JustSteve

Two questions: 1. Did you really have Cheeze Whiz on your Philly Cheesesteak sammy or some knock off? 2. What color of hair tie? I can't decide which color goes best with my gore tex.. Seriously, nicely done. Thanks for sharing the pics.

Love the color...nice shots

nice report...good spirit of adventure

Nice retro photo grab. They never did find those other two climbers, did they?

What is your need for lodging? A place to lay your head? Plenty of places to camp locally. A place for your family to roam while you are off playing? Then that is a horse of a different color. Hard to make the call without knowing your budget, but if you have friends to share the cost with, I am a fan of using VRBO.com if looking for a nice place for the family to hole up at. Little vacation cabins are everywhere up there. If you want to be close to Mt. Hood but can't afford a cabin, google up Thunderbird in Government Camp. They have accomadations that may fit your budget. If you are thinking of driving from Sandy, I'd like to re direct you to the Vagabond Lodge in Hood River. It's about 50 minutes to Timberline Lodge, especially that time of year as roads are clear. I have stayed there a few times while scouting out places to live in the local area, I really liked it. My in laws (who can be picky) stay there when they come visit. Reasonably priced, good location, and it's Hood River.. hard to go wrong. Hwy 26 from Sandy/PDX can be a zoo where Hwy 35 from the Hood is generally clear sailing so the few miles saved by being in Sandy is easily lost by yahoos out for their Sunday drive.. and Hood River is wicked better for kicking around town, soaking in the ambiance if the place is for your family. If it's just you, camp on federal/state land for free..sorta silly not to.

Quite the adventure..probably qualifies for epic status. Thanks for sharing!

I can't decide if this statement is one of pure selfishness aka: "DON'T DISRUPT MY HOLY WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE!!!!" coupled with "THERE IS NOTHING ON THIS PLANET MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME AND THIS OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE" or is this statement is about jealousy aka: "I don't have a job that allows me to be away from my desk so you shouldn't either. It's no fair you can earn money, vacation time, sick days, maintain health insurance, save for retirement, be a productive member of the working force/contributing member of society AND get to go outside and have fun. It's not fair so you can't do it since I can't." Get over yourselves. If your partner is yapping to their lover about that great burrito that they had from that gas station down the road, then yes, throw them and their phone into the closest crevasse you can find. But if the person is trying to provide for their family AND keep their soul from spinning apart, get off their fucking back and worry about your own spot on this planet.

Best bang for your buck, right there...a Wilderness First Aid course. Of all the things I take with me into the backcountry, my brain is probably my biggest asset that holds the most useful things. First aid kits are highly personalized and oft debated ad nauseam. Most of us believe that we are an expert in the field and have the right answer for it all. Truth is, none of us know squat. What works today won't work for the same exact situation the next day because it never is really exactly the same. So what to pack? An education. The ability to improvise is the key to success.

I was up the 8040 road yesterday morning, still blocked by snow at Crofton. Perhaps a vehicle with true 4wd and ground clearance could punch a bit further, as the blockages are drifts rather than solid layer of snow.