JasonG

"We were in Spray, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane."

I'll second that, sounded "fun".

I bet Ted and Hillary get along a lot better than you guys.

Interesting. So are people claiming trad FAs if the gear is preplaced? Seems odd if so.

Engaging story, great writing, thanks for the TR. I hope you keep them coming!

Bridges aren't nearly as cool as cruise missiles.

I was wondering if bailing was considered. Maybe I'm just overly cautious (kids will do that), but when conditions aren't right I don't hesitate to turn around.

All the 'hamsters are safe and sound per an email from Mr. Scurlock this morning!

Whoah. Way to hang in there and get yourselves out!

Cool. Does that North Couloir of Abiathar top out on the ridge? Doesn't look like it from the photo, but hard to tell.

Ha. A lot of very smart economists are still debating this. It isn't that simple, and there is plenty of blame to to go around.

You can't blame the repeal of Glass-Stegall solely on the Republicans, Clinton signed it.

Boulder X is your best bet for performance and value. Alpina is making some nice looking options but I don't have firsthand experience with them. I think Garmont makes the Dragontail which seems good. There is a lot of off trail talus hopping on the way to the NR of stuart, so I think you will want something with support.

Based on the normal precip and above normal FLs throughout the winter, I'd say the snowpack on Rainier is probably pretty close to normal on the upper mountain (above 9K). I'd imagine the approaches are going to be bad on the lower glaciers by early summer (Carbon, Tahoma, etc.). But, the climbing rangers and guide services would have a better idea of how things are shaping up. I would imagine that the cattle lines will be starting soon....

Being a middle class white who was some experience being thrown under the judicial bus (long story), I'd say it is the rich who typically get a free pass. That's not to say that being black in certain parts of country doesn't come without its larger challenges.

Alf is his own Posse. [img:center]http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/10/101435/2092087-alf1.jpg[/img]

I don't think there could be a better name. Well done!

That's a fun trip, glad you hit it right!

What if you ran into a Mounties climbing party? They own that valley, and they travel in packs of 12. Ten rounds just wouldn't have cut it, you guys were lucky.

NPS rangers prefer open carry when in dangerous duty locales such as Cascade Pass. Make sure your extra ammo and Taser is in full view as well, that keeps those surly climbers on their toes.

Oh, and nice work on the climb! Sounded strenuous, what a difference a few weeks make.

It is pretty much a trail with minimal 'schwacking. Stay climber's right in the boulder fields and look for cairns. There will be a lot of fresh snow below 5K after this past weekend. I heard maybe 1-3 feet 3K and up. My brother was on Lookout mountain Sunday and reported waist deep wallowing at 4.5K. I can see the snow on Cultus Mountain out my window right now.....

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Though you say "West", I think you mean the standard Northeast Route. Or maybe this was done on purpose to throw off the map stealing hordes? That IS a nice map BTW, what did you use to create it?

I have had those maps on the wall of my gear room for 15 years, and before that they were on the wall of my bedroom in my parents house. I still uses them often to figure out what views will be like, which trails to use for approaches, etc. I cut mine so that they fit together somewhat in a big mosiac. I would love to see them back in print!