JasonG

More like 6 miles I think . . .good wide tread the whole way. Not sure if it is legal to bike.

A few more photos, although I didn't take very many as we were trying to race the softening snow . . . Steve in the middle of the gully- Cutthroat from the top of the gully- Looking towards Black Pk, and entering winter conditions on the north side of the ridge- On the summit- I made this sign up beforehand for Steve, thinking we were going to have to hitch a ride. How could anyone refuse to pick up a clean-cut, active duty officer (even if he might need a shower)?

OK, some pictures: Creek crossing near the haripin- Liberty Bell and Whistler- Booting up with expanding views- Starting to get steep and scenic- Dallas at the base of Mushroom Tower. Knickers and red wool socks, doesn't get any more classy than that! Mushroom tower, Dallas, Mark, on the steeper (and softer) than it looked traverse over to Big Kangaroo. Dallas assured us it is much better without snow- The man with the plan, on his 50th year of climbing! The view east to the Gardners- Dallas on the final summit block of Big Kangaroo-

Forbidden east ledges descent is still VERY snowy . . saw it pretty plainly from Big Kangaroo on Sunday. I'd bet there are still snowy/wet/icy bits on the various ridges.

Thanks for a great day out Dallas! I'll have to go back for Melted. I will try and get some photos up soon . . .stay tuned. JG

Do tell . . .

Thanks for the write-up Steve! I'll try and add some photos in the next day or two. And for the record, I was whining too, but couldn't do much about it except to keep going. It would have been bad form to go for a long ride on my first outing after baby #2. Kurt-your friend was OK? How far did they get swept? Very scary, and one of the reasons I keep putting off that route between N & S early. Scott- Catch dem fishies so you can get back to the hills pronto!

WA pass is going to be very dangerous this weekend. I would stay clear.

Not that you want to hear it now, Kyle, but some friends battled through thigh deep slop during a heat wave last spring and found OK conditions in the NE couloir proper. It is shady and steep enough that it seems to be fairly firm even when the slopes below are slop. Nice effort though- that is a baking slog over to Colchuck without skis!

Nice work on the direct finish. I think most folks (myself included) traverse left into a gulley, just before the top. Later in the season, your "disconcerting" snow is a rock slab and a bit tricky. I'll have to go back earlier, looks like nice way to go, although snow conditions sounded a bit exciting, considering the drop below.

Scott Bingen 7pm- June 2, 2010 - Skagit Valley College Roberts Hall, T-41 "The Great Northern- Climbing and Ski mountaineering in Canada and Alaska" Please join us at this month's Alpine Club meeting as Scott Bingen shares pictures and poor wisdom from his explorations over the last 15 years in the Great White North. A commercial fisherman by trade, Scott's schedule allows him to get out on extended trips year round, often to far-flung, cold, and chossy locales. From Mt. Robson to Dutch Harbor, this wide ranging show is sure to take folks to unexpected places, and entertain them with tales of success and failure. Right now Scott is probably off somewhere, searching for the perfect choss pile, but on June 2nd he'll be at the Skagit Alpine Club monthly meeting- Don't miss it! We will be meeting in Walter Roberts Hall - T-41. Scott will go on after our regular business meeting at 7pm. Here is a link to a campus map: www.skagit.edu/images/color_mvCampus.pdf.

Josh- Be careful on little tahoma, it's fairly treacherous, or can be depending on conditions. Lots o' rockfall when I was up there . . .

Hmmmm. . . .I didn't seem to remember much trouble sniffing the way the couple of times I went up there (once summer, once winter- both successful)- but I didn't do much research (or maybe what's in the Olympics climbers guide is quite good). It is a great viewpoint, nice work!

Ah yes, should have read more closely. A glutton for punishment . . .

So . . .was this forecasted and you were just trying to punish yourself for something really, really bad, or did the weather guys miss this? Now you probably realize why not many around here willingly head up Rainier in a storm. JG

An old friend of the family, Dwight Watson, once said "never start a trip in the rain". Like Gene and many others, I tend to heed this time tested advice. The old timers didn't have the fancy gear, so usually stayed put when it poured and waited it out, or they didn't go when the weather was obviously bad. While I think the advice on modern gear in this thread is good, things are still going to suck when it pours- you are just talking about managing the suck factor and trying to keep it as low as possible. Whatever you choose other than cotton or down is probably fine, just plan on varying degrees of misery until you can get near a raging fire and some good single malt. In all seriousness though, I have to hand it to the SAR folks as they often get the call when conditions are really sucking. My hat is off to you!

Those are some wild looking tools. Dane, you tried them?

and to take as many pictures as he did on those routes, wow. Whenever I am stressed about my or my partner's lead, I sure am not taking many photos. Nerves of steel . . .

Well, materials are evolving all the time and that analysis was 10 years old. I use this stuff at work and am quite impressed. A bit different than the climbing cord out there, and cheaper: http://shop.torresen.com/ships_store/index.php?p=details&mfc=Samson&sku=870012706030-grey&frm=g We've used this stuff for years out in the sun; it's constantly being flexed and loaded. I've never seen it break, even when it looks beyond ratty. I know this isn't a climbing test, but it makes me wonder. Fishermen friends have used in the mountains for years . . .and I think I may join them.

A friend turned me on to his new site: http://carlosbuhler.wordpress.com/ Making all us dads out there look mighty bad. Sheesh. JG

My vote is for Mountaineer Creek- Argonaut, Sherpa, and Stuart could keep you busy for five days for sure. Or, the Ragged Ridge ski traverse if the weather is a bit more settled. You couldn't really go wrong skiing around Klawatti either . .. JG

Or Mix-up and Storm King?

Ivan- two of your later ones - J'Berg and Goode?

I can't wait till Lord Winchester writes up a TR, I'm sure he has quite a few! JG

It was really great, thanks Dallas!! He spent a bunch of time showing old gear, talking about his motivations for climbing, showing some really cool photos, and sharing advice for up and coming climbers. You could tell Dallas spent a good bit of time reflecting on his half century of climbing, and really focused on what he wanted to say. I'm glad we packed the house for this one, he deserved it. If anyone sees Dallas in the mountains, stop and talk with him awhile (like kevbone), you won't regret it! Cheers, Jason