DPS

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.

Not sure if you will find this helpful, but in the many times I have used the log crossing, it has not moved from year to year. My guess is unless unusually heavy flodding occurs it should stay put. Its a big tree after all.

Shoot, I've climbed Liberty Bell by four different routes and met Jess on Denali, but I would totally fork out the dough to climb with John if I could still climb. He was my hero when I first started climbing.

You welcome. I'm sure folks like Gene and KurtHicks who have spent much more time on the mountain can give more and better advice.

Ok Cale, I'm appending my email here for your edification On my previous Alaska trips we were doing long, alpine style routes, climbing for as long as 19 hour days and ripping through 8,000 + calories a day. On Denali the camps are so close together that our longest days were no more than 5 hours, and those were round trips (double carry from 11k to 14k, 14k to 17k.) We planned on 5,000 calories per day but ate no more than 3,000 calories per day and we were eating a lot for entertainment. I make my menus by working from the amount of calories (3k per day) and come up with daily rations based on optimal ratios of fats, carbs, and proteins. I think 3,000 calories is a good number. You may eat more on climbing days and fewer on rest days but it will all balance out. Aim for roughly 25% of calories for breakie, 40-45% of calories for lunch on the move, and 30-35% of calories for dinner. One of my favorite breakfast treats is the 'Mountain Mocha'. Get a bottle of Medaglio D'Oro instant esspresso (I get it at Fred Meyer/Kroger). Mix one spoon full and one packet of instant hot cocoa for a morning cup of coffee that is really good. Bring plenty of other drink mixes: instant hot cider, hot jello, Nunn are my favorites. You will have a lot of down time to cook, so consider bringing foods that take some preparation for below 17k. Consider bringing a light weight aluminum fry pan for making pancakes. Make the mix ahead of time from Bisquick, powered milk and eggs. Butter or margarine in tubs is great for extra calories. On previous trips we even put it in our hot cocoa. For breakfast we took instant oatmeal (with margarine) and granoloa with powdered milk. Lunch was the usual on the go stuff; Cliff bars, candy bars, trail mix, hard salami, cheese. Bagels and peanut butter are great down low, where it is not too cold to spread, although you may need to store the bottle of PB in your sleeping bag at night. Instant rice and instant potatoes are light and starchy and make a great base for dinners. I made a pretty passable rissoto one evening. Freeze dried vegetatables, cheese, and salami added to either make a meal. Instant soups are great to add to your dinner menu. If you have an organic co-op type store (PCC in the Seattle area), they are a great source for tasty, dried soup mixes from the bulk bins. Otherwise packets of soup from the grocery are fine. For your days spent at 17k, consider freeze dried meals that you only have to add hot water to. It is cold and windy and hard to do anything much less make gourmet meals. We each took 5 dinners, plus breakfasts and lunch food. I personally dislike all of the prepacked, freeze dried meals - too much sugar, salt, MSG etc. Experiment with different brands, making a tasting party with your climbing group, to find a brand that you all like. We bought a lot of our non perishable food ahead of time and mailed it to our air taxi service care of our team's name. They were happy to hold onto it. Make sure to give yourself a month or so though. The last non perishible items (salami, cheese, etc) we picked up in Wasilla at Carrs. Traditionally the shuttle service stops here for last minute shopping. This tactic saved a day of shopping in Anchorage, as well as a night in a motel. Something to consider if vacation time is short. Shipping a big box by slow boat was only $20 and well worth saving a vacation day. Hope that helps.

email sent

Spearhead Traverse Mt Garibraldi

If earning a living does not enter the equation, then either Mazama or Leavenworth. If one needs to make a living I'll throw out Issaquah. Other than being a souless suburb populated by people who make a little bit of money all trying to look like they make a lot of money, it has awesome trail running, a 20 minute bus ride to downtown Seattle, 20 minutes to rock climbing at Exit 32/38, 30-40 minutes to Snoqualmie pass for alpine rock, mixed winter alpine climbing, back country and lift serviced skiing and a reasonable 2 hour drive to Leavenworth.

I'd classify that as a big maybe. Let me provide a little more context. When I climbed Adams in July I took crampons and an ice axe. They stayed on/in my pack the entire time. My partner also used neither, instead summiting in running shoes. Seven of my friends who have also climbed Adams reported no need for an ice axe. So from a sample size of 9 individuals on 4 separate trips, my experience is that these pieces of equipment are superfluous. If you are concerned about not having them, then taking a Grivel Air Tech Racing axe and pair of aluminum crampons will only add a couple pounds to your pack, tops. That way, if/when you don't use them, it won't have been as much effort as if you had carried a Raven and steel crampons up there. If I planned to climb Adams again in July I would leave axe and crampons behind. It's everyone's personal decision to carry whatever gear he or she feels is appropriate for a climb. Agreed that a climber may or many not need them on any given trip, but better to have them and not need them then need them and not have them. My recommendation is the same as yours, a Grivel Air Tech Racing axe and aluminum crampons, total weight of 1 pound and 12 ounces, adds little weight to the pack but adds a huge amount of security. I'm a big proponent of the light is right thing, but I think it is important to err on the side of safety when dispensing advice to climbers new to big PNW climbs.

Cascade River Road impassible to vehicle traffic at mile 17 (TH is at MP 20) http://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/road-conditions.htm

Alcholism kills you slowly. Aslpinism will kill you quickly.

+1 I'd classify that as a big maybe.

I agree with ScaredSilly. Camping out is one of the more enjoyable aspects of climbing. Do it right and it only adds 10 lbs of gear to your kit, much of which can be shared with a partner.

The road beat up my high clearance truck enough that the fuel pump went out in Hood River. The mechanic surmised the dust and jostling clogged the filter and caused the pump the burn out. Fortunately we made it out ot I-85. Getting stuck way back in there would have been a major hassle.

You are welcome.

No poblem. A good deal for someone.