Water

skied it yesterday (sunday). Was mostly in or under clouds up till LC with periodic breaks. They mal-lingered around all day and re-sat on the mountain at times with 100ft visibility and othertimes view all the way from summit to trout lake There was like 6 inches of fresh snow (a day or a few old?) from lunch counter up, thinner in some spots. Also kind of a crust below. Fine on skis, seemed like maybe it would suck on foot with that crust if you were punching through. we stopped maybe 100ft short of pikers cause a cloud had come back and seemed to really be holding, we didn't know if we were gunna be in white out for the rest of the eve or not..so we judiciously used the visibility we had and opened it up when it cleared a bit more at times. all clear by the time we got to LC and nice thereon out. An hour later the mnt had full sun top to bottom and clouds seemed to move higher overall. Went down crescent glacier route, i'd probably go up that way too having gone down it, even with the 'warnings' of the cornice on the ridge to the west of the crescent, imo it can be easily be safely ascended if you pick the right spot. it was fun to ski down that side. just keep your bearings so you dont funnel into the wrong drainage. btw on the way out noticed someone in a 4wd vehicle had indeed smashed through some of the snow banks for a mile or so (1.5...2 not sure) beyond where we parked. Real soon its gunna be open to the snows edge. the road walk really aint that bad tho.

meta 2 packed weight 3.5lbs.. not sure any advantage of Nemo vs say tarptent double rainbow (weighs a pound less), or other tarptents.

glad i revived this thread. I like oregon's system for funding parks using a large part of lottery dollars. The discovery pass has some crappy things like originally only being for one vehicle but isn't radically different from something like NW forest pass in terms of how it operates. Obviously the state will do ok even if it hurts some tourism aspect but it is worth considering border oregonians perspective--not as a hinge point but just as another factor. For instance it was nice to take out of town visitors up beacon rock. But at the same time there are a plethora of options for things to do. If I really want a gorge hike there are plenty on the OR side or on WA like table mnt or coyote wall that are free. The things that are close access that require the pass are not compelling enough for me so they just ensure I avoid them. Totally a guess but I see very little motivation for most oregonians to get the pass when so many other options are at hand. others opinion may vary though.

pretty awesome 'first' post! congrats on what looks like a great climb! thanks for sharing

noticed just a few down by the road in the warm evening sun. like just a few. none in the AM

cannot vouch but what about this.. there are compression straps, no? why not rig something like a chalk bag (in design).. even a stuff sack, etc..hell take a quart bottle of milk that has the plastic handle and cut off a portion of the top. rig a string/strap to the lowest compression strap and have that 'bag' hang there with the bottom of the wands in it. Or even use a liter pop bottle and cut it off then use an awl or make a little hole for a string to go through. If the wands are under the compression strap then they shouldn't be all bouncing around but this keeps them from sliding out down. poke a tiny slit or hole if using something like plastic so that any water can drain out. just mimic that bottom edge stretch pocket that is on packs.

any recommendations for a portland boot fitter? I didn't order these boots online. I spent about 2-3 weeks going to 3 different stores trying on about 16 different pairs of boots. They felt the best of all I tried on in terms of comfort and fit out of the box, fwiw. When I bought them US outdoor said they'd do punching them out or other help with boot-work, recommend I start there or do I need more specialty? between skinning and some lift-served days I've probably got around 40-50hrs in them.

Trip: S, Sister, OR - Dog (south side) Date: 6/17/2012 Trip Report: figured I'd throw my hat in the TR contest: my usual suspects had other plans this weekend. So I ended up wrangling a plan with two folks via cc.com that I hadn't met before. One local and the other on an extended rock/snow/ski/paddling adventure of cali/bc/or/wa/ and now AK before school in the fall. Based on the fact none of us knew each other we opted for something mellow and fun—South Sister dog route is just that. two of us skied and the other on slowshoes, but was entirely the opposite of slow. We started skinning right from the car. snow was firm but not crusty, just got slushier as the day went. day started with cloud fuzz and drizzle but you could tell the deck was thin. It was totally clear in bend at 5am and there were hints of blue when we got to devils lake. by the time we got to lewis tarn it was clearing, but the wind kicked up. stashed skis about 300ft higher or something. wind was really gusting but thats all, otherwise not even cold out. even more wind at the summit, but ok, not cold. nice not to have any haze tho, been a while since I had a haze free view: i'm new to skiing in general, the snow kinda of sucked by the time we were going down, quite wet and grabby. still nice to ski. Having to don the skins for the flats before the trees on the way back to the car was less than thrilling. Though I had a ball on the final mile or two through the woods. the many canned micros fully chilled in the roadside snow were primo. no pics of any skiing since my lines are nothing I want recorded right now. Gear Notes: foot deep snow atop beer by car will completely melt in 8hrs. fortunately locals put a rubber spider next to them to know they were found, but protected. axe didnt use pons, but, depending on if it was crusty or you were going up earlier, traction may be needed. Approach Notes: very straight forward. follow tracks and go uphill. top out on the flats then continue to the mnt. park on side of road, plenty of room. probably a week left of skiing car to car.

First season of spring/summer climb/skiing and wondering about some feedback from the more seasoned: 1) I tend to get a blister on my left arch when skinning/hiking in my AT boots. I have flat feet. to my knowledge my feet are the same size and shape (no dramatic diff/half size issues). My right foot is fine through this. I can power through it for a day but a day #2 would be tender/painful. 2) The above seems in large part aided by the fact that after say 3-5 hours in my boots my foot in living in a proverbial swamp. When I take off my AT boots after having them on for 8-12 hours my foot is the most I ever see it wrinkled/saturated. Looks like I put them in a warm water bath for 5 hours straight. Thoughts/solutions...one is reduce moisture (change socks after 5 hours? I'm only wearing the thinnest liner sock, so nothing thick to begin with. I've worn heavier though. With wearing more sock I still got the arch blister. I'd rather avoid having to put tape on my feet or whatnot pre-emptively. Is this something I can return to the shop and have them make any mod on the boot or...suggestions specifically for the arch blister on the one foot? I keep the liner tied to my foot as tight as possible. Maybe upgrade the liner? I have some mellow/soft insoles that work for me in there. Thanks

nice timelapse. every 10 or 30 seconds or what for how long? on that canon ps setup of yours? very cool. bahl'hornin! great IPA

excuse me? I'm not asking because I'm trying to figure out for myself if I can weasel on the parking-I've no need or interest to even go near anywhere that requires this pass. I'm genuinely curious to know if this made it to court or was thrown out by the court, etc.

So how did this resolve dhrmabum?? curious to hear..

hmmm.. i will eat plain yogurt (like a danon fruit on the bottom) just to get to the pure unadulterated (with yogurt) super sugary fruit on the bottom. and i am a 'liquids' person in general..when I was younger I would come home with upwards of 6-12 different types of liquid (juices, sodas, smoothies, shakes, chocolate milk, almond milk, sparkling waters/drinks, teas, etc) after a grocery trip. I got a majority of my calories that way..fwiw. relaxed a bit as i got older. that said talking rain really hits it, without adding stevia or whatnot..just straight up carbonated water with some of that fruit oils (or is it corn based?) in it or whatever is just as good as soda in my book.

Your eliminated items were a nice walk through recent memory of 'shelter hilariousness' through it I'm kind of hearing a tarp deal like beta/mega-mid type deal (meets size, weight, space, basic performance). I'm not hearing '4 season' specifically rated, so maybe one of the big agnes or marmot double walled tents with carbon fiber poles--they've been pushing the weights down on those over the last few years. I use a tarptent in the summer and a 4 season tent in the winter...i would never specifically recommend a tarptent based on your criteria of good for hanging out in rain for 2 days. edit: for 1 person in a Squall 2 or double rainbow..probably fine. See below re: single wall. Seam seal it good-though henry has improved his designs since i got a first tent from him in 2006, i've had small 'leaks' in heavy rain. But the tents also saw heavy use (100nights+). they get the weight down. We have a contrail (only use when going solo and its mild), a squall 2 (favorite tent, even w/o being free standing), and a double rainbow (better/actual vestibule coverage) I'm kinda curious as well to see what anyone else chimes with. edit: what about rab ultra? ..my 4 season is their prior version of the latok (bigger version of the ultra). For 1, hanging out for 2 days in rain could work. Any single wall will have a condensation issue..just depends on how well you vent/how much contact with walls/how much you want to be involved squeeging. i haven't camped in double walled tents much at all over the last few years, but i feel like i recall when it was really wet they had issues too..just not as pronounced.

found single on the flats just before the mnt. Has REI writing on it so assuming a rental. Will drop off at REI tualatin location this week unless someone chimes in.

interesting.. curious to see how it works, think everyone is different either way. is it just me or are a bunch of the headshots on this page bizarre looking? http://thepaleodiet.com/about

just a guess but I'd say yes, if you do not mind carrying it down lower for a while.

if money is no issue and worried about durability of silnylon, consider a look at cuben fiber tarps.

http://youtu.be/OqfOxm_1BE0 just use glacier glasses or really dark sun glasses. goggles when there is falling snow/wind/blowing snow. btw if you haven't gotten a good mini-thing of sunscreen and chapstick, it is one of those small comforts that will not stop you from being successful but will make a world of difference between having an oozing face painful face and mouth or not for a week afterwards whilst you tell people of your endeavor, esp if it is sunny, but even in clouds you get the UV. have fun

well for the record this question got posted at nwhikers as well.. i'm not going to judge the OP too much other than that they went for the shotgun technique in getting feedback. With all the responses at 3 (or more??) places without being knowledgeable oneself seems like it would be incredibly difficult to make rhyme or reason or distill an actual take-away from it all. Personally I would not be thrilled if my wife did such. But I could understand in a hypothetical, ie: if there was prior headbutting about this issue.

also when you're so awesome you don't put a personal logo watermark on your photos, you post a logo with mountains as the watermark.

this. I'd love to know myself. I've practiced (on snow) specifically with a 30m rope and two people a number of times. My confidence extracting a severely injured or non-ambulatory partner with this setup is practically non-existent. Even getting an initial anchor (picket) in from an arrest position holding someone's fall into a crevasse is a big challenge unless conditions are ideal. 3 people makes such a difference, 30m or 60m rope, it becomes feasible. Two people on a longer rope, you could get a drop loop down to an injured climber at least. not so feasible on a shortie rope. That said I seem to almost never ever read about any even semi-serious/injured CR falls here in the NW...just thinking through reading 20yr of ANAM and very few instances in NW. Being willing to turn around if things are bad (partner sick/bonking, weather coming in, snow conditions sketch) seems like the biggest thing to be mindful of. Your husband has a bit of a summit fever it sounds (baby on the way, moving to NE..). Make sure it doesn't cloud his judgment while up there.

coming from the midwest i truly believe the weather here is actually interesting and can be a minor hobby/interest and isn't just a small talk thing like in a lot of other places. I've heard it is one of the more difficult places for computers to model. For instance look at the link to mt rainier's camp muir telemetry. Today you can see the solar radiation sensor is peaking. But look at the webcam at paradise, 5000ft lower: http://www.nps.gov/webcams-mora/mountain.jpg its sunny up at muir. guess it doesn't help you understand the weather on its own but if you read seattle weather discussion or spoke with a meteorologist they could discuss the clouds at the 700mb level (corresponds to like 13,000ft or something). I find it all sorts of helpful when I can know how thick the cloud column is. just do some basic weather searches or use the NOAA forecast discussion glossary to learn what a shortwave ridge or a longwave trough, etc.

1) http://www.weather.gov/ Other weather sites may offer forecasts but to my knowledge no other US organizations (weather.com/accuweather/etc) have the data collection (ie their own satellites) and modeling capabilities of NOAA. 2) forecast discussion. If you really want to round out and learn about the weather more than just seeing 30% showers.. but instead know that you're having a small temporary ridge, will get a push of marine layer air that will have cloud levels at 5000ft, before a more serious front moves in.. you get that from the forecast discussion: http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=PQR&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1 3) I use NWAC remote telemetry and 10day graphs from places like Mt. Hood Timberline Upper, Camp Muir, St. Helens http://www.nwac.us/weatherdata/campmuir/ http://www.nwac.us/weatherdata/timberlineupper/ you can find out all sorts of information. For instance on Rainier look at the measurement of solar radiation..you can see the peaks were much higher last week (sunny). Look at how it correlates to humidity level (when there was 5% humidity you can be sure it was clear as hell), temps, etc. These graphs from NWAC are great, you can watch when we get a really strong high pressure system the wind direction rips right around to being from the East like clockwork. 4) webcams. There are a set of webcams from Canada down to Mt. Shasta. You can get a view of more or less every mountain... since I am around PDX I look at hood/jeff/helens/adams/rainier/and 3 sisters. I also take a look at olys a bit. with a genius phone and bookmarks you could get good info on the run not just at home. 5) call NOAA local meteorological office if you feel capable to discuss weather with them. Seattle, Portland, Pendelton, Medford..They are a public agency, the weather is their job. I've found them to be helpful at times and they seem slightly entertained to give advice from their models such as 'what type of winds do you see at 10,000ft for the next 24hr'? I wouldn't use their time to ask 'will it rain?' type things. 6) cliff mass has a book on NW Weather. Its great! get it from the library or buy a copy. He also has a blog that is really not for recreational forecasts but it is a way to learn more about weather in general and NW specific conditions. http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/ 7) sticking your head out the window is always surefire

if you're going to go, I'd probably lug the slowshoes. This time of year if it warms up you can have some endless postholing.