dinomyte

Just go to Stuart, open a can of pringles and run back to your house!

No...just not a mountain woman!! Ha!

I guess I should point out that my wife does all of the above shit in jest. She just jokes with me about it. She's doesn't really think I'm meeting up with some hot mountain woman. Probably in good part because I'm pretty much oblivious to what other women are doing - a gal would have to pretty much strip and unzip me before i noticed she was flirting! I was a bit quicker on the uptake when I was single!

Ha! My wife would definitely do that! Fortunately (or unfortunately?) all of my climbing buddies are guys, so I just get accused of some "brokeback" action! She suspects that all the pics I bring back are photoshopped. And I think she's mentioned something about me meeting up and climbing with some hot mountain woman that none of my friends ever talk about. (We've been arguing over the actual existence of any "hot mountain woman, but I think I've seen that thread before.)

We're celebrating our 12th anniversary this weekend, and I wholeheartedly agree with the above as being the reason we've made it this far(and are still very happy to keep going ). We are complete opposites in almost every aspect of our lifestyles and interests,we do almost no activities as a couple, but when it comes to the big issues of a relationship, like honesty, commitment, compassion, respect, etc, and core values in general, we couldn't be more alike. Those are things that matter, in our book. The other stuff is just window dressing, it'll come and go and change and grow and die--not really the things on which you want to base your reason for being together. Good comments. Met at a party in college. Married 11 months later. Together 23 years last month. Two kids; 18 and 21 now - in two different univer$itie$. She hates climbing, but that's ok - she's a skiing maniac. She loves slowpitch - I hate it. Now that the kids are (sorta) gone it's just the two of us for the first time. Kind of weird. I keep telling her we should start over and adopt, but she has this idea that we're gonna travel more. I say Alaska, Europe, Chile. She says Belize, Tahiti, Australia. It's gonna be an interesting rest of our lives. Would I trade my married life for a Fred Beckey-type life? No. Glad some folks agree. We were actually together for about six years before getting married. But, we wanted to get outta college, get jobs, etc. before getting hitched. I think having different interests is healthy, provided you have those commonalities that are important. I son't mind if she watches reality TV, and she doesn't mind if I head out for a weekend of climbing. That said, I don't think my wife would go for me having too many female climbing partners! Congrats on the 12th, Sherri! And, on the 23, Fairweather!

My wife and I just celebrated our 10th anniversary. We are perfectly compatible: We go on vacation and she sits in the spa while I hike/climb. She doesn't drink beer, so that means more for me! I'd rather be in the mountains - she'd rather be at the mall. She watches reality TV incessantly - Top Chef, Rock of Love, Top Model, etc. I can't stand that shit. Kidding aside, we have all the really important things in common, and almost none of the the little stuff. For me, that keeps it more interesting.

Wag More.....Bark Less!

Friday, October 5, 2007 - 10:14 AM PDT Oregon Scientific is getting high for a rock concert. Tualatin-based Oregon Scientific, a designer and marketer of upscale personal electronics, on Friday announced a partnership with the Love Hope Strength Foundation as an official sponsor of "Everest Rocks" on Mount Everest. A 14-day trek up Mount Everest by 40 musicians and mountaineers, Everest Rocks will culminate with the first-ever rock concert to take place at Mount Everest's Base Camp. Footage of the concert, the trek and events leading up to it will be filmed exclusively using Oregon Scientific's ATC2K Waterproof Action Cam. The concert will raise money for worldwide cancer research and the Nepal Cancer Relief Society, said Mike Prager, president of Oregon Scientific. The climb is designed to bring awareness to and also raise money for the Love Hope Strength Foundation, founded by two-time cancer survivor and rock icon, Mike Peters of the UK band "The Alarm" and fellow cancer survivor James Chippendale, president of CSI Entertainment, one of the country's largest entertainment and sports insurance brokers. Joining Peters and Chippendale on the 18,000-foot climb will be Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats, Nick Harper, Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook, and The Fixx's Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram. Mount Everest, which is part of the Himalayan range in Asia, is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China.

I second the Pole Creek TH suggestion. I enjoyed camping at Camp Lake, right between Middle and South. I also recommend climbing South from the north side, though crowds should not be a problem in November. Depending on your idea of fun, you could climb North and Middle, come down the south side of Middle and camp at the Lake. Then, climb the north side of South, down the standard route and up Broken Top, then back down and hit the trail back around to Pole Creek. Short of the shuttle that Couloir mentions, that'd be my choice.

Here's Aspen at about 10 months. I swear this girl is such a ham - if she sees a camera she just poses and smiles from ear to ear!! I know I'm Dad, but she is the cutest damn thing!

I would second a couple of the previous comments: First, you definitely want one or two sticks to slide back down the hill on. Second, navigation! Adams is sort of like Hood in that the natural fall does not take you right back to where you want to be. So you need to be able to recognize that and end up back where you started! And, have fun!!

Interstingly, Oktoberfest at Snowbird is a long-standing celebration. Of course, they sell "Utah" beer - less than 4.0% alcohol by volume. You just have to make sure to stop by the liquor store for some "real" beer and get your drink on beforehand!!

Trip: Wasatch Mountains, UT - Bullion Divide Traverse Date: 9/24/2007 Trip Report: I have taken my family down to Utah, or gone by myself, as many times as possible since my buddy Stu moved there. He lives in West Valley and is just a short drive from some of the best hiking and riding I've ever seen. I have tried to take the family in the fall for some hiking and then I like to get down there in February for some snowboarding. This year, we stayed at Snowbird for the week of our 10th anniversary. It was a couple weeks earlier than we had been there last year, so I thought we might avoid the snow that dumped the previous year, see a bit more of the fall colors, and we would make it to Oktoberfest at Snowbird (which we had missed by a week in '06). Last year, I had planned on climbing Timp and Nebo, but had been weathered off of Nebo. So, this year, I planned on Nebo and this traverse that I had read about that is right along a ridge above Snowbird. I thought I would do the traverse on Monday, and then do Nebo on Wednesday. So, of course, it dumped six inches of snow on Sunday!! But, about 8:00 am I looked up at the hills and it looked doable. So. I had Paula drop me off up above Alta at the Cecret Lake Trailhead in the Albion Basin. I took off at about 9:00 am - a much later start than I had intended. It was snowing and blowing, but every now and then I could see my target - the saddle between Devil's Castle and Sugarloaf. I started out trying to follow the trail to the Lake, but ended up way off course. I actually headed straight at Devil's Castle, and then traversed under it and up to the saddle. I got up to the saddle and ran into a really cool little rock shelter, where I huddled out of the wind and had a granola bar. I then followed the east ridge up to the top of Sugarloaf at 11,057 feet. It was cold and blowing so damn hard (maybe 30 mph) I could barely take my obligatory summit pic. So much for a nice fall hike. Needlessly to say, I did not stay long. I headed down the north ridge of Sugarloaf. I headed down to a saddle between ski lifts that come up from Alta and Mineral Basin. Here I stopped to give Paula a call. Interestingly, I had no service from AT&T, but T-Mobile was perfect. I headed up the ridge and arrived at the peak of Mt. Baldy (11,068 feet) a short time later. There is an antenna and a sled up top, which I thought was kinda weird. Anyway, I took a few more pics and headed down the southwest ridge toward Hidden Peak. I hit the saddle, and kept to the ridgeline as I climbed. There is a cat track from the saddle to the top, which I would normally call cheating, but in those conditions... Still, as I said, I kept to the ridge! It's only about three-quarters of a mile to Hidden Peak, so I was there before I knew it. Hidden Peak, at 11,000 feet (though the topo says 10,992), is the top of the Tram from Snowbird and apparently has a pay phone, running water, and bathrooms. This year, it will have a nice warming hut (which is currently being worked on). By this time, it was about 12:30 pm. Conditions had not improved at all. Views were non-existent. I took a look at the topo and some trip reports that I brought, which mentioned some decent scrambling between Hidden Peak and American Forks Twin Peaks. Then, I chatted with the Tram operator, Randy, a bit. I was surprised that it was even running, and he said they had brought up about five people so far. He asked me if I wanted a ride down and I accepted! We were chatting so much that I made him a couple minutes late starting down. He was a great guy, who works at the Mountain School during the season. If you are down that way and want a lesson, look him up. Anyways, I was in the hot tub, cocktail in hand, by 1:00pm. I started feeling kinda shitty that evening - but it could not have been due to my incessant beer-drinking followed by 7&7's in the hot tub. Just one of those damn colds where the back of your nose burns and you're totally stuffed up. Although I didn't feel 100 percent, the next day dawned clear and beautiful. I decided to finish off the traverse. So, my wife, daughter and mother-in-law took the tram ride with me up top. We caught the noon tram - I did not know that it started at 11:00 am that day. We got up top, took some photos, and took in the views a bit, and then I started out. Interestingly, it was about the time I finished the day before. I headed down the road, and then took this dragon-tail ridge to what becomes the northeast ridge of American Fork Twin Peaks. In retrospect, I think the easier course might be to stay on the track to the right toward Gad Valley, then climb right at the base of the ridge proper. You would avoid a lot of up and down, and some interesting scrambling. There was a bit of exposure and, in this case, quite a bit of snow and ice. And, it always gives one pause, when you're scrambling around and come across multiple permanent anchors. The hill looks significantly steeper from a distance than it turns out to be. Regardless, I was glad I waited till a sunny day with very little wind! I hit the east peak (11,443 feet) pretty quickly and drank in some great views! It was just a hop, skip and a jump over to the taller west peak (11,489 feet). I descended the west side of American Fork Twin Peaks. From here, it was just a quarter-mile to the top of Red Top (sometimes called Red Stack). I've read that this elevation is 11,370 feet. It has to be somewhere in that area. I called Paula from here to give her an update on my progress. I told her that I was gonna head down the west ridge of Red Top to the saddle, and then see what I thought of the east ridge of Red Baldy. It would have been really simple to bail down the drainage from the saddle and have her pick me up, but I definitely wanted at least one more peak. I got down to the saddle and took a look. It looked to me like one could summit Red Baldy and bail down the north ridge if the next peak (White Baldy) was out. So, I climbed on. Now, the TR that I was reading described the route from Red Top to Red Baldy as "ascending a small buttress, and then up a nice but loose scramble up a knife-edge ridge to the summit." Class 3? Maybe in summer with perfect knowledge of the route. I saw plenty of Class 4 and a couple 5.easy moves. It started out with some easy scrambling, with just a bit of exposure. The crux was this little notch that would have been simple if it had not been filled with snow and ice. I was standing there trying to figure out what the hell to do. Going across and up would have been difficult at best. So, I descended slightly to the south and contoured around trying about three different lines before I hit the right one. This is the spot where I would have turned around if the last one hadn't panned out. Fortunately, on that third one, I was able to move up a couple of spots and get back onto the ridgeline. From there, it was indeed a "nice but loose scramble up a knife-edge ridge to the summit." Well, to be honest, it wasn't really loose. They don't know Oregon's definition of "loose" down there! I made it to the top of Red Baldy at about 3:30 pm and I knew that White Baldy would have to wait. I needed to get back in time for dinner, and it was still 5 miles, including some rocky, snowy ridgeline, to the White Pine trailhead. I called Paula and told her to pick me up, and that I would be at the trailhead no later than 6:00 pm. I boogied down the ridgeline till I met the trail (which was more like a road in places). I met a few folks - more as I got closer to trailhead. I got down at about 5:45 to find Paula waiting for me. Because I was so late (and would be later after a shower) we decided to postpone the Park City dinner plans until the next day. We substituted with Mikado at the base of the Canyon. We had eaten there before and the sushi was once again excellent! All in all, I think this traverse was great! I would recommend it in good weather, because the views are what it's all about. The changing fall colors are spectacular. The trip would be a lot faster with no snow. Moving over boulder fields covered with snow was difficult as I almost had to check every step to keep from losing a leg. Still, the way I did it was fine. I just think of it as a two-day hike with a really swanky bivy! Here are a few photos. See if you can tell which ones are from which day! Devil's Castle The Saddle between Devil's Castle and Sugarloaf Summit of Sugarloaf in a stiff breeze American Fork Twin Peaks from Hidden Peak Looking back down the ridge from American Fork Twin Peaks The Timp and Nebo complexes White Baldy and Pfeifferhorn over White Pine Lake The "scramble" up Red Baldy A closer view of White Pine Lake Down the valley to the trailhead Gear Notes: I took an axe but did not use it. I understand water is usually the main essential during the summer! Approach Notes: An easy drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon past Snowbird and Alta. Three miles of dirt road to the Cecret Lake Trailhead at the end of the road.

Pup: Last year at almost exactly this time a buddy and I climbed Jeff with no gear. Though placing pro might have only been symbolic, I wouldn't suggest soloing across the traverse. It was damn sketchy, certainly the most sketchy I've been on. Hope you find something.

Just got back from a Three Lakes - Skyline - Quinault Loop. Decent amount of berries between the TH and Kimta, not much after that. Saw all our bears in that first stretch. Have fun. Hope the skeeters all die off!

Aspen on her first camping trip at Elk Lake. (She's just over 9 months now.) Irrefutable proof that she is mine!!

Yeah Alpinfox. I'll admit that "climbing" takes on a whole new meaning down our way. Maybe more dodging rock than anything. But, you guys need to make your way south every now and then so that you remain thankful for what you have! Also, keep in mind that all rock is solid, it just might come in the form of kitty litter!

Way to get 'er done! As soon as the dome surpasses the rim, nobody's gonna be summitting for awhile!

I'm not much of a climber, but I'm pretty damn good at jogging up piles of kitty litter! Although, a pile of graham crackers on top of a pile of kitty litter is kinda of a new one on me!

Sweet! But now everyone who watches that first vid knows that you haven't been to the true summit of Broken Top!

Reading this exchange reminds me that "great conditions" are sort of in the eye of the beholder. Having been up there when the traverse was totally snowcovered and totally bare, I can say that I prefer bare. The snow is so flat and featureless that it made it seem much more exposed, and although a couple of well-placed pickets and the boot track was comforting, it just felt a little more sketchy to someone with my level of experience. Getting to the bowling alley when it was a mix of ice, wet rock, etc. was not too pleasant, particularly when one of the team in front of me came off and ended up pretty banged up quite a few meters down. I have never been when the alley was absolutely covered with snow and ice. I guess that might be different, though I would probably find that pretty intimidating, personally. Though I would not want to infer that this was a walk in the park, I had overestimated it a bit. I had sort of built up expectations based on everything that I had heard before. But, other than a couple short sections of the traverse, the route didn't really give me much pause. Part of it was probably the company - it was great to go up with a few cool folks that were obviously skilled and experienced. It didn't hurt to have to two 60m ropes either!

I'm not into THAT steep of skiing, but I was jealous of letsroll earlier this year when he was blazing outta there on the sticks! Looked like a decently long run even starting from the SE ridge at about 7800 feet.

Yeah, what he said! Good to meet you guys. It was fun catching some rays up top with ya! Thanks for snapping the shots!

By the way, this is what Thayer looks like: Have at it!!