Kraken

While crossing the terminal moraine of the Kautz Glacier a few days ago (both on the way up and on the way down), I came across several pieces of shredded and maligned industrial grade metal on and in the glacier. I saw one on the way up about the size of a football and thought it may have been an old anchor of sorts, possibly an old dead man anchor. On the way down, I found several other pieces. I stopped and picked one up, it was roughly the same size as the last piece. I noticed it had divots and bolts in it and seemed like the wrong type of metal to be an anchor for climbing. I found several other pieces along the way, all of them bent, twisted, and seemingly torn apart. I then spotted a large piece of metal probably 200 feet away which resembled a frame of some sorts. It was probably about 5 feet high (from what I could see above a large rock) and had some sort of orange paint or something on it. I also saw several tiny pieces of the same metal ranging from the size of a finger to a fist. I know a few planes have crashed on Rainier, I just wasn't sure if one crashed on the Kautz. Has anyone else seen this type of stuff or does anyone know anything about this?

why does every thread have to divert from the topic at hand and turn into a mud slinging-insult fest?

Thanks Scott. Nice to get some helpful information. If there is considerable snowfall this upcoming winter, I will hopefully do the Rib. I've bought a few books on Denali and have been studying Washburn photos of the Rib so I think I know what I'm getting myself into.

I was on the Kautz Glacier route yesturday at about 10,200 feet when all this happened. A white helicopter was flying back and forth all around the south side of the mountain, and I thought maybe something had happened, then I learned that they were taking human waste off the mountain. Shortly after, the Army helicopter flew right over my head towards, then over Muir. It went out of sight and I knew something had gone wrong. It then lifted off and flew right over my head again. When I got off the mountain today, I was barraged with several messages on my cell phone from people who thought I may have been involved. Anyways, I hope those four guys are OK.

Eyes like a hawk my friend...eyes like a hawk.

I'm pro Lowe! I like all my Lowe Alpine stuff.

my friend has the Pentax 5mp, loves it. I just bought the Canon Digital Rebel XT, it arrives on Tuesday.

I was up in Talkeetna and went to Todd Burleson's house (Owner of Alpine Ascents, Himalayan climber, 8 time everest summitter) and he has a pack of Himalayan yaks which he had sent up here to Alaska from Nepal. He is raising them to pack around the Talkeetnas. He just flew down to Seattle and flew in a few Sherpas from Nepal to train the animals. It's pretty damn cool. He has about 8 or 9 of them.

shit i'd pull a gainer flip over those itsy bitsy thimble sized holes, yo!

I want to climb the brothers while I'm down there. I can see them from my house and have never climbed them yet, even though they are quite close.

Oleg, PM Mike and ask him personally. That thing looks fucking hairy from the close up shots I've seen, which haven't even been that close. It would be a serious, chossy, 1500 foot rock climb. I'm guessing it would be similar to the Willis Wall without the avalanche and icefall danger. Talk to Mike though, he's seen it up close, I haven't.

How about you call me soon, you know my number. If you don't, PM me and i'll re-give it to you.

Oleg, Wanna do the Ridge with me? I'm still open anytime between July 5 - 14. Think about it.

Now I get morning wood thinking about the Roadhouse Full Standard meal... MMMMM!!!!

WHY...I ask WHY...would you eat breakfast in Talkeetna ANYWHERE other than the Roadhouse? Seriously...have you lost your mind? I mean, come on...the full standard or the biscuits and gravy...PROVEN to be the best remedy for hangovers and extended stays in the Alaska range. You were probably poisoned as an omen for not eating at the Roadhouse that day. Tsk Tsk!

Yes, Latitude 62 is still open, my friends' band played there a few nights ago.

Update: I was just there in Talkeetna on Saterday and Sunday hanging out. I heard a little more about the closing of the Fairview. Here's what I was able to get: There was a woman who drank there, then drove and crashed, she is suing the Fairview for letting her leave. Apparently they were going to hold her but let her go, now she sued. Also, insurance for the Fairview is $500,000. The insurance company does not want to insure the current owner because he is doing a bad job working it. They want him to sell it, then insurance would most likely drop. It will certainly not be open any time this summer, and my guess is not until next year. There's always the West Rib, the VFW, and the TeePee though for Talkeetna bars. The Fairview though is my favorite and I hope it reopens sooner rather than later. I'll keep sniffing around for updates.

nah, it really isn't a big deal. I'm just wondering why people work so hard on a message board to put people down. I just don't get it. If this were a face to face conversation, this wouldn't happen. Is there some CC hierarchy? There shouldn't be. If you're an adult, act like one. It's funny, I see this happening at every message board I post or read on. There are always a few people who look for attention by gooning around and trying to be dicks to people. Why? If you work so hard to belittle me and a question I don't think is so outragious AlpinFox and Dru, tell me why. I had respect for you before AlpinFox and even considered you a valuable source for information, but now it's all out the window. I'm done posting in this thread so hijack it as you like. I think you know though that you are not benefiting anything and at best, being highly immature and degrading these boards as a whole. Think about that for the future.

look, you guys are totally taking this the wrong way. Dru, I don't want to embellish my climbing marks, I want to be honest about them. Say someone says "how many times have you climbed rainier?" If I have climbed it two times from paradise to summit, and then several months later I climbed to Muir, then stayed there for a week and climbed 3 different routes to the top over that period, what am I to say? Do I say that I climbed it 3 times and once I was on the mountain for a week doing different routes or do I say taht I climbed it 5 times? PS, when was the last time you guys got out and did a real climb?

AlpineFox, HEY ASSHOLE... I was asking the fucking question because I'm staying at Muir for a week. I am going to climb from Muir to the summit multiple times with different groups in order to get experience so that NEXT year I can be a volunteer ranger. Still...pricks like you have to take 15 minutes googling up pictures of chairs and cats with clown asses INSTEAD of reading the true question and giving a valid response. Simple question really... If i'm at Muir and I climb to the top X times, is it resonable to say that I climbed Rainier X times? OR, is there something else it would be qualified as. Save us both the time, (You especially with googling up something else) and just don't answer this one. Prick!

I'm also looking for more in depth info on the Lib Ridge. Monty, I called the ranger station yesturday and they told me the Carbon is pretty crevasse-ridden, but may still be negotiable for a little while. I spoke with Joe from the Summit Haus and he said he tried doing the Ridge a few weeks ago and it was an endless wallow of 30 inches of knee deep snow. Apparently it is still pretty snowy, but who knows. I'm going to call the White River Ranger Station on Thursday, when this one ranger is going to be there and I will talk to him about it. I'll let you know when I get more "beta" (I HATE that word)

I ask the question not because I'm going to stay on Rainier for a few days, and want to climb it as many times as possible, but want to make sure I phrase it right. I'm just curious generally curious as to what it would qualify as.

My buddy and I were talking about this yesturday. What does and does not qualify as a summit of a mountain? Say for instance, you climb Rainier. If you climb from Paradise to Camp Muir, summit and then descend...this is a summit. But, what if you climb to Muir, summit, return to Muir, then rope up with another team or what not, and climb to the top again. Does this count as a second summit? You did drop down 4000+ feet. Does it take climbing the entire mountain from the utmost base to make it a summit? I'm not arguing that you could climb to the top, descend 500 feet, go to the top again, and repeat, repeat, repeat, and say you summited X times. I'm asking if you descend a sigificant amount, can you count it as a summit? Guys like Mike Gauthier have summited Rainier 200+ times and I would bet they don't descend to Paradise inbetween each summit. I would have to say it is a gray area, maybe an opinion? I think if you descend enough, then go to the top again, you can say you summited multiple times. That's just my two cents.

I just might have to go to Schurman in a few weeks. Damn, thats one hell of a sunrise!

any updates on this Oleg? Anyone?