JasonG

That be the NE Couloir

As Tvash pointed out, the best sites are a couple hundred feet below the summit of Greenwood on the summit ridge, lots of flat space for tents of any size. The summit on Dumbell has space for one bivy sack comfortably, but even a BD tent is too much. TR to follow in a few days...

Excellent guys, thanks for the info! Headed up tomorrow so will hopefully report back in a few days.

The sleds keep it pretty well worked in for some ways (Rainy Pass?) on the west side. You park at the Ross lake TH gate, most years, though I have had to park down at Colonial Creek CG. Plenty of parking off the road at either spot usually. It is much, much better to skin in from the east side if you are heading to WA pass.

Wondering if there is enough room on the summit of Dumbell or Greenwood for a small BD firstlight? Heard there was on Dumbell, but the map makes Greenwood more of a likely candidate. Thanks for any info!

Thanks Joe, you are on it!!

Wish I could be there, looks like it will be a fantastic show!

Fixed anchors are a "trace" that is a bit different from other types of traces. Climbers are the only ones who will see these, and I sure as hell am happy to see/know about bolted chain stations rather than manky slung features. And no, Max, climbers aren't going to give up rappelling in the wilderness anytime soon. I think we need to figure out what is the better path, given that Forbidden is an immensely popular climb, and check the ideology at the door. The knee jerk response of NCNP is disappointing, to say the least.

Yeee Haw!! The B-C!!! Such a good tick to end the list on. The Beckey-Chouinard is on my "When I turn 40" list, which is coming up way too quickly. But, more importantly, does this mean that I've missed out on my chance to tie in with you Caleb??!! Say it ain't so!

Except, most of NCNP IS wilderness.

Did someone already include this link? http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7971664 Some pretty interesting info.

Thanks for the background Dan. I plan to contact Kelly and voice my support for establishing some bolted raps stations on Forbidden, not that it will probably matter. There have been one too many loose rock related accidents on the descent of Forbidden, and the popularity isn't going to wane anytime soon. And though your position may be confusing Darin, I think it is intelligent, and I tend to agree.

Yes, a perfect example of why blanket policies rarely apply everywhere intelligently. Are you contacting Kelly to get the straight scoop? I guess it wouldn't hurt to have multiple folks contacting them. Or, they could save us all the trouble and chime in here!

Luckily, the Ragged Edge is not in NCNP. The USFS doesn't have the manpower and zealotry to compete with the NPS, at least in the MBSNF. Personally, I think Forbidden is the perfect location for well placed bolted anchors. I've often thought that while descending the east ledges raps on somewhat junky stations, right next to perfect slabs of rock. A cleaner line too. I'm not as familiar with the late season descent next to the WR couloir, but I imagine that it is somewhat similar. That would be unfortunate if the recent accident was partially as a result of the bolt chopping. Does anyone have any more details on this??

I can see the genesis for a hard-man guidebook with this as the central theme for route selection. "Cascade Sphincter Select"?

Did someone say

I need all the aid I can get! I've thought about getting some of these for a while, I think I will now. Thanks!

Staring at this route over a couple days this summer, I'm impressed that folks still climb it. Frankly, it scared the hell out of me. It looks like Dan and Jesse climbed it in similar conditions to what we saw this July, maybe worse. Bold, and a wee bit lucky. That is an ascent that I'm sure you won't forget.

The shift in attitude at the federal offices that oversee public land is worrisome. I get the sense that most of the agencies would prefer to keep people on pavement, looking in. Easier to manage and they won't step on something "sensitive". Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it seemed like the older attitude at the federal level was that parks and wilderness areas were set aside to be recreated in, not just looked at. I'm not for trashing the backcountry, but it seems like the pendulum is swinging pretty far away from helping encourage recreation. Sanitation problems aside, if folks can't tolerate bouldering and cragging areas with some erosion and social trails, we aren't far from being regulated out of existence.

Did I see that Dan and Sarah use those Ocun crack gloves?

I would have thought the glacier impassable this late in the year, way to go! That is one of my favorite climbs in the Park, for sure.

Sol, Your post above goes a long way in explaining things, thanks much for bringing us up to speed. Sounds like you guys are on it.

That sounds promising Matt, thanks.

Damn. The Russian way is not for pansies. I still laugh when I think of Oleg turning to me in the crater of Rainier on a cold winter's day, smiling, and saying "It reminds me of Siberia!" Like that was a good thing. Since I was wearing every last bit of clothing I had with me (and wasn't warm), I was thinking that if I stop moving I'm going to die.

I'm glad I read thru this thread. Tumpline!! Love it! Lots of great info here as well. I'm a sucker for a good pack, and am always looking even though I have more good/comfortable/serviceable ones than I care to admit.