dinomyte

I can't always get out to the hills. I'm married, so in theory, I can have sex anytime I want. In practice......

I also learned a lesson, courtesy of those 5 guys on Hood: Posting a serious question when everyone is debating the smarts of a group in trouble on Hood yields very few responses!

Wow.....that's it exactly!!

Thought I'd give everyone an update. Though there were some great, and not-so-great, suggestions, we went with Aspen. Not for the town, but more for the trees. We were in Utah when my wife was pregnant, and the leaves were turning.

I think what these folks are trying to say is the same as the old "calculator" argument. It's fine to use a calculator to quickly multiply 236 by 341, just know how to do it without one! A GPS can actually help, even if you know little about maps and compasses. But isn't it better to know both?

If he bought Garmin like me it was 25% off. The 20% coupons never apply to GPS! Ha!

This one's bound to get a ton of replies. My comments.... I just bought a GPS last week and tested it in the hills on Saturday. Worked like a charm with no topo loaded. My topo was in my pocket, where i like to keep it until I need it. I may be misunderstanding the post, but I wouldn't be navigating to the summit with waypoints, but they've helped on the way out. I try to get as good a route map/description as I can (from books, this site, etc.) and if I find myself somewhere that I don't recognize or am not comfortable with, I turn my ass around. I also set a drop-dead turn around time. I've had a GPS less than a week, and I learned to set waypoints first thing. I also never go to the hills without knowing the skills of my partners. That said, I'm glad to hear that all is well and that lessons were learned. We should note the "TraditionalMountaineering" theme and try to learn from these, rather than point fingers.

You are correct. I hiked from Pole Creek and followed this route: I think I stopped about where I should start looking for that entrance to the west face. I even thought I saw a little 3-stone cairn but I'm not sure. Your note about the traverse and bowling alley is just what I thought from previous research. Thanks for the beta. We're planning on this Saturday, dark and early, weather permitting.

It does, and thanks. I don't have the book, but a climbing buddy of mine does, so no prob there. We may head over there this weekend, and just wanted any personal insights anyone could offer, as neither of us have been on this one before.

I was up on North on 5/12. It looked like so from what I think is the Camel's Hump: Snow was pretty solid at 9800 feet. Question for you folks who have been up there: Is it at the Camel's Hump that you begin to drop down to climber's left to start the Traverse? Anybody have any photos from the beginning of the Traverse? I woulda ventured further, but just didn't feel like committing!

I don't know a ton about fishing practices but, other than farming, I would say there is probably a pretty significant margin of error when calculating a sustainable supply of wild fish. I took an Resource Econometrics class in grad school focused on measuring things like fish stocks, oil supplies, etc. All I can say is HOLY SHIT, that's pretty tough to accurately measure. Of course, one would assume that those trawlers can scoop up more fish in a few minutes than are hatched in that same period of time. But hey, gas prices don't keep some from driving. I probably won't stop eating sushi!

Let's face it, the hottest climbing chick is probably an amalgam: Archenemy's bruised left knee, Sherri's arms, Minx's brains and belaying abilities (apparently!), etc.

I have several peaks in Washington on my list for this season, and realize that access to several is going to be a problem. Among the summits on my list are Rainier, Olympus, Shuksan, Glacier, Baker, and Stuart. And, I'll be interested in the Dog routes, to the extent there is one! Can anyone comment on the likely status of the approach for any one of these? No offense, but saying "Hwy whatever will be closed" won't help me much. Saying "Hwy whatever, which leads to this particular trailhead, which is the starting point of that route" will! Or perhaps, saying, "the closest accessible TH is this" would help. Thanks in advance.

Why would you wanna climb with a gal? After all, according to another thread, there aren't any hot ones anyway. I believe everything I read on the web!

Come on guys. Wait till September when it looks like the pile of rubbles that it is!

bstach, this one was from the top of Three Fingered Jack, OR.

We're probably at that "Beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder" point! But, seriously, there's a big difference between beautiful and attractive. I'm not sure exactly where "hot" falls. I hiked Adams a few years back with a gal who had tattoos on her neck and practically jogged up the mountain with 50 lbs on her back, including her board. Maybe not beautiful, but damn attractive!!

"With the birds I'll share this lonely view."

I also like: K2 Telemark...If it was easy, it would be called snowboarding. And I snowboard.

OK, I'm not gonna read this whole thread to post my favorite, so sorry if it's a dupe. On the back of a jacked-up truck in Utah, "I (heart) Mormon Pussy!" Gutsy to have a sticker that pisses off 99 percent of the local population.

I've got people.

If the snow stays as unconsolidated as it was Saturday, and you fall, just spread your legs and you'll come to a nice stop within about 5 feet! Unless you fall headfirst! (This reminds me of a little joke we came up with while climbing on Saturday, which refers to a CC troll - "Can I glissade with my crampons on?" The answer - "Sure, just go headfirst!")

dmuja: I can't confirm for certain, but we were up there Saturday and it looked like there was indeed still a step. We didn't actually get right under it to look. From what I've heard, most folks were going old chute so far. Check the photo in my TR of South side - the narrowest part of the gap on the right looked to be where the ice is.

Trip: Mt Hood - South Side Date: 2/10/2007 Trip Report: Billbob, Kevin_Matlock and I ventured up Hood on Saturday, starting at 2:30 am, aiming for the West Crater Rim. When we got up to Crater Rock and looked up at the Rim, we didn't like what we saw. It looked like a crack had formed, maybe fifty feet across, and just a bit down from the rim. We'd been trudging through a foot and a half of fresh at times, and just didn't wanna chance it. Prolly nothing, but best to be safe. We decided to cruise around the right side of the rock and up to the Hogsback. We thought we'd do the Old Chute instead. We took a rest there and pondered on whether to continue. The trudge had sapped our energy pretty good, and we didn't relish the thought of the "technical" stuff with a foot of snow over a crust. So, we decided to save it for another day, maybe when the snow is a bit more consolidated. Here are a few pics for those planning on heading up. Kevin and Bill slapping on the crampons at 9600 feet. Looking up at the Hogsback. It doesn't really lead to the Pearly Gates too well this year. Kevin and Bill on the Hogsback. They're both actually standing up! Hah! Me with the clouds rolling in below. It got pretty white. With no vis, we actually pulled out the GPS. We knew to traverse left - in fact we overshot by a couple hundred yards. My personal thanks to the partiers at Silcox who left the unopened Mirror Pond by the picnic table for me. It went down well when we were done! Feel free to add some details fellas!! Gear Notes: Hell, we had 3 pickets, a couple of screws, rope and harnesses - none of which got touched!

Sk8t: Obviously only you know your limitations, but most do the marathon North to South. That pile of rubble that is North Sis is not to be underestimated, and many prefer to do that fresh.