dougd

I dare say, such honesty, and humility are indeed rare, a very notable achievement indeed. JMHO of course, d

Nice to see you out enjoying life Pat. Outstanding TR, and as always pics. d

A fair assessment IMO...

Cooper Spur conditions last Saturday weren't too bad all considered but got tricky once the sun hit the slopes. Experienced some small ice falling from above in chimney area on ascent early morning... It did not take long at all for surface snow/snice conditions to change, and massive snow balling in crampons was an issue on descent. Anywhere from 6" to 14" of pretty firm snow over ice crust lower on approach to route with snice above 9500ft made for good climbing EARLY. So, how that translates to this week on the mountain? Go have a look see for yourself is always the best advice IMHO. d

RNP Rangers are a great resource. Plan C: Gibraltar Ledges d

Now, where's that "tongue-in-cheek" icon when you need it... "Hitching a ride on a snowcat" would definitely be a subject for another forum. Suppose I deserved that after such a weak troll attempt. Guess I'll just have to hike the TJ Trail again. I can think of worse things to have to do... Forecast is looking fine for this weekend.

Too bad those cheap ass'd Oregonians can't pony up with some more tax money so MHNF'd be able to get 'er plowed out early spring... Must be a bunch of transplanted prop 13 californicators moved in over there... d

When do the good folks at MHNF "usually" open the road to cloud cap inn? Just curious, I know it's still probably way early... d

if you can get me one of them huge checks like they give the lottery winners (and/or actually tell me what any of the above means, as frankly it still baffles me a bit from the vantage point of a day or two ) you can call yourself me agent, bartender, priest, whatever Sounds serious dude, he called you sir and everything... Glad ur bro's ok. d

All good suggestions above. Since you're not from around here, and have not been above 6500ft before, I advise take the time to try to acclimatize, camp at the lunch counter, rest up, have a good look around, hydrate etc... I found a dromedary came in real handy on this climb. There will be water running in July somewhere around the counter and it may be a bit of a walk to it. Filtering the water right out of that container saved fuel and time. I was with a pretty big group that time which goes against my grain somewhat but it was an ok trip nonetheless... If you're planning a solo trip the dromedary might still come in handy. All the references in your post were singular... Good luck, it's a big mountain. d

Sobo, I regret to inform you that is not possible. I'll tip an IPA for ya tonight, the least I can do... d

It's a sucker play, has to be... Sorry bout the desk job. d

So nice to see Hillary enjoying life on the road... lol

if you're going down the s side for the added views of the newton clark area cool, but if it's just to avoid descending the spur, don't sweat it - the exposure's all at the very beginning and if you just stay face into the slope (and especially if you have a 2nd tool) it's crazy fast n' fun Yeah, I was thinkin the added views across the NC would be fun. No problem descending the spur for the crew I'll be with, and knowing them, I expect we'll probably go that route... thanks, d

Matt, thanks for posting up. Nice to see the pics. I have been eyeing this one for a while too, won't be long I'll be making another trip out and hopefully get er done. We'll plan on a bivy I think. Got a new tent to test out... I just love being up there too. I'd like to try the S Side descent then swing around and traverse the Newton Clark back to the spur... We'll see how motivated we are after the descent if all goes well. Will make sure to have a Tline contingency (beg) as well... Congrats, d

It doesn't?!!

And she'll be even happier to see him return in one piece. As will we. Good luck, d

The IDF has been the attack dog in that area for a long long time. They're very adept. d

This being your first time on Rainier, and, a cursory examination of your previous inquiries here indicate that you guys will be very conservative in your approach to this climb. That's smart. A lot of the folks here have more experience than me on this mountain. I've done three routes on Rainier and not once carried a stove on summit day. The reason for this is my aversion to climbing into bad weather or bad forecasted weather. Oh, I've done it, but try real hard through proper preparation to avoid getting stuck in a hole waiting out systems etc... That gets back to the shovel question too I think. If there's any chance you guys may have to hole up for any reason, by all means have a shovel and a stove et al in your team's summit packs somewhere... Relatively inexperienced folks climbing into questionable weather is one thing, maybe you or your partner gets sick and there's no help around, or some shit like that. There could be other reasons for digging in so... How much water to carry is a personal thing. I carry two liters on summit day. I run short sometimes like on the c2c on Shuksan last year. 13 hr day. Shoulda had another liter, but I made it ok... When arriving back at Camp Schurman after a summit day last June I was pretty thirsty, and went to brewing water asap for my partner and me. It worked... I train in all weathers and go hungry and thirsty during training too so I try to condition myself physically and mentally for what mountains can throw at you... They can be harsh... FYI I melt the snow then filter into the bottles, saves time and fuel. d

Tstab nice work on the route. Thanks for posting the pics. The spur looks ripe. d

"control bite?"

It would be right about here that the backpedaling would begin...

This would be the definition of the "dog route" then... d

Good show. Thanks for posting the link Wayne. Those of us in the "hinterlands" of Washington would have missed it for sure without the post... Now, trying still to get my mind around "15 attempts to get one climb in"... I can relate, and admire the determination that took... Thanks again, d

Two it is!