DPS

What route? What month? How many people do you want to accomodate?

#2 Black Diamond angle piton high on the North Face bowl. That was 12 years ago, might be rusty.

Rob is super agro. He's nearly kicked my ass several times for making route finding errors. Actually, Rob is a very cool guy. The other dude must have been a dick or something.

Another thought, you mentioned you are tall and thin. That doesn't mean you can fight. I got pretty big lifting weights yet I know I would get my ass kicked by anybody who knew how to use their fists.

Deydrated sweet potatoes would be awesome. Reconstituted sweet potatoes with butter and brown sugar would be a great meal.

+1 Wow! Half the weight at 3 oz. In addition to the crevasse kit, it could be used to haul packs on the hard pitches. Nice find!

Ray Jardine's book about long distance hiking had an eye opening chapter on nutrition. According to my memory, instant potatoes retained the most nutrients of the instant starches/carbohydrates.

I used a Marmot Precip to very good effect on Denali and other Alaska Range mountains as well as Rainier in winter. I currently have an even lighter shell (Montbel Versalite, 10 oz) and would use it as my hardshell on Denali if it wasn't such a slim fit. Arc'Teryx hard shells cost what, $400? Precips can be picked up for about $65 on Sierra Trading Post. Do the Arc'Teryx jackets keep you 6 times drier than Precips? Keep the wind off 6 times better? As far as softshells, I dislike stretch woven softshell jackets preferring instead a lightly insulated windshirt. e.g Marmot DriClime. I find they have a wider comfort range and the smooth nylon shell layers better under other jackets.

Have you thought about asking Shasta Mountain Guides if any of their guides need roomates or have a room to rent? Just a thought.

Maybe I didn't see any because they were the same color as the snow

Not to mention you were underage beerpong playing. Add that to the list of charges. Another thought regarding skill/weapons etc, a lot of the time it doesn't come down to what someone can do, its what they are willing to do. Some folks have a complete disregard for legal/moral consequences and that is partially what makes them very dangerous.

And that is why we have mathematicians.

Well, I'm sure it would work, but pulleys are more efficient than carabiners and I would bet the ropeman as well. Assuming a two person system as per the link, I think hauling efficiency would be key. With more hands to pull that becomes less important.

No experience, but I can't imagine that it would be very efficent as the rope would have to run over the cam, not a pulley, unless there is some kind of modification. A Petzl Minitraxion would be ideal as the primary pulley IMNSHO.

I did not see a single igloo on the West Butt. The guide services all used tents (Trango 2 almost exclusively), and the rangers (Meg Perdue et. al.) used tents as well. I'm not denying igloos are great, just never saw one.

My wife had a friend who's boyfriend was a linebacker at Michigan State. Biggest dude I've ever met. He was training to break the world record in bench press which was many hundreds of pounds and he was getting close. He said he couldn't go into bars because dudes would try to start fights with him to see how tough either he or they were. Maybe it was that sort of thing? Some drunk or high dude deciding he is a tough guy and wanting to prove it. However, you are an adult and getting into brawls can land you in jail with charges. Nobody needs that. Best thing is to say "ok tough guy, I'm just going to leave so nobody goes to the hospital or jail tonight". It may not prove you are tougher, but it proves you are smarter.

Just out of curiosity, how long ago was this?

I worked with a gal whose husband was a pro snow boarder and thought Alpenthal was great.

On the Ruth their was a party of Swedes (maybe Swiss) with entire cases of Vodka on other hard alcohol. They said taxes were so high in there country that it was comparatively cheaper in the US.

Tacoma has a great brewpub, the E-9. We even had a couple of pubclubs there.

I personally thnk July is too late for any route on Hood most years, but this is a high snow year so you may get lucky. If Reid Glacier Headwall is in condition, that would be my vote for a moderately technical route. Cooper Spur may have a higher likely hood of being in condition that time of year. There is not a whole lot of culture between Seattle and Portland. I would plan something in one city or the other. Powells bookstore in Portland is great if you are a bibliophile, Voodooo Doughnuts if you like doughnuts (who doesn't). Hood River is a cool place to spend an afternoon. Great brewpubs and art galleries and scenic views. In Seattle if you dig music, the Experience Music Project might be up your alley, the Seattle waterfront, and the Pike Place Market are all fun ways to spend an afternoon. A 2 hour drive from I-5 on I-90 to HWY 97 would get you to Leavenworth which has great rock climbing. Also, about 30 minutes on I-90 from Seattle has sport climbing at Exit 32/38.

Not neccessary since you have a nice big vestibule, but very, very nice to have. Also, a Bakepacker is nice to have. I think it was Gene who suggested taking Boboli pizza crusts and adding sauce (you can get packets of dehydrated spagetti sauce at the grocery - just make it with less water) shredded mozzarella, and pepperoni for a nice pizza. You will have a lot of rest/acclimatiazation days and cooking nice meals is a good way of passing the time and good food is a morale booster. Butterscotch schnapps added to hot cocoa is pretty awesome.

My father traveled a lot for his job. He was in some city and went into a bookstore to buy a book for his flight home. According to my dad, "This climber was signing his book so I picked you up a signed copy." It was John Roskelly, my dad had no idea he was my hero.

If you've never been, from the Eldorado Creek Trailhead parking lot walk back downstream a couple hundred feet along the stream bank and look for the obvious (large) tree. It is pretty tame for a Cascades tree river crossing. Follow the flagging and faint path on the other bank which becomes more distinct.