iluka

Did you end up getting up Ruth this past weekend? Any beta on the road access to the Hannegan Pass trailhead?

Anyone have an updated report on the road conditions following this weekend's snow dump. I'm curious about Twin Lakes Road, the road to Heliotrope TH or Hannegan Pass Road. Thanks!

One day of climbing several months in advance will have zero effect on acclimatization for a climb in June but would have the benefit of giving you the sense of what it feels like to do physical work -- particularly with a heavy pack on -- at altitude. That is a whole different ballgame for those not used to it. The opportunity to practice some navigation skills with the experienced folks offering their help in this forum would also be invaluable in getting prepared.

When I've tried to get ready for some extended backpacking trips with heavy loads, I've filled up my pack (big heavy textbooks and several gallon water bottles) and headed over to Husky Stadium and walked up and down the aisles in the lower part of the stadium (if you walk around the concourse, you'll usually be able to find an aisle where the gate is open and you can get to the interior of the stadium). It makes for a pretty good workout. I agree with one of the other comments that the load will increase the chance of back, ankle, knee problems etc. but if you've got a trip coming up where you're going to carry this weight, you'll be happy to have done some training with that much weight rather than putting it on your hips and shoulders for the first time on your trip.

The Human Subjects Division at the UW prohibits us from extensive discussions about the project in this forum which is why the announcement is simply the text from a flier we have posted around campus. If you call the number provided and leave contact information, we would be glad to provide additional information.

This project is still going on and we are still looking for participants.

I've used a Canon Powershot A70 for years now and generally get good battery life out of Energizer Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeables, getting 100-150 shots per charge, although I'm not usually out in super cold conditions as you're expecting. If you're doing Denali and will have a base camp set up, one option to consider is bringing along a solar charger (they have them at REI and other places). I've used them in the past and with good sun, as you would likely get on the glacier in midday, you could get a good charge into them on a repeated basis. You could leave it out while you were shuttling loads or hanging out in basecamp. With all the weight you'll be carrying, an extra set of batteries or this charger is not much extra.

Because of all the snow, you likely can't get anywhere near the trailheads for the Coleman Glacier route on Baker or the SW ridge on Adams, so unless you like long road slogs Hood may be your best bet (drive right to Timberline Lodge). As for avalanche conditions, it will depend on how much falls this week. The NOAA site has the latest forecasts but even with those, you still have to do your own assessment when you're out there on the route.

Anyone notice an increase in traffic coming down from Stevens Pass lately now that they've put some traffic lights into Sultan. Spent one hour going the last 8 miles into Sultan today, spending much time at a dead stop.

Appreciate the clarification

We are conducting a study on the role of Acetazolamide in the prevention of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. Subjects will undergo three 1.5 to 2 hour testing sessions at the Seattle VA Medical Center and will be reimbursed for their time. If interested, contact 206-277-5097 The content of this message and the research project have been approved by the UW Human Subjects Review Committee

The Sierras are, in fact, a great early fall spot. One word of caution... if you're planning on doing things in the Yosemite high country, there is a point in October after which they don't allow overnight parking on Tioga Pass Road so you'll want to call and find out when that is. Also, if you go to the east side -- which has tons of great access points to a lot of good routes -- be aware that with the first big snow dump (which can come in October) they'll close Tioga Pass road and you can be left with a long drive back to the west side if that's where you're going at the end of the trip.

I would second the comments about the Wind River Range... beautiful place with loads of good granite. I was there a few Septembers ago and when I was planning I was told the first two weeks of September are best. It's post-Labor day so the crowds are way down, especially mid-week. The weather has also cooled a bit so the late afternoon thunderstorm phenomenon that happens a lot in summer is no more. Much later than mid-September, though, I'm told can be be pushing it a bit as the weather gets a bit more unstable and if there' precip, it's often snow as the bulk of the range is at pretty high elevations.

Tom Hornbein is definitely still getting out, although most of it will be near his new home of Estes Park, Colorado, where he's moving pretty soon. Word has it he recently got a new AT ski set-up as well. A shame he won't take up telemarking at his young age!

Anyone hear about these deaths on Aconcagua in the past week? There's mention of one of them in a post (several paragraphs down) at the following link: http://www.cho-oyu.net/ Seems odd that a 30 year-old would die of a "heart attack" even at that elevation. Either he's got a familial disorder predisposing him to early coronary artery disease or he had something else like a pulmonary embolism that caused a cardiac arrest. Either way... a big bummer.

The movie K2 which was out a few years ago was pretty lame but it was actually based on a play by the same name that had been out years earlier which was just great. Two man play. The entire story took place on a ledge on K2 after they were caught in an avalanche on their descent. The set was a rock face that went from the basement of the theater stage up to the rafters. There was actual climbing on the set as well as a 20 foot fall where one of the actors was caught by his pro. Great storyline and, unlike the movie, no hollywood ending. One guy climbed down, leaving his buddy to die from his severe injuries.

The temperature fluctuation data was interesting. Hard to see how you could have fluctuations that fast if it was just due to layering problems. One possible phyiologic explanation would be this: AMS and HACE are now seen as being the same diseas, just two different ends of a spectrum of severity. If the temperatures are reflective of poor acclimatization, perhaps there are CNS effects going on in the area of the thermoregulatory centers of the brain that lead to such fluctuations. Right now, it's impossible to know. The information presented in the NOVA show is basically just anecdotal. Three data points. Without more studies in larger numbers of people, you can't draw any conclusions I was a bit peeved they threw in the Gingko Biloba test on Pikes Peak. Most of the recent data shows it is no better than placebo in preventing altitude illness. The presentation on NOVA was misleading. Stick to Diamox or Dex for prophylaxis. The K2 piece had some interesting historical stuff and great footage but, otherwise seemed like a pointless piece.

It just goes to show that Summit Fever can be a deadly disease. Perhaps they need to go to the talk advertised in another post on this site: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/534499/an/0/page/1#534499 As someone already mentioned... Kilimanjaro is notorious for this. Many of the guiding outfits, particularly the local ones, are not knowledgeable about these issues. They put forth such great advice as "Don't take Diamox... the people who take that medicine are the ones who don't do well on summit day." Ascent rates are way too fast in many cases. Add in some clients/climbers with little experience with altitude issues and you have a bad mix. A few client die per year and, worse, several porters die each year. I worked in Nepal for a stretch in Pheriche and interacted with lots and lots of trekkers on their way to Everest Base Camp -- a goal that holds a place in their minds that is pretty similar to the way a lot of folks approach Kilimanjaro . There were the scattered few who didn't have a clue about the altitude and its potentially harmful effects. The norm, however, was that most people knew it could be a problem but didn't know enough details to be able to recognize altitude illness or respond properly when it occurred.

The Monte Rosa area (accessed from either Zermatt in Switzerland or Alagna in Italy) has a lot of good peaks concentrated in one area that are all largely snow/glacier routes and don't require a lot of rock pro. Besides the easy walk-up to the Capanna Margherita (the highest hut in Europe) you can do the highest peak in Switzerland (Dufourspitze) as well as some other nice objectives such as Lyskam (an amazing ridge run on this one) and Nordend. The two drawbacks of the area are the crowds (a lot of people head up to the hut each summer) and the fact that Zermatt is a really expensive place to hangout if you're using that as a base. This link will get you to a page from which you can read about and see photos of the Monte Rosa and all its subpeaks: http://www.summitpost.org/show/mountain_link.pl/mountain_id/171

I agree with the other replies... there's a very high likelihood/almost certainty you'll have to check it at the airport. If that is the case, why not spend a few extra $ on a duffel (you're already paying for a big trip... this should be a drop in the bucket compared to that) and be prepared when you arrive at the airport. Otherwise, you arrive with your backpack, they tell you you have to check it and then you end up with an insufficient solution (i.e. a plastic bag or nothing at all). Neither is a good option when travelling in the developing world where it's easy to have your bags cut into by thieves . A plain duffel (U.S. army surplus works great) and a few TSA-certified locks will at least provide some measure of protection and save you the hassle at the airport and the worrying you'll do with an unprotected backpack..

Conditions have definitely changes up at the pass after the past two days of weather. We were up there today and found small amounts of snow down to the Denny Lake trailhead, a lot of which had melted out by the end of the day. Up higher around 3500 feet ran into 6-9 inches of new, feathery soft powder on top of a crust/ice layer left over from the previous storms a few weeks back.

We were in the area of Ingalls yesterday... West side had 1-2 inches of snow above 6500 feet. East side of the notch between North and South Ingalls had more snow (5-6 inches) above the same elevation and a bunch of rime ice make the gullies up to South Ingalls pretty impassable as a scramble

"Trekking Peaks of Nepal" is definitely a good resource to start your planning. You may need to do some poking into the political situation as you plan your trip as it would best be described as "not ideal" right now. The Maoists have created quite a few problems over the past few years and the problem only seems to be getting worse. Last I heard they were a factor in most areas of the country but had still not made it into the Solo Khumbu where the military maintains a heavy presence in the villages of Lukla and Namche that has kept them out. Climbing outside the Khumbu might be difficult to arrange as a result. Fortunately, there are some nice climbing objectives in the Khumbu as well. Island Peak is a very popular and, at times, overrun peak. Not sure if it would be as technical as you would like. Lobuje East is a nice objective. Two other peaks that are just beautiful and might make for some great climbing if you're skills are up to it would be Cholatse and Taboche but I think they are high enough that they might be out of the "Trekking Peaks" category and, as a result, be subject to higher climbing fees. Good luck... it's an awesome place.

The speaker is Andy Luks, a pulmonary and critical care fellow at the UW who, in addition to his medical work, does research on high altitude topics and has also spent 3 months working in Nepal for the Himalayan Rescue Association at their clinic in Pheriche as well as some time working at a few other high altitude research stations.

If you're planning a trip to Nepal, Peru, Kilimanjaro or any other high altitude location and not sure how you'll do with the altitude, there's an upcoming lecture on the topic. Tuesday, October 4 at 7PM at Wide World Books and Maps in Wallingford. The talk is dedicated to teaching people how to recognize, prevent and treat high altitude illness when they travel to the mountains. Admission is free.