DPS

Us second children are widely regarded as risk taking and attention seeking lads.

Takes one to know one I suppose.

Are you a second child by any chance?

Hood is a good choice, the weather is sometimes better down south. I would bring a quality three season/20 degree bag.

The roads to the thrailheads will not be melted out by then.

Conditions in May are like you describe; colder but with solid snow bridges and such. Weather in May, however, is still very much a crap shoot. The weather can be localized and Rainier is like a magnet for storms. You can plan for anytime in May, but to improve your chances plan as long a trip as possible and 'chase' the weather be it alpine climbing in the Enchantments or rock climbing in the desert until the weather on Rainier is good enough for an attempt. Also, be aware that in May the only likely viable approach will be via the south side/Paradise so plan your route accordingly.

I have not used the Nepal Evo, but have owned the Trango Extreme and the old K2s. They are just on the narrow side for my fore foot whereas Scarpas have a nice amount of wiggle room for my toes.

If they don't fit your feet they are a very bad idea.

www.coldthistle.blogspot.com

The NE Buttress is always more portectable than the North Face.

Not climbing, but 'Into the Wild' is beautifully filmed and scored.

The German film, 'The North Face', is really good.

Nike used to make a pair of approach shoes that had a hinged heel that folded flat for storage int he pack. I think it was called the Switchblde or something. Not sure if those are still available.

I climbed the NE Face of Bryant sometime in the early 90's. We climbed 4 steep pitches of snow and ice. I recall one short section of vertical, delaminating ice, but I don't think it was super difficult. Here is a page with some info: http://www.summitpost.org/northeast-face-of-bryant-peak/688261

I heard the same thing.

Fugi X10 looks nice, expensive: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/fuji_x10_first_impressions.shtml

+1 on Ruth and Hannegan Peak if you don't want to attempt the relatively easy glacier. Last time I was on Ruth, JasonG was there along with a Corgi that had made the summit.

My thought is the rope is going to be cold/wet/or frozen. I personally would not want to bring the rope in the tent for that reason. I would think that your body heat would eventually melt a frozen rope. Combining a light weight, 3/4 length Thermarest with a thin, full length Evazote pad is a popular combination for cold weather climbs.

Thanks!

Good points above. I replaced the stock liners in my Invernos with Intuitions after the stock ones packed out. The fit is disappointingly sloppy. "The tongue and ankle cuffs tend to roll inwards" This is my biggest complaint with my Intuition liners, and I had them molded at Marmot in Bellevue. My shins get rubbed raw. Any ideas how to fix this?

Totally agree with Alex on both points.

The line forming to the farthest left or the the second from the left?

Wow, great photos! Of the eight different routes I've done on Hood, RGH stands out as being the most enjoyable. I liked it better than the North Face.

I fractured my tibia while skiing Mt Snoqualmie. I was able to walk out on it (it was too hard to ski on it).

Breaks heal fast when you are young.