NateF

yeah it usually takes me about two full days to start feeling back to normal energy after transitioning from sea level to 8-10K. for short trips with lots of elevation gain it's never seemed like a good idea to have any sort of acclimatization plan other than go up and come back down. warding off problems by making sure to keep rested, fueled, and hydrated are better things to stay focused on. a headache is a headache whether it's from AMS or dehydration. iluka, i think we are just going to agree to disagree, but for my benefit, how is it possible to make such a rapid acclimatization? in my experience, Das Beerd is not allowing enough time to acclimatize even to the elevation at the portal, let alone higher, so why bother taking an "acclimatization hike" on a 1.5 day trip? To play the devil's advocate, does anyone think it may be better not to bother spending the day up at the portal, and instead drive up immediately before the hike? What would Anatoli have done?

With the time frame you're giving yourself, I would focus more on hydration, fueling your body, and being reasonably well rested. Your body will already be working to adapt to the 8K at the portal, so I don't think the added stress of the acclimatization hike just before your big effort will be of much benefit to you. But, if you're pretty fit and are able to hike up to the lake in the morning and spend the afternoon napping, eating, and rehydrating, why not go see that lake?

It's awesome that this thing is open to the public, it's really appreciated by those who use it. I've had a few evenings of fun there. Thanks Mounties!

I would leave the pics out, it's bad enough that team ginger balls had to see that

you won't get bored. i lived in berkeley for a while, but was on the 9 to 5. being 4 hrs from the mountains burned me out, you should fare better on your schedule. there's no shortage of amazing places within a 5 hour drive. the bay area itself is pretty darn cool, best metro area in the west IMO. there are plenty of parks to check out, the cycling is pretty good.. there's a little bit of bouldering in berkeley. even if you decide not to stay there forever, living in the bay area is an experience well worth having - ENJOY!

great and funny TR! the comical highlights had me rolling

adding to that - if it's cold be sure to drain the fluid in the tube back down to the reservoir after each use. even an insulated tube will freeze quickly in low temps and moderate winds. if the tube does freeze you can always just pull the bladder out of your pack and open it up to drink, not the end of the world..

I would get on a plane and fly to seattle or bellingham, rent a car and spend a week in the north & central cascades. Hit Lovers Leap & on another road trip earlier in the season, combined with a few stops in the eastern sierra. I5 is not a fun way to spend 2+ days of a 1 week vacation IMO.

Good call holding back waiting to let the other groups get clear of the transition onto the cleaver. Great restraint in hanging back after the accident too, must've been difficult not to rush in to assist. Hate to jump to the conclusion that the duo above inspired the rockfall, that area's certainly prone to spontaneous action. Besides, people have got to be aware of the hazards other people pose to them on routes like that (it's the very reason you held back), and accept responsibility for the position they put themselves in by getting underneath others. Not saying people don't occasionally do careless things which endanger others..

Check the RMI website, they have a good checklist. Don't mind the overprotective mothers on the board, if you're asking a question like this it sounds to me like you're being responsible and planning ahead. Have a great time up there.

Totally agree with Bug & genepires, think about how you are going to effect a rescue as a two-man rope team. You need to have a good amount of slack at each end. Also, think about how you will anchor the rope if your partner falls in. You have to arrest the fall and hold your partner while you build an anchor. I like knots between climbers at ~6' intervals to stack the odds in favor of being able to arrest the fall and successfully create an anchor (idea is that knots will catch in crevasse lip). The knots complicate rescue scenarios (can't prussik up the rope with knots, nor haul it through the crevasse lip), especially if the person is unconscious, but I believe they reduce the odds of taking a longer fall or failing at anchoring the rope. I think 50 or 60m rope is good for a 2 person team, you may need the 60 if you have knots between climbers - if you have to rig a haul system you'll need enough rope to drop an anchored line (without knots) to the climber AND create the rest of the hauling system. As mentioned already, you won't need your ATC unless you want it to tend a prussik. but, if you use a pulley instead of a biner for the pulley at the anchor, using a bachman instead of a prussik will self-tend at the pulley and you can leave the ATC at home. So, a pulley plus a biner, or a biner plus an ATC, just depends what equipment you want to bring.

Quien Sabe would be more adventurous. Cascade Pass/Sahale arm is a popular day hike and very straightforward approach to climb Sahale.

Yeah, ideally that is how it works. But it can be difficult to intuit when the 2nd is done breaking the anchor and starting to climb, and it can be frustrating for the 2nd if the leader starts "belaying" them while they are still disassembling the anchor. That's why the "climbing" confirmation can be helpful for some people, sometimes. Even experienced leaders can be caught asleep at the wheel as their second starts climbing, especially if the second took extra time breaking the anchor. Have you ever started up a pitch as a second and wondered when your leader was going to start taking in rope? It's nice in this case to have a signal to alert them that you don't want to fall 15' onto the belay ledge. rarely necessary once dialed in with a partner.

Pretty similar, but I've managed to complicate it. A set of tugs basically means "OK, done, on to the next step". First set of tugs from leader (usually I use 3 tugs) = "off belay". 2nd takes leader off belay, gives 3 tugs to indicate belay is off. Leader pulls slack, puts 2nd on belay, gives another set of tugs. Follower, if in doubt as to whether belay is on, gives tugs. Leader replies with tugs to confirm. Follower breaks down anchor and climbs. That is a lot more tugging and complication than Matt's method, but it has worked for me since it follows the sequence I usually use verbally with my partners. There are plenty of crags where you'll need some sort of signal because noise from a creek or road below, it's not just for the alpine.

That slope on Pugh heading up to Stujack Pass could be a problem. I think it's west facing, given the typical recent snow conditions (some new snow on top of marginally supportive crust on top of feet of unconsolidated mush on top of potential bed surface) and the forecast for sun there's a good chance it will be a deep sloppy mess, and potentially hazardous. I would probably pass on Pugh and pick something else. Seems like a good weekend to stick to ridges and out of big slide paths. If you haven't checked already, there are a few threads on turns all year that may be helpful. The Chinook Pass opening thread is interesting. Have a great time whatever you end up doing.

This is week old info, but things were not very well consolidated last Friday. Light crust on top of mush. Was hugging the shadows while skinning to stay on the firmer stuff with a 10:30 start. Don't think it would have been fun without skis. Not sure what the recent snow/rain combo has done up there, but it's definitely a bit colder than last week, so I'd invoke the "you don't know till you go" rule unless someone has some more recent info. Have fun.

Sure seems that way, I'm guessing the sheath on this cord is relatively thin. I've used skinny doubles with the same device with complete confidence, but that's comparing apples to oranges. I felt fine catching my 150ish# partner, but they weren't very confident stopping my 180#s. I'll put some wear on it, and try a few other devices. Thanks everyone.

That's what I thought, too! Have used 9.8 with same device, no problem. I'll check out the reversino. Thanks!

Recently bought a cheap 9.7mm rope to use in the gym and was surprised how sketchy it feels belaying with an ATC-type device, compared to a 10mm rope. Does anyone have recommendations for belay devices that work well with thinner ropes?

At exit 32 there is a very short and easy route that takes gear in the British Aisles area, low 5th easy to protect. Opposite side of the gulley from that is a .10- crack with bolted anchor you can scramble to, goes from fingers to bigger. There is also a bolted 5.9 at WWI that you could lead on the bolts then practice placing pro on. I guess it was assumed placements were not good quality and thus the bolts, but a lot of it seems pretty solid - you may get funny looks placing gear there. It starts just left of the .10c dihedral, before the ledge narrows. At the little crag through the culvert off the Denny Creek exit there are a few short but quality low angle cracks, pretty sure you can walk to trees to set anchors. I think it's called Fun Forest?, see DCramer's Sky Valley book. Those are the spots I'm aware of off I-90, I think there are a few routes that take gear at Exit38 but I'm not familiar with them.

Neat trip, must've been pretty cool to be solo amidst that landscape

Thanks Bill. With this stuff out there, I hope people cancel their debit cards and just use credit. You pretty much have to be nuts to use a debit card these days, too easy to get money sucked directly out of your account, not sure how easy it is to recover. It's a bit of a pain to get your credit card hacked, but at least you can just deny the charges without $ ever leaving your account or having your funds tied up while it's sorted out. Had both debit card and credit card #s hacked a few years ago, luckily they weren't able to use the debit card, but they spent $5K in Vegas on my credit card. Now I go to the bank and ask the teller for cash, I don't want some card number providing a conduit to pull $ out of my accounts.

good idea curtveld. that made me think of the little ski area in Leavenworth, it would be a fun spot to get your turns on for cheap, with apres-ski burgers and table tennis. i forget if they have a rope tow or a poma.

Seattle is perfect if you want to have a decent job and a social life while being close to lots of outdoor recreation opportunities. But, you will drive about an hour or more each way to go climbing, skiing, mountain biking or hiking after work. If rock climbing is your passion, and you want to climb every day somewhere besides a gym or manufactured outdoor wall, I'll do you the favor of recommending you don't move here. If the job is important to you and you're OK with gym climbing, sea kayaking, road biking, or sailing after work, and would love to take weekend road trips and vacations to check out the volcanoes, alpine crags, glaciers, old growth forests, and phenomenal wilderness and variety of the PNW, this is your place. You may find something here that you love even more than cragging after work. There are plenty of great climbing opportunities within 1-4 hour driving range, and there are tons of climbers here willing to spend the time in the car, it's not difficult to find partners. It can be difficult to get out enough unless your schedule is flexible.

Looking for ski partner for tomorrow, thinking s.side Rainier will be best bet. leaving from seattle.