thatcher

Mr. Alpine right there ladies and gentlemen. there is nothing wrong with Mt. Si. The view isn't too spectacular, but it's a nice little hike.

I have some Topo maps I need to load onto my GPS, but I left the serial computer connector cable in California. If anyone lives in the Burien, Seatac, Normandy Park, Des Moines area and has a cable for the garmin etrex legend that I could borrow to load the maps on between now and tuesday, Let me know. I would very much appreciate it.

even through the pearly gates?

I'm looking to climb hood next week. I've been up it in the summer. Does anyone know about avalanche danger on the south side/hogsback route in winter, and specifically recently?

I would do baker. Do you know if there are any plowed roads that give good access?

oh come on now. ive done rainier 3 times, baker, hood, adams, st. helens, and shasta 1 time. all of these were summer climbs except shasta. I am really not familiar with winter. My only winter experience was shasta. winter can make a big difference in routes, no matter what experiences. there is a route up a gulch that has severe avy danger in the winter. so we climb the ridge to avoid it. in the summer, the ridge is much more difficult because of lack of snow and the gulch is the standard route. thats why i ask these questions. i dont want to attempt a route that is just fine in summer, but more dangerous than other routes in the summer.

I'm thinking about doing some winter climbs in the cascades such as eldorado, shuksan, baker, adams, hood. 1.What is the status of the approach roads to these mountains during the winter? 2.for the closed roads, when does the snow usually melt in the spring? (especially baker) 3.what are some good, reasonably safe routes in the winter on these mountains? all the climbing guides I have only talk about summer climbs and I know very few people that have experience in winter. Anything anyone can tell me would be much appreciated. thanks.

those are mostly a mix from various rainier climbs, with a little shasta, baldy (socal mountain) and olympics thrown in.

So I just got an altimeter. It has a barometer on it. Does anyone know how they work? it gives me an "absolute barometric pressure" reading which cannot be adjusted. It also gives a "sea level barometric pressure" reading that i can callibrate. which says that it "represents the present barometric reading reduced to sea level". I don't know what that means. Can someone give me a tip on how to adjust it correctly, and how i can find use in it (like knowing what pressure suggests good weather and what suggests bad). The thing is measured in "mbars". does anyone know what those are and how i relate them to whatever is regularly recorded? anyways, you can see that I'm not Steve Pool or Harry Whoppler. let me know if you can shead some light. thanks!

ooh, i hate to admit this, but i am a film student in LA and my professor directed "the climb".

yeah, this would be partly for shasta, but i need a good pair for other winter ascents this year such as hood and rainier and even some so cal mountains. can the denali ascents with the extention hold 270 or so pounds with ease, or do they sink in pretty good?

I'm 220lb, but my pack ranges from 40 to 60lb, depending on the gear needed

I have most of thanksgiving week off and want to take the oportunity to head up to Mt. Shasta. Anyone interested? I've been up other cascade volcanos like rainier a few times and hood and baker and a few other snow/glacier climbs. PM me or email me if interested thatcher@biola.edu thanks,

I'm looking for a good, reasonably cheap pair ($150 or so) of snowshoes for winter ascents. Me and my pack usually end up weighing at least 270lbs. any suggestions on good brands? whats with the MSR plastic snowshoes? are those better/worse/good for somethings and not for others? PM me or just post here if you have any ideas. thanks,

u wanna hit shasta with me and a friend on thanksgiving? eh? have a nice turkey sandwich at the top. there is some great great hiking in Desolation Wilderness on state route 50 between Sacramento and tahoe. its beautiful. there is a great sketchy hike up horsetail falls and up into the valley. some nice peak scambles from there. check it out sometime.

one more thing, for whichever route, let me know if ropes are required. I'd like to avoid using rope

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I posted a while back about a winter shasta climb. I have a couple more questions: what is the easiest/safest route for a late november climb? I am bringing some inexperienced friends. is avalanch gulch anygood that time of year? I assume the name suggests that it isnt a very safe route in winter. How much snow is there in a typical winter in late november? I assume snowshoes should be used and I should bring a probe and beacons for avalanch danger? what is the weather like in late november? is it consistent? whats the general temperature? that may be a dumb question. any other commentary would be appreciated. Thanks! -tk

I am thinking about climbing Mt. Shasta in either november or december. It is the only time i have avaliable for it. Any tips on that mountain as a winter climb? whats the easiest/safest route in winter? how unpredictable is the weather? what gear suggested. I've never done a winter climb, but ive done some of the washington and oregon volcanos in the summer. So just let me know any tips or advice you might have that can help me plan my trip. Thanks, tk

I'm looking for a good pair of boots that are fairly solid and can hold crampons well, whether strapon or step in or whatever. But I want something light and good boots that are usable for hiking. currently i have running shoes, for my light weight hiking and kolflach degrees for my glacier travel. the running shoes are too wussie for heavy pack hiking yet the kolflach's as everyone knows is heavy as a mo-fo. I'm looking for something in between that can be a comfortable approach boot, glacier boot, and general hiking boot. I know that a mix is hard to find that suits both hiking and glacier travel well, but It is worth it to have one. I have been suggested La Sportiva glaciers and I hear good things about montrail. any suggestions? just let me know. and feel free to suggest what not to get. I dont want to kill my heals or toes, etc. thanks for the help

I'm planning on climbing Mt. Shasta on friday (avalanch gulch route). its the dog route. im looking for someone who would like to join me. its a good day hike, about 7000ft of gain, so we would start pretty early. email me if you are interested: thatcher@biola.edu thanks

are there any good scrambles close to seattle? by scramble i mean something that is class 3 or less, but not just a dumb trail. maybe a really rough trail. and something that can be done in a day car to car. maybe there is something near snoqualmie

come on you pansy. no rainier??!! i am healing from a shattered leg, i have tendonitis in my knee and i am probably at least 60 pounds (of fat) bigger than you and i climbed it just fine. its like baker was, but longer and more rockfall danger. and there are some good sketchy snow bridges and big steps over crevasses on the DC route that will get your heart pumping a little bit. the best part is that you will probably actually get a reply from your post if you say that you need a partner for rainier. PS, if you do, do DC, like i said before i hear that emmons has a really bad approach that sucks a lot.

works for me kids

lets just settle for adams. i want an enjoyable approach...or atleast semi enjoyable. maybe ill do shuksan another time. and i would rather go up mazama and down south spur. as you know, going down steep snow on foot isnt my cup 'o tea, but glissading on the other hand is great. so the catch with doing that is that we have to approach from the south climb lot rather than the reservation. but I am fine with that. its worth the easy route down. and i dont have a bivy, but i can probably get ahold of one from a friend. if not, i still think its fine to just deal with the weight going up with a tent split between two people. anyways, now we are way off topic.