JasonG

Interesting....so the spray keeps them from drying out and cracking?

I'm sensing a lot of anger Pat. I'm sorry.

Heaven forbid we actually quote from Bible regarding the nature of faith. From Hebrews 11: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Under that definition, I think a lot of religious folks, scientists, and even atheists can agree that they all have their own version of "faith". It seems like believing that matter is eternal would require some degree of faith (after all, where did all this stuff in the universe come from?). I can understand not subscribing to a particular religion, but not believing in a God, period, does seem to require a bit of faith. Wasn't the Big Bang a creation event? Infinite matter from an infinitely small place?

Most winter routes are avi/weather dependent (be careful!). That said, you can also check out the Tatoosh range in MRNP (in addition to Hood). All of the peaks become much more challenging in winter conditions and the access is quite good. Pinnacle, Lane, Unicorn, etc.

You forgot to fill it before you left for AK!

A second for the Volkl Nunataq! One of my regular ski partners has these and pretty much thinks they are about the best thing going for those that spend most of their time in the backcountry. A great mix of features make this a good all arounder.

Thanks for the recommendation Darin, I'll have to check that trip out! I've hiked the first part of Lost Creek Ridge, but it has been more than 15 years. Time to connect the ends.

Gotta love grandparents!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_occidentalis Old Man of the Mountains or Western Pasque Flower. Very cool plant....

I'd say that 15 of the 30 miles is in the alpine, either on ridges or traversing meadows. A lot of bang for your buck.

Thanks for the compliments! Gene, you're mostly right. I went back and added some captions to clarify some of the peaks. Hopefully it helps. Oh, and we took three easy days with time for meadow lounging, peak bagging, and fishing. Such a good trip!

Trip: North Fork Sauk - Pilot Ridge Loop Date: 10/1/2012 Trip Report: I'm not one to normally rave about backpacking trips, but this trip was unexpectedly spectacular and pleasant. My wife and I were lucky enough to find childcare for a long weekend at the end of September/early Oct. and get out to enjoy the fall colors on this loop. Wow!! Miles and miles of alpine splendor! My verdict, it should be on everyone's list who likes that sort of thing (even climbers). The loop is about 30 miles roundtrip, and you don't need to car shuttle. Good camps abound, though water is somewhat scarce in late season (we camped at White Pass and Blue lake- good camps and abundant water). Side trips included White Mtn for sunrise, Kodak peak for a chat with a speedo clad gentleman and his dog, and Johnson Peak to check out an old LO site. Blue lake has feisty Rainbows, in case you are into fishing. But don't just take my word for it, the photos don't lie (and these pictures don't do it justice)...... Sunset at our White Pass Camp: Mt. Pugh at sunrise from White Mtn: PCT at White Pass from White Mtn: Glacier Peak from near Dishpan Gap: Summit Chief, Chimney Rock, Overcoat (L-R): Sloan, Bedal, etc. (L-R): Mt Pugh: Sloan Peak: Mts. Daniel and Hinman: Mt. Pugh, and Whitechuck (L-R): Monte Cristo Peak: You do have to cross the NF Sauk, but there are good logs to walk: NF Sauk Old Growth: Gear Notes: Whiskey, fishing tackle, decadent food. It's backpacking baby! Approach Notes: Easy drive from Darrington on 2WD roads. Hike NF Sauk trail to White Pass, turn south on PCT, head to Dishpan Gap, turn west to Blue lake and Pilot Ridge, following it westwards to the junction with NF Sauk trail. Hike back to your car and quaff beer.

I guess I've been paged.... Bob's right, though unsightly, garbage in and off itself is rarely a problem for salmon (unless we are talking toxic chemicals). The problem is large numbers of people, and the landscape alteration that typically follows them (clearing of forests, draining of wetlands, dikes/levees, pavement, housing, etc., etc.). You can pretty much figure out which rivers produce a lot of fish from aerial photos. Salmon ecology ain't rocket science (thank goodness for me!) Sorry for the thread drift.....

It actually was much better than I was expecting (I had heard stories....), but it is no West Ridge of Forbidden. The hardest climbing (around the gendarmes) tends to have quite good rock, with a bit of junk above and below it. The top 1000' of 4th/low fifth actually has some pretty good scrambling/climbing and was a lot more fun than I was expecting (even after an unplanned night out). Overall, this route is quite an adventure given its position and length, and I would recommend it for the Cascade Connoisseur. In the words of Bruce Fairley though, "don't expect to be back for tea."

These smash and grab ascents continue to amaze me. Pretty crazy what one can get into in a long weekend from SEA or PDX. Looks like some quality climbing, thanks!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This might be one of my favorite posts of all time! So very, very true.

The rock is just fine (by Cascades standards), at least on the north side detours that most folks use when not on the crest. That looks like quite the stout winter objective. Good practice for some of the bigger AK objectives I suppose....

Way to close out the season Tom!! Your glowing report almost makes me want to climb the NE buttress again. Almost. Although that bivy is certainly one of the most memorable around...... Strong work as usual!

No Josh, it was a great TR! Finally got around to reading it, and I'm glad you made it out OK. Sounded a bit tense for a bit. I didn't seem to remember any rappelling on the way down Jack, but the bottom is pretty darn exposed. I remember zig zagging on ledges to keep the scrambling reasonable. Also, for future reference, it is a bit easier to reach the saddle above Crater Lake if you continue up the trail past the lake for a bit. That way you don't have to mess with the cliff band and can hike across easy scree/talus to the saddle.

A good idea, yes, and yes. No.

Caleb- No, those were all taken with my cheapo Powershot 300HS. Of course, Lightroom always helps!

Wow! That is quite the honeymoon. Spiceman didn't tell me that you like to climb rocks too. Small world. I will take your advice and go over during our winter; Mt. Kenya has been on my list for a long time. Thanks for posting, and don't stop there with your TRs!

Trip: Eldorado - West Arete Date: 9/24/2012 Trip Report: For those that have suffered through enough of my TRs, you know that writing isn't my strong point. I'm not eloquent, poetic, or even very funny. Thankfully, I can be brief. I don't climb to find the "answer" or to prove anything. Mainly I'm in it for the view, the personal challenge, and the camaraderie. On a recent climb of Eldorado, I got all three...and then some. Oh, and I like to take pictures. Trent and I were looking for a way to end the summer with a bang, and after our recent uneventful (and sub Beckey) climb of the Northwest Face of Forbidden we were feeling probably a bit on the cocky side. We both had the West Arete on our lists and a plan was made to give it a go over 2.5 days. There are several ways you can go about approaching this thing, and we opted for the standard Eldo approach with a camp at the base of the east ridge. I think it took us about 4.5 hours to camp or so, with breaks. The next morning we were up at 5 in the dark and off in the dim around 6. Wind and light rain dampened our enthusiasm, but we decided we should at least go over and take a look. Worst case we could always go for the regular route on Dorado Needle or Klawatti. A couple hours of easy glacier travel and snowfields brought us around and down, down, to the intimidating start. By this point the weather had cleared, so we were left without an excuse. Trent gamely took the sharp end and led runout slabs to a dirty, wet gully where I took over and simuled a ways up to the crest and upwards. We were making good time at this point (about the first 1000' vert.) and thought Beckey's "Grade III, 9 hrs" was going to be spot on. Then we hit the middle 1000' of vert., and the sun started to speed up its transit across the sky. We didn't feel comfortable simuling the large amount of looseish 5.6-7 between 5.8ish bits (wasn't this supposed to be easier than the NW face of Forbidden??), so pitched it out. And, for being an arete, the way wasn't always as obvious as we had thought. Tick, Tick, Tick. But what a position!! The climbing in this section was often good (esp. around the gendarmes), and always spectacular. The Marble Creek Cirque is a special place and this was the last of the "select" climbs that I had to do in there. By evening, there was no question (at least for me) that I had saved the most challenging for last. We ended up running out of daylight about 1000' vert. from the top near the end of difficulties. Rather than push on into the unknown with headlamps, Trent wisely advocated to stay put on an OK ledge and get ready to shiver. Luckily I had thrown in a space blanket at the last minute and this proved to make it merely unpleasant rather than miserable. I should have brought long johns though, nylon pants don't cut it in September! But the weather was warm for the date, and calm, which helped tremendously. I ran out of water though, which made the night (and a "dinner" of bars) a bit on the dry side. We stayed tied in. Tick, Tick, Tick. The night dragged on (no snaffles though!), but eventually light came to the eastern sky and we shook off the chill and got ready to roll. The rest of the climb was mostly 4th class (with bits of low fifth), but careful routefinding was still needed to keep it at that grade. Trent had made the right call. Luckily we were planning on another night back at our camp after the climb so nobody was thinking we were overdue. The summit views were grand as usual, but maybe more so considering the work that it had taken to reach the top this time. The smoke from the various fires added a dreamy texture to the views as well. In the North Cascades, I'm always reminded that we live in an amazing part of the world! Luckily we arrived back (~10am) to find our camp all in one piece, with our food unmolested. We immediately started to eat and drink as much as we possibly could, while packing to get down reasonably fast. In the end, I think it took us something like 13 hours on route, thus managing to turn a Grade III into a V. I think we are reasonably competent (but maybe not?), so if you are a fellow weekend warrior this might be a climb best reserved for the longer days of summer. That said, I think it certainly deserves to be left in the "select" category (Why did Nelson pull it from the second edition?), loose rock and all. It is a grand adventure that you won't soon forget. Gear Notes: The full kit: single rope, full rack, crampons, ice axe, etc. Space blanket may be key if you end up pitching much of the middle out. Bring 3L of water, not 2 like me. Approach Notes: We went via the standard Eldo approach, with a camp at the base of the east ridge. Free water, and a crapper, what could be better? ~2 hours to the base of the route from this camp. We started on the SW side of the toe on some slabby, wet junk for a couple of pitches of easy 5th.

Excellent work Caleb! I know, when I climbed the buttress I was expecting more in the way of solidity as well. I actually took a small fall when I yarded on a hold that broke. Silly me. But....as you saw from the descent, what a line!!