dougd

Very cool! a veritable tour de force! Following in the footsteps of your folks also very cool. How lucky were you to have such adventurous parents! I've always thought it would be cool to get back there and do the Middle Teton after climbing the Grand years ago. It remains on my short list. I should actually write out a list one of these days... d

Enjoyed the TR and pics. Especially the "sunset in the cascades"... Sureal, beckoning, beguilingly beautiful... Nice work, thanks for sharing. d

Ok that cuts it. I'm quitting my job after this school year so my summer and fall next year are free to do some of these climbs. Nice TR and pics Eric. Thanks. d

That last part cracked me up K. Thanks for sharing the story and pics. Don't sell the rack, a week or two goes by, you'll want more... d

Pat, as always a very entertaining TR, and great pics. Very nice shot of the frog and the insect orgy. Thanks for posting up. A couple side notes: I never really do walmart. Unless I have to piss, I might stop in and do it in the walmart parking lot... If that makes me an elitist prick, so be it. I broke my ankle 15May12 (tib/fib) among other things. No surgery required. My Orthopod says not to worry about the swelling go do what I want. It takes months usually for that to return to something close to normal. Sounds from the TR like Colleen understands that and is doing really well, and that's great. Regards, d

This part sounds relatively epical... d

Well, wow. Tom, that is quite a trip. Really enjoyed reading this report. I was glad to see the Sahale/Eldorado pic as it helped me orient myself to where you were in general... I'm bummed however that now I have to change my vote for best TR from my own Sahale Mtn TR to yours but, in time, I'll get over it... Great job, and how great it must be to be able to just strike out on your own in this country with confidence for such an adventure. In leiu of a tip of the hat icon, I will just say cheers d

Thanks Nastia. It's a new beginning. Just felt good to be in the mountains again. This summer's plans will transfer to next summer... Take care of that knee. d

Trip: Sahale Mountain - SE Ridge/S Face Date: 8/15/2012 Trip Report: On 15Aug12 Mentat and I joined forces to climb Sahale Mtn. His first choice was to find a partner for the TF traverse had not worked out, and he kindly agreed to give Sahale a go. I'd have loved to attempt the TF traverse, and it will remain high on my "list" if I actually ever start a list, but being a couple of relative noobs to NCNP climbing, and me still recovering from serious injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident 15May12 (three days after climbing Mt Hood's Cooper Spur!), Sahale would give us a good look around, and I'd get to test my strength and conditioning... We met at the Marblemount Ranger Station around noon on 14Aug12 to find all the camping permits taken so we secured a glacier camp permit for the 15th and set off for Sauk Mtn which turned out to be a nice hike with 360deg views. After dinner of burgers and beverages we headed out to sort gear and got ravaged by mosquitos in the process. We then headed to "camp 1" at a turnout along the road in the park. Illegal? yes. Comfortable? yes indeed... Mentat contemplates the accommodation... Trail above Cascade Pass is lush... Sahale Mtn from the Sahale Arm. Still quite a bit of snow up there. Glacier camp on the three mounds in foreground. This pic taken from Sahale glacier down to glacier camp. Views from this camp are spectacular. Johannesburg, the Triplets, et al... More glacier camp viewing... Johannesburg Mtn. in the morning light. NE Butt in foreground. Gulp! Smallish crack on the Sahale Glacier. View of the route/summit block. We broke the rope out for the last 80' due to my being a chickenshit to solo the class 4/5? moves there and my good natured partner not minding at all leading this pitch. Did two short rappels off the summit with our 30 meter rope. Gratuitous summit shot. Boston Peak from the summit of Sahale. The hike out was eventful. Ptarmigan and her chicks, deer, and wonderful fragrances from the blooming flowers. Is this heaven? I think we both enjoyed this trip a lot. It was fun getting out with a very strong, competent partner on this moderate climb to get the lay of the land and see how my body is progressing. Progress is good. We made good time to glacier camp and went ahead and summited same day (5000ft gain, 1000ft loss), then spent the evening taking in the views and out to the car the next day. I'll be training hard this winter, and come back next year to the N Cascades. I've seen a lot of beautiful country in my life. None better than this. Next up, packing for Kings Peak in Utah... Gear Notes: 30meter 8.5mm rope, a few slings, ice axes. No crampons necessary for us. Approach Notes: Really nice trail to the upper Sahale Arm (yeah there's a few switchbacks, 33 according to Mentat's count) then gets into some boulders and loose shale before getting to glacier camp.

I am left "mostly" speechless after reviewing this TR and subsequent pics added by Steph, except to say: Thanks for sharing this story. The experience/knowledge it takes to accomplish this is truly inspirational to those of us taking our first steps to really enjoy the North Cascades area. d

Very cool TR, pics, and sunglasses. Nice work y'all! d

Sounds like he's the guy buying the beer PDQ... d

My partner can't go climbing next week cuz he's started medical school out on the East Coast. The selfish little bastard wants to learn how to cure people, whatever... The nerve of that guy!

Thanks for the timely report. I'll be heading up Sahale/Boston peak for a bit of reconning next week. I'll be traveling light, as always... d

Wonderful pictures of really beautiful country. The huge flapper in the last pic turned my stomach also. I think I'd be tossing those boots or whatever caused such carnage... I really enjoyed the entire TR. Thanks d

I've had similar symptoms on and off, since returning from Nepal in 2004. Mostly occurs after big climbs like Rainier etc. I've not had more serious issues arise such as mentioned by whirlwind but what I've tried to do since '04 is add emphasis in my training regimen to strengthen and stretch the achilles, calf, ham strings, glutes, lumbar et al. I've found it has helped me a lot. Since sustaining a tib/fib fracture of my right ankle in May however, it is back to square one with rehab... Damn if that doesn't make that achilles tighten right up! Having said all that, still good advice to get it checked out and maybe even consult with a physical therapist about proper ways to get it loosened up and keep it that way. Good luck, d

I can certainly relate. I sold my rock gear in the '90s. Except for harness, shoes (still have those fires'), and other sundries... Ropes, rack, etc... Gone. The friend I sold (gave away) this box full of stuff to couldn't believe his luck but I was done with serious rock climbing and I knew it. I was always more of an alpine guy at heart but I did so love rock climbing. It was an obsession there for a while... I realized it on the summit of the Grand Teton, after a solo climb of the Owen Spalding Route. I wanted that summit so bad and when I got there, I just felt empty. Man, I was just worn out. I did really enjoy meeting Jim Donini on the summit that day though. We chatted away about climbing and stuff he was working on in Alaska at the time then descended together, doing the double rope rappel... Very cool. It took me a few years away but the fire returned... Anyways, story time's over, promise. Sounds like you need some more time before you give away your stuff Muff. JMHO d

Ivan: I resemble that remark... Muffy: When I was seriously injured this spring in a motorcycle accident, I tried not to think about climbing, or my motorcycle for a while. I needed the time to heal. That lasted about two weeks. I'm also getting a little older, and from time to time I wonder if climbing is something I should continue to do. For me, it always comes back to my love of the mountains. I still love a good challenge, and enjoy meeting like minded folks. If it is your time to leave climbing I wish you well. It is good that you hold out some hope you will return some day, in some way. My sense is, you love it too. d

While It's tough to disagree with your assertions, I still think the link to the article was pretty cool... d

The Bahn Hoff does look great. My wife and I will be in Zermatt in late September and I was thinking we'd stay in Tasch and bus into Zermatt but the room price compares well to those in Tasch. We're gonna walk the cemetery. Apparently it is "done" over there, much like our park walks in the US... The wife wants to, so I'll go, it's a small price to pay for dragging her up to the Hornli Hut for an overnighter... Originally planned to attempt to summit the Matterhorn but not this time... Thanks d

An interesting article on Mr Romney's refusal to disclose financial information... http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/18/opinion/kleinbard-canellos-romney-tax/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 d

Are you sure about that? :-) Well, I mean no disrespect, I can see it's a handful... If I ever do, I'll be sure to do a TR on it. d

Someday, when I grow up, I wanna do climbs like this! d

Nice work Nastia. J-berg, finally... d