Lisa_D

Thanks for responding; if it's happened to more than one person it's not quite as freaky.

Ok, so I climbed Baker this weekend, in howling winds and a whiteout. Knowing from experience that UV rays still penetrate whiteouts, I put on sunscreen and sunglasses a few hours after sunrise. My skin did not get sunburned, nor did I feel a headache or eye strain during the time when I didn't have the sunglasses on. Nobody else in the party wore sunglasses, and I don't think they had problems. The night before, my left eye felt scratchy. When I got to the car, it was watering, red, light-sensitive, and achy. The other eye was fine. I was so miserable that I went to the eye doctor first thing this morning. He ran some tests and couldn't tell me exactly what it was, only that there were no scratches or infections. He thought it was some sort of UV reaction. Has anyone here gotten snow blindness? In one eye? Is that even possible, or was I just really unlucky?

some compromise between cascade pass and the Eldorado approach trail would please me..

condolences to family, friends, and his climbing partner.

what a beautiful place...and a great adventure!

slogged up Baker in a whiteout...

yeah, I'm not sure what the policy is.. but it sure is tempting to drive up there, isn't it?! The bike ride down is super fun, though.

The turn off in the picture is for the NORTH twin. To access the South Twin, keep going straight past this turnoff, left at the road intersection, then to the end of the road where they've blocked it off and you must continue on a trail.

wow. that really sucks. Having something stolen is the most frustrating, helpless feeling ever.

Really scary.. as a new trad leader, this is what I'm hoping to avoid.. Wow. Glad everything worked out for the best, though!

Trip: Twin Sister Range - North Twin Sister, West Ridge Date: 7/1/2007 Trip Report: Sunday, five of us climbed the North Twin Sister, and thoroughly enjoyed the day. This was my second ascent of the peak. The first, exactly 13 months earlier, was actually my first-ever climb. It was fun to compare my two experiences, and see how much more I enjoyed the exposure and challenges of the climb! Starting at 8:30, we biked up the logging roads, which are nicely graded but then turn to single track. Rumor has it that the gates are open during the week from 8-5. We saw someone's SUV parked up there, and are not sure which route they took to get in. At 10:30 we locked our bikes, then spent an hour accidentally scouting out the approach for the South Twin. The map we had showed several trails, but is outdated. I felt kind of silly for not remembering the turn from my climb the year before, but I guess I wasn't paying attention! Look for the log and the cairn. THIS, my friends, is the correct turn for the North Twin: By 11:30 we were back on route, hiking up a steep and slightly overgrown trail. At 1:00 we were scrambling the delightful west ridge. The rock is wonderfully solid, abounding in good holds and fun, challenging variations. For the best exposure and fun "class 4.5" moves, stick to the crest rather than the lower climber's path. At 2:30, we reached the summit. Glorious views abounded, and we relaxed there for an hour. Two of the guys are Swiss engineering interns--they brought amazing chocolate to share and claimed to be the first Swiss party to summit the mighty North Twin! At 3:30 we began our descent, downclimbing the ridge for 100 feet or so, then plunge-stepping and glissading down the north face. The snow is still in decent shape, although some wet slides happened, revealing harder snow underneath. Definitely bring an axe, especially as the melting continues this week. We got to the bikes and flew down the hill, arriving at the car by 5:30. We all had a great time. Highly recommended for a quick, enjoyable day trip. Great variety, scenery, scrambling, and an exhilarating bike ride down! Sometime soon, I'll be back for the South Twin! Gear Notes: bikes, ice axes, Swiss Chocolate. Approach Notes: good beta here, on my cousin's webpage: http://sabegg.googlepages.com/northtwinsistertripreport

looks beautiful!

Yeah, my finger dexterity suffers a bit sometimes, and I have issues with my back and shoulders. But the bigger issue is being distracted by climbing and not having a consistent practice routine. you're at UW? Are you involved in the music program there at all?

that's too bad.. I was hoping to do Hadley as a nice day hike. It's supposed to be a nice trip!

nice trip--this is definitely on my to-do list!

scary--glad you guys didn't get it. Thanks for the heads up.

I'll add another vote for login problems. Thanks for asking for input!

sweet! way to go, you two!

and good times were had by all!

looks amazing. Way to go! Steph, I look forward to seeing you when you get back and hearing more about your climbing!!

Goddess? lol. It was mostly hard work. I've played since age 7 and spent the past 4 years practicing 2-4 hours a day.

I'm a violin performance major (although I've been slacking recently because of climbing). I've been wanting to play this piece for years and now I've finally started it! What a project.

Getting rained out in Leavenworth= fast conditioning hike to Nada Lake. Great workout..but let's have some sun already!

Endless talus fields. Followed by more talus. Impromptu North Cascades bushwhacks. Being a mosquito magnet.

I've been into Sibelius lately. I'm playing his violin concerto, so have been listening to a lot of other things he wrote.