John_Scurlock

Holy Criminy! Really outstanding.. KellyM tipped me off on this. That pic you linked to was from December 17, 2003... seems so long ago now...

It looked like this late in the day on May 27, from a position above the Inspiration Glacier. I don't have anything more detailed than that and I didn't look at it from the south. Click the word "original" below the image to see the largest size image I've posted.

Not much of a joke person eh? I guess humor is overrated. Several of the peak/feature names in that group (Baker/Black Buttes -- Lincoln, Colfax, Sherman, Seward, Assassin Spire) reflect historical significance as much as some perception as an "honor". Additionally, the first ascenders of a route are, by convention, entitled to name that route as they see fit. I see nothing wrong with that name (it's certainly within the context of the area), and suggest that if someone doesn't care for it, they should first consider that they missed their chance to be the first ones up the route & thus aren't in much of a position to be critical.

just now saw your pm & replied. yes, use any images as you see fit.

What I didn't explain back then was that I was doing it all for Layton. Then he moved to Utah, likely because of the polygamy thing, and my spirit was broken. Once in a while, while soaring above the mists, I gaze over towards BS... but then the cold sweats begin, and I turn for home.

I'm feeling old all of a sudden...

ah yes... who could possibly forget the "each entree delivered to the table on one hour intervals" vibe.... but on the other hand, lots of extra time for beer....

for what it's worth, the ridge just east of east McMillan Spire this afternoon - http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/155881783 - ridges everywhere look like this or snowier, with cornices. I observed what looks like significant new snow at least in the Picket ranges - http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/155881674 and http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/155881675.

seems like it's gone the way of the remodel of the climber's register at timberline... good work put in by so many folks, then the project disappears...

Yes that is Jenny Abegg. Best to contact Steph, I'd suggest, either by email if you have it or through her website, which she monitors closely.

Franklin was a really good guy.... very sad to see this.... RIP ...

This was published yesterday and I found out about it today, an outstanding 18 min production about glaciers in the North Cascades:

also you might consider using a freelance illustrator if you can find somebody who has those skills... cost could be a factor of course... but could save a ton of time by taking the learning curve out of the picture..

I know Dave T has been using Adobe Illustrator for the pages in his book which is about to be published... it's geology related, not climbing.. but I don't have personal experience with using that program..

Thxs, Max, honestly it was pure luck I happened to be by there on the 28th, as it was a completely unplanned, spur of the moment and very short flight. It was good detective work by Jackie Caplan-Auerbach from the geology department at WWU to find the event in the recent seismic record. By the way, the duration of the seismic signal has been measured at 71 seconds. It would have been awesome to see it happen, provided you were located at a safe vantage point..

On October 21, 2013, at about 3 pm local time, a large avalanche occurred off the east face of Sherman Peak on Mount Baker, dumping a large amount of debris into the crater's 'east breach' and on down the Boulder Glacier. It doesn't seem to have been observed by anyone, though it was recorded on two nearby seismic stations. This is a repeat of a periodic event which occurs on intervals of two to five years. The unusual aspect of this particular slide is that it happened so late in the year. Previously it was thought to be a summer phenomena. In this case, the volume of material in the debris flow is thought to be larger than previously observed but the slide also didn't seem to travel as far down the mountain as it has in past years. The depth of material in the east breach is probably about a hundred feet or so, and there is some concern that this buildup might trap some amount of dangerous heavier-than-air gasses in the crater such as CO2 or H2S. This avalanche is a reminder that travel on the Boulder Glacier or in other areas beneath the east face of Sherman peak has a rather serious and unpredictable objective hazard. Here is the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network blog post from Dr Steve Malone: http://www.pnsn.org/blog/2013/10/29/large-mount-baker-debris-avalanche-this-fall And here is the start of eight images taken on October 28 and 29, http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/153126864 (click 'next' at upper R to see each image in sequence, and click 'original' below an image to see the largest posted size) Sherman peak's east face is a gigantic wind deposition slope, and this scar will fill in over the course of this and next winter, and eventually it will slide again. The cause seems to be simple 'angle of the slope' in combination with a crap-quality substrate, rather than anything related to a volcanic heat related process. That is not known for certain however. For a sense of scale, see this image of Dave Tucker near the 'Sulpher Cone' fumaroles during a volcanic gas-sampling research trip into the crater in 2010: http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/127437834

Beautiful photograph. By coincidence I was down there on September 18-20 (working out of Bridgeport) photographing glaciers for Portland State University; I worked from south of Whitney on up to the north of Molo mountain, and covered the Ritter range on the 19th. I finished up the project early in the day on the 20th and headed north around 10 am, knowing there was a storm/weather change forecast for the 21st which would likely cover the glaciers with snow and put an end to what I was trying to accomplish. I see from your image that things did get pretty well covered. Here are three photographs of Banner from the 19th: Mt Ritter and Banner Peak From The East Banner Peak From The Northeast Banner Peak From The Northwest

Now that it's been climbed, here's a bit of the backstory about how it came to be called the Zorro Face. It wasn't long after I began obsessively photographing the North Cascades in winter that I met John Roper through an introduction from Austin Post. I'd been down to Vashon to visit Austin and Roberta, our first meeting, and he'd said to me, There's a fellow in Seattle who'd like to see your photographs, and his name is John Roper. Well, I'd heard of him of course from my readings of the CAG, and so through Austin, I sent him a CD of photographs, leading to our acquaintance and friendship. On that visit to Vashon, I'd seen a large map of Mount Baker on the table in Austin's study, a USGS map of sorts, but all the named features on it were labeled with little pieces of paper taped to its surface. I'd asked Austin why the labels were simply taped there, and he laughed and said, Well, if you need to change something from one spot to another, you just pick off the label and move it over here... !!, and he proceeded to pick up a label and tape it to another part of the map... And I thought, that's all it takes?? He explained that, for example, the Chromatic Moraine on Baker's north side was formerly a feature of the Roosevelt Glacier, but when it receded, the name was moved over to the moraine on the north side of the valley. It's really that easy? I was amazed. I asked him how he got to name so many things, and he replied, I guess I just had more guts! And here I'd thought it depended on some mythical Board of Naming Stuff and an act of congress... boy was I wrong..! Anyway, that attitude leads us to Zorro and John Roper. My website was young and new, things were moving along rather slowly, and JR started suggesting things to photograph. I'd photographed N Hozomeen's W face in December of 2003, but I didn't have the technique or the camera at the time, and the images were blurry. But JR wanted good images of the great faces of the North Cascades, such as the EF of SE Mox, the NF of Bonanza, the NF of South Hozomeen, and of course the W face of N Hozomeen. That led to this photograph - http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/37117149 - taken in February of 2004, and when JR saw it, he mentioned right away that it looked like Zorro had cut it with sword swishes. So as more or less of a joke, I put the word "Zorro" on that photograph when I loaded it into the website, where it was noticed by climbers right away, particularly after JR sent the link out in an email to his friends. The name took hold and is of course known by that now, likely for good I'd say. I think it started on a light note in retrospect, but over the years I've concluded that it somehow captures the rather mysterious and evil nature of the face, but also embodies the daring and panache required to climb it, demonstrated clearly by recent events. And I still think of Austin and those taped labels and that afternoon visit on Vashon, believe me.

For more than ten years I've wondered when this day would come... and now it's here. Congratulations & well done..

This might be a good place to start: Steph's Bear NB report

resistance is futile my friend.. look for a news release from Bulger High Command.... Top 100 now Top 99 after defiled Lincoln summit vaults to top of superfund site list..

really liked your photographs.... I have a great fondness for hozo & truly enjoyed seeing it from the ground...

Dear Friends, The Mebee Pass fire lookout needs our help. It sits on a knoll above Mebee Pass, about eight miles up the East Creek trailhead off the North Cascades Highway (it is not inside a wilderness, by the way). After Steph Abegg and I photographed it this past winter, we decided to launch an effort to restore it. We formed a group, Friends of Mebee Pass Fire Lookout, in order to further our goal. The frail, tiny structure (10'x10'), built eighty years ago, needs a new roof, a new door, and help with one corner that is broken. It's the last of its type still standing, and with the assistance of the US Forest Service/Wenatchee-Okanogan NF and the Methow Valley Ranger District in Winthrop, our effort has begun. The restoration will follow federal guidelines for working on historic structures, but presently we will only be working to stabilize it and preserve it. It won't be a "Hidden Lake" type of project. I know some of you are already aware of what we are doing and have offered help, but I'm here throwing this out to the greater PNW climbing community as well. Our budget is $2,500, which will cover the cost of materials and the use of helicopter sling-load transport of those materials to the site. All the labor will be by volunteers, and amongst the volunteers so far are climbers, hikers, USFS personnel, and fire lookout aficionados. Our primary need at the moment is funding, so if any of you would be willing to make small donations it would be greatly appreciated. We've already raised more than $600 with very little publicity. I'm hoping eventually to have a plaque at the site or at the trailhead thanking sponsors and contributors. The best way to donate is to go to the website below and donate via Paypal. If you wish to donate another way or volunteer you could also contact me at: mebeepasslookout@gmail.com Here are a couple of links which provide more information. Special Thanks to Steph Abegg for hosting the Friends of Mebee Pass Lookout Here's the flyer I've prepared: Friends of Mebee Pass Lookout flyer Please note that we are in the process of affiliating with the Forest Fire Lookout Association, and donations will be tax deductible. All donations will be used at our local level, as well. Thanks in advance to everyone who can help out. Let me know if you want to be on the mailing list. As you may know, the bridge over Granite Creek is collapsed, and one of our goals eventually will be to replace it, in cooperation with the USFS. That won't happen this year, however, but it's certainly on the radar. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or suggestions. Use the email above, I don't often check my PMs here and the email will come directly to my phone. This is a great, worthy little project, small in physical size but large is local and historical significance. Every little bit helps, and thanks again for your support.

It didn't look too bad on April 1 when Steph photographed it: DT with TCs that's a while ago obviously, plus would have needed ground proofing of course.... that was obtained during this little adventure...

yeah that is good... I (well we both) vary it with All Canon, all the time and All digital, all the time..depends on who's asking the question I guess. Both Steph and I started out shooting only jpg.. but what it amounts to is being in a difficult & demanding environment that's expensive and risky to get to (the Bugs being a prime example), with many obstacles to good image quality. Most of the time there are no do overs. RAW is an important element for insuring the best possible quality, and so we both transitioned to RAW years ago..