jared_j

Gonna get on the north ridge of Stuart near the end of the summer, and my partner and we'd like to get on some easy 3rd or 4th class terrain to get our rhythm/systems down. Any recommendations for such terrain not too far from Seattle (off I-90 corridor or Hwy 2) that isn't a choss-fest and doesn't have too long of an approach? Unpopular would be nice, too. I realize you can't have all 3, but thought I'd see where ya'll cut your teeth doing this.

I'm not an arborist, but my intuition is that these man/woman-made structures on top of the trees that accomodate the tree-dwellers could be harmful to the health of said trees. If so, this looks like a clear cut case of "when keeping it real goes wrong".

Got out on Ride the Lightning (5.9, 7 pitches) this Sunday with area newcomer brad_reinke. It was fun showing him what 5.8 means in Tieton as opposed to the sport crags. We had a good day, both forgot our cameras (hence lame report). I saw this climb in the Tieton guidebook, but no one I knew had done it (personally). Pitches 1, 2, and 5 are stellar. The dihedral to roof on P2 is great fun, as is pulling the small overhang to offwidth on P5. P7 (really just scrambling) has tons of looseness that could get knocked down, but the belayer is decently protected at the anchor. Alpinfox's TR here that hardware is needed for the 3rd bolt at the P6 anchor; I only saw 2 bolts, but there is a crack adjacent that'll take a good nut. Props to the area developers - the Gangsta Rap line is easy; double ropes gets ya down mega quick! Combine this with a 10 minute walk from the car, and you've got a great moderate / beginner 'alpine' rock climb.

Learn to escape the belay (if you're gonna be on rock). I can't tell you how many people I've spoken with who are interested in or partake in alpine rock climbs that don't know shit about doing this. The Fasulo book is good.

Drift alert: Is there anything you can apply to the toe holes to inhibit ice collection in there? Some sort of dry lubricant, maybe?

If you end up going to RRS in Greenlake, check out Super Jock'n'Jill one block over. They have a modest trail runner section, but their staff are very knowledgeable and may be helpful. Also, they're an independently owned local biz, which is nice.

Not to nitpick, but the Megalight, and pyramid tarps in general, are good in wind / precip if they're pitched and located well . For instance, pitching 'em where you can tell water will pool up in the event of rain, not the hottest idea if you wanna keep the sleeping bags dry. What you save in weight you gotta make up for in planning your spot. As for snow, the shape allows the snow to sluff off, in theory. I haven't gotten mega snowed on while using mine, but there seems to be no place for the thing to get 'snow loaded'.

Any of ya'll have trail runner recommendations that don't have tons of mesh on them? Most trail runners I've found online seem to be very mesh-y. Looking for something that isn't going to instantly let snow in on summer alpine adventures. Doesn't need to be 'waterproof', just more water resistant than my road running Brooks Adrenalines, or the La Sportiva Exum Ridges I tried out. Looking here for recommendations on what you've used , not what you have seen on the internet.

I was diagnosed (via MRI) with an upper plateau tibia fracture in my left leg. I was training for the Vancouver marathon, had been steadily building my weekly mileage but was also pushing the pace on my runs. One week I felt like Superman, ignored the training wisdom and ran a few more longer mid-week runs with my training partner (who is more experienced/fit than I) than I would have otherwise done, and voila, pain that got me into the doctor shows up. That was six weeks ago, and today the doctor has given me the green light to ease back into activity. There is a lot of discussion out there as to how to ease back into running from an injury like this, but I wanted to know about others' experience with an injury like this as it relates to hiking around and carrying a backpack. I like to run, but I also like to get out there and climb. So, what are your experiences? Any professionals have an opinion on the quantitative or qualitative differences in stresses on the joints from hiking with a pack vs. running (in the city on pavement where I live)? I am looking for guidance on coming back cautiously so as not to re-injure myself prematurely. Possibly relevant parameters: I'm a 28 year old male, 145lbs, 6' tall, and typically run 7:45-8:00 miles for training, 1:30 half marathons, and 40min 10ks. I've been running for 2.5 years, and was training for my first marathon.

FWIW, the optional vestibule on the Bibler leaves much to be desired. It's real small (though the Alpinist vestibule also looks really small), adds on weight, and the attachment setup leaves much to be desired. When going through these decisions last year, I got much advice on this board to opt for the Bibler. I did, and got out with it several times this winter, and highly recommend it (caveat: it's my first single wall tent, so I don't have a lot of comparisons that I could make). The one beef I have with the Bibler is that some property of the fabric (thickness?) prevents the tent from being compressed down real small very easily. FYI.

Ditto on the Megalight - also, it's even lighter if you are bringing along trekking poles that the thing can be pitched with instead of the provided pole.

Crimson Chrysalis, Red Rocks. All free, well-protected, minimal objective hazard, a moderate grade (5.8), fun climbing, great position at the top of the climb on top of the tower. Easy approach, too. Very cool along the 'cool = fun/easy/low risk" dimensions YMMV

Bwahahahaha!

I just called the St. Helens institute for an issue unrelated to this thread (I couldn't find a confirmation email of the dates of the permits I purchased a couple of months ago, this thread reminded me to follow up on it). After I got my question sorted, I asked them about your question. It was explained to me that $15 still goes to the Forest Service, $5 goes to support the St. Helens Institute, and $2 goes to active.com as a fee for their service. I was told that the St. Helens Institute is a primarily volunteer - staffed organization that does various stuff to support awareness/education/preservation. They were very friendly and helpful on the phone, and I suggested they post the information regarding the breakdown of fees on their websites so that the paranoid/cheapskate/those with too much time on their hands can be know where they money is going.

Active.com takes a % of your 'registration fee' in exchange for using their service. I know this because I've promoted a couple of bicycle races using active.com for registration in the past. I will conjecture that rather than use their extremely limited budget to have employees do the process for them, they are willing to let a small percentage (I'd be shocked if it was more than 10% of your total fee) go to active.com in exchange for their very useful architecture / structure. They'll send the Mt. St. Helens Institute a very nice spreadsheet outlining all of the information from permit purchasers, saving the Mt. St. Helens many human hours of time. I would get your panties out of a bunch on this one. There is pretty heavy pressure on the Wenatchee FS district to outsource their Enchantments permits system to a similar contractor (one who does all of the FS campground reservations) for similar reasons. It simplifies things greatly on many sides.

I think that lack of water resistance is going to be endemic in many of the lightweight shoe options. Layton suggested bringing extra socks... I'm guessing you just let your feet be wet on the snow, then put the dry socks on once you're done / stopping to sleep or whatever.

Wayne, Thanks for the qualification. I don't anticipate going super light, and I'm allowing myself 4 or 5 days back there (e.g. a week total) to be able to wait out a day or so of bad weather if it arrives. My team's risk/comfort preferences will make it tough to get my pack weight down below 40lbs, and realistically it'll be more like 45 lbs starting out. I will be going the first week of July. Barring crazy warming in the next two months, I anticipate plenty of snow. Also, as I said, the desired routes are Challenger Glacier and SE glacier on Fury. Going in up Eiley / Wiley ridge, leaving Access Creek. Really this was a question about boot sole stiffness. I've no interest in taking tennies/approach shoes for the entire trip. I don't have a huge quiver of N! boots to choose from, but was open to the idea of purchasing some softer soled boots (e.g. Vasque Sundowners). Thanks for all the input, folks. I'll likely go with the boots I have for support of the pack, and may bring along some tennies for the trail walking portion as has been suggested.

Yeah no shit. Surprise, surprise, a lack of consensus emerges when people are asked about their personal preferences. This has been a useful exercise, however, in finding out folks' differing strategies.

CCW Valdez or Cilogear 30L worksack are both good choices; in this size, I use the CCW. Pros of CCW: the fabrics have a bomber feel, very narrow profile stays out of the way. Cons of the CCW: a little heavier. I haven't used the 30L Cilogear, but I have used their other sizes and I'm pleased with their construction. The Cilogear pack (sans framesheet, which you don't need anyway for loads this small) is lighter than the CCW. FYI, the shoulder padding of the CCW is softer/cushier than the Cilogear. The Cilogear is firmer, and offers good support, but, well, they're just different.

I'm planning a trip the first week in July to the Pickets, intending to climb the Challenger Glacier and the Southeast Glacier on Fury. I've got these lightweight stiff-soled boots, comparable to the popular La Sportiva Trango S EVO. I've done extensive trail hiking in them, and I don't get blistered, but I know a flexible boot would be much more comfortable. I've never really tried snow/glacier climbing on a more flexible-soled boot. I am, however, curious about others' experiences trading off sole stiffness (e.g. snow climbing performance) with softer-soled boots (e.g. walking comfort). Theron Welch & company opted for soft-soled boots on their big-ass (and well - documented) trip here . This is what got me thinking about the issue. That said, I've never kicked steps in a a boot other than a stiff-soled boot, and don't know how sucky it is. What boots have ya'll taken back into the Pickets? What has your experience been? This will be my first time back in there, I am enthused about the challenge, and want to make prudent gear choices. Edited: clarity.

Doxey's a great guy in general, and a great guy to climb with. I agree that trad and ice climbing can be learned from mentors. However, my opinion is that the learning process is a dynamic process with an initial value problem. Lack of skills don't make you a marketable partner. Finding someone who is willing to mentor you can be tough. If this is the case, then the guide services can fill that gap. I should have clarified this in my original post. In addition, you are more likely to learn a broader - based 'bag of tricks' of skills with a guide in a short time relative to a mentor who likely has their own personal way of doing things. I know this assertion is completely dependent on the individuals, but I would bet money that it is not far off the mark. At any rate, best of luck to the OP!

I moved to Seattle a year and a half ago with a backpacking and rock climbing background, and wanted to expand my skill set to climb different objectives in the Cascades in different seasons. I took a basic glacier climbing course from a club called The Bushwhackers, which I have stayed involved with. It was excellent. In addition, I took a water ice class and AEIRE Level I avalanche class from Pro Guiding (based in North Bend). I interacted with three different guides there (including the owner/manager, Martin Volken), and all were extremely skilled teachers, and highly professional. A basic glacier course (which would better be described as a course in snow/winter camping along with basic glacier travel skills) from a club is nice because it affords you multiple days of practice as well as a network of other climbers. More technical things (e.g. trad climbing, ice climbing) are probably better covered with guides. Best of luck, as others have mentioned, you're a little late for getting in on a club glacier course this year. Tighten up the trad skills this spring/summer/fall, learn to ski next winter, and sign up for a glacier course for spring of 2009 and you'll be ready for anything!

Thanks for the responses. Again, I'm just thinking damp socks and slightly damp baselayers. My intuition was that it'd be all good as long as there was some vigilance about not letting things get too damp in the first place (which I already do), and the fact that socks are small enough that this is reasonable (ass Mattp's experience suggests).

When I learned how to snow camp last year, it was strongly encouraged to me that I use a synthetic sleeping bag as a conservative choice in the event that (a) the bag gets wet or (b) I need to dry out wet stuff inside of it overnight (e.g. boot liners, wet socks, sweaty shirts, etc). I'm considering a down bag for one or two-night climbing trips (for lightness, compressibility), and have no experience attempting to dry out damp clothes in one. Does this work without compromising the loft of a down bag? Think drying out socks and baselayers here, not getting in with a sopping wet shell. I've searched around, and haven't found much info speaking to this particular aspect of the down vs. synthetic debate. I'd like to hear peoples' personal experience with trying to do this. It is only one small part of the decision between bags, but the other facts worth consideration have been fleshed out in other sources I've read. Thanks!

Esplanades are likely even pricer than Escalades !