JasonG

!!!!! I've had pretty good luck putting all stuff not in a tent in my pack liner (garbage bag) at night. The whole snaffle running around and biting hands during the day though.... Yowza.

I find that putting everything in a big plastic bag at night seems to dissuade those little bastards. I think they don't like chewing through the soft plastic of a bag? Or maybe I've just been lucky? Yes @curtveld, @Alisse is right on the money. This is the time of year when you want to go for Constance! Also, check out the West Arete (photos broken in the cc.com db for the time being unfortunately) which is profiled in Kearney's excellent selected climbs guide.

Sorry for the obvious, but have you talked to a good ortho about it?

I was wondering about that section with snow on it. I've gone thru that a couple times when dry and it does get your attention.

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Oh, I should add that the lower cliffs by Moraine lake were nearly melted out when we went. It is likely to be significantly worse now, and not a lot of fun to connect the glacier to the lake. Also the lake was beginning to melt out with open water on both ends. So likely not in great shape at the present....

Weird....displays fine in my browser. Still the case? If so, we'll need to get @jon to investigate.

I suspect nearly all have been on skis during the spring. It seems to get done by at least 5-10 parties a year, and there were at least three groups ahead of us this season. Oh, and we saw a mating pair of Harlequin ducks at the inlet to the lake!

Finally added some captions....

Friendly reminder that the photos are sized for large screen work diversions, and that the cc.com photo viewer is activated by clicking on the first photo. I'll add some captions during the week....

Trip: Forbidden Tour - Standard plus Eldrorado ski Trip Date: 05/05/2019 Trip Report: I'd been wanting to do this tour for more than a dozen years and I wasn't disappointed....Let's just say that. We did it in a leisurely three days (camp one below Sharkin) which allowed for a full afternoon of oogling at one of the premiere deep holes in the range - Moraine Lake. Often looked at, but rarely visited, it has vistas that even Harvey Manning would struggle to translate into words. If you follow our itinerary, on days one and three you should expect shenanigans, which are mostly unavoidable, but such is the price for one of the great adventures in the range. It is worth the price of admission. Special kudos to the young Tyler, for putting up with the predictable banter (chronic pain, kids, politics, etc.) from a bunch of middle aged dudes for a few days, and gamely signing onto a trip where he didn't know any of us. Your enthusiasm for the range will serve you for many years! I could've spoiled it for you with a lot more info, but I'll let you dream about it for a few years and imagine, like I did. Gear Notes: Skis or splitboard. Whippet or light axe. Boot crampons, ski crampons, helmet, crevasse rescue gear, enough rope for a 30m rap. Approach Notes: Sharkfin col (go up the easy gulley but not all the way- turn left halfway up to established station) to Boston Gl. to Forbidden Gl to Moraine Lake to Inspiration and out standard Eldo trail.

Looking for some cheap tools to get you up the classic moderates? These will serve you well, with lots of life left. I'm not sure what's fair but how about $60 each or $100 for the pair. Both have lock down leashes. I'm in Mount Vernon but can get them to Seattle or Bellingham

I love this.

Well done @Alisse and Tyler that's a classic. I hope I can keep up with Tyler next time I get out with him.

Oh, I was thinking of you @DPS!

ummmmmmm......no thanks. It seems like everyone who climbs the route these days in high summer has some near death experience. I've tested fate enough in the hills.

What did you think of it @tanstaafl?

Thanks for pointing this out @ivan. This is a known issue (some of my TRs also) that @jon is going to take a stab at when he can.

This is slowly making it onto my list!

I think it's a generational cheap bastard thing. It's funny, I have all sorts of gear that only lives in the mountains and my basement. I feel funny wearing it in the lowlands, mainly because I'm so cheap I want to prolong the life as long as possible. When it gets totally patched and ratty like my '98 Marmot puffy, I stop taking it to the mountains and go get beer money at the nearest off-ramp.

I bought my first pack there in the mid 90's, a bulletproof Osprey that has been all over the world with me (it was a major expenditure for me in those days). I still have it, but mostly it gets lent out these days since it weighs about 8 lbs. Most recently it went on a month long NOLS trip to AK with a friend's son.

Hey, it was the 90's, man.

Oh? I guess when I moved north years ago I lost touch. When did that sale happen? Great name dropping... more memories. Ian fitted my first pair of Intuition liners at the shop back around 2005. I spent a memorable evening chatting with Keith at the base of Prusik in 2000....

I bought a lightly used pair of Birkenstocks at Second Bounce when it was in Fremont, sometime in the late 90's. They were $25, and I'm still using them (with new soles). I also bought a pair of barely used Scarpa SLs for $40 before I went on our first Nepal trip, and used them for many hundreds of miles (thousands?) over the past 15 years (again with a new sole courtesy of Dave Page). I guess this mostly means I should have spent more money there over the years! So many good memories in that store ( @wbk @runningdogWaddington presentation, etc.!), and agree that the Seattle area is much worse off for their closure.