NoahT

Super easy... NO flotation required

Hey, I thought I'd be proactive and throw this out there NOW, rather than hunting for someone at the last minute with good weather bearing down. I've got a couple of solid partners with similar ambitions, but schedules can get screwy, so I'm always looking to add to the list. Here's my short list: NF Big Four NF Index/traverse NF Summit Chief EF Whitehorse NEF 3 Fingers NFC Davis NEB Johannesburg NF Graybeard If even two of these get done this winter, I'll consider that a success. And ya, a couple are significantly more ambitious than the others, but you know, you gotta have a few things "anchoring" your list (read: never getting done). Any of these on your list? Let me know! If you're climbing stuff like this, you've got people too, but what's one more. We might be able to make it go on that weekend when nothing else really would. As much fun as chatting online is, email me at noahtownsend@gmail.com...now or whenever. Cheers, Noah

Really, everyone's all partnered up...I'll drive AND buy the gas--Sunday looks butter...

I know someone else wants to get out for some alpine this weekend, too. Sat and/or Sun work fine, though Sun looks better. An early season regular would be nice, like colfax, though I could be persuaded to do something spicy if you're feeling ambitious. Email me at noahtownsend@gmail.com--I'm in seattle... Noah

Thanks Sol

Can you expand on what's in the Beckey guide? Anything at all...

Wanna swing a last minute trip up Freedom Rider? Had (apparently tentative) plans fall through. As long as you're good with the grade, email me at noahtownsend at gmail. Head up Sat evening, I'd imagine. Cheers, Noah

Badass! Looks chilly....

Ya the lights flash in particular ways, letting you know the message transmitted, got F'ed up along the way (so do it over), or is still trying to send. If I'm trying to send an OK message, I'll punch the buttons, put it in to top of my pack, next to the tent, etc., and just check it whenever it next occurs to me. Seems like it takes between 10-20 min, or at least that's when I check it and it's usually sent.

I've sent lots of OK messages, and 9 out of 10 get through. More than feeling some security because of the 911 option, I really wanted to be able to keep my loved-ones from calling out the cavalry just because I'm a bit tardy. You can use the "in-between" button for anything you want, like we worked out mine means I'll be 12 hrs later than expected (we got benighted somewhere, or whatever). If I'm kayaking with it, it might be the "we're ready to get picked up" message. I was the one that used it on dragontail recently, and the coordinate was precise according to the search team.

Was this only the second ascent? Not sure how many people would know the answer here, but what degree of nailing are we talking. Could it be avoided with the freakishly small cams of today? I've never had to pound a pin while clinging to 5.11, so I'm curious what kind of crux I'd be in for. Thanks, N

Like Trog said, the SPOT is what it is--a personal messenger, not emergency personal locater beacon. If you want bombproof emergency back-up for a catastrophe, invest in a "real" PLB. If you want a limited version of that, but also the ability to send the other two types of messages the SPOT is set-up for (and don't want a sat phone) the SPOT is a decent option. Depends on what your motive is...

What'd you guys do as far as timing? Is it a day to get and, day to get out? Thanks for getting on something less traveled, and making it look sweet... N

Ya bug, definitely curious--as am I. Interesting to note you pick up service at the top, too. Someone from the helicopter actually texted me on their first trip up--"this is rescue 13, unable to locate victim, any additional information." Whether it was forwarded from an airforce operator, or they were actually texting from the chopper, I was struck by how pervasive the text message has become in our lives.

No surprise beta there, I had to get all the way out icicle creek to the flats. It seemed like we were "close" to sending a text from where we were down low on the face. Didn't have the "searching for signal" message, but didn't have any bars either. Not sure if it ever got off and into the system, though. They kept the cell phone as they had the best chance being up high. Mine was in the car, so by that point you just gotta drive out. I'd imagine maybe the next generation of plb's will include a texting feature, if it's not already in use.

Badass indeed. And, interesting about reviewing the topo. Having a climber on board seemed to be the right answer. There's no other reason to really be familiar with all the different large rock faces in the area, and with light fading, all the more difficult to pinpoint them. Was I talking to you right after I pulled up, or over by the sheriff's truck? Either way, thanks for the chat. Please feel free to pass on our deep sense of appreciation for your, and the rest of the guys, efforts. Even though we dodged needing a rescue on foot, your ready and willing attitudes to take that on if it was needed, and everything else that I imagine you all contributed to the heli's operation, helped accomplish a serious rescue in what can only be described as...goddamn fast! I'm impressed and humbled by that devotion, and it gets me thinking about how I can best support SAR to those ends? Anyways, thanks and cheers, N

Hi all, On behalf of Clive (posted as Raoul Duke), thanks for the good thoughts. He will fully recover with rest, and was able to walk out of the hospital yesterday wearing a torso brace. As many of us have been unable to resist noting, it could have been worse. A compressed vertebrae stabilized mainly by his ribcage means no surgery. Woooord....! I wrote a rather long and detailed account last nite, but then my computer battery died (literally as I was about to post it). In hindsight, maybe you could call it lazy, it now seems like too much to rewrite. The above summary really is the gist. A couple of notables that just can't be missed though: --the help from Eric and Dave, two strangers who turned out not only to be WEMT's (holy crap!), but two very selfless and caring individuals --the unflappable helicopter crew (airforce or army) that pulled off a rather harrowing long-line in the dark with no room for error --And the Chelan SAR who mobilized so quickly, and was at the ready for what would have been a very involved manual effort, waiting around until late wednesday nite when they got the OK We had planned to climb Backbone, and carry over to climb prusik the next day. Encountering hard snow at the base of backbone, we followed the rocks around to the start of Serpentine, and started a rising traverse of ledges across the gully planning to stay right of the ridge up to the start of the climbing proper. It's in that broken 4th class stuff that he took a fall. A hold broke pulling a bulge, he was maybe 10 feet out from his pro, we figure he fell 30ish feet probably hitting at least one particular ledge. A head wound (under the helmet) and tenderness along his spine made for a high chance of a spinal, but he was fully conscious and otherwise in stable condition. I summoned Eric and Dave's help around 1pm, activated my SPOT around 1:30-2, and I headed out to make the 911 call around 2:30. Back at the car a little before 4pm, and down and out the icicle to make the call. All and all, the rescue happened incredibly quick. The sheriff had been receiving the SPOT's for two hours or so, but couldn't send their small chopper up to investigate due to high winds down low. All they knew was that something was up. The full blown rescue that ensued needed the information only a 911 call could provide. This is an interesting, and understandable, fact. They had the coordinates of a distress signal, and would certainly have responded to it. It would have followed a more measured timeline, though, committing resources only as it became apparent exactly what was needed. The 911 call tells them exactly what is needed, and with that he can get everyone involved, including the military, with the whole rescue goes off in under 5 hours. In my mind, the SPOT was an important piece, providing the helicopter pilot with coordinates, and had we not been able to hike out, would have brought help in due time. At the same time, don't under estimate the power of seeking your own remedy, in this case, getting out to call 911. Punching a button on a machine that's supposed to bring help, and then just waiting, won't ensure anything other than a bunch of sitting around watching a couple of LED's blink. We lucked out by having two guys right behind us, being reasonably close to the ground, and Clive being in a stable condition. An interesting point that we're not totally clear on is in what way was the helicopter pilot was using the coordinates given by the SPOT. He called me when I was in town, saying he was about to take off, and did I have any extra info? It was difficult as he didn't have colchuck lake or dragontail detailed on his map. He had a coordinate and he was relating it to Stuart and Cannon. It sounded like relatively the right area, but the most useful landmarks weren't identified. The sheriff had told me earlier that they were receiving the same coordinate over and over, and that that generally indicates that the coordinate is the right one. But, on the choppers first trip up there, they never made it into colchuck lake basin. Clive says they saw it fly up to Stuart, then work its way back down, poking around, and then fly back down mtnr creek. We know now, it went back to pick up a climbing ranger, who flew them right into dragontail. It seems like maybe they flew up to Stuart to get their bearings, and were triangulating in on them, but you wouldn't think you'd need to do that with a lat-long that is supposedly correct. So whether the SPOT coordinate was off, or that kind of terrain is just difficult to navigate, or something else, we don't know. We do know that it obviously takes the coordination/collaboration of experts from a couple of different fields to execute an operation like this one. The actual rescue sounded pretty harrowing. A Huey with rotors 5 feet from the wall, going on 9pm, probably running on night vision at that point. Something, we were assured, could only be pulled off by the military. These guys are obviously badass. Thankfully it worked, and the equally competent Chelan SAR didn't need to pull off it's own difficult, and somewhat more taxing, high-angle maneuver. All and all, there is lots to be grateful for, and lots to think about. If you follow these kinds of things, and your curiosity about something specific is nagging at you, feel free to ask. There's lots of details obviously, but not everyone wants to wade through them here. Thanks again for the kind words. Noah

Have you done it, and did you need it? Without it, what kind of runouts are we talking? Side note: I am willing to help you kick the off-width habit by letting you unload your #5 on me, for little or no cost. A sweet deal, by any measure. Thanks. N

Trip: Washington Pass - SEWS-DEB/Clean Break Date: 7/19/2008 Trip Report: Went on a blind date with Michiel (lowlander) to wash pass for some stuff that had been on the list for a while. The general outline was head up friday after work, climb the DEB on Sat, hike up and bivy below Juno tower, climb clean break and hike out. There's no need for a blow by blow description, but suffice it to say the weather was warm and the climbing varied. We agreed we didn't weren't quite captured by any "classic"-ness of the DEB. A 5.9 corner, some face climbing, short 5.10 fingers, more face...and you're done. A decent route on a great feature, I guess. We both found the climbing on the second bolt ladder easier than the first, and despite having to wait for a party ahead of us, made it from the car to summit in 5 hours. A good start to the weekend... Despite the hike up to our bivy below Juno taking a mere 2.5 hours, we were pretty wiped. I won't whine about the bugs, but we can say they tested our resolve. Don't be surprised to do some off-trail schwacking past the first major boulder field. We scored a perfectly flat rock big enough for the both of us right at the edge of the trees below the major gully north of Juno. No back-tracking needed on the descent. In contrast to the DEB, clean break held our interest with 7 pitches of great climbing. We linked a couple pitches together, just running the rope out to logical stances. The last bit of ridge went by quickly, making for a camp to camp time of 7 hours or so. Michiel humored me by getting up at 4ish, climbing by 5:30, back to camp by noon, earlier than expected. The first two pitches are definitely the best, but just about every pitched offered something interesting, if only a delicate 5.10 traverse or two. Only one camera for the both of us, so the representation is a little lopsided. A few of the good ones... Just turned the corner onto the upper face of SEWS The traverse just after the short, 5.10 crack between the bolt ladders The money P1 of Clean Break Finishing the last belayed pitch before simuling to the summit Are these F-ing mosquitoes STILL with us--yes...yes they are! The view from our bivy before heading down Gear Notes: We took doubles to BD #2, one 3 and 4--didn't need the 4, but could have used one more #3 on CB. Approach Notes: For Juno tower, after crossing the creek and reaching the open marshy area, start heading up-hill through light trees and boulders. Basically, you can't go too high because you'll eventually get a view of the tower, and correct accordingly. You can, though, stay to low, and get drawn into alder patches unnecessarily. It all seems obvious looking down on the basin from above.

Thanks guys, sounds like a totally sane plan. N

sweet corner, its on the list--thanks. n

Thanks guys--I was in my bosses attic reinstalling refinished windows, though actually leafing through a book of the north cascades. This black and white photo of that side of the mountain caught my eye. "Older" book, I don't remember the photographers name off-hand. I figured it would have been a feature worthy of some attention--if you're into that sort of thing... Cheers, N

Thanks peter, and I appreciate the alternate. N

Have any of you climbed the RNWF of Half Dome in August? I've talked to some who say its northerly aspect and elevation would probably make it bearable. They, of course, had not actually experienced it. Any first or second-hand accounts? Thanks! N

Well I was impressed by the picture, so thank YOU. It's likely just another one of those face/buttress/peaks I'll ogle from afar, though people have put in more, for less...