mvs

nice! p1 looks steep!

Damn, I forgot the pencil...alas!

Theron and I climbed NE buttress two weeks ago. The couloir was melted out in the middle, we didn't go up or down that way, it looked a bit stressful. I'd recommend "Doug's Direct" for the descent to Cascade Pass. [tr] http://www.theronwelch.com/mountains/pnw/north/johannesburg/index.htm

A friend mentioned going for that route this weekend. I don't want to give the name yet, but I hope he is okay.

hee hee!

pics! pics!

It is fun, only a half day as Eric said, but worthwhile.

Awesome trip John!

I totally agree. while(1) { printf("P. Doorish\n"); }

that is not the first time a entire belay ripped on that mountain...

I didn't think the rock was all that loose actually, and it's true, there are some horizontal sections where it is more rythmic to walk on then downclimb 30 feet to the next horizontal section. We did the bivy 1 pitch up the ridge by the snowpatch (gone now I hear?) which was _fantastic_, so we had an interest in going down the way we came to get our sleeping bags. Dang I want to do it again now...

I thought 1 doubled 8.5 mm 50 meter rope was enough. We only made 2-3 raps over the steepest parts, downclimbed other stuff. I like slaphappy's idea though of using one on the way up, 2 for descent. Have fun!

Nice TR! We also found that last 5.8/9 pitch interesting! I think I festooned the crack with gear every 3 feet. We forgot gloves, so in the approach gully I pulled my sweater sleeves over my fingers where they touched the snow. We didn't see the summit register, I'm bummed to have missed a fun read. What an amazing climb...

Good luck Scott!

Thx oregonbob! Some mountains are worth climbing because they look beautiful or kind of forbidding from a distance. Even though JBurg is "unsavory" up close, we were really happy to have danced with her. There is no way I'd head up again this year, but I do want to go back again after a time. She has a certain...musk?

Awesome . Does this route melt out completely or just become a good alpine ice climb in Sept-Oct?

John, I had my date with Johannesburg (learned to spell it right), and have emerged bruised, battered, but satisfied. I wanted to plug "Doug's Direct" as a great way back to the car. Based on your report, we reversed your route over Mixup Ridge on continually pleasant terrain. I haven't done the Gunsight Notch way, but I think it saved us time and effort. Thanks! --Michael

Climb: Johannesburg-NE Rib (Western Variation) Date of Climb: 7/24/2004 Trip Report: Theron Welch and I climbed Johannesberg NE Buttress (Western Rib variation) on Saturday and Sunday. Another party was getting onto the rock just as we were, we exchanged hellos and promises to share any whiskey. We climbed gullies which steepened pretty quickly and prompted us to rope up to belay hard spots. It's probably useless to describe in detail the lower buttress. Our personal journey was marked by 1) limb-pulling, devils-club molesting, rope-dragging horror 2) a vertical 5.8 hand-fist crack (after excavation) 3) a truly scary schrub lower-off after a failed "direkt" attempt featuring dramatic moss-ledge collapse 4) golden salvation via trees and gentle alder-tugging to the snowpatch ledge. The water and shade from the snowpatch was essential to life. In the brush battle, my Platypus nipple (the thing you suck on?) was stolen, so every time I leaned down for the rest of the trip, a volley of carefully gathered water would empty onto my shoes, the map, whatever. After a good break at the snow, we climbed into steep forest and occasional rock, with a memorable trusting-life-to-a-shrub-growing-from-an-overhang move (runkelfunkenlangweilgelbfast), then gained the heathery ridge crest. A long climb of heather and increasing rock on the narrowing ridge crest brought us to the rappel point into the (not-inviting) snow gully to the right. Old rap slings were laying on the ground here - score! We went up and left, first trying to climb a "rotten chimney," if 5.3 I'm Santa. Then we made a hard couple of moves around a tremendously exposed corner and climbed easier rock up and left for several pitches to reach a glorious bivy site at the base of the snow arete. There is water here, and a reasonably flat rock that sleeps two. What an exhausting day :-). Sunday I couldn't coax Theron up until the sun hit the ridge, then we began hiking up the snow arete. We spent a relatively low angle morning getting to the summit, first weaving around a crevasse or two, then climbing 40 degree slopes into a snow tongue just left of the summit block. After some fun moat climbing on the left side of the tongue we reached a notch, then scrambled 100 easy feet to the summit. We were the second party to sign in this year, but the papers are in tatters: only four sheets of rotting pages, going back to 1986. We saw several familiar names, and added our own. What a great feeling it was to be there, covered in bruises and scratches from the day before. What a grizzly bear that Rib is! Now she licked her cubs quietly. We began the descent around 9 am, encouraged to stay high by faint trail and the occasional cairn. The south side of the peak is tortured with gullies, descending them looked like a one-way ticket to Middle Fork bashing. After rounding several ribs, we had a pleasant walk along the crest, soon beginning a series of 3-4 rappels to get down a major tower. Some downclimbing led us back to the ridge crest, which eventually steepened with an uncomfortable view of the CJ col 400 feet below. Ah, a rap station! I had to clip myself in and sit for a moment: the cumulative exposure, the unrelenting insecurity required a rest for my delicate constitution. Towers of Cascade Peak looked ridiculously steep. A huge rockfall echoed in the col, probably caused by us knocking off rocks a minute before. Another rappel brought Theron to a flake where he craftily left one of the discarded rappel slings from the rib Saturday. After rappel #7, we scrambled a few hundred feet down to the col. It was a good descent overall, I echo a friend's report to "stay on the ridge." That is probably the best way for someone unfamiliar with the East Ridge for descent. Do bring some webbing just in case. Massive spontaneous rockfall made us hurry down from the col to a brook in heather below Cascade Peak. After a long afternoon rest, we rounded the Triplets, then started climbing up and across heather slopes. We were intent on "Doug's Direct," based on the great post from John Sharp a few weeks before. The ridge from the Triplets to Mixup Peak is long: where to gain it? John mentioned heather slopes, so we picked the heather slope that went almost to the crest of the ridge, and climbed up slowly but easily, reaching the crest in late afternoon. We had picked the right place, very good for us because of many towers stretching away to Mixup Peak. We never saw any cairns, but scrambled down absolutely excellent rock (I pulled on obviously detached columns: no movement! magic!) for 400 feet or so to reach the high lobe of the Cache Glacier below our ridge point (Theron built a cairn on the ridge crest). Now on fast terrain, we stomped down the glacier, then to Cascade Pass for a visit with goats and deer. The sun slowly set as we hiked down, JBerg beginning to tower over us the way that she often does. She couldn't erase the huge grin on my face! Thanks to Robert Meshew for information from his trip one year ago, and John Sharp's "Doug's Direct" advice. John, screw the turn-around time - keep climbing up! ps - JBerg has a curious effect: every other route but the line you are standing on looks absolutely insane to be at. pps - I failed to mention, we actually _enjoyed_ the climbing once on the heathery ridge crest. Gear Notes: 60-meter, 8.5 mm rope. Small rack (4 slings, 4 nuts, 4 cams). Aluminum crampons, short ice axe. Sleeping bag, stove.

Two weeks ago we loaded up on water from a stream in ice chunks about 100 feet above the start of the access gully. Some climbing around in a moat to get it, but worthwhile.

add "frostbite ridge" I think? I remember because I did that climb only like a week before, couldn't believe what bad weather Lambone saw...

thanks for the great beta Ted, you rock! I'm taking a pencil...

Alpinfox I'm sorry, my DSL connection died around 9 and I went out there with RUMR.

I'd like to climb from 6 to 10 am. I'm probably more of a 5.9 partner though, although eager to follow Index 10c. :-)I'll check back..

Why you are quite welcome old boy. If only you knew the state I was in editing that shocking footage. Surrounded by the mildewed clothing of the expedition, the music swelling, the ice axe plunging into the snow again and AGAIN AND AGAIN! I'm afraid my constitution has been permanently damaged...

Thanks for the note Scott. I'll keep my ears peeled, more moderate routes in the area sound great. :-)