tleaf

I have used Lexol leather conditioner. Seems to work OK. Can't remember if I read a general recommendation about it or if Tecnica suggested this for their leather lined mountaineering boots.

I believe that rubbing alcohol will take care of tree sap.

I did start an Excel spread sheet years ago that I never really kept up to date, but the excercise was still worthwhile. Might be time for me to revisit this task using this site. Recommendation... you want to add a place to enter climbers height & weight. Then you could show us what our ideal weight and weight savings would be! Not easy to do but probably much less expensive for me to lose 5-20 pounds of body fat than shell out a bunch of cash on lightweight gear.

Some companies seem to spend more time, money and effort in their designs (articulation, streamlined fit, no velcro where it will eat away at fabric, etc.), fabric selection & testing. If a company is constantly obsoleting their old designs to come out with "new and improved" ones then I am usually sceptical that the changes are for the better (most likely made just to keep up with new trends, colors, or to reduce costs). 11 years ago I bought an REI hard shell jacket that was showing significant wear fabric wear after just a few trips. A year after that I bought an Arc'teryx Alpha SV jacket that I bought on clearance and it still looks brand new after wearing it in the mountains and city for many days. And the jacket fits better than any other I have ever tried on. Arc'teryx still makes this jacket and from what I can tell the design is quite similar... a few seam changes, less fabric overlap at the seams, newer generation of goretex, etc. Why change something that works and fits great! The REI mistral pants 1st generation were made with a Schoeller fabric that has held up really well and their design was great! Only downside is that the type of stitch that they used seems to separate easily so I have had to have them repaired. The newer generation of these pants use a non Schoeller fabric and have been defeatured so that they look more like city dress slacks. In the end, choose carefully and when you decide what you want wait for it go on sale.

Water... good to know. I suppose I can get more info from the rangers when we register. I have only worn approach shoes (light weight boots) once on Baker just to try it out, and it didn't seem worth it. But I may try again someday just to be sure. Lighter climbing boots is probably the best solution. Yes, Shurman on Monday night, unless Emmons Flats is all that is available.

I'll be leaving on Sunday afternoon to climb the emmons route. We'll probably camp at Glacier Basin on Sunday evening. Is there water close by? I have only been on this route once before and we didn't camp there so I don't remember. Also, trying to decide if approach shoes make sense with all the trail damage. Not sure if the 1 mile flagged portion out of the white river campground is wet/dry and also if it is prime ankle spraining terrain. What would you recommend? Thanks.

Thanks for all the advice. I have climbed Rainier and other Cascade volcanos before so fortunately I know what to expect. I have been able to get out a few times to hike up Si after work a which is always good for a reality check. This training method has worked for me in the past, though I wouldn't say I have ever overtrained for a climb. Fortunately I have never had problems with keeping a consistent pace. One more question: when training on city hills or stairs, do you wear running shoes or mountaineering boots? I wear running shoes since they are much more comfortable and it saves the boot soles. Next time I train I suppose I could add ankle weights to simulate the added weight of boots. BTW, the best training I have found yet was building retaining walls. Moving 43 tons of 30-250 pound rock throughout the yard and then lifting them into place (often more than once to get a good fit) did the trick.

Anyone have any recommendations for a nice long set of stairs to use for training? I know that there are some good ones in Seattle (not sure where they are), but I would prefer to find something in Shoreline or South Edmonds since this is closer to home. Right now I use the stairs just west of the Richmond Beach Library which has the added advantage of nice sunsets. My current training for an upcoming Rainier climb has been to every other day hike a steep hill with ~100 elevation change or climb a set of stairs with ~35' elevation change. With both I go for an hour with a 45 lb pack. It seems like stairs allow me to keep my heart rate up better but the hills work my calves more. While I would rather train in the mountains I don't get out as often as I like so my training is limited evening hikes of stairs. Thanks!

Alta Sports Altimeter. http://www.sportsinstruments.com/sport.html I believe that it handles elevations up to 30k, but I haven't gone above 14 to test it. After 3 years of use, I recently sent it in for a new battery ($15 includes return postage). Never had a problem with it and it doesn't drift much. A friend has the same and has had no troubles with it. It comes with two bands. The longer one allows you to wear the watch over a base layer and jacket. Alarm is loud enough and the best part is the price, a steal for as low as $60. My only complaints would be that it is a little bulky (though perhaps comperable to other alt. watches) and the fit around the wrist is a little goofy... a bit narrow.

I have had the Myobelt 3 for about 2 years now. Awesome headlamp. The Halogen light focuses well, throws lots of light. The 3 LED's work well, though the 3 LED's in my PT Aurora may throw a slightly better beam. I chose the Myobelt 3 since it has an external battery compartment which allows you to keep the batteries warm. It also makes changing the batteries easier if the headlamp is attached to your helmet. The Myobelt 5 has 5 LED's which throw a bit more light, but also use C size batteries which seems silly since spares are bulky and heavy. The Myobelt 3, Myo 3, and Myo 5 use AA, a size comonly used in GPS units and other headlamps so you can just carry one extra set that can be used for everything. Of course there are probably AAA headlamps as well...

Updated conditions have been posted on this site. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/conditions/mt_baker_climbing_notes.shtml

Climbed the CD in a day with two friends last year at the end of May. Started at 9pm and got back to the car at 10:30. We wore hiking boots to the hogsback then swtiched to mountaineering boots and roped up. Next time I would rather start at 7 or 8 to see evening light on Baker and to watch the sun rising from the summit. I think I would also just wear the big boots to keep pack weight down.

Scott, Steve and I headed up Friday afternoon with a light snow falling and thick clouds. Deep snow, whiteout conditions, and strong relentless winds made the going slow. Ran into solo climber Greg who was 15 minutes ahead of us but had turned around hoping to run into another group to help break trail. He joined us in the uphill push. We all turned around at about 7500' due to nasty weather, slow progress, and a broken jacket zipper. GPS, map, and compass were needed to get back down as our tracks had disappeared. It is easy to see why people have died trying to get to Muir or Paradise in a whiteout.

Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) has Petzl Sarken crampons on sale for $99.98 in case anyone is interested. They are usually $160. Anyone have experience with these? I won't be buying a pair since I just bought BD sabertooth crampons.