pcg

Very useful info. Thanks.

Nothing wrong with buying used axes and crampons. Lots of old school (heavy) stuff out there. I bought a pair of Salewa hinged crampons in great shape on eBay for $12 to have on hand for friends to use. I already had the exact same pair that I purchased from REI many years ago so I knew what they would fit and how to adjust them. You can pick up used pickets in the Yard Sale forum here, but I lost patience waiting for some to show up so I bought new. I was leary of buying used ice screws and personally wouldn't buy a used rope unless I could be convinced it was in good condition and that would be hard to do. I took the Mazama $75 crevasse rescue class last winter and felt it was well worth it. I read all I could first and set up C and Z pulley rigs in my yard before taking the class. You'll get a lot more out of the course if you do that. I also set everything up again and practiced in my yard afterwards. I'd like to go up on Elliot Glacier on Mt. Hood and practice some more if I can get two or three others to come along. One of the most useful things I learned was how hard it is to climb up over the edge of a crevasse while prussiking and I'd like to practice that again as well as I never figured out a good solution. Anybody want to join me on Hood later this fall to practice crevasse rescue and rope management, setting pickets and screws, clipping through pro, etc.?

Someone should give some thought on how to discretely relocate the memorial that has been erected on the edge of the cliff to the north of Video Bluff (just past where the 4th class trail descends) since the accident last week. There is another memorial by the side of the road where the trash bags were stashed during the cleanups and that one is fine. The problem with the one on the edge of the cliff, however, is that, well, it's located on the edge of the cliff. Its location encourages those wishing to honor the young man to venture right out to the same point where I assume the accident occured. People have left balloons, a basketball, etc., and it's a sure bet everyone that ventures out there to leave something is not leashed in. It needs to be relocated so that those that don't understand how to safely approach the cliff's edge, won't be encouraged to do so. A couple days ago I was approached at the top of Video Bluff and lectured to be careful by a woman who said she was campaigning city hall to fence off the area to keep everyone out. I was polite, but the irony was enormous as I was harnessed and tethered to a tree on the street side of the trail, and she was standing there with a baby in a baby carriage, a few feet from the edge. I doubt she would have been in that location had she not wanted to venture out to see the other memorial.

I recommend staying high. Trying to cross low is very hazardous. If you are coming from the NW stay high (cross just below the lower ice fall of the Elliot and watch out for rockfall)or you will not be able to see the faint trail that goes up the SE side of the creek basin. If you miss that trail you are in for a scary scramble up some awfully unstable talus. Follow the trail up to the old stone shelter cabin then continue past to the south to intersect with the Timberline trail.

Thanks for the update. What time did you start down the SW Chutes?

Does anyone object to my removing the two loose rocks (someone marked one with a white X, the other is smaller)on the layback on Flaky Old Man, next time I am there?

I see two problems here: 1) Because Rocky Butte is easy and convenient to access and the slopes leading to sheer drop offs are slippery and dangerous with no warning to the uneducated, there is a high probability that accidents by unskilled or careless people will continue to occur. 2) Accidents here are associated in the media with climbing in general and that hurts us all. I know many climbers frown on RB because of the freeway noise and how the area is frequented and trashed by some non-climbers. The fact remains, though, that it is convenient to Portland and there are many good routes that have been developed over the years. I’d hate to see the area get shut down, but if the general trend continues I suspect eventually access will be restricted. A huge amount of work has been put into this area by those who have developed the routes and I’d hate to be denied the opportunity to enjoy the fruit of their efforts. To address item #1 above - I would not be opposed to the state installing more fencing and perhaps an unlocked access gate with a sign warning of the danger of approaching cliffs without protection. It appears from the media reports that both of the accidents this week happened at the top of Flaky Old Man. I think most climbers approach this area only after clipping into a sling tied around the tree at the top first, but I’m guessing that many non-climbers do not, and that some would benefit with a warning. Perhaps the local climbing community can proactively make some suggestions to the state parks division and supply volunteer labor to implement something. To address item #2, the media needs to get the message that there is a large group of educated and skilled climbers who climb here frequently without incident. All of the RB accidents that I am aware of involved people who were uneducated and untrained, or who were not vigilant about modern safety practices. How do you educate the media? What can the local climbing community do to educate the public and prevent more unfortunate tragedies at this area?

I aways thought girth-hitching was supposed to be better because otherwise you can load the biner from three directions.

So you are climbing the full length of the rope on each pitch? and using the SP on the top rope as you climb up the second time? I've never used a SP, but that would mean you can feed it either direction? i.e. taking out rope on first climb up and taking in rope on second climb up? Thanks.

I've been thinking about doing something similar and am curious about your procedure. So when you rap down you disassemble your anchor at the start of the pitch, and then do you just tend a prussik on the doubled rap line while you climb up the same pitch again?

I agree. When filled with snow it is a total cruise.

Stepenson Warmlite makes two double-wall two-man tents for around $600 that weigh under three pounds. 2R is roomy for two, 2C is two feet shorter.

FWIW - On long pushes I hydrate with 1/2L per hour of Accelerade mix (180 cal) and two non-caffeinated gels (200 cal) per hour. This is just under 400 cal/hr which is about the max your body can absorb while working hard. Ideally I should be drinking a bit more, but this gets me up OK without bonking and I'm not eager to carry more than 3L without stopping to melt and refill. Six hours of Accelerade and strawberry banana GU will make you want to gag, but you won't bonk, and nothing makes water taste so good at the end of the day. I take along a ziploc sandwich bag to stash the sticky used gel packages. Save the tasty comfort food for breakfast and dinner. I leave the heavy Snickers bars at camp as a reward for when I return. I don't start on an empty stomach either. I'm a big breakfast eater, but I have found that not many are. Everyone is different. Whatever you do, test it out before you commit to something big.

Is this stuff non-sweet? The only jerky I've been able to find in stores lately is way too sweet for me. Even the non-Teriyaki variety tastes likes it been soaked in sugar. All I want is meat taste. Smoky and salty are allright, but no yucky sweet please.

If your feet are as wide as mine then no climbing shoe is going to fit you really well. Best I've found is Mad Rock Phoenix which I can somehow manage to lace up tight around my paddles without crimping my toes painfully.

And how will a rack of these affect a compass reading?

Scenic: Mt. Baker from Mt. Stuart

My son and I are in and look forward to meeting some other folks.

Self-serve kiosk at ranger station just west of Trout Lake, south side of 141.

I have a KRW and I agree with above. Also if you ever carry skis then you cannot access the side pockets anyway.

Yep! Black bear is brown and brown bear is black.

Which is the black bear in Oregon and which is the brown bear in Alaska?

Family hike outside of Bella Coola, BC...

silver fox

This is NW Natural's underground natural gas storage facility in Mist - an obvious terrorist target. I assume the Dept. of Homeland Security or NW Natural requested that Google block out the details. Mist natural gas storage facility