scheissami

I agree, if I did the circumnavigation again I'd use touring skis. If I return, though, I think we'll likely just head to the Mt. Scott area since there are several aspects to ski and you still get the swank views of the lake. Probably just set up "base camp" by Mt. Scott and ski, ski, ski. There are several small sub-peaks to ski as you circle the lake, most of them around 400-600' vertical and worthwhile distractions, but tough to justify the 33 miles of slogging. Thielsen looked rad from the park, didn't get any close up views, though. BTW, anybody ski the East face/flank of Jefferson? It looked amazing on the drive back, big open slope of snow. I understand access is pretty challenging, though...

Alas, no PBR's for us, had to make do with scotch and whiskey. Even better is the canned ale from Caldera Brewing out of Ashland, OR. Stuff is stellar! Nice pics...

Trip: Crater Lake NP - Circumnavigation Date: 4/17/2009 Trip Report: Six of us had been chatting about doing this for several years, but we finally managed to get it together this spring. Couldn't have asked for a better forecast, really. Scattered showers the first evening, then clear blue skies for the next three days. 30-33 miles or so over three nights. We travelled counterclockwise, a decision with which we're pretty happy. Despite the slogging nature of much of the travel, five of us were on tele or AT gear, only one of us was on lightweight touring skis. The plan was to ski Mt. Scott (2k vertical feet) on the SE portion of the loop. Due to aspect/time of day we didn't manage to ski Mt. Scott (some of us were pretty cashed from the heat and 10-11 miles we had put in the second day). Terry and I did manage to get some laps in early in the morning on the second morning and we skied Watchman point on the final day. Terry skied the NW face, I skied the west ridge (I suck at skiing so chickened out). Great views of the lake. This trip can't be beat for scenery. We had the park to ourselves, didn't see another person till we were about 2 miles from the trailhead on the final day. As far as the timing goes, well, we had to boot it for a total of maybe 50 yards on the north side of the loop as the road was exposed. If you really, really didn't want to get off your skis you could have made it work. Overall pretty happy I rode my AT gear, as skiing the numerous sub-peaks was really fun and gave us some rad views. I'm so terrible at skiing that having fatter skis was also nice due to hauling big packs around. The loop is frequently done in a day on cross-country skis with firm snow, but I think you'd miss out on some excellent distractions. Anyway, enough talk. Some pics: Sunset at the notch, camp first night: Exceptional views of the lake: Terry, out for a morning ski, 2nd morning, Mt. Scott in the background: Terry contemplating the NW face, Watchman Peak: Gear Notes: Skis! Approach Notes: 4WD/high-clearance not necessary as the road is plowed to Park Headquarters year round. Carry chains, but we certainly didn't need them.

Oops! Found it here...

Do you know whether the beacon training site at the Mazama Lodge is open to the public? Or where it actually is? All I can really find is that it's in Government Camp, but no specific info for access on their website. Thanks.

Thanks for the info. The sleeping bag I'll be using most with this setup is the Marmot Lithium 0 deg down bag, which is made of Pertex. I suppose it seems silly to me to use a bivy bag made out of exactly the same stuff as the bag itself, though I know another layer will add some protection.

Ever have any problems with condensation inside the pertex bag? I'm not too familiar with that fabric, though I've got an Epic tent I'm pretty happy with (BD Firstlight). Thanks for the info....

I seem to recall someone looking to sell one of these but was unable to find the post. If none are available, anybody got a good alternative that weighs about the same (9 oz) and doesn't cost $130? This is mostly for keeping my winter down bag dry, I have a dedicated bivy sack but it's too burly/heavy/big for what I need. Cheers.

Hey, Do you guys know of a green way to get rid of a rope? It's a 60m Beal 10.2mm that's had 4 years of hard use and needs to be retired. If anybody wants it for whatever reason, let me know. Otherwise, I was hoping there might be an option besides pitching it... Cheers

Tvash, Certainly not a comprehensive response, but one of the reasons physicians in other countries (those in Europe, for example) earn less is that it costs less to obtain an education in many of those countries. I'm an emergency physician and went straight through my schooling (i.e. sadly no time off for dirtbagging). So, that's four years of college, four years of med school, and three years of residency training. I went to state college so that was pretty cheap, but most students leave medical school with $150-200k of debt (don't forget to include cost of living while you're in school and unable to earn a salary). That's pretty hefty when you consider that my contemporaries from college were already out in the workforce and putting money away, while most of physicians don't earn a real salary until they're thirty or so. In contrast, a friend of mine is completing medical training in Austria. After high school, she went straight into medical school, which lasts for six years. It's also free--yep, paid for by the govmint. She's just now completing her 3-4 years of post-graduate training. So, her education was two years shorter and $150k cheaper. She'll earn about half of what I earn, but has none of the debt burden I'm saddled with. I think that if one wants to complain about the income of physicians (which has declined significantly over the past 20 years, BTW) and thinks it should be curtailed, well, I think that it would be only fair to champion more state funded education. I mean, no one forced me to do what I do, I enjoy it and find it exceptionally fulfilling. However, it isn't a cakewalk, it's hard work, and it's a public service. Many occupations fit this description, I know. Also, many of the patients I treat will never pay a dime of their bill. That's more a function of our abysmal healthcare system more than it is of any individual fault of the patients. The insurance reimbursement system is crazy. I mean, next time you go to the grocery store, when the clerk asks you for $100 bucks for your groceries, tell them you'll pay $60 in 60-90 days and see what happens when you walk out. That sort of reimbursement (60% in 2-3 months) is considered excellent. WTF??? Also, next time you're in the hospital, read your bill carefully. I think you'll find that most of the charges are from hospital services and NOT physician fees. As a consequence of our national healthcare system (or lack thereof), I treat literally hundreds of patients each month that really didn't need emergent care. This increases the wait times of all patients and the cost for everyone; emergency department care is exceptionally expensive. But where else can they go? What's the answer? I really don't know. I agree with reducing healthcare cost, but as Joseph has stated above, the greatest drain on dollars isn't really the physicians, but rather the insurance companies and the ten administrators for every physician in each hospital (Doesn't that infuriate you? Ten bureaucrats for each doc?). Can we really switch to a nationalized system without losing the drive for innovation that competition creates? Or is the competition really just unnecessary complexity as Joseph suggests? John Kitzaber (previous OR governor) was an emergency physician and is a fantastic speaker. As an idea for healthcare reform, he suggests an analogy with public education. All children have the opportunity for basic education through public schools; should they (parents) choose, they can pursue private school education. Can we make this work for healthcare? Nationalized basic coverage with individual choice regarding extra coverage or elective procedures.... Been fun reading through all of this. Cheers, Erik

Bavarian Motor Works...Kraut cars, not British

The Tenshi seems pretty rad. What's the fabric like? Does it compare to the BD superlight tents or is it more burly/waterproof? I also noticed the Marmot Alpinist, which has an integrated vestibule (which, unlike the MH one has a separate door and no floor), is fully seam-taped, has "knees" at the corner to keep the walls off your face, and is about $200 cheaper. Anybody used one of these?

Snow conditions/stability? Thinking about heading up for some turns later this week... Cheers!

Newbie question here, but ClimbUp/SkiDown, how do you fix a pulled binding with steel wool? Is there some backcountry repair reference guide you've read? I'm a snowboarder slowly (and painfully) learning to ski in the backcountry and would appreciate the info... Cheers.

Are the MH Evo 2 and Tenshi fully seam sealed? As far as the attachable vestibules go, well, the BD firstlight has one and it kinda sucks when it's really windy. The gaps between the vestibule and tent let's wind and precip in, which kinda defeats the purpose. Thanks for all of the feedback so far...

Checked out some of the previous threads but many of them focused on bivies or were older. Anyone have the Nemo Tenshi or Mountain Hardware EV 2? I'm looking pretty closely at these two and wonder if someone's got firsthand experience with them. Will be using the tent for ski-touring and climbing. I want a vestibule and a tent that has guy-out points for high winds (I have a BD firstlight, which is rad, but it isn't as burly as what I'm looking for) Cheers!

Cheers!

I'm sorry if you've been through this before, but what is considered necessary by the county if they make it into a park? Do they really need to do more than grade an area and gravel for a parking lot, trash cans/waste disposal, signs, and maybe a toilet? The trails are already in pretty decent shape... 800k certainly seems like a lot of money. Where is it expected to go? Thanks for all of your hard work...Cheers.

Goon question: thumb hook... Tool into the hand with the planted tool, right? Pick towards the ice, or towards you? Sorry for the ignorance...

Do you guys use the same stuff for your ski edges between seasons? Or does it not really matter (it seems to come off after a few runs)?

Might be headed down Friday AM and returning Saturday evening. I'll PM you once I know for sure. -Erik

That is beyond whack

Nice loop you can do just before Ski Bowl on 26. There's a pullout with a bridge crossing a creek. This area accesses Tom, Dick, and Harry peaks. You can do a loop around the lake (I forget the name) and if you want some vertical can bag the peaks themselves. Not sure of the exact mileage. The peaks themselves are susceptible to potential avy but a good portion of the loop is in the woods. Also you can do some snowshoeing on Hood itself. Check out the Tilly Jane area. Not really that flat, though.

Howdy, Me and a buddy are heading out the gorge tomorrow. I'd also love to head out Wednesday. Feel free to give a call (404) 808-3468 if you're game. Cheers, Erik

No actual climbing in the pic, but this is one of my favorites: Stuart and Colchuck as seen from Dragontail: Lani on the West Ridge of Prusik: