AlpineMonkey

That traverse you mention was hard, but I had a good piece in. I was more scared on the 2nd pitch. Your guys steps were completly gone.

Dane and I did the route yesterday. John, your pictures don't do the route justice. Those last two pitches are a little spicey, don't you say? We broguht 5 cams (.4 to 3, used em all), 3 blades (used), 2 baby angles (didnt use), 5 nuts (I placed one), and two shorty screws (completly pointless). Lots of fun, very good route.

Hey Porter...elaborate on that picture...what are we looking at there. I got sick and can't make work today. John, thanks for the refferal to see Dr. Dragontail.

partner found. thanks for the responses.

please somebody pm me.....

Anyone want to climb d-tail tomorrow (11/25/08), send me a pm with phone number before 5.

Nice Job John. If anyone wants to give the route ago tomorrow (Tuesday) car to car send me a pm before 5 with your phone number. I'm dying to get out and can most likly play hookie at work. I've been told there are some steller steps already kicked in place.

It is hard to believe, but last year one week from now (on 11/28/07) was the opening day of my Washington Ice Climbing season. This year it hasen't got that cold yet, but the season is getting near and I'm getting jittery. This is a call for all WA ice climbers who find ice this year to post it up. The more you know, the more I know, the more we all know and the more we all climb. Cheers to a good season.

I don't care too much, but in response to your post, yes I am sure what has and hasen't been climbed (for the most part) and yes the wall and some of your route was climbed by Doorish.

Kat, I don't know what that "unknown" tower is, but it is not the Croc. Fang. This tower is prominent when looking down from the Upper Hook Creek and is the furthest tower down the ridge, even below The Hook. When viewed from looking up Hook Creek it is almost indistinguishable from its surroundings though. I heard about your ski. Lot of teritory that you covered, thats impressive. You have a lot of motivation. Good to hear that your still in the area and doing stuff. Some of Tony's climb was new, but not all of the pitches were. Some were done by Pete. I think I counted somewhere around 80 pitches that he has done on the Blockhouse, on all faces. Liz and I once climbed the N. Face of The Mole and it was very good. Much better then the S. Face in the Nelson book. I do have a picture of someone riding the shrew somewhere, but I forget who. It may be a man w/ dreads that no longer has dreads, but I remember climbing it with Liz too.

I don't intend to use them again. I got them in Peru last year and I probably wont be back for a while, if ever. But they are really cool maps. Just want something to remind me of the cool stuff there. Thanks for some ideas.

Does anyone have any creative idea's to display maps on a wall without just sticking tacks in the corrner? I want it to look nice and protect the maps as well.

Trip: Goose Egg Mountain - Gangsta Rap Date: 10/19/2008 Trip Report: Though the rock quality might not be what you would find at your average local cragg, Goose Egg Mountain continues to hold my interest. I first became aware of the steep S. Face in my begining yars of climbing, but fears of loose rock and dangerous runnouts kept me away, until now. "You would have to have a death wish to venture out on those walls," I would be told. But Joe Puryear et al. has put a lot of work in to establishing some mighty god damn fun routes. I don't know of any other place in Washington with such a high concentration of Grade III climbs with a 10 minute approach off the road. The loose rock warnings and PG/R climbing attached to many of the routes definatly make us climbers pause, but after this being my third route on the wall, as I have said before, "It really wasen't all that bad." It was damn fun. Gangsta Rap - Grade III, 5.10C R Refer to Tieton River Rocks for Topo Goose Egg Mountain: (Route goes somewhere up the middle of the face) For a full overview of Goose Egg Mountain vist Joe Puryear's websight: http://www.cascadeimages.com/cr/crimages/GooseEgg_lines_1.jpg Gear Notes: Gear and draws Approach Notes: About 10 Grade III routes, about 10 minute walk.

Oh, I know that. The author wrote "greybear" sounding to me like "grey-bear" and the central washington through me off.

What is North Face of Greaybear? I've never heard of it? Is it a rock climb? A colouir?

Are you saying that your a trespasser Alex? I drove through there all winter last year (almost weekly) and only one climb came in. Nothing else even close to coming in.

I've been there and thought it pretty good. Does anyone know who did the work?

I don't think not seeing anybody in the mountains is a good jude on usage. Its a big place out there and there are so many routes and things to do.

Thanks for the nice TR. That makes me want to do that. If you weren't a "newbie" would you need a rope for the ascent or descent? How hard/exposed and how long is the short 5th class section you mention? How about a 30m rope and a few nuts and slings?

I don't not recommend a lot of climbs, but The Talon is 90 feet of loose, scarry, dangerous, not recomended climbing in my opinion. Was planning to do all the 4 routes up it, but one was enough. My fiancee didn't even want to climb the route on top rope it was so loose. It's pretty high up on my all time loose list and I've been on a lot (I mean a lot) of trash. I'm glad I did it, but I for sure wont be back.

Alex, that makes sense. I see what your talking about. One thing for sure though, is I see a decrease, or maybe a better word is a lack of emerging young alpine climbers in WA. I'm 23 and the only person my age I climb with is my fiancee. All others are people who are in there 30's, 40's,50's and sometimes even older. I never meet people on the trail or in the hills that our in there younger years (my age).

Like I said ealyer, I could be wrong. It's just how I feel from what I see and know (which could be very little). I'm not trying to set myself up here for people to say what backing do you have etc..., but I am sure more people then this Blake guy climb in Washington. Maybe other's aren't doing new routes out there and I just think they are, I don't know. But I know Pete D. has done a lot of new routes every year (including this one...), but they might be insignificant stuff...and what about Bryan B., I don't really see his name coming up ever and he is also obbseivly active. There is one or two sentences about some "little" grade IV 5.11 route that he did. Those are just two people that I know of who are extremly active. I'm feel like there must be others. Just wanted to see what other people thought. Even if it includes writting a letter to these peoples it would be awsome to get them to submit. It's all history in the end and once it's lost its gone for good.

It would be awsome of those of us with connections to the older generations (the not so internet savvy or perhaps not so internet willing...) could talk to them and get their reports so next year we can have a more complete and accurate picture of whats really happening in Washington. I believe there is much more happening out their and I am willing to do my part next year to get this information out there from the few I know who are still hitting it up. I would like to see a lot more in there then practically 2 asccents by the same person who chose to write.

Here is something for disscussion: I got my first American Alpine Journal today in the mail and think it's the neatest thing ever. It will be what I am reading in my free time for the next couple of weeks. I can't believe or even imagine people doing some of the lines I see in there; there are some unbelievable climbers out there. I flipped to the Washington Section and it states that "Washington continues to see overal wilderness usage decrease..." and that "climbers are making fewer extended wilderness outtings." Also, "climber’s attention focuses on select guidebooks and internet disscusions." I will be thinking about these statments all day at work probably. I hope this dissucsion attracts some thoughtful responses and debate. I could be wrong, but this is what I think... I think there could be overall usage decreasse of Washington's wilderness by general users, but I think the same climbers that have always been cranking hard are still cranking hard. I believe these surveys have come from filling out those trail passes at trailheads and I don't know one serious climber that has ever filled one out, including myself. With the advent of internet discussions, we hear about a "select" few climbers and I believe it creates a false bias of Washington activity. We are all only reading about the same climbers time after time again, when the majority of climbers who aren't on this board and aren't posting it up in the journals are getting at it hard. If you look at all the NWMJ's for example, it’s always the same people time and a time again. It is an awsome publication (and I'm not implying anything bad about it) but it is more of a journal of a select younger few who choose to post. As for climbers now only focusing on select climbs (ie Jim Nelson books), I believe again that’s not true. I don't know how many Dragontail, Prusik, and Stuart reports I've read on here, quite a bit, but again it’s just the few who are posting it up. My backing behind this thought comes directly from "the field." I have been getting out every single weekend and doing many of the unclassic and not selected climbs and I find an abundance of evidence, like new webbing, on these climbs. Also this year I tried a line that I thought haden't seen a repeat. Then later found out that at least 3 other parties had done the route. I know one older generation climber who still gets out for a couple months each summer (litteraly taking full weeks off at a time to do routes) and he dosen't have an email, dosen't know how to use the internet, and is so computer illeterate he had to hand write a letter and then have his sister type it up on the computer for him for his work. I think we shouldn't come to conclusions that cascadeclimbers and journals completly repersent the Washington climbing sene. There is a lot more going on that you (and I) don’t here about. Sorry if my writting is choppy, I was just going off the top of my head here. I'm curios to think about what others think.

Trip: Kloochman Rock & The Talon - Date: 9/27/2008 Trip Report: Kloochman Rock - Peak 1 - N. Face - Grade III, 5.10D PG This rock outcropping is quite impressive from the S. Face climbs on the neighbooring Goose Egg Mountain. The Kloochman Peaks are well known among climbers as being dangerously loose, however, we found that the rock wasen’t all that bad. Though there are bands of looseness, the majority of the climbing is safe and good for the carefull climber. The route consits of mostly face climbing up slabs and through small roofs. High on the face The Talon - South Face Direct - Grade I, 5.10C PG This promient tower can be seen from Highway 12, E. of White Pass. The approach took aproximatly one hour of walking up 1000 feet of talus. We found the majority of the tower to be loose, but neverthless, it is an intereting feature. Climbing through the crux roof Spectacular summit