JasonG

For future reference, doing the traverse in the other direction is pretty pleasant! Just don't expect a quick hitch from the Colonial CG. The tourists seem quite afraid of climbers, or maybe it is just how bad I smell after a trip.

Suffer points for going in AND out that way. Yowza! I distinctly remember not wanting to EVER go up Eiley Wiley, while we were thrashing out way down. Glad you got the summit, that is a classic!

Oh no! Glad you are OK and have lived to tell the tale.

Go @alisse!

This is the normal route that I've scrambled a few times in all seasons: https://www.summitpost.org/northwest-route/167578

check out this page for info on existing routes: https://www.summitpost.org/white-chuck-mountain/routes/p-154985 I guess I am wondering what you are talking about being the false summit. The prominent one north of the big notch?

I guess I'm with @Kameron, I thought it quite a bit of actual climbing over those towers. But I am definitely not a good rock climber!

What about Mongo Ridge?

I'm sure Pete would get a laugh out of this. He's around still. Ah, youth!

Sweet, you found my duffle! Meth is the only way I am climbing 5.9 trad these days.

That was a fantastic TR over on TAY @Kameron! I didn't know that they upgraded the board. Looks a lot better!

Makes sense. We had soft snow which made it much more reasonable. And I wasn't with my son and dog!

Very true. The approach is greatly helped with the snow, but it certainly makes some of that easy scrambling quite tricky.

Love it!

Yep, it's steep but it goes!

Wow, that looks stout in those conditions. Much easier when all that steep snow is gone, but then you have the death blocks to contend with. Good work getting everyone up and down safely!

Whew. I get to stay in the Skagit. Wait, does that mean I'm old?

Welcome @Benzo! Thanks for the great TR and perspective on gaining the skills you need to do these types of trips in a safe and fun way. The mountains are quite humbling, I know I feel like I still have much to learn all these years later. Keep the reports coming and I will look for you and your wife in the hills!

Let me know @OlegV and @DPS! It is on my list....

Ouch. Glad you had a good climb on that stout route!

I think LR is very condition dependent. My experience was from a long time ago, but we found excellent conditions in early June of 2002. It was quite cold and calm though. That said, I was almost taken out by a bowling ball around the black pyramid! However, I really liked the route and thought it well worth the 50 classic designation.

OH!!! Well, you learn something new every day! I know what I will be doing on a rainy November night this fall!

Sad news. A bad week on Rainier it sounds like, with the two other searches underway.

How times change...... the Blum approach has a bridge over the Baker River, and the Goodell creek approach is now a full blown trail, sans brush. Thanks for a blast from my beginnings in the climbing world! Not too many of the young 'uns use this system any more.

Rumor has it that a certain someone at the Darrington Ranger station has a copy on VHS. I've heard it is about as amazing as the trailer suggests. There are still people around D-town who have stories about the film crew/shenanigans that went down during the making of the movie. Thanks for the reminder to work my connections to get a viewing!