mountainmatt

I would suggest checking out Swan slab right next to camp 4. There will be a lot of other parties on it, but the routes are short and there are lots variations to be had: http://www.summitpost.org/swan-slab/157850 http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/California/Yosemite_National_Park/Yosemite_Valley/Swan_Slab/Swan_Slab/ http://www.mountainproject.com/v/swan-slab/105841123

Sometime next summer I will be getting married to my long time girlfriend in Washington. However, with the cost of wedding being ridiculous, we were thinking it would be fun to have the wedding in a large group camp site or a shelter. That way we can save money and still have a good time. Despite knowing Washington fairly well, I am finding it hard to actually identify a site that would work for this. Does anyone have any suggestions? A few requirements: There should be room for the party about 60 people? There should be room for people to camp after the reception about 30 people? We need to be able to drink alcohol Ability to play music without police coming by or annoying surrounding campers Needs to be somewhat near a town for family that will require a hotel We need to be able to reserve it in advance Bonus, but not required: Awesome mountain view Power for lights, running water, etc.

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The summit pyramid via the standard gully is fourth class and pretty straight forward. In terms of gym climbing ratings, it might be closer to a "5.easy". The gully itself is not difficult rather its avoiding the loose rock and dealing with the sense of exposure. Climbing this terrain in your boots will be the more difficult part. Have fun!

Awesome! Thanks for the blow by blow account .

Damn, that is a nice set of routes! Well done! .

Nice set of routes! Another excellent linkup is Royal arches to the south face of north dome (just left of crest jewel). A surprising hard "5.8" What route did you take down from North dome?

I second that.

I can't say that I would be excited by the vertical bushwhacking, but that bivy site looks AWESOME! Nice work!

Nice! That route looked sweet when we were up there. Sort of a crazy line with the big traverse around the boulder and what not. Did you give it a burn?

Nice Stewball and James! I can't say that I am sorry that I skipped that bivy during the storm. Glad you guys are ok though. The question is of course, is the route worth doing? Scale of 1 to 10?

While I would like a Cilo gear pack, I have had a lot of success with the much cheaper Vaude packs. I generally have used the pack for long alpine routes, but a larger size definitely would make for a good 1.5 day pack. For the smaller size (20-30L), there is a plastic piece in the pack that I removed, making the pack the lightest I have found. This also allows the pack to stow easily inside another pack for longer trips. My last Vaude pack lasted 4 years (heavy use). I just replaced it as it finally got a hole on the outside after dragging it up one too many chimneys. Second Ascent has a few of these packs if you want to check them out. Here is the one similar to what I use: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/vaude-rock-ultralight-35-backpack-internal-frame~p~4184v/?filterString=climbing-bags-and-packs~d~45%2FVaude~b~21230%2F&colorFamily=02

That is for sure. The road to the parking lot for Squire creek is a lot nicer than the one to 3'O clock. The approach to any of the routes I have done squire creek are definitely longer and harder.

Awesome! Is the variation new? I wanted to get on that line the last time I was up there, but it started to rain when we were hiking from Martha's place. By far one of the best places to climb in the PNW.

Damn, that sounds spicy! Nice work! .

Sweet! Way to finish up the long standing project! Any action shots of the route?

I can't speak to the exact conditions now, but we did it this time last year: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1035878 Picture 6 (the ramp that leads to Hells Highway) had the only ice section. In my opinion, nothing that required screws but a second tool did make it a little easier to navigate since it was had some rock debris on top of it. Have fun up there, its an awesome route!

Maybe it was hard for me because I was doing it by headlamp. I also hate chimneys

Nice one! The south face always provides for some awesome times. The alternate start is a good one as well and (IMHO) was easier than that chimney.

Nice Stewball! Hearing you say that your wouldn't head back soon tells me to take it off my list for sure. At least you got a nice high bivy in and some great views!

Trip: Squire Creek - Oso Rodeo Date: 9/8/2012 Trip Report: Having done many of the routes in Squire Creek, Evan and I were excited to try Oso Rodeo to the right of Slab Daddy. We knew all too well that it would be hot up there, and with the predicted high in the mid 80s, we started out pretty early in the morning. We did the approach in about 2 hours including the old road, river crossing, and winding path through the forest to the base of the route. We started out climbing at 6:55 AM with the hopes of cruising as far as we could before the sun hit us. We made it halfway through pitch 7 when the sun crept in, and our pace slowed down after about pitch 9 when the slabs started getting hot. After a short break on the top of 9 and leaving a liter of water each for the descent, we cruised on topping out at 12:51 PM (total 5 hours and 56 minutes). We were both out of water at this point, so the raps went a bit slower and we touched down at ~3:50 PM. Luckily we had stored a couple of beers at the river crossing which not only “rehydrated” us, but made the hike out nice and chill. Overall: The route is definitely long but has pretty descent protection the whole way. There is interesting climbing to be had, and the views are spectacular as usual. Big thanks to DW and the rest of the Darrington crew for putting up these big fun routes! A few comments: Pitches 1-3 are cruiser and are a great warm up for the rest of the route. Pitch 4, the first 5.10- roof was hard to figure out at first, but is a short and well protected crux. We both thought this was at least as difficult as the 10+ above. Pitch 5 and 6 are easily linked. Pitch 7, the 5.10+ crux seemed equally difficult as the other 10 sections and is well protected. For pitch 10, we did not look carefully at the topo and started straight from the top of pitch 9. There is a short 2 bolt slab there that was pretty hard and slick (clocks in around 5.10 or so, bring a small cam). The second bolt on this shorter slab is also missing. You can link the short start pitch into the main pitch 10 with a 60m rope. There is a big pool of super nasty water at the top of the short section, careful not to dunk your ropes in it on the way down. Pitch 12, as described by Otto, the third bolt is missing but it’s pretty easy to protect with a stopper slung on it and since you are traversing, a fall wouldn’t be too bad anyways. This pitch is fairly sustained 9/10 climbing but enjoyable. Pitch 14, the 5.8R is not really too bad. You make a 5.8 move near the bolt and then it eases out after about 10 feet. Pitch 16, the finger crack section is about 5-10 feet above an easy ramp. The crack is clean and takes gear, but is semi contrived with 5.easy ramp right below it. Pitch 17, the 5.8R is right off the anchor. The 8 section is fairly short and becomes easy before the bolt. Pitch 18 has the closest thing to a harder run out section. Above the second 5.10- section, it continues to be a bit tricky to the next bolt. Pitch 19 was awkward and tricky. I am sure baking in the sun wasn’t helping anything, but it definitely was not cruiser like many of the other pitches. Pitch 20 the stacked blocks are definitely shifty and will come down at some point. Careful on those bad boys. We were both surprised to find out that you finish about 100 feet below the true summit ridge. It seemed like the route would have gone up, but I am sure there was a good reason to stop there. Gear Notes: 12 draws, 4 of them extendable Single rack to 2” (you only place some gear, each piece gets used at least once, but most pitches have lots of bolts or are pretty cruiser terrain) No need for a #4, there is a nice small crack that eats small cams Approach Notes: Flip flops for the river, beer in the river for the descent.

Not sure that their 2013 schedule is up, but the Fred Hutch always leads a good series of climbs for cancer research: FHCRC Cancer Climbs .

I had always heard how awesome the winds were, and boy those pictures make me want to take a trip there right away! Looks like a great time! .

Trip: Ingalls Peak - East Ridge Date: 8/1/2012 Trip Report: Ingalls Peak East ridge 5 pitches, 5.7 August 2nd- 3rd, 2012 Having moved to the east coast in March, I have not had as much time as I would like to head out climbing, and even when I do, the 5 minute approaches have not done me any favors. For one of my semi-frequent trips to Seattle, Stewart and I had decided to head up to the Enchantments for a route on Mount Stuart. There are many reasons that we did not end up with plan A, additionally plan B was also failing as I was starting to suffer from altitude problems, so a plan C came together. Ingalls peak was nearby, so we went for that. We bivied on the ridge towards Mount Stuart, enjoyed an awesome clear night, a nearly full moon, and besides running into my friend Kevin coming back from the North ridge, we never saw another person. It was great to catch up with a good friend, enjoy a cigar, and some brandy. The next morning, we B-lined it to the base of the route, and just had a good day all around. Route description: The route itself it really best described as 5.fun. It has a feel of the 5.fun sections of the north ridge of Mount Stuart but without the commitment. The most difficult part is really finding a place to call the start of the route (warning, do not go all the way up the gully, head left on the large ledge system, see topo). After that, the pitches go as long as you want to make them (or can with rope drag), or as short as you want (ledges galore!). There is gear all along the way, however the climbing is fairly easy so often times you will find yourself having gone 30-40 feet before placing a single piece. We never had a route description on the route; we just went with what looked to be the most fun. For the crux, there is plenty of beta to bring a #4 cam. You can definitely protect this safely without a #4 (the cam actually makes the crux more of a TR move). A single #3 at the base will keep you plenty safe. Pitch 4 and 5 can really be one if if you are really careful with rope drag, otherwise a short pitch is required. The bivy site: Stewart at the Bivy site below the west ridge of Mount Stuart: Matt enjoying the same nice bivy: The full east side and north face of Ingalls peak: Stewart on the approach: The approach gully: Continuing up the gully: Stewart on pitch 1: Stewart on pitch 2: Matt at the belay of pitch 2: Matt on pitch 4: Matt at the top of pitch 4: Stewart on pitch 4: Matt on the short pitch 5: Topo for Ingalls Peak, East Ridge: Photos by Matt Clifton and Stewart Matthiesen. Gear Notes: #4 cam if you want a TR for the crux move, #3 if you want to save the weight. Otherwise, a single rack and some nuts will do.

Wicked Awesome! I guess I will have to make another trip up the endless granite sidewalk for this one. .