jmg123

That all sounds awesome. I'm still not working much as of right now, so odds are if you have something planned I'm probably available. Once the weather clears back up I'd love to get out. Hopefully see you guys out there!

Thinking Park/Boulder cleaver and up Park headwall if the weather holds out. Descent would be back down Park headwall if it looked good, and then back down the cleaver. I'd prefer to do it as a day trip, but I'm open to anything. Shoot me a message if you're interested!

Hey, I'm working in Bellingham for the summer before I finish up my last semester of school back east. It's awesome out here from what I've seen so far, but you guys and gals already know that I guess. I'm trying to get out and meet/learn from as many people as I can before I head back. Mainly I'm interested in skiing, but if somebody wants to show a newbie some trad skills, I would not be opposed. I'm 22 and very fit, have my AIARE lvl 2, some basic first aid stuff from WMI, and I did a NOLS course like four years ago. I don't have much experience with glacier travel, but I've read Freedom of the Hills, and practiced building hauling systems on dry land to the point that I'm confident in my abilities. Still, I would like to get out with someone who is more experienced and who can teach me a thing or two, or three even. Since I've been out here, I've skied Hood and Helens, and done some day tours in the Wa pass area with some cool new friends. Things I'd like to ski: Adams, Baker, Rainier, Glacier Peak, Cascade pass stuff- Eldorado looks cool. The options are seemingly endless, and I would be happy just getting out and skiing anything really. So feel free to contact me if any of that sounds like something you'd be interested in. I look forward to possibly meeting and learning from you guys.

Thanks, it definitely felt like a long slog, but I figured I didn't have anything better to do. I can assure you I was tired and achy. Trying not to waste that youthiness.

Trip: Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens - Old Chute, Worm Flows Date: 5/20/2013 Trip Report: Hey guys, Newbie to the forum and the area, thought I'd share some recent stoke and pictures. I got a job in Bellingham for the summer, so I set off from the East Coast with three long days of driving ahead of me. I had a loose plan to ski Hood and Helens in one day, and it looked like the weather was going to cooperate perfectly, which is always a welcome surprise. I pulled into the Timberline parking lot after something like 40 hours in the car. I couldn't really sleep, so I ended up starting the climb at around 1:30, which was way earlier than I had planned, but I told myself I would go really slow and poke around the mountain. I got to the top lift house and decided I was way ahead of schedule, so I just sat in a nook and took a nap. There was basically no wind all day, and hardly a cloud in the sky. I told myself that once the sun hit illumination rock I would start climbing again. Once I got moving I pretty quickly put the skis on the pack and put the ole 'pons on. From there it was smooth sailing up the old chute, across the ridge, and to the summit. I sat on the summit for a while, soaking up the views and the sun, and decided that I wanted to go skiing. With skis on and nobody climbing up below me, I made a few cautious turns down the old chute. It was pretty lame skiing up top with hard, bumpy snow, but that's pretty much what I expected being up there so early. Below crater rock the snow was buttah, and I was loving life. Looking at the next objective. After signing out in the climber's cave I hopped in my car and picked up my permit for Helens. I packed a bunch of food and water, and set off on the climbers' trail. I hit snow around noon I think, put my ski boots back on, and started skinning again. The snow was pretty not sweet down low, and with the heat and the time of day, I could only imagine that the top would be similar. I figured there was only one way to find out though, so I kept going up. I had one bar left on my camera battery in the parking lot, and I couldn't find any of my extra ones amongst my horribly unorganized packing. I tried to take as few pictures as possible, but even so, the battery kicked it before I made it to the rim. I didn't get the crater rim/Rainier shot, but I did at least get one looking back at Hood from about halfway up. The snow actually wasn't terrible at the top, I think in part due to the wind, but I was tired, and as the snow got worse so did I. Made it back to the car, signed out, ate a hamburger, and drove to a campsite outside of Olympia. I fell asleep in the driver's seat once I got there. Skied my first two volcanoes, so that was cool. It's awesome out here, but I guess you guys and gals already knew that. Gear Notes: Crampons, Ice Axe, Skis, Brain Bucket Approach Notes: Did not follow hogsback. Crossed it and went straight up old chute to minimize rock/ice fall exposure.