Dan_Miller

Thanks for a litle more updated and indepth info Curt.

Just looking around and found the following on NOCA's Conditions Report: Cascade River Road (off State Route 20 at mile 106) Partial Elevation at road's end: 3,660'. Gated and closed at mile 20, Eldorado Creek, 3 miles before the end of the road. Road is paved to ~ mile 10, then gravel with some potholes and washboards, but generally drivable for low clearance vehicles. Not suitable for large RVs due to steep and narrow sections and some sharp switchbacks. Please drive SLOWLY, road is narrow. Newly fallen trees may also block the road on occasion. As of Dec. 13, rockslide blocks road at ~mile 6.

No question, BD Glop Stopper has certainly worked for me in the wettest spring snow conditions.

Just received from Jeff Adamson at WSDOT The North Cascades Highway is now Closed for the Season. Hi all, We're closed for the season as of 8 o'clock this morning - here's the news release I'm sending to the media: SR 20, the North Cascades Highway is closed for the season WENATCHEE – 37 miles of SR 20, the North Cascades Highway closed for the winter at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1. The highway was temporarily closed at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29 in advance of a snowstorm that brought up to two feet of new snow by this morning. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) avalanche and maintenance officials found a foot of new snow at the closure gates and twice that at the higher elevations. Several snow slides reached the roadway and with another snow storm forecast for later this week, attempting to reopen the highway under active avalanche zones would be unsafe. The highway is closed between milepost 134, seven miles east of Diablo Dam on the west side of 4,855’ Rainy Pass and milepost 171, nine miles west of Mazama on the east side of 5,477’ Washington Pass. Crews were happy that they were able to keep the highway open through Thanksgiving weekend despite new snow and an avalanche that closed one lane for several hours. The highway closed Nov. 17, last year, following two temporary closures earlier in the month. Last spring, the highway opened April 16. Typically, the highway is closed by avalanches between the week before Thanksgiving and the middle of December. There was one drought year, four years after the highway opened in 1976, when it stayed open all winter. Visit the North Cascades web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades and the North Cascades Flickr - photo site: www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157623371473447/ I'll probably still send out one more of these e mail updates when the avalanche chute aerials finally get posted on the NCH web page - then you won't hear from me until late Feb. or early Mar. when the avalanche crew goes up for the reopening assessment trip. So - I'd better wish you a Merry Christmas, now! Jeff Adamson adamsoj@wsdot.wa.gov 509.667.2815

Hi all, We were able to keep the North Cascades Highway open through the Thanksgiving weekend, despite one slide that closed a lane for a couple hours until our crew could safely clear it. HOWEVER, we're closing it at 4 p.m. this afternoon and will look at it after the storm to see if we can reopen. We've got a forecast for a big dump tonight and another one tomorrow - depending on whose forecast you're reading, we could get a foot, or up to two feet of new snow from each front that's coming through. At the same time, the forecast for last Thursday night to Friday said 15" and we got 6 to 8 inches (and the one slide). So, we'll wait to see what the storms actually bring before declaring it closed for the season. Right now, there's 31 inches on the shoulder at Washington Pass. That amount of snow usually isn't enough to worry about, but with the arctic cold last week, there's an icy crust on what snow is in the chutes and depending on the characteristics of the new snow coming (as well as how much), we could find slides closing the highway or unstable conditions (read hazardous to work under or drive under) that would turn this into the permanent winter closure. (By the way - if you click on the Washington Weather Station link, you'll note that it says there's only 22" of snow on the ground. Check the top of the page - a snowshoer walked over the top of the sensor and compacted the snow, so NWAC left a note - add 10" to the total! - first time I've seen that...) Today, while the road conditions are good, our crews are checking cars parked at trailheads and contacting drivers to tell them to go home before the storm's hit. I'll send out an update when Mike and Don get back in radio range tomorrow and tell me what they've found. Jeff Adamson adamsoj@wsdot.wa.gov 509-667-2815

Just received from Jeff Adamson at WSDOT: Hi all, This is a “it could close temporarily or for the season, or not at all” update! My crystal ball is pretty fuzzy, but here’s what the best weather minds have produced for North Cascades Highway Thanksgiving weekend weather expectations: Getting there-Yes, Getting home-Maybe… Wednesday: no snow, but cold and gray – travel should be okay. Wednesday night: light snow – 2” or less – travel okay. Thursday: heavier snow – 5”, likely – yucky, but doable. Thursday night: HEAVY SNOW (very dry, however) – 15”+ is possible – How badly do you really need to try to stay awake and drive in a blizzard Thursday night after all that Turkey? Depending on how that snow comes in, it could fill avalanche chutes and while there’s not much snow in any of them right now, they’re well crusted and a foot or more of fresh snow on top would likely slide. If that happens, it comes down to how much and where (which chutes). On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there is some more light snow in the forecast, but weather will improve all three days (the weather system will shift south to California) and any precipitation could be rain by Sunday. If you’re planning on using the North Cascades to get to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving, the highway will be open. So far as using the same route to get back home – check the pass report on the web or call 5-1-1 or you can subscribe to get the pass reports emailed directly to you: http://wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/rssfeeds/cascade/default.aspx The following may be worth checkng out! On another matter – our avalanche control team finished creating some aerial photographs with all the North Cascades avalanche zones identified. We’re making a place on Flickr for them and when they’re posted, we’ll add a link to the NCHighway web page (and I’ll send out another one of these e mail updates.) Happy Thanksgiving, Jeff Adamson adamsoj@wsdot.wa.gov 509.667.2815

I can't imagine life without all that Cascade Climbers provides us!

You two did all the right stuff! Rigorous attitude; was a decided benefit at least in my reading of this incident. Heal well! We're all thnking about you.

That's a big rock to get hit with. Geez, see a physician, then perhaps a Physical Therapist.

Thanks Jason, great TR on a direct route to a remote area. The trudge up the hillside doesn't seem so complex or daunting as I might have envisioned.

A little unclear from the description of your location, but Storm King Mountain is pretty nearly due East of your stated position. Storm King is close in relative proximity to Goode Mtn. and Mt. Logan, sitting on the Thunder Creek-Park Creek-N. Fork Bridge Creek divide. Little Devil and the remainder of the Teebone Ridge is NW of your stated position. Were you looking at Snowking, Mutchler and the Buckindy Peaks perhaps.

Statistically, last few days of July and the first few days of August has the lowest chance of precipitation and clouds. However, there will be bugs(skeeters principally). Don't be detuoured by those insects, it will be worth it. Best of luck!

Exactly my recollection of the majority of terrain on both Ballard and Azurite. And I'm a Ballard Native, after all. Glad I don't have to go back!

Stellar effort on a long committing climb! It was time for a repeat after all. A real 'walk in the sky' as Barry Blanchard often says. My recollection looking at it from both Storm King and Goode summits is that it'd take a lot of work.

Listen to Blake, he knows a thing or two about baking and cinnamon rolls for certain. Great TR and perhaps even better effort on retrieving the camera! I have a special fondness for Stehekin and environs.

I never fail to be amazed by the young Skagit Alpinist. Keep at it Colin! Many years ago when were up there, the masssif enchainment would have been nearly unthinkable. Up on the Stikine, the weather is key.

Fine work gentlemen! Cheers The following statements really say it all: "Great portraits of post-Pickets faces too!" By Wayne Wallace "I love that picture of the four of you at the end of the trip." By Skeezix

I've a great old 45 meter Mammut 11 mm, yellow with red striping, in quite good shape [would make great rug, doormat material] (as you stated don't climb on it). I'd gladly trade it for a 12 pack of Amstel Light. PM me if interested, I'm in Ballard's Sunset Hill neighborhood just up the hill a little bit from Stone Gardens.

Good to have you aboard Tyler! Happy Trails

I'll have to concur with Jimbo's comments re Torment Basin Climbers Path. We've used it at least three times in the past, quite successfully. However I've not done it in a number of years. Real direct and quite functional. I'm a little surprised that it is not pretty obvious. Oh well! I may have suss it out in the near future. Happy Trails,

Thanks for stating that so succinctly Gene!

I guess one of the big questions might be how much glacier travel experience do you have in your skills kit? Ability to read the snow. (I.e., sags, shadows, and other telltale glacier travel abilities learned from significant glacier travel experience.) No question, there will be a well tromped out path to the summit. And, on a more likely than not basis a number of other climbers around, even on a week day this time of year. Perhaps you might be able to rope up with same for the realatively short distance of crevassed glacier. Note that there will still be a fair bit of seasonal snow on both the Eldorado and Inspirztion Glciers, making good judgement the likely key element for your safety. I've done it solo, and others as well. However I've not been up there this season, expecially in the last week or two. Not being apprised of your past glacier travel expereince that's about all I (or someone else for that matter) could possibly add. This would all be a bloody glimpse of the obvious, now wouldn't it? Have fun. Please let us know your findings! Perhaps you can provide others the information you are seeking.

Seattle Hand Surgery Group as mentioned above is the preminent group of Orthopedic Hand surgeons in Seattle. Any one there would likely go a great job, they're all Fellowship Trained with the highest training and degree of skill. Thomas Trumble at the U of W is extraordinary no question, but actually more of a Hand Traumatologist than a hand generalist. Almost without exception, Carlton Keck, Jr at Seattle Hand is the choice for the Major League Sports Teams in this area. My long time friend (Seattle Mariners Team Physician, for 24 years now) would not send any of his Mariner's to another physician. (I'm trying not to be a 'know-it-all here' but having worked with medical-legal issues for many years in this town I make it my business to know who the very best are. Likewise, the Professional Team Docs in Seattle know who is best for a number of apparent reasons. The best of luck with your injury. You could PM me for more info if so desired.

The other tool/ice axe is the Black Diamond Venom with the so-called technical pick attached. A very nice general purpose mountaineering axe in my opinion.

I think there's no question that there would be significant snow still at White Pass. It is on the Cascade crest after all. And at 5378 ft. combined with the East trending White River valley it's likely there is about 36 inches or so at the present.