JasonG

Black is a good one! Right on the edge of the park. Corteo is a fun scramble if you don't mind soloing exposed 4th class. McGregor out of Stehekin is a good scramble. Silverstar also, though not technically in the park.

Such a great route! One of my favorites for sure.....I need to go back. Thank you for the great TR and images! For folks reading this TR in the future though, it is pretty much high summer in the Cascades right now, about a month ahead of normal. So I wouldn't really consider it in early season conditions, more like normal early-mid July conditions. Though maybe that is changing!

I think this pretty much sums it up. @kmfoerster taking care on the way back from our high point:

Is normal just too damn easy for you @Alisse? 😅

Oh, I want to see this photo! Can you upload to the site @cfire? Doesn't look like the site plays well with Google photos...

I think most find the Jefferson Park route to be in much better shape after the rime is gone, but before the 'shrund becomes problematic. You'll have more fun the next time @pgowdy!

Yes.

For all the masses yearning for Lincoln this season, you, like me, are probably too late. We gave it a good go yesterday but the middle couloir is totally reamed by avys and appears discontinuous. The runnels getting over to it looked "fun" as well.....and so we carefully retraced our frontpoints (it was quite icy for so early in the season) and lived to try again next spring. The 'schrund was spicy but passable so we had hope that the upper part of the route would go with moderate shenanigans. What worried me most yesterday is that often the 'shcrund is the crux for parties and the stuff we saw higher made the 'schrund look like a picnic. Such is the spring of 2023. I guess I'll move on to summer objectives.

Ha! I was just glad to survive. So many ways to get the chop on that one. Thank you for helping me regain some semblance of self-respect after the beatdown Nooksack Tower delivered in 2013. And your green line is more or less correct (I think, it has been awhile!), we found the correct line on the descent, naturally. And oui, oui, that is some style on the descent, well done!! Both of you flew?

I miss cold snow already

So @sulinelanie, can you explain how AI can keep me safer when rock climbing?

Well OK @pup_on_the_mountain, ask and ye shall receive some wine (spires):

Sheesh. THANK YOU @olyclimber. I had to call in a tactical nuke. I couldn't keep up!

Thanks for the update @Otto!

I want to see the TR from the photos that got those up close shots of the Price in winter @seth holton!

You're in for a treat if you get the weather and permit:

I'd use light mountain boots. The snow traverse in August will be decidedly less fun in approach shoes and all the rock climbing on the traverse goes just fine in boots. But, then again, I'm a dinosaur and hardly ever use approach shoes for Cascades climbs. I'm not totally against approach shoes, however. They are great for other ranges but I find the brush, talus, and snow of the Cascades makes light boots a better choice for most classic mountaineering objectives.

https://unofficialnetworks.com/2023/04/28/major-avalanche-crystal-mountain-resort/ uhhhhhhhhh

I tend to agree based on my long experience with ranger behavior in NOCA (not ALL, mind you, some great staff interactions over the years, including with some of the current staff). The weird part of the NOCA experience, for me, is that other parks tend to have a much different vibe towards climbers/off-trail types. The Tetons, notably (and they deal with a LOT of unruly tourists). So I don't feel like this is a NPS-wide thing. And like all things, it will change in time with staff turnover. And us dinosaurs will need to keep an open mind.

Of course. 😂

I have not seen this to be true in WA, esp. with regards to NOCA. My guess is that @Fairweather has similar observations and that is the reason this discussion was kicked off. And, of course, because he likes to liven things up around here.

Love it @Stefan. Let the spraying continue!

I don't think anyone is advocating for logging parks. I think the question is whether or not NPS or USFS is the better manager of wilderness (of which NOCA is mostly comprised). Better is entirely subjective, of course, which is why we are spraying here. What say you @jdj, based on your experience with both management regimes?

The heat wave cometh

Maybe small compared to overall visitation, but there are a lot of people in the backcountry of most of the NPs these days. So much so that it has fundamentally changed the character of backcountry areas I never thought would get busy (think Terror basin, Luna col, etc.) I have been surprised at how this has surged over the past 10-15 years, despite the hardships that come with remote "trail less" destinations. For trailed areas in the NPs, the crowding is way more acute. Thus the ever increasing limitations that @Fairweather cites above.