Alex

I think its going to be wet, but in the off chance it isnt I'll bring some stuff along to work

My family will make a donation. condolences and RIP.

good job! dome really is a classic summit!

Lambone, if I could do just one climb, it would be Infinite Bliss

Went to Arch Cape Sat (rain, drizzle) and it was "flat". Indian Beach Sun with large waves outside that completely clobbered me everytime I tried one, so eventually I stayed in and surfed the whitewater. Monday I was too tired to watched surfing on OLN in the morning and went for a nice beach walk.

above psychopath: p1: mellow 9+/10a p2: not sustained but difficult and strenuous in a few spots. I thought it was 5.11. p3: long 10c sustained but not as strenuous as last pitch (its shy of vert) p4: pressure chamber pitch. quite enjoyable until the last 15 ft (for me!) p5: 10a immediately above the pressure chamber, easing to 5.8 with one 5.9 move out over the final roof. http://www.mountainwerks.org/alexk/climb/TRspace.htm

Here is a good post on LTV about this same topic (glacial and ice retreat) http://www.live-the-vision.com/wwwboard/messages/6585.html

Posting replies to yourself is so 90's.

I am heading to cannon beach for the weekend. Yes, have wetsuit. I have surfed a few times before, on both fiberglass and that foamy type, both long and shorty boards, I def like fiberglass boards better, and have a hard time (because I'm a newb!) on the shorty boards. But I'd pretty much take anything if someone is willing to offer. Alex

Its just different. I've done it on primarily snow to travel, and also over labor day weekend last year when it was less snow. The scree can be tedious in a few spots (principally between Spider Formidible col and Yang Yang lakes) but does not detract from where you are. Alex

I'm wondering if anyone would loan be a "beginner"/"beater" board for Labor Day weekend?Trying to not pay for a rental if I can avoid it...

second Eldorado (E Ridge) as a great long day trip this time of year, where you might just use your ice axe.

Try this http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/381273/page/1/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

There is ample beta and topos on the net. Even so, I can say from recent experience that the more beta you have, the better. The first hour approach is very steep up through the trees along a fairly decent trail, very faint at first, to the base of the route. Water at the base of the route. The earlier you get to the base, the better. This route is a very long day, even for extremely fast parties! We got to the base of the route at 6:30am, or thereabouts. The first 10 or so pitches are all low-to-moderate 5th. The first 5 pitches are characterized by very low angle slab. With around 25 draws you can simul the first 4 pitches clipping every bolt and anchor. The next few pitches climb undulating (sometimes steep, sometimes not) terrain to the base of the first crux pitch. When we climbed to this point, we were simulclimbing alot, and linking alot of pitches together with a 70m and simulclimbing. The "ditch" pitch is pretty much a solo. The 10b pitch is steeper, clean granite face climbing. Above that much more terrain leads to the final upper headwall, and several 5.10 pitches. Some notes: * climb as fast as you possibly can. * the confusion around where to go p16 and p17 is not to be underestimated. Study your topo, locate the features, and follow all advice you can find about routefinding on these two pitches. The mandatory downclimbing here would be extremely dangerous when wet. * party inflicted rockfall on the first 11-12 pitches is a real concern. I don't recommend this climb, but I figure everyone should make up their own minds. Alex

Dox, thats a great link-up! I think Fault/Catapult/Bone/SFaceJelloTower/Midway has as much quality climbing as Outer Space.

I have the 60m 7.7 lines, they are nice ropes but you definitely need to have an adequate "thin line" belay and rappel device to avoid loosing control while rappelling

Kearney's guide has a decent pic of the N face, much better than Beckey's. Sounds like a long way in!

I'd second that, not just for 2003 but for any season. Seems like prime early season is anytime from 3rd week of Oct (higher in the alpine, like Shuksan and Eldorado) to whenever the first real snows bury things and rain washes the lowland ice out. In the past few years we've definitely seen several weeks of dry weather in Oct, Nov, and Dec where alpine ice is real good.

Great choice for a lightweight 4 days!

"Did you rappel down Doug's Direct on your way out from J'Berg? I wonder if I should take something to set one up as my wife can cruise up that stuff but is really careful downclimbing such terrain. I recall that the last few hundred ft. up to the ridge was on nice clean rock. " We downclimbed it both directions. On the Formidible side I'd say the climb back up day 2 was scarier somehow than the initial downclimb the first day. On the Cascade Pass side at the very top I was a bit nervous both directions, as there is alot of exposure; but its only the last 100 feet or so, so its pretty fast. I bet you could find a decent block to rap off from the col down the Cascade Pass side, but I dont think you could rap much of the Formidible side.

John, is the SE Route the "scrambly" looking route farthest from JoBurg, starts at the backside of Mixup ridge to the Triplets summit farthest away from Jburg? I guess I only saw what you did so can't offer you more than you know already, but I agree with you it looks very reasonable and like a cool day to the top of a rare summit. ( Cascade SW route looks scary!)

MTNEER, you might also want to post this (or a link to it) in the Authors Requests forum.. just a thought.

joe is a joebot. you will find this identical post in about 50 other fences today.

All natural resource management agencies (I've worked for USFS, USFWS, BLM, and volunteered for NOCA) have crazy thin budgets in the last 20 years in my experience. There is very little revenue in natural resources (for any party), while the yearly management cost (consider fire budgets for Western states alone!) is very high. Its true fire budget comes out of the general fund while typical resource activities are funded differently, but the net result is that as agency budgets get cut, the agencies increasingly rely on 1) volunteer work by volunteer trails crews, prison crews, and so on and 2) other forms of revenue, like the fee demo project. Some solutions that agencies have had to resort to recently is the full on closure of historic monuments and such. Other things is the increase in park entrance fees. The USFS is trying the fee demo (which I would speculate milks alot more money from average 2x-a-year-weekend-hiker than it does from many of the climber types here who are in the mountains 50 days a year). I am not condoning it, but just trying to offer the perspective of someone who tried to make a career in natural resource management and failed for the very reasons that surround the fee demo project.

Level 4 Forest Service rangers (you'll know them because they are the ones that have a right to bear a service revolver) typically have a decent amount of training in law enforcement, have the right to arrest you, and I would fully expect them to interact with you "correctly" in this situation. That includes knowing how to react to an individual who questions authority. This individual you encountered might have had the authority to issue tickets (you dont have to be Level 4 to issue a ticket, but are not permitted to restrain or arrest people who do not accept your ticket) clearly didn't know how to (civilly) work with you on a subject that has alot of backcountry user's ire. While I don't think just driving away is ever the best solution, in this case I would have been very loathe to accept the ticket as well, and might just have done the same thing under the circumstances. Just remember that the rangers, whether backcountry rangers in North Cascades looking for backcountry permits or Forest Service rangers looking for the NW Forest Pass, are people too and trying to do the job that they are tasked with. Oftentimes they dont personally agree with the regulations they enforce, but they still are representatives of the government and agency that they work for. Its not a fun task, so if you can, cut them some slack.