JasonG

This time I think they will have crossed enough t's and dotted enough i's to make it happen by 2013-14. I have to hand it to the Darrington office for sticking with it (Thanks Peter!). The general public has been overwhelmingly in favor or re-opening the road (unscientific impression from reading the comments over the years), but the extreme enviros have delayed it on technicalities.

Please take the time to comment, especially if you are in favor of the road being fixed : http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/wa/suiattle/ Thanks!

Just took a look at those Sum'Tec axes....very nice!

Another vote for the Grivel Air Tech Racing (or the Evo). 58cm should do well on most mountaineering routes if you are around 6'. I really, really like the Grivel pick for a classicish axe. It climbs real ice surprisingly well, as long as it isn't too steep or bulgey. Like Dan and Dane said, pair the Grivel with an ice or third tool (hammer), and you are good for any of the classic mountain "ice" routes. I have had the same combo for the last dozen years (Grivel Air tech Racing, BD Shrike hammer) and they have served me well. Although I am looking a bit dated with all the fancy curved tools in the hills these days....

That's quite an ice pitch to climb solo, with skis on your back! Impressive.

Skagit Alpine Club - Basic Mountaineering Course - Spring 2012 Climbers on the north ridge of Whatcom Peak. Ever wanted to explore the Cascade Mountains that are right in your backyard? Have you done some hiking, but would like to go past the end of the trail? Are you just a bit curious about alpine climbing, but want to learn it in a safe environment, from skilled climbers with years of experience? Well, Skagit Alpine Club is the place to start! For 50 years, we’ve been providing mountaineering instruction to residents of Northwestern Washington through our basic mountaineering course. This year we are offering a 5-week course from April 30th through June 5th. There will be classroom sessions once a week from 6:00PM to 9:00PM, with the first meeting on Monday, April 30th, and weekly meetings on Tuesday evenings after that. In addition, there will be a one-day outing on Saturday, May 5th and overnight outings the rest of the weekends. The course covers the following: o Mountaineering gear and equipment o Physical conditioning, training and nutrition o Mountain weather, snow and avalanche assessment, and basic snow travel skills o Mountaineering first-aid o Camping techniques and equipment o Map and compass/route finding o Glacier travel and crevasse rescue For more info see http://skagitalpineclub.com/mount_class.htm.[

Rob- I'm curious, do you have a desire to see all LOs in wilderness areas removed or is your position more about following the letter of the law? Or?

How did you add the photos? If you add them using the camera icon above the text box they should drop in at a much larger size.

Good idea Curt! I encourage folks to find the stewards of the LOs and volunteer. SAC has an annual work party at the Park Butte LO, which we maintain. You can check our website for details.

Especially since the LO is already rebuilt and in place. More harm would be done removing it than just leaving it be. Having talked with people on the MBSNF on this issue, including Peter Forbes, they have certainly learned their lesson. Removing the LO will accomplish nothing. If the LO had been remodeled in place, the judge wouldn't be calling for its removal. So it seems crazy that when the same endpoint is reached (albeit by not following the letter of the law) the judge is calling for it to be torn down, after significant tax monies have gone into the restoration work and legal defense. It really doesn't make any sense, but I guess judges can't be flexible?

WHAT???!!!! Common sense is dealt another blow.

Yes, it was May of 2002. I climbed Liberty Ridge a couple days later as they were helicoptering the bodies off. It was a sobering reminder. If I remember right, after the cave collapsed two of the three died after wandering and falling into a crevasse.

Agreed Dan. My experiences with bad weather in January and July on Rainier are very, very different. Summer "storms" are miserable, but winter storms are downright terrifying.

Wow.

Three to four days is just about right for most folks, if you can spare the time. Racing up and down Rainier as quickly as possible may work, but it usually isn't very fun, except on skis. Depends on your motivation I guess. Similar to Matt, I like to spend as much time as possible in the hills and enjoy it.

Given the early summer time of your climb, AL crampons could save you a pound, depending on which exact models you are talking about. For summertime glacier slogging around here I never bring steel, even on Rainier unless I am going for a steeper route.

Maybe you are already planning on being flexible with the exact dates, but teams coming from out of state often press upwards with a bad/so-so forecast. More important than any gear is going when the weather is stable. Also taking three days instead of two will make it much more enjoyable (and maybe successful considering you will be better acclimated). But maybe you already know all of this, by your gear choices you don't need a lot of help on that end from us. Have a good trip!

The Wapta, on the other hand, will be in primo ski shape. If you are fixed to that week there is surely something to keep you busy up there.

I've waited 10 years for this location! Oh the humanity!

They don't call it Rumble Gully for nothing.

So going forward folks will be able to put a pin on the map for a TR, sort of like you can do with Picasa? That will be cool to get the old TRs on the map also...

Dallas would be proud that folks are carrying on his legacy of work at Mt. Erie. Thanks for organizing this Calvin!

Screw climbing. This looks like a forecast for POWDER I would suggest a hut trip in BC. Lots of options, depending on your budget.

As much as I hate to agree with Dubya, you often have to go with your gut with folks. 10K years of hunting and gathering has made us pretty good judges of character in a few seconds/minutes. Contrary to PC dogma, we all don't get along, and it is often best to move on and not over think things too much. There are plenty more cool folks out there to spend time with.

It seems like a lot of the air support for rescues on the west side is handled by the Navy or JBLM (of course, Hi Line and King Co helos shoulder a lot of the load also). Are the Enchantments too far for military to operate? Or is it a jurisdictional issue?