DPS

Three season tent should be fine, stake and guy it out well.

Buy this: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1105829/FS_Integral_Designs_MK1_XL_Ten#Post1105829. For what it is, it is a steal. Super light, super strong (K2/Everest/Denali worthy for sure) and comes with a vestibule and extra door.

I have a pair of aviator styled, high quality optical glass lens pair of Cebes, with big leather side sheilds and a leather forehead thing like Gene described. They block 100% of UV and 95% of visible, as most glacier glasses do, but are much darker than my Julbo Sherpas they replaced. I can't even drive in the things they are so dark.

Do you mean Eldorado and Dorado Needle? What route on Dorado? SW Buttress or North Ridge?

I think you are correct. Argonaut is the small looking peak on the very right. The high, hanging snowfield is a give away.

Beautiful, reminds one of the Enchantments.

I used to blame my bad temper on being Irish (my mother is Mary Kathleen O'Hayre) until I found out through genetic testing that I am really only about 1/4 Irish and about 3/4 German, so I have no excuse. I dunno, Germans can be pretty ornery... d I realize that, I was actually trying to be ironic. A full blooded Irish guy told me "German and Irish? Now that's a fiery mix." But I agree with Pat. If asked I usually tell folks I'm from mixed European peasant stock because I have a bit of Danish as well. Of course going back far enough we are all from east Africa.

I used to blame my bad temper on being Irish (my mother is Mary Kathleen O'Hayre) until I found out through genetic testing that I am really only about 1/4 Irish and about 3/4 German, so I have no excuse.

The Nisqually glacier is heavily crevassed. Some people do cross it unroped, others rope up. I am pretty conservative and prefer to rope up.

Thanks! I can see again, but it will be some time before I am climbing any significant. Nick mentioned something about Curtis Ridge? If you go, bring him home safe. My dog loves him, even sleeps with him in his sweet ass Eurovan.

The South Side route is a logical next step to Shasta and Adams. The route is straight forward, I think most folks are climbing up left of the Pearly Gates these days. Don't fall in the bergschrund. Ice axe and crampon skills are key. Don't climb up into a storm. Get an early start, midnight is fairly typical. Get up and down before the sun starts baking and rock and ice fall becomes an issue. Make sure you have the correct parking pass, the police actively ticket.

In January 2000, CascadeClimber, Sarah, my partner Nick and I attempted Gib Ledges. In the Muir Hut were two Euros with full on down suits speaking very loudly about the many 8,000 meter peaks they had climbed. The next day Nick and I climbed up to about 13,000 ft, above Gib Rock. Sastrugi snow and decreasing visibility hid a crevasse and I walked length ways on it. The thin bridge broke and I popped in, the rope breaking the bridge behind me so I kind of zippered into the maw of the huge crevasse. By the time I prusiked out the weather was full on turning and we bailed, passing Sarah and CascadeClimber on the way down. They turned around also. Shortly after we ran into the Euros and advised them to do the same. They kept going and summitted but could not get back down. They radioed the NPS for a heliocopter rescue which of course was not going to happen. They spent I think five days in the summit crater before the storm blew over and were able to descend. Gib Ledges is certainly less committing than Lib Ridge and these cats had all kinds of big mountain experience. Why they insisted on continuing up into a gathering storm I don't' know? Underestimating the weather on Rainier in winter perhaps?

I had a Cat's Meow until I lost it and replaced it with a down bag. I have never had a problem keeping the down dry, except when sleeping in a snow cave on Rainier in January. As long as you are sleeping under a tarp or in a tent and you don't crawl into your bag wet, you should have no problem keeping the down dry. As for down bags, buy a 20 degree bag from Western Mountaineering (Pro Mountain Sports stocks them) or Feathered Friends. Consider it an investment.

Completely, 100% agree. Many of the 'accidents' on Rainier can be attributed to continuing to climb up when the weather is turning. Nothing on Liberty Ridge cannot be reversed, its been skied several times. We belayed two pitches; one water ice runnel right above Thumb Rock and one exposed traverse under the Black Pyramid, and then used a running belay with screws for a few hundred feet on 50 degree glacier ice just below Liberty Cap. I think the top part of the ridge varies from year to year, sometimes it is steeper, sometimes more mellow. I've read trip reports and seen photos where folks had to aid on ice screws to get over a bergschrund. Since you mentioned you have lots of steep water ice experience, I suspect as long as weather/conditions cooperate, after you climb it you may think 'huh, so what was all the fuss was about again?". We did, but had good weather and conditions. My partner and I even said to each other the only really committing aspect of the route was you don't want to turn around because it was hours of hot, sweaty labor just to get established on the ridge.

We climbed it July 15-16, 1996. Crossing the Carbon and climbing the lower ridge was certainly the crux of the whole thing. That time of year the Carbon was way melted out. We were dropping into crevasses and climbing out the other side. Gaining the toe of the ridge required climbing unprotectable 5th class moves on rock the consistency of a pile of unmortared bricks. Conditions above Thumb Rock were pretty ideal however, and we climbed from TR to Liberty Cap in under 2 hours.

I would plan for three days (we did it in two days - 30 hrs car to car but if I were to do it again I would take three days. The hike into Thumb Rock was a 12 hour suffer fest during the hottest week of the year). Day 1: Be at the White River Ranger station when they open, be packed, dressed, and ready to rock and roll. Get permits, drive to the TH and start hiking. Hike to Glacier Basin, up and over St Elmo' Pass, under Curtis Ridge to the edge of the Carbon Glacier and bivi before you have to drop down onto the Carbon. The terrain here is pretty flat. Day 2: Get a dawn start, drop down onto the Carbon via a steep climber's path through the scree. Cross the Carbon, gain the toe of the ridge and hike the ridge (we did climber's right side) to Thumb Rock. Set up camp, rest, hydrate, eat. Day 3: Alpine start, climb to Liberty Cap, traverse to the tourist's summit, descend Emmons Glacier and hike out. Take a two extra days of fuel and an extra day of food. Don't climb up into a storm, seems obvious but a lot of folks still do it. Obviously go light, go fit, go hydrated. Take care of yourself, use sunblock often, drink often, keep your feet dry, don't overheat. The usual stuff.

FWIW, I have seen darn near brand new plastics at Second Ascent for $99.00. I think people buy stuff for Rainier, use it once then sell it.

I haven't been back to AK in a few years, but every other time I was there you could borrow sleds for free from the flight service or pick one out of a huge pile at KIA.

Modern day Jack Kerouac.

Much of my advice would be centered around strategy/itinerary, however the guides will be deciding that. I found on Lib Ridge like many of the classic steep volcano routes, that a piolet and second tool was a great combo. Most of the ridge is not that steep and all of the descent is not either so having a longer tool was nice. The modern technical piolets would be great for this (e.g. Petzl Sum'Tec, Grivel Air Tech Evo, etc). Certainly better than the SMC/REI Shuksan axe- SMC Himmalayan hammer combo I rocked, which still felt plenty secure.

I stopped blogging, etc. as I went blind for a number of months. After a couple of surgeries I can see again, although not well, even with special glasses. Not sure if I can recover the blog or if it is 'gone'.

Mt Baker typically enjoys a long season, and this was a late snow year. While I have not been up this year, I'd bet a dollar it should be in fine shape. Perhaps bring a few screws for a running belay on the Roman Wall, that section can get icy.

No experience with any of them, but the Sum'Tec is damn sexy.

Alex and I day tripped Colchuck Peak. I was breaking in a new pair of boots and had developed blisters so bad I decided it was less painfull to walk out barefoot. I ran into a ranger to asked if I had a permit. I said my partner had it who had continued on ahead at his nomal pace while I slowly and painfull hobbled my way out. The ranger offered to keep me company (escorted me) to the trail head where he checked to see if my partner did indeed have a permit.

NE Buttress of Goode took more effort to approach, climb, descend and hike out than any peak in the Cascades I can recall.