JasonG

Great beta for a nice looking trip, thanks.

Wondering about the road into the Statlu Lake TH specifically, 2WD?.....Thanks for any info!

We rapped to the SW, I believe. It seemed like the only reasonable route in the conditions we found and wasn't tricky to figure out. Since most everything was buried in rime we added a station below the summit to reach easy snow below. I think it was 2 single raps. Yeah, you definitely want a good freeze before embarking on that route.

You'll want it to be cold for getting up and down the summit pyramid, but with a good freeze and an early start I would think you could keep it manageable with a 13k FL. If you don't get either, it is an awesome place to hang out on a long weekend and well worth the hike in and out of basecamp. I was pleasantly surprised by how great a climb it was on a 4th of July weekend a few years ago....

Thanks @genepires! Choss can be beautiful sometimes, just don't let @cfire hear you say it.

@Marcus Russi....thanks for that. @jon fixed the photos!

They're opening back up soon! And perhaps as Second Ascent again...

After stalking @kmfoerster on IG, my estimate is he would be a fantastic roommate for folks that peruse this site! Just don't hold my opinion against the lad.

The audio would only confirm how right you are there @Bronco!

Maybe I won't use my store credit for toilet paper after all....

OK....GPX now there at the bottom of the original post!

Well, shoot....looks like the GPX didn't upload. Will try again tonight..... (and add captions) Yeah @genepires, that photo with Three Fingers and Whitehorse has all those walls, with Green Giant Buttress in the foreground.

OK @Asfahl....added captions. I wish Smooting paid like NatGeo!

Love how casually you guys dispatched that!

It should be fine from an avy standpoint. The final slope on Eldorado isn't super steep, at least where you can't mitigate the hazard by moving to the edge of whatever slope is of concern.. Of course, you'll have to make those calls when you are up there since you can't know if you don't go. That said, being a weather weenie will serve you well in your climbing career (it has for me). I typically always have a east side backup if the weather is crap on the crest. Silverstar, for example.

Actually, I prefer coffee

Did you say Lemon?

Thanks for bumping this back into our collective memory @Lowell_Skoog. Amazing!

Trip: LIBERTY - The path of freedom Trip Date: 06/01/2019 Trip Report: Sometimes you see a mountain enough that it must be climbed. Such was the case for @Kit and I and this mountain called Liberty. Both of us have been driving by it for more years that we care to think about. That, and who doesn't want to be free?? Despite the reports of horrendous brush, washed out roads, and failed attempts, we were smitten. What is wrong with us? Well, we don't have time to cover all that here. But, if Liberty is wrong, I don't want to be right! It helped that we happened to stumble upon an actual pleasant route up and down the peak, with minimal brush. Really! I even recorded a track for all you obsessive P2K baggers out there. So go get it before the brush reclaims the 4130 road once again..... The massive south face of Three Fingers: LIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBEEEEEEEERRRRRTTTTTYYYYYYY @Kit crossing the South Fork of Canyon Creek: Pretty reasonable actually: The upper part of Liberty: The view north into the Slabbage Patch: I remember some good trundling down this face in about 1994: We only used the rope for a short rap on the way down: Extreme! More South face of Three Fingers Who doesn't love LIBERTY??!! and lots of solitude? And blown out roads? And blown up stuff? Gear Notes: We brought a rope and used it in a couple places to rap on the way down, mainly because we had it. We didn't rope for the two 4th class bits on the way up. It is actually likely better after the snow is gone and the crossing of Canyon Creek low. Approach Notes: Walk 4130 for 4 miles or so until you intersect the GPX track I've posted. It will serve you well to the summit and back. A couple more years and the road will be totally brushed in and very annoying. Go now! LIBERTY!!!!! 6_1_19 8_30_51 AM.gpx

Trip: Royally Smooting - North Ridge of Clark, Deception, from Royal Basin Trip Date: 06/15/2019 Trip Report: Who else out there is working through the Smoot book? C'mon, it's OK to admit it, Jeff came up with a great list of peaks that will get you to the corners of the Cacades and the Olympics. Take Royal Basin, for example. I wouldn't have thought of dealing with the hassle of ferries, permits, and bear cans if it weren't for that long out of print tome. And, I would have missed out on a great adventure with @ZakG. I'm continually reminded that there is a lot to recommend in that book. If you do go Royally Smooting though, you may not want to haul all the gear necessary to climb the North Ridge of Clark (as recommended by Smoot). While supposedly the "best" climb in the Needles, Zak and I thought that it wasn't THAT classic. The regular scramble route is interesting enough and easily passable with no rope, harness, or pro. On Deception, you'll want enough snow to cover the amazing amount of loose rock that this peak is known for. Shoot for when Royal Lake is snow free but the upper basin is still snowed in....like we did. It was just about as good of conditions as you could ask for. Captions refer to the photos below...... You know you're hiking in the Olympics in the spring when you see rhododendrons on the trail: Shelter Rock is aptly named: First look at the Needles, Johnson and the Sundial (L-R): Hiking up to Clark with Deception behind: Clark. The North Ridge is the right skyline: Mount Johnson: Leading up the North ridge of Clark. Lots of lichen and mediocre rock. Good, I guess, for the Olympics: Summit views from Clark looking across Royal Basin to Warrior, Constance, Inner Constance, Stone(?), Mystery, and Deception (L-R): Descending Clark, don't go this way. Up and right from where the photographer is instead: The regular route on Clark is impressive and actually pretty pleasant, despite appearances: Mount Mystery: Gray crested rosy finch, lord of the high alpine: Heading up the regular route on Deception with Johnson behind: Gilhooley Tower: Last look at Deception leaving upper Royal Basin: The classic finish to an Olympics trip. Waiting for the ferry at Kingston: Gear Notes: Light 40m rope, small rack of nuts and tri cams, helmet, crampons, ice axe. Approach Notes: Royal Basin, the permit is key. Go early in the season before they allow for advance reservations. We had no problems securing one, although we started on a Thursday and finished on a Saturday.

That is impressive, no matter the time!

Believe it or not, I was remarking in April how much better the trail is than when I first went up it in 1999. Almost a real trail with hardly any brush. But yes, the elevation gain/loss isn't trivial.

Such a fun route, check out the SW buttress next time!

Woah. This seems like a lot of work for a Luddite like me. Got that @jon?

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo........ Thanks for the heads up @Marcus Russi ....I hope @jon figures out what the deal is.