pup_on_the_mountain

Awesome work!! Great to see you back in full form, Josh :tup:

Sad news... I remember meeting him in Portland a couple years back when he did a slide show. For someone who has scaled so much of the heights, he was totally down to earth. We'll all miss him.

[Geek] Check out this paper on mathematically ideal climbing ropes. [/Geek] As the authors state in the paper: "We do not expect this paper to have an immediate effect on the climbing community... " It would be interesting to see what actual climbers who practise the craft think about this topic (as opposed to the theory).

That's quite the dedication Sol! Double props for keeping the level high despite being a dad :tup: . Looking forward to more TRs from you. P.S.: For me, campusing means just walking my fat ass to campus .

Same as what recess said. We did the Jeff Park a bit more than 2 weeks ago as well (TR here). The ridge above Jeff Park was snow free. There was some snow/ice at the base of the summit pyramid for us, but was otherwise snow/ice free above. But if you're coming up the South ridge, you should not encounter this snow. Have fun, and post a TR please .

Thank you gents! Yes, Wayne, we did take the knife-edge ridge after the glacier. We tried to stay mostly on the ridge proper, but did go to the South side (climber's right) at a couple places. The whole ridge was free of snow/ice, and the rock was reasonably solid (by the standards of Jefferson ).

I started with a pair of La sportiva Glacier boots that were the same size as my street-shoe size (didn't know any better ). While they climbed fine on the way up, I used to regularly get my toes banged up on the way down. I was any way looking to upgrade to a "more advanced" boot, and someone here on CC was selling a pair of LS Nepal Evos a half size up (42_2/3 instead of 42, to be exact). I was able to try them out before buying, and found the fit to be perfect! I've switched to the Nepal Evos, and I no longer get my toes banged as I used to with the Glaciers. Indeed, I've not worn my Glaciers since I made the switch (yes, I wear the Evos even on pee wee climbs; don't want to buy another pair of lighter boots). Even though the Evos are a size up, they fit great on my heels (and also, in general). So, if you really like the LS boots, you might want to try the next bigger size. I must add, though, that I have Koflachs in the same street-shoe size (as the Glaciers), and they are much roomier. I won't be surprised if the fit varies even within LS boots - needless to say, try them out for sure before buying. Good luck!

Trip: Mt Jefferson - No walk in the (Jeff) Park Date: 8/19/2016 Trip Report: Chris and I climbed the Jefferson Park Glacier route on Friday. The conditions were quite good--as good as they could get at this time of the year. But it was certainly no walk in the park for me . I've not done a lot of climbing in the alpine in the past few years, except for jaunts up the South Side of Mt Hood (but calling it an alpine climb is a big stretch ). And being a father now makes me evaluate risks quite differently than before . I couldn't find a better partner to climb Jeff Park than Chris. He is a strong yet safe climber who knows the mountain quite well -- has been there more than a dozen times, attempting several different routes. But the fact that he had made it to the top only once before indicates how tough Mt Jefferson could be to climb (even after accounting for Chris' conservative attitude when judging good climbing conditions). As we approached on Thursday afternoon, we observed a rather heinous schrund on the Jeff Park Glacier--it looked to span the whole way, and looked ridiculously overhung all along (at least when looking from far). We accepted that we might well be taking the gear for a walk in the Park, but decided to go any ways. We started up at 1 AM on Friday. Despite the clear skies, a full moon, and warm temperature, it was surprisingly quite windy on our approach. We made it to the schrund as the sky was starting to brighten up. It was indeed quite overhung all over (at least for us), but there was one place where we could sneak up. It was a somewhat awkward lip to pull over, with a bulge in the middle pushing you out wide. While the ice felt firm, it was not good enough to take screws. And peeling here would result in a 25-30 ft fall. Even though it all felt secure, the lack of protection made me quite nervous. (Booty alert: I dropped a 13cm screw here). The lip is visible above my head in this photo: We were able to sneak through, and thought we've "solved" the route! But there was plenty of excitement left to be had still. Day break over the North ridge: The ridge above the glacier was free of snow/ice. We made good time to get to the summit block as the day started warming up. Chris starting toward the summit pinnacle: We had to don the 'pons and tools again to traverse a bit of ice at the base of the summit pinnacle, and then switch to rock mode for the rest of the way to the top. Above the ice on the summit pinnacle: Birthday boy on top! After a quick selfie at the top, we started our descent. Again, we had to don crampons and tools for traversing the small bit of ice at the base of the pinnacle. We decided we'll rap down to the Whitewater glacier. This rap was the most unnerving part of the whole climb ! We found the first anchor getting somewhat baked in the sun, but still quite good. We added a sling to back it up, and went down (We had a 60 m single rope). There was one rock slung for the second rap station, but we didn't like the looks of it. The sling looked new enough, but the rock itself was a typical example of what Oregon High has to say about this mountain [paraphrasing here]: "The blocks themselves are quite big, but it's often not sure what is holding them in place!". There appeared to be no other good options. No good cracks either, to leave a nut even. Finally, we found a very slightly upward sloping rock with a lip of may be 3 or 4 inches. The rock itself was solid otherwise, so we decided to say some prayers and go for it. It was sketchy enough for me to not stay clipped in when Chris rapped first, in case the sling were to slip under his weight and pull me down ! But luckily it held. As Chris called "off rap", I was once again in a somewhat nervous soup just like I was earlier in the morning at the shrund. I went down slowly, eyeing the sling hawkishly, sternly imploring it to stay in place. We both breathed a huge sigh of relief as I finished my rappel just a few feet above the Whitewater glacier! We had both run out of our water reserves, but there were drips to be harvested! Drip water harvesting at the Whitewater glacier: The rest of the deproach was uneventful. Each time we turned back to look up at the mountain, we both were still not convinced we made it up and down! As we were hiking out on Friday late afternoon, hordes of folks were going in to camp at Jeff Park (must've been a busy weekend up there). As much as we both felt how nice they all smelled (not just the cute girls, but even the 40-something gentlemen!), I'm sure they all would've felt how "nice" we both smelled ! Here's how the glacier looked on the way out. Thanks a lot, Chris, for draggin' my fat ass up a real peak. May be we should do it more often, and then I won't brown my panties as much . Gear Notes: Lost a 13 cm screw in the schrund on Jeff Park. But hey, found a 16 cm screw higher up on the summit ridge, with an extra biner to boot. You lose some, you win some :-).

After 16 years (link).

Clickity-click here (for the NEClimbs TR, that is). Nice work. Good to see you gettin' after it out in the busy coast .

Awesome!! Thanks much for sharing. That's traveling, as opposed to tourism :tup: .

Ian McInstosh takes a loooooong ride Glad he's okay !!

Jordan Klepper's report about renaming Mt Mckinley - see here. May be we should rename Rainier as Tahoma as well ... P.S.: (M)Gods, move this post to Spray if you feel it fits better there .

Looks like a fun day out with the kiddos.. thanks!

That was mighty bold of you to share the details. Good luck with your recovery. There's a long life ahead, and many fun adventures to be had. Stay strong my friend!

Reminded me of the trip I did with you two (in NCascades) back in, oh, 2008? Seems so long ago now... Looks like you've found a great place to build your nest for now. Keep the awesome pics and TRs coming please!

Get well soon Josh!

Here is the Access Fund page on how the interested public could share their input to the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Parks and Outdoor Recreation created by Washington Gov. Inslee. Make sure our community is heard loud and clear .

Time for an update Sobo. What's cookin' in the desert pan these days? Or, do you want a fresh Couloir avatar to make you speak up again?

Here's a sweet little article about John that appeared in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. One might need a subscription to access the content, though, and hence I'm pasting the text below.

I knew him only for the past ~10 years. He did a lot of outdoor stuff (including climbing) before I met him. I've heard a lot of stories from other old timers who knew him better. John got a PhD in biochemistry from WSU (back in the 70s), but was well into climbing already. He used to live out of a van (or a trailer), and used to sell climbing gear from his van. He didn't use his PhD for anything, and got full time into selling gear at some point. He has climbed all over the world, including Himalayas, South America, and Alaska. He has also done a fair bit of kayaking, and several other outdoor sports. He owned Hyperspud Sports, which had two stores until a few years back - one in Yakima, and the main one in Moscow, ID, which is still open. It has been hard for him to keep the store afloat, make a decent living out of it, while still go on all sorts of trips. He was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about anything outdoors, and he was indeed an expert on all the gear he sold in his store. He helped develop some of the local climbing areas (including Lightning Dome in ID). He was the best beta source for current conditions in the local area. Even after he learned that the cancer was terminal, he traveled to India for a 3-week trip a few months back(didn't do any climbing, though). I'll try to post some more curious tales later. You'll be missed john!

Several folks here know John Crock, so I thought I'd post this info. Mods, please move the post to Central/Eastern WA forum if you think that's a more appropriate place (or, may be copy/link it there as well). John Crock lost the battle to cancer last Monday. Here's a note from Laureen.

Mighty impressive gents! I've very much like to drool on more pics. Slideshow in PDX some soon, Mr Frieh?

I took a lead fall a few years back (from an easy climb I've lead previously). I fell 25 ft to the ground, and hit my head on a nearby rock. Helmet saved my dumbass. I was damn lucky that I walked out of the ER just a few hours later with a mild separation in my shoulder, a heavily concussed head, and several bruises. While I got back on the horse afterward, I've become more hesitant. It also does not help that I don't get out as much as I used to, because work/life got busier, and now I'm a father. As someone already pointed out, it's a mental game in the end. And everyone deals with it in their own way. The first climb I did as a new father was the South side on Mt Hood. Even on that benign route, which also I've done several times before, I was sweating coming down the Old Chute . Since we're talking stats and probabilities, it's time to dust up some classics. Q: How can you reduce the chance of seeing a bomb in the plane you're flying in? A: Carry one yourselves. Because the chance of two bombs in the same plane is much smaller than the chance of just one of them! And, of course, the "There's still a chance!" scene from Dumb and Dumber: [video:youtube]KX5jNnDMfxA

Awesome trip, and TR!! Being a transplant from India, it's especially cool for me to read about PNWers killin' it out there. Tim, I really enjoyed your motorcycle diaries. In all my lifetime in India (2+ decades), I've only visited a handful of all the places you toured in just a few months! Sandeep, you're living my dream! Keep sendin' in India, and please post the TRs here on CC .