billbob

There seems to be a wide range of what folks consider as white-out. Last winter we had weather move in quickly around dawn on the SS, bring serious white-out and freezing rain that quickly built up on our gear to over 1" thick. We were by Crater Rock at the time. Couldn't see past the end of my trekking pole. As we slowly headed back down, a couple small slab avis went close by, no doubt as a result of precip-loading. Sure wish I had remembered to bring the gps, even with altimeter, map & compass we ended up W of the Palmer lift and had to traverse E for an hour. Fun stuff.

uh, I left those there to help others who might also be climbing in the cold wet slippery-ness!? Forgive this newbie dumbass, but you might need a hammer to get the P3 nut out after I stood on it for almost half a freaking hour.

Lots of stories have happy endings thanks to the excellent people in mountain rescue. This humble author remembers all too well his own such story and the profound gratitude for the help. Moral is: Don't forget to send a donation to your local rescue group, the next ass they save could be yours.

Ivan, Thanks for your patience and leadership in getting my skinny white ass up that route. Never woulda kept it together were it not for your frequent words of encouragement and advice. You really do this shit for fun, huh? Actually I was kinda wondering about the dearth of other people out there on Friday.. like aren't there supposed to be lots of other climbers out here too? At least now I get to write my own BR story on the board and yes I do want to climb that rock when its dry (OK, just once) because at this point the fear has changed to pride and it feels pretty freaking great. Yah, IMO the best way to keep warm at Beacon is to borrow the extra sweater in your partner's bag about half way up. It helps to be shaking uncontrollably with fear as your partner will prolly think you must be freezing yer ass off. Downside is that then you gotta focus and somehow stop the shaking freakies or else he's going to want his sweater back for sure. Off-Topic but worthy comment: Damn I have new-found respect for rock climbers in general along with a better understanding of the reasons for doing it.

dude, don't go telling everybody.

too funny

To wit: last December, weekend before the "Lost Climbers on Hood" storm-of-the-year began, conditions couldn't have been better than the styrofoam snow and clear blue skies at the SS ...

Ranger office is saying they plan to leave the road open thru Thanksgiving W/E, also the Cooper Spur Lodge received 8" of new snow last night so one might find the road impassable for most vehicles.

Hood Rangers reports today the CC road still open and will prolly remain open thru this weekend. Road conditions reported as "frosty", good news because they want to avoid ruts that occur when the road is wet.

Does the ban on nudity extend from summit down to Base Camp? "Nepal bans nudity on Mount Everest Last updated at 14:31pm on 26th September 2007 Attention climbers: Please keep your clothes on while climbing Mount Everest. Nepal's mountaineering authorities are calling for a ban on nudity and attempts to set obscene records on the world's highest mountain, officials said today. Last year, a Nepali climber claimed the world's highest display of nudity when he disrobed for several minutes while standing on the 8,850-metre (29,035-foot) summit in temperatures about minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). Nepalese authorities have banned attempts to set obscene records on the mountain, which they revere "There should be strict regulations to discourage such attempts by climbers," said Ang Tshering, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association. Other record-setting attempts that sparked controversy included a Dutch man who attempted to scale the peak wearing only shorts. The people who live on the foot hill of Everest worship the mountain as a god and mountaineering authorities have asked the government to ban disrespectful stunts on Everest, Tshering said. Mount Everest has always attracted record-setters, including the oldest climber (71 years old), the youngest climber (15 years old), the first climber with one foot and the first blind climber. In 2005, a Nepali couple exchanged vows on the summit as the first couple to get married on Everest." Excerpt from London Daily Mail

N Hood Ranger station says the road to Cloud Cap/TJ will be closed soon. This may be the last weekend you will be able to drive all the way up until June-ish next year.

Dude, get a grip. Do your homework. It's just going to piss people off if they have to come save your newbie ass.

I drink a bottle of over-priced water and then pour in the favorite adult beverage. Aluminum will quickly form an oxidation layer at the surface and remain relatively inert unless / until exposed to liquids below pH 4.5 (or above about 11). Recommend you avoid also any liquids containing salts (electrolytes)in Aluminum containers. Further recommend avoiding cookware not coated with an inert (Teflon) layer. Health effects of aluminum Aluminum is one of the most widely used metals and also one of the most frequently found compounds in the earth's crust. Due to these facts, aluminum is commonly known as an innocent compound. But still, when one is exposed to high concentrations, it can cause health problems. The water-soluble form of aluminum causes the harmful effects, these particles are called ions. They are usually found in a solution of aluminum in combination with other ions, for instance as aluminum chlorine. The uptake of aluminum can take place through food, through breathing and by skin contact. Long lasting uptakes of significant concentrations of aluminum can lead to serious health effects, such as: - Damage to the central nervous system - Dementia - Loss of memory - Listlessness - Severe trembling Note that excessive alcohol intake will result in similar symptoms....

Huckleberries are IN above Elk Cove, Vista Ridge trail. Ropes not needed.

Note to potential partners: Mr Clam is one strong climber, as in he carried a full pack from Paradise to Muir last weekend in under 4 hrs, and I don't think he was really trying. That was after he got maybe 2hrs sleep the night before. Then two days later he solo'd up Colchuck Peak in about 45 min from the bottom of the snowfield. In the rain, with no ice tool, just an axe. Oh yeah, if you aren't familiar w/ current route conditions on Colchuck, it has a 60 degree bare ice section about 200' long. Then he ran down the snowfield, ran down the moraine, and ran back to the trailhead. Damn kid didn't even look tired. Mr Clam is one good guy and you'll be lucky to climb with him.

What he said! We waited Sat and Sun at Muir for a break in the weather, decided not to follow you guys Sat nite and were glad for it. Our megamid got knocked down from that storm, forcing us to drink our last bottle (made sense at the time). Would have enjoyed the whole thing much more if only we had thought to bring more adult beverages etc. Isn't August supposed to have the best weather? Just goes to show ya that 1) Mountain weather is unpredictable, and 2) Bring more consumables than you expect to consume because it's much better to carry back than to run dry. Hope to see you back up there soon.

Chouinard pick/hammer, looks kinda old, pick very rusted. Picked up while crossing over Eliot glacier from Cooper Spur enroute to Snowdome. Partly buried in rock/mud, looked like it has been there a while.

Why White River over the Eliot?

Made you look !

Amphetamines and lots of GU. Also, Mountain House Turkey Tetrazinni w/ instant potatoes mixed in. ALWAYS add plenty of water to freeze dried food bags. Once, I was low on water but hungry as hell, the result was semi-hydrated, very crunchy MH Beef Stew and I couldn't take a dump for about a week afterwards. It wasn't funny. Don't laugh. Can you really eat marmots? What about those little chipmunks? People wearing shorts over poly? I'm more curious about what others drink in the mtns. I like Crater Lake vodka w/ a sports drink mix. Mmmmmm!

Have way too much experience on Hood year round (live in Portland), looking to get out to other climbs. Interested in most any 3-4 day climbs, have gear & serious transport. Happy in all weather. Intermediate snow/ice, currently well acclimated to 10-11K alt. PM back

Subaru keys on blue biner. Been on ground awhile.

We can't find the damn thing, figuring it was dropped coming down the climber trail below Crater Rock. Stopped off at Tline restroom. Wasn't in car. Brand spankin new yellow Grivel hammer, never really used. Reward $50. No questions asked.

Was thinking to camp at I-Rock Saturday then climb the Leuthold route, changed mind after seeing this. Probably more than our two-man team could handle given the anticipated bad weather coming in.

Several people saw us and spoke with me on the descent this morning but frankly I don't give a damn about anyone's reservations regarding the veracity of this posting. He knows who he is and I hope to have the opportunity to speak w/ him in person. To publish a name would distract from my question. .