Alex

GerritD your pic is correctly labelled. And in fact people calling that Hotline area "Rap Wall" is understandable as Ghost Dog is there and considered a big mixed route but it is in fact not part of the original set of relatively closely spaced climbs that make up Rap Wall. Rap wall is pretty "short", on the right hand side steep uphill, directly on the summer trail to the Tooth. you cant really see it in this pic of yours

No, the thing marked "Source Lake Line" is in fact Not Quite a Plum, and the thing marked "Rap Wall" is in fact Bryant Buttress/Hotline. Rap Wall is further down the hill, Source Lake Line is more over towards Chair Peak, at the top of the av gully that DPS and I almost died in long time ago.

just as a basic remark, you gotta start *somewhere* right, there has to be a first glaciated thing you do? This isnt the worst choice you could have made, seems like you learned plenty from the trip,...

Depends on how fast you move obviously but Ptarmigan gets done in single 24 hour pushes, a typical traverse itinerary is easy in 3 days including some summits incl Dome, you certainly don't need 5 days but it would make the trip extremely casual. I've tried Pickets N to S once and it is a different animal completely, it will be more time consuming and difficult. I have not completed this one. I dont know if your chosen time of year will jive well with a Shuksan-Nooksack trip, the better time to travel might be earlier in the summer for more snow coverage. There are other classic trips including an Entiat - Buck Creek pass loop you can construct, that might include things like Walrus Gl. etc..

I think S Cascade Gl is comparable. As are a lot of the glaciers on the larger peaks, like Glacier Peak. But I think Blue Glacier is somehow a more magical spot, so close to the ocean, and different kind of scenery on the way in/out.

great TR, thanks for bringing the spirit!

cant wait to see this TR!

(Thanks Bob, I will join the ACC now!)

Thanks for sharing. Two things stand out to me "I am very thankful to have survived such an ordeal." "November 15th I go for my first moderate hike above Cascade Pass with 12 miles of distance, almost 4,000 feet of elevation gain, and 15 pounds of gear on my back." Good on you for getting back out so soon after your accident. I bet that was very strange. I would take it slowly. This kind of stuff has happened to **ALL OF US** during our climbing and skiing (and sailing!) adventures, so you are not alone! Most people do not talk about these experiences because they are very scary, and sometimes best left in the dark recesses of the mind. They are not really badges of honor. Just reminders that we are short for this World.

Great Northern Slab at Index after a few dry days.

Nice work getting up there, in normal conditions I would expect about a 2.5 hour approach with some snow filling in the holes and covering a lot of the brush, so without snow -4 hours- seems like low ROI, but all the better that you made the effort! The climbs themselves are relatively sheltered from direct threat by the trees above, but there is definitely hazard on the approach in normal snow years. The climbs are snowmelt fed, so the reason they are thin is because there isn't much feeding them yet. It's a hard place to time right. I think if there was a car-accessible spot to see the basin's condition, it would be visited more often.

From Bob Loomis, separate thread Dec 7th "Hi Fellow Climbers, Thought I might give you a quick field report. Yesterday, 7 December, my friend, Nicholas and I went out to Banks Lake to see if the ice was in. It is. We ended up spending the day at the Devil's Punchbowl. There were minimal "death-cicles." The punchbowl itself is 80-90% filled in. The climb on the left--Trotsky's was in okay shape--water was running underneath, next to the ice so it was a bit hollow sounding but we each got several laps in and nothing fell down. We also replaced the old tree/bush slings at the top of Trotsky's with fresh perlon. The waterfall down below (Trotsky's something--cannot remember the name), close to the road, was not in. PeeWee's playground was mostly filled in. Miscellaneous ice was in down the road toward Coulee City. H2O2 is starting but not in, the Cable is starting but not in, Brush Bash is in, but thin. South of US 2, nothing seem in--not Children of the Sun, Clockwork Orange, etc. Warm temperatures and rain are in the forecast for the rest of the week so what we saw yesterday may be shortlived, but if it gets cold again it should rebuild fast. So, in sum, right now there is enough in to justify a first day on the ice and just get comfortable again--which is what it was for us. Hope this helps. Cheers, Bob Loomis, Spokane, WA."

Thanks for the report! Copying this over to the ice condish thread, too.

thanks dru

eyseonice, people here would love to help you, but this is a case where just looking at the available guidebooks to the Rockies (multiple authors), SW BC (Don Serl) and Washington State (me) for a few min might target your search more. Closest Rockies ice to Bellingham is probably located in Field, BC, if you are driving the TransCanada, or Bull River ice / Gibraltar Wall near Canal Flats BC, if you are driving I-90. The guidebooks are all available online on Amazon. Don Serl's is out of print however you can usually borrow a copy from a friend, and there are currently a few used offered on Amazon. "West Coast Ice by Don Serl". Mine here http://www.amazon.com/Washington-Ice-Climbing-Guide-Guides/dp/0898869463/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2 . There are multiple authors and printings for Rockies ice guides (I own 3 different ones) but you can usually get something useful from MEC in Vancouver or Calgary (or online) or a shop like Valhalla Pure in Canmore or Monods in Banff. HTH

(@keenwash, yeah Canmore is cool )

There is hope, certainly the higher the better. With the warm-up I would be very careful. What tends to happen is that the ice that was "set" on the base of rock becomes delaminated and water flows behind it, leading to both poorer pro (if that's possible! )and detached ice overall, especially top outs. The rock at the pass is not porous (like limestone is) so the ice never remains bonded to the rock when it warms up. But the good news is that there is a foot of snow up there now, which should both feed and preserve any ice that is still around for a bit.

Thanks for all the reports! we warm up again with Rain on Thurs, but this is a fun pre-Thanksgiving diversion for sure!

Its cold out there, but not that much colder at the passes than in town, during the day. But cool, its only mid-November! Anyone have any firsthand reports or pics of stuff coming in in advance of the weekend? Thx!

My wife switched to a different tele boot some years ago, these are now just sitting around. In good shape. Best Offer. http://images.craigslist.org/00T0T_5JNBFskrzXP_600x450.jpg

hey gene-o, I'll take the patapants and the full sidezip fleece pants from you.

thanks for your service.

world class larches!!

I'll take your beacon. contact me recompense AT Hotmail DOT com for address / paypal

don't know firsthand but assblaster pass is climbed all months of the year so I don't really know how it couldn't be safe. I wouldn't hesitate, if you have permits. This is the best time of year to go!