Water

yo Ben, been on that side during one of our arctic air masses, sunny, windy, and 8 degrees ambient. I had long underwear, softshells, then my hardshell pants. on top I had tshirt, long sleeve heavy wool shirt, then a montbell tec-down puffy, then a hard shell, i think. Sure I sweated when I was working hard but at those temps I did not find my down wetting out at all really or freezing in my armpits/etc--it was fine and i would get cold if i stopped. if i had to do again i'd probably get by with long underwear, softshells, have hardshell along in case but 2 layers for legs is enough for most. up top i'd do long sleeve base wool, nano puff pullover, then my heavy-softshell that blocks the wind as well as hardshell may. EDIT: I'd also have on compression shorts. This time of year that side of mnt with weather forecast I'd also have along my EB peak xv uberdoober down jacket and a sitpad. could probably substitute a 30degree 2-2.5lb sleeping bag for the uber down. between pack and sitpad you get enough insulative coverage from snow i like one big thing to keep me warm (bag or monster parka). stove too. i just go conservative imagining for some reason I have to dig and wait for a few hours...a day..hopefully never a few days. ditto on DPS's external gear (goggles, mitts, etc).

from goldendale its not so far to go down and across the river--you can hike and camp along the deschutes river i believe. query portlandhikers.org or nwhikers for more info probably.

damn man. how is it that there has been online maps like acme mapper and various other incarnations of stuff out there and then you come out with something in the space of a few months that just seems so dang superior? digging it so much!

you know why you won't hear more than a mention of an old Dana Designs - Mystery Ranch, and then a McHale pack? Because anyone who has a pack that is 90+ liters who actually fills it to capacity is not loving that situation. I gave my advice to you to based on previous thru-hiking experience on the AT and being connected with plenty of present day thru-hikers. Want a 90+ liter pack? I owned a Lowa Netherworld 90+ back in 2003-2004 because when I first learned about backpacking I assumed having a huge pack was cool since you could carry whatever you wanted. I sold it before I ever took a step on the AT. but maybe the rest of your gear is ancient and weighs a ton or you're going to be working for outward bound, or you're going to bring along 35lbs+ of additional photography and other misc. gear? nobody knows your background so the advice you're getting is just based on the experience of seeing people who are inexperienced apply their notions to packing for a trip and end up with a miserably heavy pack. seen it a million times is all, if you have a specific need for the volume of 90+ liters that is totally fair, as opposed to just choosing big because you're hiking long distance.

no, why ask? it is only marketings buzz speak and a name if it packed down the size of a nano puff hoody and was warm as EB 1st ascent Peak VX then sure. additionally I would almost guarantee even if you order a mens small it will weigh a few more ounces than 22, almost everyone but ultra-light sticklers (mont-bell) fudge the numbers a bit.

smith butte snopark by mt adams, there is no funding to plow the road to it or it. chalk that one as outright closed for the year.

nice pics, always love getting up there even if having to turn around short. wondering if you would have climbed had the wind been less and it been a bit warmer? nwac had the avy risk up on all east/NE/lee slopes, wondering if you guys had checked that/would dig a pit/etc? hopefully don't sound like im shazzin on ya'll, I only know some basics on avy so err more conservative off what I read on NWAC. seems high cooper would be ripe though i dont see even any fresh sloughs into top of the elliot it looks like. cheers

hmmm.. you know most PCT thru hikers probably use a 60liter or smaller pack. and they're going thousands of miles.. resupply along your route, carry less weight, and you can walk faster/further. tho I suppose if you're carrying 14-21 days of food on your back you will probably be happy to make 9.5-12 miles a day.

chris where did you read that? can you provide link pls? thanks

gotta give you a huge congratulations for producing such an awesome map-software! this is leaps and bounds above everything else I've used. I'm spending more time browsing on it than prior map programs, as a map fanatic who can spend hours looking at them this just works great. esp like the measuring feature and how easy it all works together. you did a super job!

your flickr link doesn't seem to work

i have a nano pullover and a thermawrap hoody size small i think the nano is 9oz size medium (US size small) the thermawrap is 13.4oz I believe i think the thermawrap is warmer. I like the nano more (a bit smaller, lighter, similar warmth, and a bright yellow color for me). I take the thermawrap when I am more serious because i think it is a bit warmer, has pockets, and a hood--which really helps keep warmth in, imo. the thermawrap fits a little closer, the waist-hem of the nano is kind of square but the upper part/arms/shoulders are a good fit. 2cents

What people said about the experts knowing more people who die just seems incredibly true. the only pretending going on is speaking of climbing in a general sense as if it is all equal. comparing alaska range adventures to sport climbing at smith rock is apples and oranges. You can't speak in generalities about 'climbing is positive and healthy' when climbing can entail everything from TR'ing indoors, southside hood to something alex honold or colin are doing. The subjective opinion about positive and healthy certainly can be held across all spectrum of climbing levels, but the risk sure isn't uniform. you can do some pretty basic relatively lower risk climbing and get a good feeling of positivity, health, and renewal out of it, that is not unrealistic.

2nd. Appropriate boots for mentioned volcanoes in mentioned seasons. Make sure to waterproof them good for longer/slushy conditions. beeswax or one of the sprays. I realize this was from the plastic boots you used prior, but I've generally found (never have had a blister from any boots myself) that putting mole-skin when one feels a hotspot is like getting your coffee cup out to bail out a boat once it has slammed into a rock. does about squat at that point. I have seen demonstrated throwing on some moleskin well ahead of time then outright covering it with athletic tape. Just an angle as heel slippage can be a common problem in a lot of boots when going uphill. cheers

you are a beast. your trips and the lines you ski are so impressive, they are definitely inspiration to push oneself towards goals. i read your TRs feeling like a 10yr old in the presence of a superhero. bravo

moose pass/valley. loops back around north then east of robson beyond aldophus lake. but, it isn't maintained so great, much like the north boundary trail it is more intended for horse packing. I think there are some bear lines in a spot or two. could be a good time but i spoke with a handful of folks about it prior to my trip and it sounded like a lot of brush and river bars and multiple fords. that said feck is entirely correct. When we did a portion of the NBT we only saw two berg-lake campers squating at the adolphus camp spot (stupidly with their tent under the bear-bag hang pole between two trees.) and then 2 guys from ontario a few days later who hike the trail every few years. If you were adventurous there is all sorts of exploration to be had there. I would love to go back and have 2 weeks..

Seeing Mt. Robson is entirely worth it. Berg Lake is a phenomenal spot. Solitude--absolutely not there! You only have 10 days, so this is out, but one year we did part of the North Boundary Trail--More of a Jasper thing than Mt. Robson but starts at the BC/AB border there just north of Berg Lake--none the less its like 160km with no exit points really so..hehe Though my opinion with the solitude is you can find it even in the most busy of places if you're just willing not to stand where everyone else is--you can find your peace. But then again some people's idea of solitude is not seeing anyone/barely anyone at all.

Your life may not be your career but your career can/will have a huge influence on your life. You want to aim as high as you can, not for just good enough. Consider life has a way of making it that aiming for your best puts you somewhere good enough for you and aiming for just good enough gets you somewhere short of that. Even if you maintain some 'big' salary is not your goal, having the best degree may be able to help you dictate better where you work/live in order to maintain happiness from those other life items you love. spoken from someone who is a case study in not making decisions career-wise yields decisions being made for you.

the cost of repeatedly fixing the busted lock/door is going to suck. "Yea I dunno, door was broken when I got here a few hours ago"

I'm partial to Dick Proenneke's cabin after spending a week at upper twin lake when I was 12 years old. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke Went again with my father and cousin at 18 and the feeling was still the same. still is today. hell of a place.

thanks couloir. that he slipped down into white river maybe supports the futility of any electronics preventing an accident. A tool. damn. absolutely heartbreaking news. devastating seeing his website with his family and everything.

fun thing to do is take an unopened bottle of gatorade or any other type of drink, important that the seal has not been broken. If you carry it in your bag on a cold day it will get super-chilled but because it was bottled around sea level the pressure in there is higher and lowers the freezing point. I've seen some cool stuff where you open it up and it almost flash freezes, going from liquid to being a slush in mere seconds. pretty cool

goggles with replaceable lenses. Clear or yellow for the cloudy days and a darker one for sunny. will suck sometimes from fogging but will entirely keep that skin protected, yeah? I am betting the wind does that skin in as much as the temperature.

Friends of Trout Creek (FB)

i bet nobody is at the office. Bird Creek is on Mt Adams Yakima area which is closed in winter. July is your time frame probably. http://documents.clubexpress.com/documents.ashx?key=xGNMBuUN0o8OH3CXRY4Jog642Wqr%2bpbIeI95y1d%2fqb2WWnSTsMhiSw%3d%3d