pcg

My feeling is that when you commit to climb with a partner(s) you are obligated to see it through, circus and all. If you decide to climb with someone with lesser skills or experience then you sign up for all that that might entail, including seeing through the consequences of an unskilled partner panicking and activating a rescue when it wasn't necessary. Bad form to wimp out and leave the mess for someone else to clean up without your assistance.

If you have insulated overboots you can probably still use those lightweight hiking boots and the strap-on crampons in October. Make sure you get everything fitted and are happy with the setup before you leave. You're gambling on a weather window of course. Current conditions are snow and 60 mph winds on summit.

I'll take the ice axe. Sent you a PM.

Someone once said... "the kingdom of heaven is within you..." Funny how everyone from "Christians" to "aetheists" seem to overlook or ignore this.

BD Couloir

If you can wear a size S here's one for $15: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1034037/Cleaning_Out_The_Closet#Post1034037

Awesome job and great photos! Can you share details of your rope solo setup please?

Another option for a skinny rope is to use brake bars. These were commonly used by climbers for rapping many years ago and I think now they are mainly used by cavers. They provide a lot of friction, but if you want enough friction so that you don't have to wrap the rope around your waist, you need multiple brake bars and the weight starts to add up, as well as the complexity. I am still looking for a simpler solution. The monster munter is simple but it seems to me to be awfully hard on the rope. There is a lot of friction there and not much surface area to displace the heat since the rope is smaller diameter, so easy and slow is the way to go.

I have a Bugette and I consider it too dangerous to use on an 8mm single strand Beal rope - really scary and you'd better have gloves on and a good grip and never get past low low gear. If you get moving you're gone. Reverso 3 provides more friction than a Bugette and an ATC Pro provides more still. All are still pretty scary if you are rapping in space, even if you clip two biners instead of one, which helps a little. If I am just rapping down a steep incline then I use an ATC Pro and pass the rope around behind my waist and brake with my hand and a glove, old school style. I wouldn't rap in space without an auto block. You can also stack a second rappel device using a cow's tail which helps quite a bit. The only thing I've found that gives a smooth controllable rappel with a single strand of 8mm is a monster Munter.

From comments on the blog posted above, Delorme as added emergency satellite notification to a new product that will use Iridium... http://blog.delorme.com/2011/06/03/delorme-inreach-two-way-satellite-communication/

Great trip report! What a lucky guy! Is that a Stephenson Warmlite tent? If so I have questions...

Why would you not stay in the habit of tossing the skinny and rapping on both so the "right end" will always be clipped.

I've yet to try Robotics, but I've tried Ace and bailed when I got to the rock hanging underneath the tree, that's being pushed out by the root system. It looks like it could come off if you pulled on it. I'll pass. I like RB with one exception - the freeway noise makes it impossible to hear my partner. Yeah its dirty, but I chalk that up to good experience. Hopefully I will start remembering to bring a small whisk broom. As for the trash, that's unfortunate. We always bring a garbage bag and take out what we can. Wish there was an easy way to get rid of the graffiti.

The corner in the pic is Sundance, but he's right - the route to the left is unnamed, at least in the 4th edition... BTW I am finding RB is a hard place to learn to rock climb. After starting off at Horsethief Butte I have been getting my butt kicked at RB. Most of the climbs are hard, from my perspective - a very humbling experience for me!

Unconditional love is something many people take for granted in a dog, but it's a pretty amazing phenomena when you stop to think about it. We are blessed to be recipients of it. I'm very sorry for your loss.

That's what my son and I have been doing this summer, although I can't top rope 5.10 yet. I can redpoint 5.8 sport and am starting to place gear on easier routes. We've been going to Rocky Butte mainly, because it's convenient, but am looking for areas with easier trad routes (RB is mainly 5.10/5.11 sport) where a rack of nuts is adequate. My son goes off to school in three weeks and I'll need a partner for practicing easy strad in the PDX area or nearby. PM me if you need a partner. I'm about as careful and conservative as they come.

Photo?

So what is suggested attire? Wetsuits and tennis shoes? What is the hiking/scrambling like between falls?

!!!

What year?

I've tried a Buggette and find it offers no more friction than an ATC Pro. Even stacked with the ATC I wish I had more friction for rapping on a single 8mm Beal. I can't imagine rapping off single 5mm with a Bugette unless you are using an auto block or something and then it would be awfully jerky, or do you just wear gloves and burn 'em up? Edit: Ok I went back and re-read your post and noticed what you said about adding more friction. I'm leary about deviating from setups that are tried and proven and have never heard of adding friction by running the rope through something attached to a gear loop, but it sounds like something worth trying and so I'm going to play around with it and see how well it works and how robust the system is. Will probably try a brake bar on a biner as well. Back in the day I used to rap off skinny single rope with just a biner w/brake bar attached to a diaper sling and then passing the rope around behind my waist and wearing gloves. I usually jammed an old towel behind my waist as well or the rope would burn a mark on my jacket. Gloves burnt too. This was common practice. Funny thing is I felt totally safe back then. Not any more. Modern rappel devices and autoblocks are sooooooooo much safer. No going back. BTW a monster Munter works great for rapping off single 8mm except it is brutal on the rope and so I would only use it in an emergency.

This sounds like fun. I've never done any canyoneering and I'm wondering how you keep your gear and rope dry. Or do you just let it get soaked? If so is there any benefit to using a dry rope, or does immersing it still get it soaked?

Yes, there is lots of debris and lots of rockfall. Also, the whole area in the foreground in the photo below that appears to be endless piles of gravel is actually still on the glacier. You are reminded of that when you come across holes like the one shown. Small river way down at the bottom of those holes this time of year... If I were going around the mountain CCW I would cross below the icefall and climb up on Snowdome and then go down Langille Glacier and hit the Timberline trail. Note: I have never done this, but that is what I would try. There may be obstacles lower on the Langille that would give you trouble, but I doubt it. I'd prefer that to trying to climb up that steep unstable talus on the north side of the moraine. I think that is truly dangerous. However, that means you cross early in the morning, as you mentioned, to avoid rock and ice fall and it also requires axe and crampons as there are places you can slip and slide into a crevasse if you go that route. Unfortunately, this really isn't a place for small children.

If you wouldnt mind teaching me how to set each of those pulley systems I would like to join you on Mt Hood. Always down for some learning. I'll PM you after the weather colds colder - too much rockfall coming down the Elliot right now.

I thought it was very good info and saved the URL for planning a future PT trip. I think you should put your notes back up... OK leave out the part about the fat chipmunk.