JasonG

Trip: Mt. Hood - Reid Headwall Date: 12/5/2011 Trip Report: There are enough TRs on this route in the database, so I don't need to bore you with the minor details. What folks do need to know, however, is that the route is in stellar shape right now! Trent and Mr. Sepultura rendezvous at my house on Sunday afternoon and we make a leisurely trip south to Timberline in Trent's trusty Vanagon, Speedy. The wind was pretty strong upon our arrival and we endured a fitful sleep in the van, hoping things would calm down. Serenaded by yahoos honking horns and spinning donuts in the overflow lot, we didn't get a lot of sleep and the 2am alarm was a bit of a shock. We got hiking about 3, and it was cold, though not horribly windy anymore. We reached the saddle a little before six in the dark, and were pretty excited to find Adam's cave. This meant we could chill out of the wind, eat some food and gear up for the long day ahead. Emerging from the cave, we dropped to the Reid and traversed over to the start of Leuthold's. A few years back, I had climbed the Reid variation that ends up on the West Crater Rim, and wanted to go for the longer variation that tops out on the summit ridge. From the base of Leuthold's we went up and slightly right to gain a gully, then mostly went left when presented with options. There was a lot of ice, water ice, and we probably could have left the pickets and brought a few more screws. Weaving through rime towers, it was spectacular climbing that went on and on! We topped out on the summit ridge a little before noon and enjoyed the new found warmth and strange lack of wind. Glorious! We followed the tracks from the weekend down, going a bit west of the regular route (I think). Strangely enough, we had not come across another party on the entire mountain! A short ski back from the top of the Palmer lift finished the day, and we began the long trek back north. We stopped in Kalama for dinner and were treated to quite a show by the local drunks. Playa Azul!! Good times! Gear Notes: Skis to the top of the lifts, screws, 60m half rope, second tool, helmet!

We climbed the Reid HW on Monday, and there is no problem getting to Leuthold's. Easy walking, without any crevasse/'schrund shenanigans. I will try and post a TR in the next couple of days.

Thanks for the cave! We crashed in it for a half hour or so yesterday while waiting for it to get light. Considering how cold and windy it was at the saddle, we certainly wouldn't have tarried as long without it. Four people must have been tight, though much better than a shredded tent. Did you have to dig it in the middle of the night? Sounds like an adventure.....

Thanks Dave, I will certainly buy the android version when it comes out.

Good point. I have noticed that the LCD on my SLR is not visible in the vertical orientation with my polarized glasses.

Great, thanks for the feedback! They are on the list for next summer...

Worth the $$$$? I'm interested in what folks think about these. I am in need of a new pair and my Julbo Cat IV lenses are often too dark when switching from snow to rock....seems like the newer photochromatic lenses would do the trick, but am interested if they really work as advertised. Thanks!

I have a friend who has had them for a couple seasons and thinks they are great. Of course for him the major selling point is that he can use the same pair of boots on his fat tele skis in the winter and switch to his ultralight AT setup come spring and summer. If you fall into that category then I think they are pretty cool.

Bravo! One of the better written TRs I've seen in awhile- entertaining, exciting, and engaging. Thanks.

Ah, the good old days- when middle class folks could own 1800' of waterfront. It is hard to not subscribe to the crotchety Manningism that it all went downhill as soon as they built the Space Needle. Of course the tribe I work for would push that date considerably farther back

C'mon guys.... :kisss: Maybe back to Layton's questions?

As matt pointed out, early to mid December is typically a harsh time on the mountain. On average, between Christmas and New Year's is somewhat better but the best weather of the winter is typically in late January and early February (days are longer also). Here is an graph of average precip in Olympia that explains the trends better: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/cgi-bin/data/usclimate/city.pl?state=WA&lane=fast&itypea=1&loc.x=166&loc.y=191&.cgifields=itypea Of course, this being a La Nina year, all that could go out the window. The main thing is to keep an open mind and not be afraid to pull the plug (and don't try and force a poor forecast). Generally it takes folks a few tries to bag a winter ascent of Rainier (for me, 3). Good luck, and be sure to post a TR (even if it isn't successful)!

To bring it back a little more local, there aren't really any resources worth extracting from non-wilderness lands in the North Cascades except timber, correct? At least it seems like everybody lost their shirt in the whole mining thing.... But maybe my impression isn't correct?

I don't know (from my limited experience, it is important whether or not we are talking about wilderness or not), but I do know that you can do surprising things if you have the mineral/gas/oil rights. I would imagine that most resource right holders would love to get incorporated into a national park, as their blackmail price has probably increased significantly. In-holders have whomever over a barrel, thus the extraordinary sums agencies pay to consolidate ownership. No matter the details of how a right is developed, that fact that it is developed in a wilderness area or national park, is the bigger deal in my opinion. Less bad is not good. This is still a thorny issue on NPS controlled land: http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/oil_and_gas/ http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/mining/index.cfm Of course, I have no idea how many resource claims are in the lands proposed for the Legacy project. We wouldn't want facts to get in the way of this debate....

Interesting article, but it doesn't matter who holds the land in the case of mineral right inholdings. NPS would be in a similar boat, mining interests are like the RR- they pretty much hold all the cards as they were there "first".

I know, I know. Old grudges are hard to let go of, and the FS was certainly in the business of whacking and packing for many years. If the Forest Service went back to such a model, then the Legacy proposal would make a lot more sense. I just don't like the scare tactics.

Another article that helps illustrate the current culture in the NPS: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/science/earth/parks-chief-blocked-plan-for-grand-canyon-bottle-ban.html?hp Taken with the debacle that transpired down at Rainier recently, I really start to wonder why this agency is looked upon more highly than the FS by NCCC.

Just because Trent is over in Afghanistan doesn't mean you can use his name in vain! I'm sure he can serve up some extra pain upon his return.

Great TR and photos! A few corrections: Garibaldi= Shuksan Three Fingered Jack= Three Fingers

Interesting....it will be awhile before I can afford a new set up so it will be fun to keep an eye on things in the next few years (maybe a splitboard specific hardboot next?). Regardless of preferences, I think it is really cool that there are getting to be more and more options for splitboarders. Similar to the situation back 25 years ago with regular snowboarding. Of course that means the BC won't get any quieter. It is amazing how many more folks you see out compared to just a decade ago....

Wow! A proud looking line and a great story, thanks for an inspiring TR!

John Scurlock keeps in touch with him.....

I agree that both roads need to be realigned and would support redrawing of wilderness boundaries to make it happen. I have written my reps in support of such a change, and I encourage others who feel the same to do so also.

Voile Mtn. Plate binding, I have the same setup with Scarpa Matrix boots. No need to DIY. However, I think that the new Spark boots and bindings look like the way to go if you have a lot of money to spend on a new set up. AT boots ride OK, but I really miss the soft boot feel. They do skin and traverse quite well though...

Lots of great suggestions, here are few more to add to the list: -That prominent gully (from the Highway) on Whistler Peak between Rainy and WA passes. Great fun, easy descent. -East Face of Mt. Angeles (Olympics) in the winter. -NR of Baker -Adams Gl. on Mt. Adams -NF Buckner -Frostbite Ridge on Glacier Peak -NF ramp on Harvey (BC) Whatever you do, do not take her on the NF of Graybeard. Were you serious Fred??