DPS

I don't think the roads being closed is that big a hindrance to North side access. I have biked the White River Road before it opened, it added only a couple of easy hours and I've approached Ptarmigan Ridge via Mowich Road from the gate closure at Paul Peak and it was still only a day to the 10K high camp. In my mind, a much bigger issue is that the weather is so unstable early season. If you can get a window of stable weather in May you can bike either the White River or Mowich Lake roads, NBD.

I stand by my statement.

Duh, only an idiot would try to walk down Colchuck in the winter without crampons.

Thanks for writing that up and I am glad you guys are safe. The post mortem on trips that go sideways often reveal a chain of small events that in and of themselves are of little consequence, but added up lead to less than ideal circumstances. In this case the slightly late start, ice on the toilet, wrong head lamp battery, etc. lead to the perfect storm. I know you and Gerrit are smart guys and will take away the hard learned lessons and be better climbers for it.

You could hike into Colchuck Lake and climb Colchuck Peak and Dragontail.

I thought that was Greg Child.

Recent report: http://www.summitpost.org/more-rain-mountain-winter-overnight/930236

Just in case nobody has thought of it, right now would be the time to try the FWA of the Torment-Forbidden Traverse. I would definitely be on that if I could.

"We do have an abundance of alpine experience - it has just mostly all been in the absence of glaciers." How does that work? Seems kind of like having a lot of ice climbing experience, mostly in the absence of ice.

At least four times: Mark Twight, Mark Bebie et. al. Forrest Murphy, Dan Aylward Dave Parker, Wayne Wallace These guys

For those of you who have done the traverse, what do you think are the most enjoyable/noteworthy/must not miss peaks?

Cool, I was thinking the other day that this route would probably be in fine shape. Good job on getting it done!

Thanks for sharing those photos Lisa. PT is going on my list for this summer. Anybody want to go with me?

Speaking as a scientist, glacier recession has been well studied and documented, we don't really need any more scientific studies to tell us that. What we do need is for people to do something about these types of issues, and that comes down to personal choices. Influencing young people to take care of the world they live in is a noble undertaking. Now if only we could convince the old people who are actually in charge to start taking some responsibility...

Grivel Brenva ice axe 65 cm $45 Light use RAB Generator Alpine Parka NWT $170 Men's size large 100g Primaloft One insulation Nextec W/B shell Never worn Outdoor Research Maestro down parka NWT $175 Men's size medium Baffled and hooded 800+ fill Nextec W/B shell Never worn Wild Things Belay Parka $100 Men's medium 180 gram Primaloft One insulation Blue Epic W/B shell Small tear on shoulder that has been patched FISH Behemoth duffle bag $75 Large white vinyl duffle bag, just like all the cool kids use in Alaska. Used in good shape, no tears or holes. Still has that new haul bag smell. For some reason I am unable to post photos, I will email them on request. Please email Daniel DASH p DASH smith AT Hotmail DOT com if interested.

Mid June seems a bit late for Hood, even in a normal snow year. Are there any glaciers left on St Helens, Bachelor, or Lassen?

I have a FISH Behemoth bag I would be willing to sell. http://www.fishproducts.com/catalog/luggage.html $75.00. Shoot me an email if you are interested: Daniel DASH p DASH smith AT Hotmail DOT com.

I'm doing my part, I haven't been there in over 10 years.

I think this is called a 'willing suspension of disbelief', something all PNW climbers have mastered.

Feathered Friends Widgeon Sleeping bag $350 Regular length Epic W/B fabric 800+ fill 2 oz overfill This bag is conservatively rated to -15 F. I have used it down to -30 with no complaints. Used twice, once on Denali, once on Aconcogua. Very light and compressible for its warmth (3 lbs, 4 oz) Sleeping bag sold, pending transaction. Outdoor Research Maestro down parka NWT $175 Men's size medium Baffled and hooded 800+ fill W/B shell Never worn Wild Things Belay Parka $100 Men's medium 180 gram Primaloft One insulation Blue Epic W/B fabric Small tear on shoulder that has been patched FISH Behemoth duffle bag $75 Large white vinyl duffle bag, just like all the cool kids use in Alaska. Used in good shape, no tears or holes. Still has that new haul bag smell. I can email photos upon request. Please email daniel DASH p DASH smith AT hotmail.com if interested. Thanks for looking.

Wait, you descended from the snow arete in the winter? Yikes. You should write that TR up! I wrote it up in bombastic style in a post titled 'Sport Climbing for the New Millenium'. That was in the winter of 2000. We got to the snow arête and bivied. My partner brought the stove, which was a butane canister model. It was about 8 degrees out and the stove did not work all that well. Realizing we had two more long days ahead of us without a functioning stove we bailed the next morning, down climbing and rappelling with a single 60 meter rope. Afterwards, I told Colin what a great route it was and he and Mark Bunker sent the whole rig the next winter during the worst possible weather window.

) Name 3 to 5 climbs that you have climbed. Mt. Shuksan, Price Glacier Colchuck Peak, NE Buttress Mt. Stuart, Ice Cliff Arete Mt. Hunter, SW Buttress J'Berg, NE Buttress in winter (to the snow arête) 2) Name 3 to 5 climbs that you could potentially climb but have not yet done so. Mooses Tooth, Ham and Eggs (got stormed off) Mt Huntington, West Face Couloir (Nettle-Quirk) Ptarmigan Traverse (the whole enchilada) Alpamayo, Ferrari Route Mt Rainier, Curtis Ridge (got stormed off) 3) Name 3 to 5 climbs that you admire but will probably never climb for whatever reason. Everything farther than a one day drive from Seattle

Generally, this has been a warm and wet year, so low elevation snow has been almost nil. I'm guessing that higher elevation snow pack (Rainier, Adams, Baker, etc.) may be more 'normal'. If I'm correct in my assumptions, then Adams might be ok and Eldorado might not be ideal.

I think you're right for the majority of climbers with the regular 9-5 jobs where month+ long vacations aren't possible every year, making climbing in far flung destinations difficult. While I would like to climb in the Alps, Andes, and Himalaya, and probably will once in my life, there's also a lifetime of fun/challenging routes to be had right here in NA where the travel time and cost are significantly less. Especially being in the Cascades and on the West Coast, we're much closer to things relatively than the rest of the country/continent. Some years ago I made a conscious decision to only climb where I could reasonably drive, and I have not regretted that decision. There are several life times worth of adventuring to be had without ever needing to drive more than 12 hours from Seattle.

Mount Hood: South route/Hogsback Mount Baker: Coleman-Demming, Boulder Glacier, and Easton Glacier Mt Shuksan : Fisher Chimneys, Sulphide Glacier Ruth-Icy Traverse has amazing views. Eldorado: East Ridge Sahale: Quien Sabe Glacier Colchuck Peak: Colchuck Glacier