mountainsloth

work a v2. try one on a vertical wall first.

Yay for adventure into the unknown!

perfect red rock gnar! gotta love that place! way to be bad-asses!

killer pics. way to get after it late in the season! I bet you did not see a soul.

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haha! Me too Sol! me too! almost the same exact experience.

I agree about the pitch off Snafflehound Ledge. I would've been raining haterade on Eric when I realized it would be his lead, had I not led it previously. marvelous! thanks for the picture and memory!

love that route! The pitch off snafflehound ledge was my favorite!

All good things to know. I think I will stay away from munching those all together... I am too old to experiment with my health.

I think that is right, but from my resource amanita muscaria is poisonous.

favorite place to climb... EVER! i miss that place.

yummy! i will be on the look out!

sorry, I have no idea what those look like. I am a new forager, so i need to bone up on my knowledge. we were both wandering around kicking ourselves for not studying before the trip. There were so many different kinds out there! I guess we were really only out there for chanterelles.

cool looking place!

Trip: Boulder Lake Area - Boulder - Everett traverse Date: 10/12/2009 Trip Report: After coming to the conclusion that I could not juggle work, classes, and finish my masters project by the end of the Fall quarter, and seeing the last bit of quality Autumn weather fade away, I decided to postpone finishing my masters project to the Spring thus opening up the weekend for some quality time in the mountains. With my friend Schraepfer psyched for the mushroom foraging season, we decided a relaxing two day trip into the Olympics was just the ticket. Our mission was to explore a new area of the park, find a little solitude, bag some peaks, and hunt for some Chanterelles. We hiked into the Olympic Hot Springs area and found a few Chanterelles before working our way up the trail to Boulder Lake. Along the way we found a small pool in a stream and discovered nature at its best. We left the two love birds alone to finish what they started and continued up the trail. After a short break, we took the Happy Lake Ridge Trail up to the ridge where we began bushwhacking the ridge to Boulder peak. boulder peak from the ridge The ridge was mellow aside from the occasional obstacle, and a couple gullies brought us to the top of the peak. ridge to boulder peak At this point the sun was getting low and so we decided to make camp on a sweet shoulder of the peak. The ambiance was remarkable as the sun set and we gorged on a tasty fare of dehydrated potatoes, smoked salmon, Gouda, and the 3 Chanterelles we found. As I tucked into my sleeping bag, I knew I had made the right decision, realizing quite clearly that I needed this break. The next morning was overcast, but the clouds were high and the visibility was pretty good. Feeling energized from a 13 hr sleep we were amped to continue the traverse. boulder peak from the ridge between it and everett peak A few more minor obstacles and a 3 hours later we found ourselves on or around Everett peak. It has 3 or 4 peaks and we struggled to figure out which was the actual peak. With the sun breaking through the clouds, and us soaking in the views, we realized it did not really matter! Our original plan was it finish the traverse to Mt Appleton, but wanting to make more time for mushroom foraging on the way out, we decided to bushwhack down to Three Horses Lake and then find our way back to the Boulder Lake Trail. After hours of fighting brutal bush, and getting cliffed out too many times, we finally found ourselves in a beautiful, mossy, section of Doug Fir and hemlock old-growth and knew we were close. We ended up finding the short section of the trail that ran closest to boulder creek and we were back on easy street. When the trail flattened out and we started wandering the mossy beds of the forest in search of our beloved orange shroom. The forest was straight out of a fairy-tale and I felt like a little kid. We found many beautiful specimens and came away with at least 2 quarts of Chanterelles! Our finds felt like treasure! The next day we cooked up most of the mushrooms into omelets and feasted on our prize! This trip was exactly what the doctor ordered and can't wait till the next season of mushroom foraging! Gear Notes: Schwacking & backpacking gear A knife for cutting off mushrooms! Approach Notes: Boulder Lake Trail from the Elwa River area. - follow signs for Appleton Pass until you see a sign for Boulder Lake.

love that valley at this time of the year!

cool route! best one I have seen coming out of the OR outside Smith. I might have to check it out one of these days. what part of OR is it in?

good point pope

i would recommend staying away from the large glaciers. Stick to low-land peaks, enchantments, and maybe some NE stuff in the Pasayten wilderness. Check out some of the TRs of recent from Tvash in the area. Cool stuff!

i assume it has. it takes 3-5 days in the summer with forest roads open to the trailhead. I would guestimate a week or more in the winter and you would probably be doing it on skis.

also, don't be dumb, make sure you know your route up and down very well and bring a GPS, map and compass. Listen to your gut, don't press on if the weather is getting too "wicked" obviously, crampons are a must above tree line. snowshoes might help down low depending on recent storms. plastic boots might be necessary depending on temps but i never used them. The nice thing about doing washington is that its a fricking weather station! get your forecasts straight and go when weather looks manageable.

Since you mentioned EMS and Mt Washington in the Winter, I am assuming you are talking NH Mt Washington. I grew up in NH and did Washington a few times in the winter. The banana is right though, it depends on the weather. I have been close to the summit with a single layer on in Feb. Here is what I would wear and bring on a typical winter trip up Washington but keep in mind, other layer systems also work, this is just what i use: -heavy weight base layer, top and bottom. -Winter hiking socks - thickness depends on boot warmth and fit - make sure the socks don't constrict the feet. -light weight fleece top -warm snow/ski pants(side zips for ventilation are a must) -down jacket -winter shell or parka with a hood -winter hat -light weight ski gloves -heavy duty mitts -large and thick gaiters to keep out the snow -ski goggles and neck/face warmer in case the wind gets nasty (as it so often does up there) how i use them: -puffy goes on for breaks to stay warm. -shell should be... well... your shell or outer layer. -snow pants side zips should be used regularly to regulate body temps. ** most important thing to keep in mind when hiking/climbing in the extreme cold... regulate your body temp! do your best not to sweat at all. sweating will just make you freeze from the inside of all your layers, rendering them useless! take your time and adjust your layers as needed.**

yikes! glad they are ok. They are right about simulclimbing. i don't even think about simulclimbing on anything but well traveled, easy routes and even then i know i am taking a chance. i came very close to sending large chunks of granite down on my partner simuling while off route on serpentine arete. i was petrified!

hells highway looks wicked! late season glaciers are sketch, way to send it.

don't mess with glaciers at this time of year... stick to the rock. enchantments are hard to beat. They will certainly put Utah to shame