JasonG

That isn't the case with all MRA units. Skagit, for example, though I don't doubt that some units will spring for it. Going out skiing with more experienced folks is often a good way to learn, as is paying attention to the NWAC report, reading books like you cite, collecting data as you tour, and spending a lot of days working your way into the BC via more and more challenging terrain. You can play it conservative and still gets lots of great skiing in each season. I really do think that the Level One course is pretty valuable these days, especially if you take it from someone like Kurt Hicks (who has a background in outdoor ed.). Even though I have been doing this awhile, I learned a great deal from an AAI course I took from him and Gregg Cronn last season.

Sounds like you ran into Duncan.

Yes, thanks Lowell. I went back and read your article again. Joe and Joan were even more remarkable than I remembered. So inspiring!

Wow. I'd say no, given the forecast. Too bad, I've never made it there yet.

Certainly one of the old school greats, RIP Joe. I had the honor of meeting him a few years ago at a Bulger Party and got to talk with him about a few of his FAs, a remarkable man!

Nice work guys, that looks like a pretty special route, worthy of repeats. Does the approach length go up significantly under normal winter snowpack conditions? Edit: Holy Mackerel! I just took a look at where it is. Much farther up than I was thinking.

I'm sure Li-Ion would perform much better, but if you already have the battery, I would think 4-6 hand warmer packs and a bit of foam would go a long way in improving performance- and it'd be light. You look to be using some top end glass, what are your lenses of choice in the hills? And, though it is obvious, those are fantastic images!

Thanks for the link, I saved a copy for myself as well. From the little I skimmed, it seems interesting and well written. I'm certainly on the side of Ira ("Saint Ira" as old Harvey sneered) in this age old debate. There is no shortage of places to go thrash oneself in the Cascades without a hint of a road or trail. I would much rather we preserve/restore the road and trail system that we are losing slowly on an annual basis. We have the means as a nation, but not the will it seems.

Great write up on the blog, loved it!

It's been fun watching the progress on your quest, well done! I liked the write-up too, excellent prose as always.

I wouldn't beat yourself up over it, or over analyze things. It was a small slide (in line with the forecast), nobody got hurt, and it sounds like eyewitnesses overreacted. Perhaps I'm being too flippant, but those types of small slides are not that unusual in the winter around here when you are ski cutting slopes. And, the conditions this past weekend were nowhere near those at the time of the Tunnel Creek avalanche. I was out that fateful day and was certainly worried about things. So much so that we stayed buried in the thick old growth around Stevens. Conditions were High/Considerable then (with large slides possible/predicted/realized), as opposed to Moderate this past weekend (with small slides possible/predicted/realized).

Very cool! Looks like a fun route. The USFS closes that road seasonally, but it will reopen in the spring or early summer. A lock may have stopped you, but it wouldn't stop the locals!

Excellent effort and write up, thanks! Good luck down south!

It is not a summit, but hiking camera gear to Sahale Glacier camp is good way to get some summit looking shots, in a rugged part of the range. A few more to the excellent suggestions above (many are former LO peaks): Hannegan Peak Anderson Butte Sourdough Crater Pugh Mt. David .... If you are willing to deal with a very benign glacier, I think the views from the summit of Ruth are perhaps some of the best, for the amount of effort expended.

I actually saw somewhere where a person had taken a new pair of pants and cut a hole for the TLT buckle. They reinforced the edges of the cut with some fancy stitching I think. So, perhaps that is what you need to do Scott, quit fighting it and just cut out the ragged part!

So good to see Dan back running it out in the hills!! It has been too long....

Yes, we came back thru Cadaver gap after descending the ID and it was easy and fast. I would think you could go up that way as well without problems, if the avi hazard is reasonable. For us the problem with the ID was DEEP unconsolidated snow (thigh to waist deep mostly), and a very broken icefall. The snow was so deep that it made it difficult to weave around, and we ended up chopping a bollard and rapping off a serac at one point just to get the hell out of there. I'm still surprised that we didn't set off an avalanche. I think the ID typically gets very loaded after storms and it is so cold up high that the snow takes a long time to settle.

Didn't you hear? Skiing is finished for the season. Time to saddle up the mini ponies for picnics with the little woman.

While there is a Townsend in the Cascades, and it is in the area of the photo, I'm going to go with Mr. Dog on this one, Eagle Rock. From the vantage the photo was taken, Townsend is likely hidden by Merchant, and Eagle Rock lines up nicely from the flats behind Barclay Lake and right between Merchant and Baring. You nailed the others though Tyson.

Russ, just so you know what to expect the next time, this is pretty standard for the winter. Most parties unrope and scramble the ledges as the snowcover is usually thin, the rock loose, the ice nonexistent, and any sort of protection problematic. The ledges are pretty easy (if exposed) scrambling/climbing though. Still, often parties will descend a different way, depending on conditions. The ID is easier if not too broken or loaded with snow, but it is really hard to judge from above. We ended up wading down through spooky snow, and rapping off an ice bollard in the ID icefall - probably should have just backed down Gib chute and the ledges instead.

Thanks! I imagine that the unofficial story is probably juicier than "mechanical issues".

I've found that clear weather is not enough in the winter on Rainier. As you found out, the winds matter a great deal as well. The forecasts I saw were calling for 70+mph winds on the summit for Sat/Sun/Mon so my group opted to go elsewhere closer to home (and still got screwed by the weather). If you didn't already know, THIS is probably the easiest spot to check Rainier weather quickly. Excellent effort though! Third time's a charm.

The June curse! I am curious how you found the crossing of the major creek on the old roadbed though. I thought that would have stopped you before you even got to Thorton lakes. Maybe there is a bridge now? P.S. I love the burning USFS rig! Do you know the story behind the fire?

Wait, even CC.com Mgmt. is not free from conspiracy theories??!! Oh, the humanity!

By the "end" you mean the eldo gate?