JasonG

Jacob! So glad to hear that you are (relatively) OK!! Take care and heal up, that sounds painful. I was one of the rescue guys on scene with you (Sirocco helmet), and I was wondering what the final tally of injuries were. Looks like the headwall was pretty stout and lean for mid-winter.

That's dedication Curt! Thanks for the reminder that rock climbing isn't only a summertime pursuit around here. That's cool that you are able to climb with your co-workers. Mine mostly think I'm strange, but that might not be because of my climbing habit.

Charlie- The way I read it is that he dropped down to a small group of trees about 50' from the summit (there is a spot that matches his description up there). He got there first, and Franklin joined him a short time later. Since this is on the west side of the summit, it was not sheltered from the stiff west wind and Franklin went back up to the top to see if he could get out of the wind on the east side of the summit (a guess), perhaps thinking the that the cornices ended on the south side of the summit. He might have been trying to peer over and see if there was a sheltered spot just over the edge. However, to my eye the whole ridge seemed pretty corniced, so I wonder if he would have thought he could dodge the wind on that side safely? Or, maybe he wanted to get some more photos? In the end though, I don't think that the exact circumstances are that important for us trying to learn from it. It looks like the footprints below the fracture are from the partner trying to get to a good vantage to see what happened. That said, at least two other parties went up to the top of Lewis between Franklin's party and myself so the prints may be from one of the other parties as well. No other broken cornices up there. Thanks for the link to your essay. I'm going for 90 though (well past 30 already); when Dallas left us at 71 on the Pleiades, it was far too young.

I almost missed SCRAMBLES!! That girl gets around.

The long awaited report! What a way to usher in the big 4-0, excellent work boys. Are you going to give a slideshow sometime?

Sheesh Brian, it's a nice photo/topo and all, but really? Your expectation is that photos don't get used without attribution on the internet? I agree that the proper thing to do is for the OP to credit the photo, but you could educate the poor boy with a little more grace (PM, eh?). We all knew it wasn't his photo, but it isn't the end of the world. Deep breaths.

Trip: Lewis Peak - West face(ish) up, down NW ridge Date: 1/27/2014 Trip Report: Like most folks, when I was a young climber I thought I was invincible. Accidents happened to the inexperienced, poorly skilled, and inattentive, or so I thought- they weren't going to happen to me. I didn't spend much time thinking about getting hurt in the hills and didn't know anyone that had been killed or seriously hurt in the mountains. Fast forward fifteen years, and a lot has changed for me. I've lost three close friends in the mountains, helped recover the body of one, and had other friends severely injured and nearly killed in "freak" accidents. These are people who are/were every bit as experienced as myself (sometimes much more so)- solid climbers who I would trust my life to. I couldn't avoid coming to the conclusion a few years ago that alpine climbing wasn't so safe. But the problem is, it's a habit I haven't been able to shake, despite the evidence that it might not be good for my health. Perhaps it's because I'm still in denial- I certainly don't think when I head out on a trip and say goodbye to my wife and kids that I won't be coming home in one piece. If I did, there is no way that it would be fun any longer. I've had friends that have stopped alpine climbing after starting a family, and I respect their decisions, even though it is something I haven't been able to bring myself to do. So, I suppose to convince myself that I'm mitigating the risk, I've adopted an approach where I pick my routes somewhat conservatively with an eye towards objective danger (no Price Gl. for me), only tie in with solid partners, carry a PLB, watch weather/conditions closely and change objectives if needed, and stay as fit as I can. And, I've tried to learn as much as possible from the inevitable accidents that happen locally and regionally each season. That was the reason I headed up Lewis Peak earlier this week to check of the site of recent accident involving Franklin Bradshaw. I didn't know Franklin personally, but he was a friend of friends and as solid of a climber as they come. It is accidents like his that really give me pause as I put on my harness in the mountains, and I am always looking for lessons that I can apply to my own climbing habits. Reading an accident report is often helpful, but visiting the scene can drive the lessons home in a different way. On Monday I found the Sunrise Mine road a bit icy for the Civic, even with chains, and ended up leaving it a few hundred yards from the highway and walking the 2 miles to the TH. The trail to the climber's path turnoff was snow free and I was soon in the massive avalanche swath below Lewis and Morning Star Peaks, following melted out tracks up the valley. The map below shows the route I took up (red) and down (blue), a variation from the way that Franklin and his partner went (blue, more or less): The way I went, went (I had scoped it from a photo taken from Morning Star years before), but it was steeper and icier than I expected (50+ degrees, recently scoured by avalanches). Without the whippet I would have been unhappy, but it was all fairly manageable with plastic boots and steel crampons. I had to scramble a narrow arete to connect the initial gulley with the west face, but the rock was pretty solid and nothing more than exposed 4th class (I was relieved that it went, reversing the gully would have been tedious). The final 700 vertical feet was ascended on the west face on straightforward very icy snow (~40-50 degrees), with lots of small trees to yard/rest the calves on. I arrived at the summit ridge and cornices about 3.5 hours after leaving the car, just in time for a brief break in the high clouds to flood the scene with that wonderfully warm winter sun. The large section of missing cornice with footsteps leading up to it was just a few feet from the highest point. There was a line of rocks and trees marking the ridgeline, and the failure had happened only about 18 inches from the nearest ridge top clue (rocks and a tree peeking out of the snow). I was able to stand on a rock and peer over the edge at the long drop to the steep slope below, and I could see the large debris pile several thousand feet below. I took a few photos and retreated a couple steps below the crest to eat my lunch and think. How many times had I or my partners walked slightly outboard of trees/rocks along a corniced ridge line? What other seemingly innocuous things that we do in the mountains on a regular basis could lead to similar consequences? I had plenty of time to continue pondering these things as I carefully worked by way down the NW ridge, retracing Franklin's ascent route. I often stopped and turned around to look back up towards the summit to see what he surely must have seen on his way up the peak - large cornices hanging over the NE side of the ridge. I took several detours on the way down to stray farther from the ridge crest (the steps were too close for my comfort level given the cornices), even though it meant more annoying icy sidehilling. I was a little spooked, and took extra time and care on the down climb, given the very icy conditions (it didn't help that I had been on the rescue of a badly injured climber on Baker the day before). On the pleasant walk back to my car I continued to mull over Franklin's accident, but didn't come up with anything more than don't walk outboard of terra firma clues on a corniced ridge. Not terribly earth shattering, but I think most of staying safe in the mountains (on moderate routes) isn't that complicated. Plan ahead, pay attention, speak up, always keep your mind open to learning new things, listen to your gut, and don't think too highly of your abilities- habits that serve you well in most aspects of life. I think the problem is usually one of complacency, and I am not immune. I hate that it often takes these kinds of accidents to remind me of that fact. It's unfortunate that Franklin couldn't be writing a TR on Lewis Peak, knowing how much he loved to take pictures and share stories of his trips. Hopefully we can all take the time to learn from the accidents that we come across and not let our guard down in the hills. That said, nothing is guaranteed, and nobody is getting out of here alive. Carpe diem. Sperry: Del Campo from the ridge connecting to the West Face of Lewis: Fluted slopes on the summit ridge of Morning Star: The slabs of Morning Star already were started to shed the season's snow pack. This usually doesn't happen until the spring, and you need to be careful when timing trips up this valley: The cornice that took Franklin fell off the left side of the photo. you can see how close it failed to the rocks and krummholz: North side of Del Campo close up: West face of Sloan without much ice: Spire Mountain, Chimney Rock, Lemah (L-R): Vesper and Sperry (L-R): Upper South Fork Stillaguamish Valley: Gear Notes: steel crampons, helmet, axe, whippet or second tool helpful given icy conditions Approach Notes: 4WD HC (w/chains) should get you to the the TH right now. There is a faint trail that leaves the Headlee pass trail before crossing of the SF Stillaguamish (just a small creek at this point). A few hundred yards from the trail you break out in the avalanche paths of Lewis/Morning Star/Del Campo.

Unfortunately, that was what I was expecting. Still, I had to ask. Hope springs eternal. Sounds like you guys still had a good time though.

Did you have to carry far above the valley floor?

Yeah, when you out-dirtbag Fred, it is time to do some soul searching.

You'd be better served searching the TRs in the database to see the variation in weather/conditions, and waiting to pack when you have an idea of the forecast.. And, if you want enjoyment, wait for the perfect forecast. http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/tripreports/ Location: Rainier Route: Liberty Ridge

Fantastic! I thought that was a great window, but windless on the summit??!! Unheard of. I liked the story of Mr. Bunched undies. Unfortunately, a very familiar tale to me, and sounds like to you, as well.

You're most of the way there, but not quite. When was the last time you saw a real critter (no offense) wearing crampons?

That sounds awfully familiar! My first time up the Reid ended on the West Crater Rim as well, and not the summit. Next time you will have it dialed, nice work!

Sorry guys, I tend to shoot for beauty, not beta. The Reid itself was pretty mellow looking, at least to get over to the Reid HW or Leuthold's. It isn't completely filled in yet, so if you are headed to Yocum or Sandy HW there might be shenanigans. I think the Reid HW will be in challenging shape, though doable, with bits of rock and ice. I don't have a photo of it (sorry!), but I think you can get an idea based on the conditions of Illumination and Crater rocks: Also, a picture of the choke on Leuthold's will give you an idea of the rime extent on the Reid HW:

Gitmo made him a man! The locals at the Hangout were a bit wary, however. Steve, we missed you out there! Looking forward to having you back in the alpine this summer!

Trip: Mt. Hood - Leuthold's Couloir Date: 1/20/2014 Trip Report: If you ever want to get a trip to Mt. Hood off to an entertaining start, watch a high stakes football game at the Hangout in Gresham before heading up to the hill to bivy in the Timberline lot. We did, and it certainly was a much better diversion than expected. The locals take things seriously! But I digress. Conditions on Mt. Hood right now are pretty ideal for climbing. For skiing, not so much. We left skis at the top of the Palmer (end of grooming) and were not sorry we did so. From there on up, we had a mixture of water ice, unbreakable crust, windboard, breakable crust, sastrugi, and loose snow. However all surface types were plenty fast travel without flotation. The downclimb onto the Reid was impressively icy (blue!), and we were glad for a whippet in addition to our axes. The choke on Leuthold's has a bit of rock showing, but it wasn't bad to work thru. As we were climbing up the couloir we had a bit of snow and ice fall, but it was quite mild by Hood standards. We left the lot about 0515 and were on top by 1130. The downclimb of the old chute was pretty icy as well and the whippet came in handy again for some face in descending. I think we got back to the car about 1345. The weather overall was near perfect - light winds and barely freezing temps. I suspect that Hood will be in good shape all through this coming weekend. One downside I could see is that the steeper routes are very thin with limited rime and lots of rock. We were surprised at the lack of folks on a Federal Holiday, I think we only saw two soloists the whole day. Perhaps they were busy watching replays of Sherman's rant? L.O.B.! Gear Notes: whippet, steel crampons, helmet, axe. Roped up for short walk across the Reid, though probably not totally necessary. Approach Notes: skis to the top of the Palmer. Crampons to the summit and back.

It is ridiculous, but that doesn't mean you don't need one. Unfortunately, a myriad of passes are now needed to access our public lands, and land managers are not shy about writing tickets to enforce the regulations. http://www.wta.org/hiking-info/passes

You shouldn't feel bad about using the gear Brandon. You've done your best and, as rob pointed out, it was likely legitimately pawned. Climb on!

First hand account of the accident on NWH

Great article on Franklin in today's Herald I'm disappointed I never ran into him, he sounded like a remarkable man. Condolences to the friends and family.

Thanks for the detail guys, I appreciate it. I'm not well versed in the letter of the law, and this is helpful. It is unfortunate that the polarization in politics extends all the way into the backcountry, access is certainly suffering as a result. I'm beginning to see the wilderness through the eyes of my young sons, and it isn't easy to find solitude on well maintained trails any longer. Use is getting concentrated on fewer trails, closer to the cities. Such is life I guess, but it certainly has me writing to my elected reps more frequently to increase trail/road funding to the NPS and USFS. I certainly appreciate everyone's efforts to restore historic structures like the Mebee pass LO, and hope to lend a hand with my boys one of these summers. Keep up the good work!

One last thing. I would be in support of an amendment to the Wilderness Act specifically aimed at preserving historic structures and maintaining trail systems with motorized equipment (w/o road building). The STIHL amendment? Maybe I'm way off on this though- what do you guys think of such heresy?

Those statistics are pretty interesting and jive with my reading of the comments on things I'm more familiar with like the Suiattle road repair EA. The militant wilderness faction is often good at using the courts to their advantage, but we shouldn't treat their opinions as commonly held.

I prefer packs with dedicated crampons patches and straps, usually between the tool attachments. In my experience, crampons don't lend themselves to efficient stuffing.