YocumRidge

To OL: I would say the rock was class 3 when covered with those sketchy icicles!

Nothing planned yet so I should be available for both weekends for Shuksan. What is your route preference: Fisher Chimneys or Sulphide?

Still looking.

Trip: Mt. Shasta - Hotlum-Bolam Ridge Date: 6/20/2009 Trip Report: I met with OL and Justing in the parking lot of the Northgate entrance (~6700’) on 06/19/09 (midnight) where we camped O/N before heading for the Hotlum-Bolam ridge next morning. German skiers were as always too loud and did not bless us with too much sleep. Oh well, what else does one expect of spending a night in a parking lot on a weekend? Weather was nice and clear at this point and according to NOAA forecast we certainly were not prepared for what turned out to be a real torture later on. It is not that I mind the occasional tortures like that - I was supposed to get used to them by now. We packed up, left the trailhead at 8 a.m. and quickly reached the Northgate entrance (~8000’) of Shasta. After heading up the glacier right across the Northgate, we progressed to the first high camp area where we replenished our water supply from the still running waterfall. Weather begun to change every five minutes from clear skies to complete whiteouts making us wonder what is going to come next. My attempt to convince OL to continue towards the second high camp – Marine Camp (~10800’) – for our O/N stay -was successful despite the fact that hunting for the nice flat sites in whiteout conditions left much to be desired. I was whining about sticking the tents in the snow rather keep wandering. The guys were more persistent to stay away from the snow. After eventually settling down on the dry moraine, we cooked our Mountain house dinner and dessert and melted enough water for the next day. Temperatures were quickly dropping with wind gusts reaching 60 mph which was gradually turning into a blizzard with ice and snow. My hopes of the summit were diminishing in exponential progression and my efforts to get some sleep were not crowned with much success either while the best part was yet to come. Justing was helplessly snoring and I was trying to be understanding. Condensation inside the tent was turning into ice particles and every time we moved our bodies against the tent, we got hit by an ice fall right down on our faces. All vents were open, so I have no clue how I was supposed to avoid that. Temperatures hit 10F (first day of summer in Cali) and at 2 a.m. I got up in desperation to realize that all water, cookware, food and fuel canisters were frozen. On the positive side, the miracle had happened and all of the sudden, we were greeted with clear skies and subsiding winds. At this point, OL dropped: lets catch the moment and go for the summit and so we did. Melting a new batch of snow took 2 and half hours to make just barely enough water to get us to the summit. OL was not happy about the waste of time but we had no other choice. BTW, OL those hand and feet warmers you graciously offered to me turned to be a real life saver! Finally at 5 a.m. we crossed the moraine, put the crampons on and headed up the glacier. The sunrise was gorgeous and made our lives much easier to negotiate open crevasses and a bergshrund up the glacier. After a few sketchy traverses, we reached “The Step” at 13000’ and noticed the clouds begun gathering again but remained at ~12000’. Oxygen deprivation made its presence noticeable in our needs for more frequent stops which exacerbated en route to the summit ridge. After passing through “The Rabbit Ears” (see pics) we begun the shitty airy traverse across the ice-covered class 3 rock and the Bolam Glacier up the final pitch to the summit ridge on the north face. At this point, excruciating headache and my thoughts of whether to throw up or not became sickening and unbearable but I was trying to stay in one piece. Thanks a bunch for the aspirin to Ian I met at the summit! Unfortunately it did not help much but I did not throw up either. Our descent via the Bolam glacier variation was uneventful. We got back to our tents left at the Marine camp, packed up and headed down to the cars. First day of summer in Cali 2009: Gear Notes: Helmet, 12 point crampons, axe Approach Notes: 12 miles on Military Pass road on the approach to the Northgate trailhead is a nightmare and my car badly needs a wheel alignment

It looks like Shuksan will still be open. When do you want to climb it? I will be off to Sierras to climb at Temple crags 6-10th August.

Craig33: PM sent

Conditions are supposed to be superb this weekend for North Cascades and I do not want to waste another great chance to climb up there just because my climbing partner is bailing again. I know it is kind of a last minute notice but hopefully there is someone out there who is in the same boat and is eager to climb. I climbed extensively in PacNW since 2003, own all glacier and rock gear and am crevasse rescue equipped and trained. PM or email at mitochondria100@gmail.com

I would only rope up at the Hotlum glacier (as a few others did last weekend) that is heavily crevassed these days.

Hey Jimbo, Thanks! No I am not stuck on the idea of climbing the C-D (it is my first time on the mountain). The alternatives sound much better! Any beta on the approach to the Park and Rainbow glaciers? Also, I do not want to haul tons of rock pro, so what route would fit the bill? Anastasia

Hi guys, I need you input on the approach to the Coleman-Deming glacier. The idea was to climb Baker via this route. Road 39 is partially closed which leaves us with nothing but to hike for an extra 7 miles if we want to start at that trailhead. But at this point I am not sure that I want to. Alternatively, we could start at Easton (a different trailhead) and then somehow traverse to the Coleman. Has anyone done it before or where would be the best place for the traverse? Thanks a bunch in advance.

Glacier Creek road #39 is partially closed until late summer. Are you prepared to swing in some 7 extra miles to get to the trailhead? Anastasia

O, yes, there were crevasses and sketchy looking snow bridges and quite a few of them on both Bolum and Hotlum glaciers! This was the reason our alpine start was moved to 5 a.m. so that by the time you get to the area the sun will be out to see them!

We will be climbing the Hotlum-Bolum ridge this weekend: myself (PDX) and two others from Cali. I guess see you up there. We will be camping for one night at the higher camp - Marine camp, if I remember right and next day after the summit, descending all way down to the trailhead.

Climbed the Old Chute on 05-30-09. Apologies for the late input. No ropes, no fuss. Started at Timberline at 12 midnight, past the tent city above the IR at 4.00 a.m., summit at 5.30 a.m., breakfast on the summit at 5.35 a.m., back to the car at 9.00 a.m. For the reasons unknown to mankind, some days in the chute are worse than just a zoo (see pics). Icy and cold before the sunrise, a way colder than in December when we did West Crater Rim with Olegv. I witnessed a snowboarding accident of a guy descending the icy Chute who lost his grip and was sliding down for about 150'. His randonneeing friend made a wise decision to stop after taking two turns and to downclimb it instead. I still keep wondering why would anyone even think about doing something like that before the sun significantly melts the snow. Gear notes: helmet, crampons, axe and second tool (useful on the downclimb to make your own path to stay away from mega roped teams) North Face summit ridge: Rainier, Adams and St. Helens

Up for sale are the new Evolv Elektra womens rock shoes in the US size 7.5 or European size 38. Color: purple. I bought them two months ago for $85.00, asking $65.00. One of the best for most applications, but are just too small for me. PM or e-mail at mitochondria100@gmail.com Thanks for looking.

I really want to climb Rainier this year. DC, Kautz, Emmons or Success Clever. PM or e-mail at mitochondria100@gmail.com

Hey Sherri, I would love to climb with you at Leavenworth if you plan on going again some other weekend. I was climbing Hood today. Anastasia

Hi, I am always interested in rock and alpine climbing. Open to anything except Hood which I climbed today and done with it until next year. PM here or e-mail at mitochondria100@gmail.com Anastasia

PM sent

Looking for a partner or two to climb Hood with this coming weekend. Solid skills, have all the gear for steep snow and easy ice. Preferred routes: Wy East, Leuthold Couloir, possibly West Crater variation (conditions permitting). Will do Pearly Gates if you are willing to lead the icy pitches. Make sure you have transportation to PDX. Please PM or reply to this post.

Hey, I would be certainly interested. What dates do you have in mind and who else are in the team?