JasonG

Trip: Big Bear! - Brushtissima Trip Date: 11/11/2019 Trip Report: With all this attention on the NW couloir on Eldorado the past few weeks, Kit and I succeeded on a smash and grab ascent of BIG BEAR! last weekend. @Kit is in the midst of a noble mission to climb all the Cascadian peaks visible from his office in Everett and I'm well, I'm just a bit "special". We happened to catch it in "near perfect" conditions, I am happy to report, and suspect others may be lining up during the next fine weather spell this week. The ankle biting huckleberry have shed their leaves, leaving them only 50% as annoying as they are in high summer. And, most all the snow is gone, meaning one shouldn't worry about tiring themselves out kicking steps up straightforward snow slopes. To top it off, all of the flagging has been eaten by deer, meaning that a "fair means" ascent is nearly guaranteed. Why this brushy beast isn't more popular, I'll never know. Or, maybe it is popular? There is no register so it is tough to figure how many people are as "savvy" as us. All I know is that the 4130 isn't going to get less brushy in the next few years, so if you want either Liberty or BIG BEAR! in the next lifetime or two, you'll want to go now. Just don't expect flagging or the Instagram hordes to show you the way. The Brushtissima on BIG BEAR! (actually not that bad): @Kit working up the ridge above the "Moffitt Step": I just needed an eagle: Typical terrain: Liberty: Tahoma, but you knew that: Interesting angle on Hall, Big Four, Columbia, etc: The air was exceptionally clear, Everett and Kit's office standing out: The final few feet to the summit of Big Bear: East to Dakobed and Pugh above Exfoliation Dome: Anybody home on 3 Fingers? Jumbo, the slabbage patch, and Ulalach: Liberty from the summit: Squire Creek valley and its namesake walls: Gear Notes: eye protection, leather gloves, whiskey. Ice axe, crampons, and helmet some part of the year. Approach Notes: I somehow deleted my GPX track, not that it will help you much. Just look at the image in the TR for an idea of where to go. Just make sure you don't miss the Moffitt Step!

Routes like these aren't consistently in all the time so it makes sense that once it gets reported as "in", the masses will appear! It took me several gos to make it happen over about a decade or so. Good on everyone knocking it off so efficiently!

I love that the cc.com effect is back. Many moons ago it was a common thing to see a crowd the next weekend on whatever had a bunch of online traffic during the week.

I'll have to be more obvious when poking fun in the future..... And you're correct to remind us that this very issue broke the friendship of Spring/Manning. Nice pics of one of the driest Novembers ever @bargainhunter, if you haven't climbed that North Ridge of Blum, I would recommend it!

C'mon @bargainhunter and @max, don't insta-wreck the place. Let the masses work for it. .

The older I get the more I think it is a no-brainer to carry a PLB, solo or not. I would suspect Ryan is now in that camp as well.

I've always wanted to go in there in the fall and stay under the Great Trog!!

Sumallo?

Such a classic!! Glad you got it in good conditions, so much fun!

No photo?

Summary: Climbing is scary and may kill or maim you, especially if you make a mistake. It still may, even if you don't make a mistake. On the plus side, we are all going to die.

Oops. Carry on then. Yes, please write up that ascent @Szyjakowski!

@G-spotter beat you to that one! It basically boils down to.... Booty being in the eye of the beholder

What about a bolt ladder on something that hasn't seen a free ascent, like on Monkey Face? We encountered this at Smith in 2003 without a note or sign anywhere around to indicate someone was working the route. No ropes, no chalk, not a soul around, but new draws on every bolt. I realize this might be hard to believe in this day and age.

I did a little translating for you.... Nice work, you've made all us Smooters proud.

A D750 with the 24-120mm Nikkor f4 mostly. I have a 20mm f1.8 that I brought on this trip as well. Glad you like the photos!

I think you'll enjoy @Colin's take on hard solo climbing: http://www.colinhaley.com/a-brief-visit-to-patagonia-and-reflections-on-hard-solo-climbing/

19! Still a few of us OGs around, although math is obviously hard for us. @jon you should bring back the member numbers on the profiles!

Your TRs always have such incredible beta. The attention to detail and annotation is impressive. Thanks and good luck next time!

There may have been Pink Floyd involved and us wishing you were here @sepultura! And no @Rad I didn't....but it sounds like I should have?

@Otto- I tried to link to a photo on G-drive and it doesn't seem to work like Google Photos. Still, it isn't hard to save from G-Drive locally and then upload to the site. In the long term that really is better than a link which can break. Old TRs are littered with them.... Thanks for working thru this!

Trip: Summit Chief - Standard Scramble Trip Date: 09/21/2019 Trip Report: I'm normally not one to hike in and out in the rain, but desperate times call for desperate measure and the end of summer is one such occasion. So, armed with a glimmer of hope in the forecast we marched in to Vista tarns last weekend with our sights set on Summit Chief and Little Big Chief. The former was a Smoot and the latter, well, it looked cool. Spoiler alert, we got the Smoot (straightforward Cl. 3 once you deciphered the description correctly) but not the little one, which proved to be more time consuming in late season than we had the desire for. Still, the area has much to recommend, as you'll see in the photos below. It isn't nicknamed Snoqualmonix for nothing- probably the most rugged terrain south of Hwy 2 is found in this area, and not a lot of peak baggers....yet. Judging by the summit register on Summit Chief, this area is rapidly becoming popular. Going from 1-2 parties a year to 11 this year. So, I guess, I'm part of the problem. And so it goes. Lucky shot: East Face of Chimney Rock: Summit Chief on the left and Middle Chief on the right: Stuart and Waptus Lake: Rainier, Chimney Rock, Overcoat Peak (L-R): Summit of Summit Chief: RIP Franklin: Glacial recession is a bitch: Little Big Chief: We opted to scramble up here and enjoy the afternoon, rather than rushing to climb LBC and arrive at camp after dark: Last dip of summer in an unnamed lake on the way back from LBC : This one: LBC: Three Queens: Bear's Breast (L) and Mount Daniel behind on the right: Overcoat: Chimney Rock and Overcoat in early morning light: Chicken of the Woods: Cooper River in the rain on the way out: Gear Notes: helmet, ice axe, crampons Approach Notes: Pete Lake Trail to PCT to Vista Tarns. We cam out the Escondido ridge "trail" but I wouldn't recommend going up that way.

Hi @Otto good to have you looking for this info! You'll notice that you can choose files from the bottom of a post, which is pretty easy if they are saved locally. If they aren't you can post a link to the photo and I think it will work, but for the long term it really is better if you can upload to the site (I export from Lightroom at lower res and upload directly to cc.com). But, to show that it works from Google Photos, here's this from my account (you have to click on photo then right click and copy image location): I'm not sure that it works from Google Drive, but I hope it is similar?

Good eye for the interesting photos!