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...and is Lone Fir campground open. Some NFS campgrounds are closed and apparently it is dependent on the concessionaires.

Any word on whether Lone Fir campground will remain open?

I remember finding a hole that appeared to go way down under Sandy Glacier many years ago on a cold October hike from McNeil Point to Yokum Ridge. My feeling at the time was I really wanted to explore, but I also thought it would be a terrible place to die when something collapsed when the glacier moved. I didn't and still don't know enough about glaciers to know where and when it might be safe to go under one. From the pics in the links above some of the tunnels appear to be fairly stable, i.e. they don't show signs of annual shifting and cracking. On the other hand I can imagine that quite a bit of water might be flowing through on a late summer afternoon. I'm a long time caver/mapper from years back, but I don't have the expertise to determine when it's safe to explore this system. I want in if a group gets after this... I know one option is to join Oregon High Desert Grotto.

So... if NCNP offices are closed and I can't obtain a backcountry permit, and there are no rangers on the trail to issue tickets for camping without a permit...

NCNP has no gates for rangers to lock and unlock. MRNP does. If the gubmint shuts down at nidnight then the gates at MRNP will be locked.

While living in CO in the 70s I had a roommate who was bc skiing on Elbert in 60s or early 70s when he came upon a group of skiers all decked out in white - white jackets, white pants, white skis, and... white rifles. Also, they appeared "foreign". I can't recall all the details, but when he got back to the parking lot there was an Air Force Academy bus parked there. He never did figure out what exactly was going on, but I recall the general consensus was that the U.S. was training Tibetans for some special operations somewhere. It's true that it's a pretty mellow lump of a mountain with an easy ridge ascent, but it is also surrounded by serious avy terrain. The town of Twin Lakes, at the base of Elbert, was basically wiped off the map by an avalanche in the 60s.

In my opinion they shouldn't, but the fact is they will. Have you never left webbing, even though you'd prefer not to? If bolts will improve safety and at the same time get rid of crap scattered all over the mountain, then it would seem they are the best solution. Hangers with rap rings would be visually less obtrusive and serve the same purpose.

Ditto above except on 8/14 there was snow beginning about 30' below the col between LB and Concord Tower looking down the east side.

Option 1: Bariloche and the Frey Valley If you are heading north and want to dirtbag you can't do much better than hike up to the Frey Valley outside of Bariloche and camp just uphill from Refugio Frey. It's a granite playground with a lake for swimming and dozens of spires with many routes rated 5c (5.9 YDS) and under. In particular Aguja Frey (immediately in front of the refugio)has a lot of easy routes including the classics Diedro de Jim and Sifuentes Weber, which are both rated under 5.9. Ruta Normal on the tallest spire, Torre Principal, is all low 5th class until the last pitch which is 5.10a and short and bolted and easy to hangdog if you aren't feeling it. With the exception of this one pitch on Torre Principal, I believe everything else in the valley is trad. All belay stations are bolted with rap rings. The rock is solid and grippy, the views are spectacular, the people hanging out at Refugio Frey (Bosco and Federico are the proprietors) are great. January is the busiest month. Lots of climbers and school kids on vacation from Buenos Aires are hanging out there. Jan is too hot to climb except in early AM and the evenings. Refugio Frey info: http://www.refugio-frey.com.ar/ Online guidebook for Frey Valley: http://pataclimb.com/climbingareas/freycatedral.html If you go to Bariloche don't overlook the multi-pitch trad routes on Cerro Lopez, up above Bahia Lopez, about 25km west of town by bus. The approach is scrappy (choss and brush), but the granite gets better the higher you go. I had no partner for this so didn't do much more than drool. The Palatinos route is a fun scramble up the north ridge of Cerro Lopez. Here's the online guidebook for the immediate Bariloche area: http://www.barilochevertical.com.ar/Escalada_1.html Cerro Tronador is a good objective if you want a moderate snow and ice climb. I didn't climb it for lack of a partner, but I think other than traversing a glacier and placing an ice screw or two for the final mixed scramble to the summit it is a fairly easy technical climb. Both guidebooks are available in hardcopy form at Club Andino in Bariloche. You should go there first and get maps, ask questions, etc. If the tourist office has no one knowledgeable or if you are getting the tourist runaround go outside to the Club Andino office door on the street and knock on the door. There is usually someone more knowledgeable upstairs. PM me for more details if you have questions. Option 2: www.cochamo.com I've never been here, but lots of people were talking about it...

Are you referring to using a picket for an anchor to belay or rappel, as opposed to running pro? If pro, why the knot and why the locker?

...and don't panic when you see the signs on the east side saying (incorrectly) that Hwy 20 is closed 15 miles west of Winthrop. It is indeed open to MP 157, just west of Washington Pass and Blue Lake trailhead.

I've never used a quilt, but I'm considering for my next purchase... http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Ultralight-Sleeping-Bag-Reviews

Wow! I really enjoyed this. One of the best trip reports ever except would love to see more pics.

Monday, July 8... on south side, snow starts shortly after crossing RTM trail. There is running water at bottom of Crescent Glacier. No more after that, including summit saddle, so you'll have to melt snow. Excellent corn from summit on down. Beginning to suncup, but not bad riding after it softens. I went through LC at 8:30 and it was already softening. No runnels yet. At 1:30 PM it was still nice at bottom.

I'm guessing guide or not, not everyone in your party is in shape for this and those that are are barely so and not going to enjoy it. Head up to Barrett Spur instead. There is far less risk to manage. As long as you stay away from the steep slopes where you don't need to be, then there is no possibility of someone slipping and dying or getting seriously injured, as there is on south side Hood. You will be walking on snow much of the time, but won't need crampons or axes. The views are far better than you get hiking up to the Hogsback. You can start at dawn instead of the middle of the night. If the weather is as warm as is being forecast, you can hang out on the spur and listen and watch as Coe and Ladd glaciers groan and Mt. Hood slowly sheds rock and ice right in front of your. Spectacular. No guide necessary. Enjoy. Have fun.

I always blow the water back out of the tube and into the bladder after drinking, so there is nothing in the tube to freeze. Yes, I carry a separate front pack to hold things I access frequently. Yeah if you regularly dig pits (I don't) then you'll need to wipe shovel dry before sticking it down in the pack as the material in the pocket is not waterproof so any moisture will soak through to other parts of the pack. When I took Avy 1 we were taught to keep avy gear outside the pack where it could be immediately accessed, but I have heard they are teaching differently now - not sure what the reasoning is, but I am happy to have the clutter off the outside of the pack and not have to worry about things falling off, catching on tree branches, etc.

I have the 30z and have about ten days on it so far. No, and I prefer it that way. Everyone has bladders of different size and in summer why carry insulation you don't need. You can wrap a bladder in a down vest or something else that has dual use in winter. Yes, and I find it a bit annoying as my right arm hits it. I can't bear to cut it off so I'm trying to get used to it. Handy place for nav gear for me. Avy gear is only wet if you have to use it which hopefully is never. Yes you can cram skins in there, but I prefer to keep them in a front pack where they are easy to get to. My only beef about putting avy gear inside is if you have to get to it you'll have to peel gloves/mittens first so you can operate the zipper that holds the brain down. It's fairly well protected by a weatherproof cover and not real easy to grab. Overall it is very burly and appears to be more weatherproof with the permanent brain that peels back with a covered zipper. However, this makes the zipper somewhat hard to get to under the cover and this design doesn't allow for cinching things down like the typical Cilogear pack which has a drawstring on top underneath a removable brain. I'm starting to get used to this.

I'm not a pilot or an aerospace engineer so I'm not familiar with the definition of glide slope and glide ratio. However, if you do a simple mental experiment and imagine the worst case scenario - zero air density, then (assuming your initial acceleration only has a vertical component) you will fall straight down no matter what your shape or angle of attack. I think the poster is referring to glide path, and is correct in thinking that the glide path will be steeper at higher altitudes, but perhaps used the incorrect phrase to describe what he is thinking about, as I also may have done.

Damn! I get tired and achy all over just reading this. Youth is wasted on the young!

Exact time they open varies, but that time of year it is usually from 7:30 to 8:30 AM. An alpine start from the parking lot will get you way past 8,000 ft. (top of Palmer lift) by 7:30. Keep in mind, though, that the snow may not soften enough up high to making skiing enjoyable until much later.

Is it open? How far? Thanks.

You can fly with a stove. You can't fly with fuel.

Better yet if you are establishing a route and bolting anchors, use hangers with rap rings in them. That leaves plenty of room to clip a biner in.

Mammut says to wash their ropes just like you would wash wool - so I use Woolite in warm water, gentle cycle.

I have wide feet and currently ski in BD Primes which didn't need to be punched out. Factory liners were way too small though. They may have fixed that by now.