JasonG

Wait, is this the same Demitri that Scott climbs with when he is up there???

Nice work Rad! Yeah, that way always seemed to be a long way in and out. A few years back we went in via Little Beaver, climbed over Whatcom, and tagged Challenger, Fury, and Luna, before an exit out access creek and the Big Beaver. Using the boat shuttle to complete the loop, I think it took us 7 days- and none were killers. Something to consider if you plan to go back in after the approach memories fade.....

Holy crap, that is some fine climbing! I need to get my rock skills brushed up and head back up there. . . .Thanks for the reminder. I am impressed with the amount and quality you guys climbed in such a short few days . ..nice work!

So it would have been too hard to bail on the day you were supposed to be out? It seems odd to me to continue on when you know a rescue will be initiated, unless the way back is too hard/dangerous to reverse (or would take longer than going up). Maybe this is so, but it wasn't addressed in the narrative. But . .. I admire the determination that you guys obviously displayed. Strong work!

Nice work!! Yeah, that nut wasn't too bad once we got to looking at it (and setting it with an axe), we rapped off it also. Given the grade, I think we underestimated the EFD a bit- at least the lower, scrambly pitches. The last couple fifth class ones are pretty fun and protect well though. How was getting onto the rock? That moat can be tricky, at least it was for us. Cool summit, certainly a bit more rugged than you would expect given its location.

Yes, I've never understood the summit register nazi mentality. If you don't like registers, don't sign them, but please leave them for the rest of us to enjoy. It is always fun to see familiar names, including some who are no longer with us. It is a good way to keep their memories alive, but these register stealing bozos probably don't care much for anyone beyond themselves and their misguided ambitions.

upload to the gallery, then post using the little camera icon....

emails sent, thanks much!!

You might also try posting on nwhikers.....cool story!

Nice work Caleb!- branching out from the hard rock, eh? The Chimney's are spicy when snowy and do take a bit of time to descend safely. Sometimes a faster option (with a healthy snowpack) is to descend the White Salmon and bash brush back the way you came in. Sounds like a grand adventure though, an unexpected night out?

Now that is some funny stuff- classic DC shenanigans. It's pretty amazing that teams would get aggro about passing when faced with a large, wide open glacier. I agree that the other parties are often on par with the objective hazards on the hill. Straight out of Vertical Limit.

Good to hear! We have been really pleased with ours, and now kiddo #2 if getting to enjoy it. Many thousands of vert later and it is still going strong. Pretty grubby (food and drool do wonders on a pack), but not worn really at all.

Now this is starting to get funny. If only I could read above a third grade level! I feel I am missing some of the jabs.

http://www.kptv.com/story/15141536/climber-dies-in-fall Very sad indeed. Was he on cc.com?

I'd have to agree with Matt. I've been much more scared on "Class 4" terrain than mid fifth. Think the middle section of the NE buttress of JBerg. As a matter of fact, I almost always bring a rope when it calls for class 4, as I have been burned (scared) one too many times. What the old timers called class 4 is often modern day class 5. Maybe most of us are wimps these days, or maybe they were sandbagging, but that has been my experience. In the Cascades (where I am the most familiar), I think it is dangerous to recommend class 4 as beginner climb rating. That sort of terrain has killed two of my very experienced friends- Dallas and TJ. Their accidents have really caused me to rethink my attitudes towards chossy "scramble" terrain. Be careful out there.

I agree that it seems like a contrived bit to climb the NW face of the NR to access the NR (when you hike right by the start of it). We bivied at the col where you started, some good sites for 2-3 people there. I think unless you have great conditions on the Boston Gl (we didn't in late August), doing this in a day from BB is not too easy. Great work! I guess with clients you can't take them down the east ledges? Or were they still snowy? I've always found that descent to be, by far, the quickest way off Forbidden. Maybe not the safest though....

How'd your trip go Stefan??? A similar battle with the weather? It was great to finally put a face to the name I'd seen so many times in summit registers over the years!

Interesting, thanks for the info...I never made it through the burn. Still sounds like a much better way to come out than go in!

Have you hiked out the S. Cascade post burn? I nosed up that way last year and it was grim. Didn't seem like a very viable alternative.....

A little grainy, but OK:

Ah.. your tracks on the lower south side of the west ridge makes sense now. You didn't quite go high enough to find the dirty gully. If you went uphill another 50-100 vf you would have seen a giant wind cirque on the climbers left. Shooting up from there is a really dirty gully (class 3-4) that leads to easy slopes. Plug steps up some steep snow to gain the summit slopes.

AHA!! Now THAT was an impressive effort. After seeing no tracks for days, we were a little surprised to find SOLO ski and boot tracks on the NF of sinister. Your tracks were there, but faint. I think that might have been the catalyst for the rest of the group. If someone skied it, we should be able to climb it without too much trouble, right? We had some sluffs roar past us (not too close, but close enough to give me pause) on the way up, so your ascent and descent was a topic of conversation. Strong, bold work!!

We appreciated your beta for getting up to Agnes Col, worked quite well! While there is no easy way of getting in there, I think you may have found the way with the least pain. That log is pretty amazing. The other group we ran into on their way up was headed along the Beckey beta path (farther upstream before crossing and heading uphill). I will try to compare notes when they return.

Ah....thanks for the clarification on the thrushes. Are the rosy finches the ones you see sometimes very high around the summits, flying in small flocks? If so, I agree with the Commander- they do show up in the most unusual places. When I get home I will try and upload a winter ptarmigan photo.

I wonder how common the Hermit Thrush is around here (even though the range map shows it in this area). I may have heard these, but I much more often hear the Swainson's Thrush. Slightly, but noticeably different call. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swainsons_Thrush/sounds Nice blog post though, it is cool to see some familiar faces. . . . Let me know if you want a pic of a ptarmigan in winter plumage to use on the blog. No snaffles though???? Have you never had the pleasure of meeting one up close and personal?