit p0rn. Ross Lake, Redoubt, Mox Peaks, etc visible in the background: KK on the summit. Nohokomeen glacier in the background: View down the Crater Creek drainage below Jack's S Face: Descending from the summit: Rappeling the 4th class section: Traversing back below the S Face: Morning clouds provide for more enjoyment on the way out: Passing the proglacial lake below Jerry Glacier on the way out: View back to Jack mountain from trail's end. The proglacial lake below the Jerry Glacier is clearly visible: Views South on the descent: Panorama of N Cascades glory from the Crater Mountain trail: A great trip to a remote mountain - worth doing exactly once! Gear Notes: Helmet, 30m rope for one rappel, ice axe and crampons.

I guess there are no more tweakers breaking into cars at THs, so the rangers need something to do...

fucking bullshit above ground electrical wires are to blame

Hey clownpuncher this is climber's site fucktrad jizslurper! Yur mom?

Can we bitch about the weather now?

I enjoyed the Thunder Creek approach to Primus earlier this year. Such a great way to sneak into the back door of that area. Yes, it's steep as all fuck, but not really a bad climber's trail in the end.

ggk found something to get his panties in a bunch over. weird.