Newman55

I'm camping at the mountain the night before so I'll bring both and see what conditions are like. Hopefully I can leave them in the car. If not, I like the idea of stashing them. Thanks

Dchromey, Thanks, yeah I'd already checked your trip report, which was helpful. How long is the portion of the route that passes through the trees? If I can leave the snowshoes behind that would be optimal for weight savings, I'd be glad to go up on just crampons as long as I'm not going to have to slog through soft snow for too long before I begin the ascent. Right now I'm planning on staying the night at the TH and begining the climb around 4am - 11 hours round trip should be plenty of time - especially if I can glissade part of the descent.

Hoping to hike up St. Helens this Saturday on Snowshoes. Problem is, I gotta be showered and looking handsome in Portland for a 5:30 family dinner for Easter weekend. I know the summer trail is 10 miles round trip, 4500 feet elevation gain. I assume the winter route is comparable in distance? I need to be pulling out of the trailhead parking lot at 3:00 to give myself time to shower/change in PDX. So if I start up the trail at 6:00 am, that gives me about 8 hours to make it to/from my car, if I give myself an hour total for breaks and lunch. I need to know how long I can expect the round trip to take on snowshoes. Anyone done it recently? Thanks!

+1 on a thin liner sock. i've tried a lot of them, i like smartwool's the best. Not sure if your moisture issue is caused by sweat or water somehow seeping into the boot, but that's got to be contributing to the issue. If it's coming in from the top; gaiters. If it's coming in through the material; nikwax. If it's coming from your foot - gold bond powder (pour it in your socks before putting them on - it will keep your feet dry and fresh)

Matt, Have you checked out the UW climbing club at all? Probably a good place to start.

+1 for nuun. that stuff is essential for all of my outdoors and fitness activities, plus they have some 12+ flavors now, most of which are pretty tasty. best part is - no sugar! might seem like a detriment when you're on a 10hour climb but get your calories somewhere else - like a gel or a banana, or a clif bar. the no-sugar thing keeps nuun from gunking up your hydration bladder or water bottle and wont leave a residue if you use your bottle for multiple purposes... i.e. coffee in the am, nuun in the day, soup or coacoa later on (for overnighters).

Snagged St. Helens climbing permits for a Sunday in September. Planning to make a weekend out of it and camp in the area prior to the Sunday hike. Anyone have recommendations for camping in the area? Also interested in other recommended day hikes or outdoor activities in the area to keep us from drinking around the campfire all day Saturday. Thanks

looks like somebody already posted the FA already covered in chalk. smh.

how long is this seminar expected to run? thanks!

The small sign currently riveted to the side of it is particularly classy. Great way to impress non-locals out to get a taste of the Cascades. I know the sign you're referring to and I thought the same thing. Fortunately you don't get many kids up there, as it's a pretty strenuous hike.

Where did the snow start? Much below the boulder field? Packed snow on trail started around 3,000 feet. Snow started in earnest around... 1000 feet below summit? Just an estimation.

This is really great! Thanks for posting!

I would be interested in joining in on this as well. Unfortunately my only experience in crevasse rescue is book learning, but I'm useful as a dead-weight to pull out of a crack. Also live in Seattle (Fremont area). I'm working a 9-5 so I'm limited to weekends unless I have a few week's notice.

Was up there Saturday. Beautiful views all around - could clearly see Rainier. I got a late start so descent down the top 500 ft was made difficult by softening snow. There's a bottle of Jack Daniels in the mailbox and plenty of snow at the top so just bring a glass and maybe a Coke if you like.

Josh - Welcome to the PNW! Sent you a PM about hiking tomorrow. Cheers, Alex

Anyone out there taken the 3 Day Glacier Skills and Crevasse Rescue course offered by AAI on Mt. Baker? I'm thinking about taking it this June. Seems like AAI get's pretty good feedback from folks on CC. Just wondering if anyone had specifically taken this class, or had feedback about their instruction, or perhaps an alternative course offered by another guide agency. Thanks

There are a ton of ways you could improve on crampon design. Features that would be useful... Universal fit (that doesn't require a bulky toe and heel welts in order to accommodate bails on step-in style crampon) Minimize the time it takes to take off or put on for transitioning from rock to snow (more of an issue with aluminum) points. Step ins are relatively quick but strap on crampons take time, especially with gloves. Maybe a crampon with a BOA system that's becoming popular on ski and snowboard boots? It would have to fit a wide variety of boots. How about ratcheting toe-points that stay level even if you raise your heel? Would prevent shearing but also allow a climber to gain a few extra inches of reach using the calves.... Just ideas

For the sake of posterity... We brought a 40M dry glacier rope and tied all 4 climbers to it 10m apart. (not recommended but it's the only rope we had under 60M and we didn't want the additional weight). Everyone also wore crampons and carried an ice axe and poles. We spent a total of about 3.5 hours on glacier, moving quickly to avoid exposure to rock fall. there were a few crevasses open, but most were covered with thin snow-bridges. one guy climbing the previous day punched through with one leg, but he was able to climb away safely with help. also a very small section of travel over small seracs and ice boulders seen below and to the left of climbers on the photo, deep cracks and crevasses underneath. total travel across this section was around 300 feet. on summit at around 10:30 am, and headed back down after 30 minutes break. the snow had softened considerably but the rockfall hadn't increased at all, so we were fine. we did spot a wolverine on the Cool Glacier below us, which was an awesome 1st time experience for all of us. round trip from and back to Glacier Gap was around 5.5 hours.

Are you planning on thru-hiking or section hiking? I would think you'd be better off devoting that extra weight to additional traction (like a set of microspikes), and snow baskets for your poles... Is an ice axe recommended by guidebooks or other resources? I've never hiked through the Sierras on the PCT, but I would think an ice axe would be overkill (and super heavy). It's always just better to not fall - and underfoot traction and a pair of sturdy poles will help with that much more than an axe.

I'm also interested in hearing about the InReach. Sounds like Cale has the unit made to link to the Delorme handheld GPS, but I know they also make one that links to a smartphone.

After spending the weekend out on Mt. Si with KCSAR, I decided that it's time I picked up a handheld GPS. Stopped by REI last night to take a look and compare models. Realized that REI has recently stopped carrying Delorme and Megellan GPS units and now carries Garmin exclusively. This is disappointing because a year ago REI offered a much broader range of products. Reading reviews online, it seems that a lot of folks are frustrated with Garmin's software and counter-intuitive interfacing. The Garmin units that have by-far the best reviews on Amazon, (the GPSMAP 60CS line) have been discontinued by Garmin. It doesn't seem like the Delorme units are particularly more popular on Amazon than the Garmin units, but I find that Amazon shoppers are not the most reliable - as many of them use the units for purposes that do not include back-country navigation. Intended uses: backpacking, climbing, search and rescue, fishing and hunting. Would love to hear thoughts and opinions on specific models or on brands as a whole. Thanks!

Thanks for posting that article Choada.

There were a couple of tragic and unlikely accidents on the pass just before the holidays. We have two family cabins in the lake Wenatchee area and I was up there this last weekend. I've never seen so many trees down in that area in the 17 years I've been around. Most of the downed timber in relatively flat forest area had snapped off between 20-30 feet up the trunk. Those trees that stood near rivers or on terrain steeper than 15 degrees seemed to have mostly uprooted. I was told that the huge amounts of precip loaded the trees before soil temps had dropped sufficiently to freeze the root systems solid, resulting in uprooting. I'm curious about why so many trees on flat terrain snapped.

Need to buy a probe for an upcoming avy class. What length should I be looking at? I don't ski, so I generally would be using it snowshoeing and snow camping. Maybe a little winter mountaineering down the road on a volcano or two. All in the PNW. What are folks carrying out there? Thanks

Looking for my first mountaineering boot to get me up and down Rainier and other PNW volcanoes / also might dabble in a little ice climbing. I've tried on a few pairs but so far really like the Scarpa Mont Blancs. Just looking for a little advice on fit. I don't have any experience with mountaineering boots - I've done all climbing up to this point in Scarpa M3s. Do I want a mountaineering boot to fit tight around a thick sock or should I be looking for a little wiggle room in the toe-box? Which shop in Seattle is going to give me the best advice on fit? So far I've been pretty confident in the advice received at Feathered Friends. Thanks