Couloir

I think she was asking him if he had enough water, not milk.

Ham on Rye, by Charles Bukowski Women, by Charles Bukowski

My fav is the Rexford one...very sweet money shot. Thanks for sharing!

Hell yes! I'm pretty sure even REI offers a free map and compass course. Or maybe it's $15 or something. A map and compass do not need batteries. Take the course.

Same happened to me twice on Rainier. On his third try to cross the crevasse we all agreed quietly that we would just pull the guy across whether he committed to it or not.

Climb: Adams-North Ridge Date of Climb: 8/5/2005 Trip Report: So, I took what everyone said about heading up the North Ridge this time of year and with a little positive feedback from gregfuller I decided to go for it. My overall impression? Great climb. Hard work on crumbly Cascade choss, but in general a great climb. Yeah, in places, it's a step up and two back with full packs, but it was interesting terrain with some amazing views. I was also with some really great folks, so it was worth it. After screwing around and wasting time in Portland for a couple of hours, we finally made it to the North side and left Killen Creek TH around 11am. It was already warm and the flies were at full strength. Nice straightforward trail from the rig to PCT, then to the end of the climbers trail. There were a handful of others on the trail, but once we got to the PCT junction and onto the climbers trail and beyond, we had the area to ourselves. We made great time and the mountain was looking incredible. At the end of the climber's trail there wasn't too much trail at all so we wandered up in the direction of the North Ridge. Soon we came to a small body of water and though the altimeter read slightly lower that 7505', I assumed that this was lake 7505 on the map. Well, it wasn't. We scrambled up another hill and there it was. Really a beautiful lake. We left there and worked our way up to the North Ridge. We came across trail here and there, and of course there were plenty of cairns, so routefinding wasn't an issue at all. We gained the base of the ridge and it became immediately clear why some people don't like this route in the summer. Looking up the route, it was very much loss volcanic Cascade choss. We very briefly tossed around the idea of setting up our bivy there (~8400'), but it was only 4:00pm and we thought at this pace, maybe we'll shoot for the summit and sleep there. So, we donned our helmets and began the process of winding our way around and up the ridge, skirting the various gendarmes and clawing our way up and around class 3 & 4 shtuff with full packs on. It was still a beautiful day and it was beginning to cool down, so the climbing really was quite enjoyable. It was however a bit slow going and after a couple of hours of not-so productive climbing we decided that the summit might be too lofty of an objective for that day. So, we decided to bivy at the next site we came across. Incidentally, as I was told by gregfuller, there are some really neat bivy sites that are literally perched on this ridge in various places. Any of which provide ample water (in the form of snow) and an incredible place to lay your head looking off in the distance to Rainier and St. Helens, not to mention the Adams Glacier off to your left (climber's right) and the Lava Glacier to your right (climber's left). We finally made it to our spot at ~10,400' and layed out our bivies and tent. It was an amazing night. We had some good grub, melted a lot of snow to fill our bottles and hit the sack around 10 for a 3am wake-up. We got a late start but ended up leaving our bivy at 4:30am. It was a beautiful morning and the remaining part of the route was really nice 3rd and 4th class fun before we got to the final summit snow pitch that looks over the upper Adams Glacier. Two hours from our bivy to the summit and we had the place to ourselves. We never saw anyone on the whole North side. We decided that going DOWN the North Ridge wouldn't be so much sketchy as it would be a huge hassle. With full packs on we just decided to head over the summit and down the South side. Into the hords of people and past the sewer that is the Lunch Counter. One of us volunteered to get a ride (part way) and then hitch hike back to where we were parked on the North side. Unfortunately, that was a 4 hour ordeal, but we made it out in great shape. Awesome trip! Thanks again gregfuller for the great beta! It was very useful. Gear Notes: Ice axe (didn't really use except as a walking stick up high); crampons (didn't need); hardhat (just to be on the safe side) Approach Notes: Trail is in great shape. The route up the North Ridge is mostly intuitive. And as Becky points out, when in doubt, stay on the west side of the exposed gendarmes.

For the most part, yes.

Anyone know anything about these? I like the Shuksans, but these seem to be a good price and I like that they're almost a pound lighter...enough for a couple extra bottles of the brew!

Not specific to Obsidian, but I remember a thread back where Iain mentioned that the mosquitos in that general area were "weapons grade" and you'll need some powerful armour to deal with them. I'm heading down to the area in two weeks. I'm not looking forward to it. Good luck.

Well, they aren't bad, but they do have the potential for having some pretty substantial rockfall coming down them. We saw stuff shooting down the two main snow fingers on climber's right (falling toward AG) frequently. I would suggest sticking to the flatter, lower section of AG and you should find what you're looking for.

The Adams Glacier is looking very tasty right now. I did NR last weekend and I would say there are plenty of places to have some good fun down there. There are some areas where the seracs could potentially be an issue, but there are also places where you could do the deal and avoid any risk from those. Have fun!

From: to: in only 6 posts! Great job cc.com'ers!

Thanks all...point taken. Barjor, I appreciate the offer. I'll be with a few other cats and they've all done the south side. The NR was just a thought and if everyone's descriptions weren't so bad, we were going to try it. Maybe we'll hit something fun in the North Cascades. Thanks again!

I'm heading up there this weekend. I realize it's a half-way decent route when it's covered in snow, but is it crazy to head up there now? I don't mind the scree and a little bit of less-than-productive climbing, but is there any redeeming value going up this route now? Why? I've been up there many times...just never up this route, and I didn't make it up there earlier this year. I have the weekend free so I thought what the hell. Thoughts? Thanks!

GREAT TR TLG! That was a pleasure to read. Glad you had a great trip. It's an amazing mountain.

I'm all for this concept. But put them in the middle of the fucking desert!

Absolutely not. But I have climbed with people that are SO concerned about weight, yet I look down and see an extra 30 lbs. of shit hanging over their belt. WTF? I'm sure our friend here isn't in that kind of shape, but I was just pointing out that if you are really concerned about what you are hauling up the mountain, don't forget to think about yourself.

Not sure how much YOU weigh, but keep in mind that if you can loose 10 lbs of body weight somehow, that's 10 lbs you won't have to carry.

I would also suggest this. I have been going there since I was a kid and it really is a cool (literally) place.

I'm not sure where you live but, PRG may have some old ones to either sell or rent?

Wow! Awesome. Thank you!

Thanks. Here's an update for those that give a fuck. I took the whole thing apart and soaked and flushed it entirely with 1:2 bleach / water solution. Then finished with dish soap. I even boiled the mouth piece in the microwave. Everything turned out great. There is a permanent rusty "burn" where the mold/sludge was, but I can't taste anything funny. But I've used it twice and I'm good to go. Thanks again for the tips!

There are complete assholes with inflated egos in every walk of life. I work with several. I would argue that people (climbers), in general, are a lot more polite in person that they SAY they are here. And that some of these responses we're reading here are more a snapshot of how people tend to bloviate on the internet in this type of forum than they do coming off a mountain.

Flossed my teeth. Now it's a glossy 8x10 in my dentist's office. The receptionist always seems to be VERY impressed.