montypiton

If you can score the permit, camp in the moraines below the Stuart Glacier access Stuart N Ridge, Valhalla Buttress, Razorback Ridge... or camp below the Ice-cliff glacier & access Stuart N Ridge, NE Face, Girth Pillar, Sherpa N Ridge... used to be the norm before the "car-to-car-in-a-day" fad...

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I've been up and down both Toketie creek and Temple creek (lived in Leavenworth since 1980) and both are fun trips. Both require some alpine smarts navigation skills, but they are worth the work - once north of Prusik Pass, you're likely to have the place to yourself. I would NOT recommend these routes to anyone with less than "journeyman" level skills with off-trail alpine travel. The terrain is complex, if not particularly technical, easy to get cliffed. On the other hand, it is also staggeringly beautiful, private, and the trout fishing is superb. For your first time through, I'd go out exactly the route you propose. Yes, the drop from Toketie Lake down to Snow Creek is less than pleasant, but it's relatively short, and the Toketie exit is, in my opinion, somewhat more straightforward routefinding than the Temple canyon exit.

be advised that the present flow volume and temperature of the Wenatchee River is more typical of June than August. that means that ALL beaches still present significant exposure to current and hypothermia. we've already had one drowning at Barn Beach (downstream end of Waterfront Park)this year - that's the most popular,and one of the most forgiving, of the Leavenworth area beaches...

pcg - you are correct that back-clipping is much less an issue when you're protecting with long, floppy runners. for placements where you have any doubt, though, consider using a lightweight locking carabiner on the rope end of the sling; or, I've seen some leaders use two carabiners, with gates reversed and opposed.

Royal Arches -- classic easy (5.6?) "wall" is a popular "first wall". East Buttress El Cap -- Willi Unsoeld and Allen Steck in ancient times - a route on the Captain that goes free at about 5.7, except for one 5.10 move at the bottom easily bypassed via the "silver handhold" method. Both are fun,forgiving,classic introductions to the size/exposure of the Valley's big routes. Both are long days - either may dictate a bivvy if you're not efficient.

I use shoulder-length slings exclusively for all my climbing - alpine, sport and trad rock, ice -- everything. I shorten them to quickdraw length using a method popular with AMGA old-timers: clip a carabiner at each end of a shoulder-length runner, pass one carabiner through the other, and clip both strands of the now-doubled runner. Stretch the carabiners apart, and you have a tripled runner which works as a quickdraw as-is, or can be quickly deployed full-length by simply unclipping two strands from either carabiner. Althgough I'm too lazy to confirm this, I think this is the "alpine quickdraw" mentioned by earlier posters. I carry them racked on my harness as quickdraws - far easier to deploy than having to disentangle a shoulder sling. Been using this system for 20+ years, and have become addicted to the simplicity: every sling I carry is instantly both a quickdraw and a shoulder length runner - just blindly grab one, and it's whichever I want. For the occasional 4'-diameter tree or volkswagen-sized boulder, a cordellette or two completes the sling supply.

the original Salewa adjustable, an all-strap 'pon that was ubiquitous in the '70s to '90s, comes up regularly on Ebay, and sometimes can be had for less than $20. I mostly use them on soft approach shoes, but have climbed to WI4 with them mounted on rigid boots... keep an eye on Second Ascent, Craigslist, and shop bulletin boards for these, also

got a quick look this morning before the rain/mist settled in, (had hoped to nip up Argonaut, but not in the rain) and it looked to me like there's still enough snow in the couloir... snow cover is holding pretty late this year... the times I've used this descent I've preferred it to the southside and westside options... and as John says, if it don't look good from the top, you can always just traverse on over to the Sherpa/Argonaut col & back out mountaineer creek...

I climbed the N Face the first week of September in 1979. Our time window followed several days of storm which had left 12"+ snow on the face. We began our climb after the face had had two days of sun and two cool nights to stabilize. Even then, we chose to begin the climb in the afternoon, after the sun had left the face, so the snow would be cooling/consolidating while we climbed. Kicked steps all the way, summitted at midnight. Bivvied 'till daylight, when it whited out again, had to use the rope as a compass needle to descend south ridge to Kain face. Ended up bivvied again in a crevasse field below the Kain face, waiting for visibility to navigate through the holes. Lucky for us, weather cleared the following morning. Coulda stayed whited out for days, & we'd still be sitting there... that was a sobering bivouac... Felt like we got a reasonable look at the Fuhrer from the snow dome below the Kain face - looked like it might be fun if you're reasonably comfortable on dogturdite - not as long/committing as Wishbone arete or the Emperor ridge -- noticed a couple of snow/ice lines on the dogturdite face between the Kain Face and the Fuhrer ridge, that looked reminiscent of the N. Face routes on Mt Hood -- I've occasionally thought about going back to try them... no idea how consistently they form... it's gorgeous country - we approached up the Robson River & Robson Glacier instead of directly up the Berg Glacier from Berg Lake -- much longer, much more roundabout, but less technical, and DAMN it's pretty! that said, you gotta WANT these routes, 'cause it's just a looong way in to that side of Robson. we resigned ourselves to big loads and slow travel, more "expedition" style than "alpine" style -- two days to Berg Lake, a third to the Robson Glacier where we left a tent, than a fourth day to the Helmet col, where we bivvied before starting the N Face. made the climb on day 5, then two more days returning to tent on Robson Glacier, (would have been only one, but for the whiteout), another day from our glacier camp down to Berg Lake, and a final long day out for a total of nine days. Current style would be much faster, heading directly up Berg Glacier from Berg Lake, but we sure enjoyed having that much time... just young & dumb & climbing with my girlfriend...

C'mon, Dinah - have you ever met a male dirtbag climber whose intentions WERE "honorable"? Most of us are downright Proud of being dirty-old-men!! Of course, no observant person, male or female, would ever accuse us of being "seemingly nice" or "gentlemen" -- such insults simply wouldn't be tolerated by the CFCC.

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I had a pair of alpine boots "shrink" when resoled, and thought they'd be ok... climbed a modest sized mixed alpine wall, and was pretty much lame by the time I got down. You may be able to try some lacing tricks that might keep your foot from moving in the boot, but if your toes touch at all, even just barely, I'd say hold out for the larger size, or try a different boot... you mentioned they fit "like your alpine boots" -- I'm curious why, if you own a pair of alpine boots that you like, why you are buying another boot for a summer ascent of Rainier?

I married late - 38 - as I was transitioning out of guiding. My wife was the widow of a long-time climbing partner who'd crashed a paraglider. When we married, I promised I wouldn't fly. We honeymooned at Red Rocks, and our three sons learned to climb as they learned to walk. Ever take a two-year-old up Orchard Rock? We climbed easy stuff when they were little, but they could follow anything I could lead by the time they were in middle school. My youngest boy climbed Louise Falls when he was 12. I believe you should follow your joy, and share it with those you love. Even the healthiest of us feel pain. Even the richest of us want. And every one of us will be dead soon enough. Dialing back will not prevent my loved ones from experiencing pain, and want, and death - although it may reduce the joy I can share with them. Three years ago, after climbing 40 years, the shit finally hit the fan. On an alpine trip with my youngest son (16 at that time) we got caught near the top of a mixed route in a sudden storm. Lightning struck the ridge above us and triggered an avalanche of ice and rock that scraped me and my belay off the face, and fortunately severed the rope to my son, who was able to shelter in a lateral moat. He downclimbed, unroped, the mixed route we'd climbed on belay, astounding the party who'd witnessed the event and rushed to my aid. I broke pretty much everything, and spent the next two months flat on my back. I will continue psychotherapy and medication for life to address the brain damage. I was climbing again four months later, and am back to almost the same technical level at which I was climbing before the fall, though with less stamina. Before this experience, I had always thought I'd prefer death to serious injury, but I've found myself amazingly happy from the start. Surprisingly, I found being bedridden to be exciting! Each day, there was some small thing that I hadn't been able to do the day before. The gains come slower, now, and I'm learning patience. My psychotherapist had been a world-class ice-climber before he crashed a bicycle 15+ years ago and found himself paralyzed below the chest. Still paralyzed, he has learned to WALK with two canes. He kayaks weekly year-round, with friends who help him into and out of his boat. There are things he could do before the crash that he cannot now do - yet. But each time I see him, he's excited about something he can do that he couldn't do at our last meeting. He refuses to consider himself "disabled". Oh - almost forgot - my son has been teaching his girlfriend to climb this summer... I have the choice - live till I die, or die till I'm dead. Dial it back? Not a chance!

word is the upper lakes are still snowed/iced in. two years ago they were still under snow at the end of July. If you're planning to go beyond Snow Lakes, I'd take boots, and either poles or an ice axe. up to Snow Lakes, you'll be okay with tennies.

PM

you included "maintenance" in your objectives, which I presume means replacing "permanent" elements of the anchor - so you'd be carrying two of the nuts recommended above, two hangers, two "quick-links" for connecting chains to hangers, and two short lengths of chain. If it was me, I'd only carry this equipment on trips where I plan to replace or establish an anchor. For escape, should I unexpectedly find myself dealing with a bare bolt, I've had excellent results over the years hitching the bolt with half-inch webbing (I expect the newer skinny runners would work as well, I'm just too cheap to buy 'em). In my experience, the hitched web is far more secure than the sliding-nut-cable method.

if you own a set of doubles, and want to go ultralight, why not just fold one in half and climb shorter pitches? I've used this tactic a bunch - particularly on modest climbs where I may be simulclimbing a significant portion. I share your preference for bi-patterns,and I've wished I could find a bicolor skinnier than the joker - my solution has been to mark the rope middle by taking a dull needle and weaving contrasting color thread into the sheath for an inch or two. no worries about hang-ups as with tape marking, nor chemical reactions as with ink/paint, plus the mark will last as long as the sheath.

c'mon - ever'body knows prevailing winds across Washington, Idaho, and Montana blow from west to east because North Dakota sucks... in contrast, climbing, at any standard, rocks!

check pm's...

okay - I know you said western Washington, but I'm gonna throw this out anyway, because I only just discovered it, and it sorta blew me away: Slick Rock, thirty minutes from Payette Lake, McCall, Idaho - the "Regular Route" is TEN LONG PITCHES, 5.6 - fairly consistent 5.2 - 5.6. Received a pretty favorable write-up in Rock & Ice...

I'm in Idaho Falls this week on family business, looking to be back home in 11-worth sometime next week. Elephant's perch is pretty much on the way. other options are Slick Rock (near McCall, offers some of the longest continuous rock climbs in Idaho, ten pitches on the "regular route"). I'd also be up for a route on the north face of Mt. Borah, if you're into alpine ice/mixed. check your pms.

some studies have indicated that using trekking poles reduces the load on knees by up to 30% - HUGE benefit over the long haul (say, decades), especially if you're humping heavy loads...

try foot powder if you haven't already - and a custom footbed (superfeet - around $150 at a good ski shop -- and worth every penny! I've been using them in ski boots and rigid alpine climbing boots since 1988, and they make a helluva difference...

I prefer a plain tarp to a fitted version like a mid -- more versatility. 8 x 10 is generous; 10 x 12 is luxurious unless you're a group of 4 or so. I've used 'em year round, pitched over a snow trench on winter tours, or between trekking poles on light summer trips. Light material should not be an issue unless you plan to use it for a groundsheet...