yesman

All good on the SS as of last night - straight forward with the exception of the catwalk being largely melted out and the "One O'Clock Coulior" being the chossy exit of choice to avoid the sketch of the catwalk. No wind and bluebird - 12 year old kid tore it up, great outing!

Thanks!

I'm thinking of taking my kid up the South Side this thursday night - I've never been on the route this late in the season. Anybody been up there recently? I'm curious on snow cover, rockfall, etc. - many thanks!

Trip: Liberty Bell - Fire in the Sky - Date: 8/13/2012 Trip Report: The last few times we've been on top of Liberty Bell we couldn't help but notice that there were sandy benches at the true summit that would be a cool place to bivy and watch the sun go down. So it was that on the night the Perseid Meteor shower peaked Dave and I found ourselves heading up the approach trail with packs stuffed with overnight gear, food for several weeks and a fine selection of whisky. We arrived on top just after the sun went down, enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a great meal. With the lack of light pollution and the elevation the stars were intense. We began seeing the Perseids around 10p coming out of the northeast. Amazing variety of colors, with some leaving long tracer lines.

Last time I "checked" it was $125 per violator.

Try a Steripen - lighter/smaller than a filter and good to go in 60 seconds.

Great report and pics! Did you camp at the 6,000' camps or higher? What about gaining the base of the ridge - did you go climbers left around the ridge and up, or come in from climbers right and directly up? Thanks.

Looks like a great trip - could you drive to the trailhead and were you able to skin from the lot? Thanks

I'm an ex-Juneauite now living in Seattle and am looking for a partner for a climb of the Main Tower/Mendenhall Towers via the West Ridge. I will be up in Juneau this summer visiting family 7/22-7/28 and would be looking to climb for 3-4 days immediately before or after these dates. Due to time constraints it would have to be a heli approach. Let me know if you're interested or want to know about the route. You can contact me at fieldsmr@gmail.com Thanks, Mike

Glad you're OK Bala - thought provoking!

If you got your rope stuck on the L-Bell descent, give me a PM and ID and I'll get it to you.

Climbed WR on sat - road gated at Eldo (about mile 20) - easy road walk after that. Last bit of trail before Boston Basin has snow. Basin is all snow. On Saturday the Couliour was in, although melting fast. Ridge is dry. The last creek crossing on the way out can be impassible if it's a hot day and you reach it in the afternoon.

Hey, I'll be in Juneau 7/10-14 and am looking for a partner to climb the Main Tower of the Mendenhall Towers - interested? I'm from Juneau and have some ideas on tours, but your best bet is to call The Foggy Mountain Shop in town and they'll set you up. Mike fieldsmr at gmail.com

Trip: Stuart - NR - Date: 8/30/2007 Trip Report: Brian and I climbed the upper NR of Stuart over two days at the end of August - perfect weather. Rap below Gendarme is dry. Gear Notes: Small rack - didn't need crampons or axe when we crossed the glacier in the afternoon.

Trip: Torment/Forbidden Traverse - Date: 9/7/2007 Trip Report: Greg and I climbed the Torment/Forbidden Traverse last week. Snow on the second day made the two v. three day decision for us and we bivied at the Forbidden West Ridge notch on night two. Only beta to add: The first rap after Torment goes overhung and then lands you in a 20' deep moat that requires crampons/tools to get out of. The ice traverse was mostly alpine ice, with a short stretch of water ice that took screws. Good access to snow for water at several points along the route. Great route! Gear Notes: Small rock rack, 2 screws, axe, tool and crampons Approach Notes: Taboo Glacier is straightforward

I broke my heel (calcaneus bone) 5 months ago taking a 15-footer. I was hard casted for 3 weeks, then removable cast for 3 weeks. Depending on where your fracture is it's important to be non-weight bearing so that the pull of the achilles tendon (which attaches to the calcaneus) doesn't disrupt healing of the bone - this may mean crutches the whole time. Once off the crutches I felt the bone was fully healed - it was the achilles tendon that was sore and needed to be slowly stretched and strengthened. I was running/climbing at 100% about four months after the fall. Good luck!

I've use the Exposure 50 for 2 seasons for everything from 3-day winter climbs to short summer stuff and like it. It's light, handles moderately heavy loads well and is comfortable. I wish it had two "side pockets" for pickets - also, the one it does have is small and you have to really jam to get 3 pickets it and since the pocket is made from light weight nylon it can tear (mine did). The "straight jacket" feature on the back holds a shovel pretty well.

Looks like 200 Motels in J-Tree.

Awesome pictures!

I camped near the base of the route monday night - it looked to be in good shape, with the best passage on climbers left. Descent of Sherpa also looked good.

Climb: Shuksan -North Face Date of Climb: 3/18/2006 Trip Report: Marek, Brian, James and I attempted the North Face of Shuksan 3/18-20. We followed the creek up into the White Salmon Valley on snowshoes and were camped at the White Salmon moraine by 5pm. The unconsolidated snow made for slow going and forshadowed the difficulties of the next day. We were up and moving by 3:30a the next morning, gained the col at the base of the N. Face and began climbing as it was getting light. We belayed the first pitch, which was snow and ice. Above this pitch the snow got less consolidated and runninig belays took us to a 15' waterfall with an interesting cave underneath. We got a screw into the ice (our first legitimate piece in several ropelengths) and rounded the waterfall to climber's left onto steeper alpine ice. With the snow getting deeper, under an intermittent breakable crust, we put the snowshoes back on and made very slow progress upward. We continued up through and around rock outcroppings, unable to place any pro in the deep, unconsolidated snow. With 200' feet to go to the top of the Face, we considered pushing on through the night and traversing to the west of the pyramid for a descent of the White Salmon Glacier, but with darkness coming and the wind/spindrift picking up we opted for a descent of the climbing route. It was 6:30p. We downclimbed the North Face in the dark, including two double rope raps off snow anchors. We were back to camp at 12:30a. We were up early the next morning and to the car by 10:30a, followed shortly by a plundering of the convenience store in Glacier. Great trip with a strong group! Got some great pictures, I'll try and get them posted. Gear Notes: Pickets, screws, second tool

A winter ascent of Rainier is not a good place to get "introduced to the sport." Try something else.

Looking for a partner for Chair, NE Butt this thursday - shoot me an e-mail: fieldsmr at gmail.com.

Heading to Chair this weekend (NE Butt) - anybody been out there recently or know what kind of shape the route is in?

Looking for a belay partner - Vert World Magnolia - weekday evenings. PM me if you're interested.