pup_on_the_mountain

Thanks for the link (and beta) Dan! I enjoyed reading your TR. We were puzzled how you guys dispatched the climb in 15-16 hours - its really looong. Not complaining though - the unplanned bivy is always nice (as long as its comfortable). I had looked at the route page on SummitPost (put up by Michael). He mentions the upper north ridge (after the snow) is only 2-3 pitches. At the same time, we did at least four pitches (not including some simuling) on a 70m rope! Looks like you just cruised the whole thing so fast that it felt shorter . The climbing was excellent, though.

Thanks for the awesome trip Kevin and David! Its been a while since I did anything in the mountains, and this trip sort of brought my slowass back into some shape . A grand alpine tour indeed . Kevin's TR summed up the trip well. I'll add a few more pics and some pointers. Kevin and David on the approach. The alternate gully to Sharkfin Col is visible above Kevin's head (on the left). Lower portion of the gully. Start veering left at about the top of snow in this picture (it wasn't obvious to us; plus, the way up from the snow was super loose). Bivy on Boston glacier. View of the route from camp. Access to the ridge is visible on the right end. There was a moat making the transition to the rock interesting. Kevin approaching the crux on the first pitch. North Face of Buckner. I guess the season is over (unless you have brass balls). We avoided unwanted worries for the near and dear ones thanks to Verizon! Good reception from the East Ridge notch, and also from our bivy spot (for the second night). We had the company of a rat (not the climber) at our second bivy. I left a plastic bag with trash (chocolate and Gu wrappers) outside for the rodent to chew, but saved the bag of trail mix inside my sleeping bag. The rat did chew into the trash bag, but no other damage was done.

Nice work Eigi!! Got any pics of the Coleman Headwall?

I guess I was the only lazy one... thanks for the pointer Porter!

Would it be possible to modify the search function so that it only returns the (link to the) original post in a thread when there are hits found in the original post AND subsequent posts? As of now, if I search for, say, "Buckner North Face" or "Buckner NF", I get all POSTS that have matches. In most cases, these are all the posts from a few threads, displayed as separate hits. So, there are actually only two or three TRs, and I might as well start reading them from the top. I do it by myself now - looking through the hits to identify the original post in each thread, but hey, aren't we all lazy?

We have a winner!

On Ruth glacier in Oct 2004:

:tup: What is the first piece of music (the Indian bhajan)?

Expedia is the last place I'll look if I'm flying to India (or nearby). In fact, such travel sites never land you a deal (even for domestic flights), unless you go for one of their air+hotel+car kind of options (which are expensive and non-climber friendly any ways). Just search for fares on the airline web pages directly. Whenever I buy air tickets, I check out the fares and options using QPX by ITA Software. This is the software used by most airlines (domestic and many international ones; Southwest is a notable exception, though) and also by travel agents. You cannot make a reservation through this site though. Once I see the fares and schedules I want, I just go to the particular airline's web page, and buy it myself. You being from Mpls, Northwest will be a preferred option I guess. Fares to India (via Amsterdam) are usually the cheapest in late January to March. nwa.com often has promo fares that do not show up on ITA software. Good luck! I wish I could take off on a long trip like the ones you're planning .

Dang it Dan... I was thinking you're all healed up and running already. Sorry to hear it has come back. Hang in there...

Yeah.. you cannot be smarter than Excel, can you?? The roundabout fix is to put a space before entering 1-84. So, enter " 1-84" (without the quotes) in the cell, and it'll leave it as it is. If you do not like the space in front, replace it with a single quote, which will not show up - so, type '1-84 .

I guessed as much (that you knew how to get there, seeing that you're from the area). May be you were looking for driving time estimates? Also, I don't get the Paradise in question when searching for only "Paradise" (it pulls up a bunch of cities/towns with that name all over US). The "Inn" seems to fix it. Funny find in any case. I'm always amazed at how many towns in the US have the same name as some of those in WA.

Try Longmire WA to Paradise WA!! Paddle across the pacific . You'll get the correct directions if you put Paradise Inn (no need to even specify WA in this case).

Last summer I climbed a variation of Silverhorn on Athabasca - the variation was because I cut left too soon, and didn't want to meander all the way to the top of Silverhorn on easier terrain. I had to climb up and over the schrund, which presented overhanging glacial ice at the easiset exit. It was may be only 15 ft, and the angle eased back after the lip, but it got me pumped silly, and I barely pulled through . I felt good to have done it, but in retrospect, I felt I was rather stupid. I don't think I'll ever have to balls to solo hard rock routes. Talking about soloing in the alpine, I was able to watch someone else in action three years back.

Damn!! I'm so sorry to hear the rest of the story - but I was honestly expecting something funny (and was not expecting any more injuries). One really suckass day... hope everyone heals up soon. Big respect to you Sobo - running around not caring about your bloody head. At least you got to meet the cutest CC.com calendar girl!

Nn5jlrxcpkI Just kidding... happy Father's Day !!!

Wow Dane!! I was wondering why you were not posting as much the last few weeks .. Glad to hear you're back up and running. Thanks for sharing the story as well. :tup: for Sobo! Now, come on out with the rest of the story please...

Depends on how drunk you're .

Can't agree more Ken!! I do make mine often. At the same time, I also like to try some brands from the store if they look interesting. Sounds like mine as well.. expect for fresh minced garlic!! I go with a potato masher - but still leave the avocados chunky. (tip from Alton Brown). I'll try your suggestion of big chunks next time. Big... but not huge . I must've been more specific. This is home-made sambhar powder that I'm talking about. I add a teaspoon on top of the other separate ingredients. Mine is quite similar as well, except I replace the coriander powder with sambhar powder. I also add a bit of minced ginger and garlic. Ken, you should try adding a bit of garlic next time!

So, what are some of the favorite HOT salsas of folks here? Is there a brand that is "really hot" for you? (BTW, the whole huge v/s ginormous debate is soooo last week ). I often buy Mrs Renfro's Habanero salsa - its decently hot. Most others that I get from local grocery stores are not "really hot". Has any one seen this salsa in local stores? Any other ass-kicking salsas you know about? I make my own guacamole - chunky and hot with Indian curry powder. And then I double dip .

The route is described in Nelson's guide book (Vol 2). I don't have it with me right now, but IIRC, its supposed to be a late season climb, when the ice/neve is exposed. You can pick a harder (and longer) line up through and over the schrund if desired. We did it in mid September in a low snow year (2005), and it was good ice/neve. I'd guess it will be more snowy (read less neve) this season in June. Baker NR is a good route. Kautz Glacier on Rainier is another one, but you have to go a long ways for two-three pitches of ice. Both these should be in good condition in June though. Lava headwall on Adams (if you can get to it ), could offer lots of neve at 45-50 degree angle (but comes with the danger of rockfall).

Ice and summer does not always go hand in hand I guess .. . Not my first route, but Eldorado NE Face is a fun one in late summer (though, this year, you may have to wait till Fall).

I have a Civic Si Coupe (2000 year model). With the extra horsepower (as compared to the base models of Civic), its not at all boring to drive. Its a bit noisy though (which is part of making it more "sporty"). The current version of Si looks even more sporty, sleek, and packs more power as well (plus a 6-speed transmission). I got my Si used with 38K miles back in 2004, and just passed 100K recently. No major problems to report (except the usual maintenance expenses). The mileage claim was 26/31 mpg in the book, but I routinely get more (yes, more) than 31 mpg when driving on the highway. In fact, over the long weekend, driving at 50-60 mph speeds, I got 36 mpg!

On the glissade slopes coming down from the hurricane ridge trail towards the road (on Sunday, May 25). PM me with details (to identify).

No worries.. may be I took your remark a bit out of context as well . Good job on Baker as well. Do come back here, and post cool TRs!