Alex

nice work, chickens!!

I liked both Kill Bill 1 and Kill Bill 2. 2 is a little less violent, alot more character development. But has more "creep-out" to it: black mambas, buried alive...yikes! David Carradine is pretty damn funny in his old age!!

I think investing in the right QDs make a big differnece. Use a keylock bent gate 'biner for rope side. Bolt side matters less, but for weight reduction you can use wire gates.

We're all full up with "gimps" as it is, on my boat!

moved to "Events and Adventures..." hehe

I prefer steaksauce

Nate, I tried the N -> S Traverse of the Picket Range in 1999. (http://www.mountainwerks.org/alexk/climb/TRPicket.htm). My first reaction is yes a traverse from Access Creek to Whatcom Pass and out is doable. My second reaction is dont do it that direction, go FROM Whatcom Pass TO Access Creek. That way you are going downhill down Access Creek, so any bushwacking you encounter on the way out will be that much easier. There is no 'shwacking from Hanegan Pass/Chilliwack to Whatcom Pass, just large sections of trail possibly wiped out by avalanches (but easy to get over). So getting in there is pleasant. Gear - minimal glacier travel gear if you want to get accross the Challenger Gl. and decend Challenger Arm or into Luna Cirque. Alternate trips - if you are comfortable with Glacier travel I would suggest the Ptarmigan Traverse as a better high traverse to see the range, but it is mostly off-trail going.

You can park your car overnight in Lot 4, along the back edge of the lot (you'll see all sorts of camper rigs there).

you just a ho

I don't even have 22 friends

I believe a common date in the past was July 4th weekend.

I only own 10 camalots, there must be something really bad about them!

A front loading washer without and agitator might be ok, but I commonly just wash em in the tub. Thats enough to get most of the grit and dirt out. Certainly DONT put it in a washer with an agitator. You'll end up replacing the washer, in all liklihood

In my opionion, here is a list of some great glaciers to go practice on (in US, BC has other spots) - relatively easy access, real crevasses n stuff. List is South to North. + White River Gl. on Mt Hood - hike up from Timberline Lodge to top of Palmer and do a rising traverse climbers right to around 9,000 ft. There you'll find some crevasses and steep snow slopes above the White River glacier, and a comfortable ski back to the car. + Eliott Gl on Mt Hood - in later season when Cooper Spur road is open, the Eliott and other N side glacier on Hood offer a real nice and scenic place to tool around relatively close to the car. + Nisqually Gl on Rainier. From Paradise hike up towards Panorama Point and then drop down to the toe of the Nisqually. You can hike up the moraine a bit to get to non-ablation zone stuff. Ski decent back to car once you get back out of the canyon. + Emmons Gl on Rainer - While its pretty far in there, in July after White River is open and the trail is good to Boulder Basin, hiking up to Camp Shurman for an overnight there and practice on the Emmons very close to Camp Shurman is a real treat! + Daniel Glacier on Daniel - this is a good solo or beginner outing with little real hazard or difficulty. Still, a nice place to go as a day trip or overnight. + Quien Sabe Gl. on Sahale - While Boston Basin falls within NOCA, which means you need a backcountry permit, the toe of the glacier is 3 hours from the car up Boston Basin and means a pretty doable day trip. This is a good beginner trip and will give you a great introduction to one of the better places in the North Cascades. + Colman Gl on Mt Baker - Going up Heliotrope ridge to the edge of the Coleman is pretty casual, and gets you to a large and active glacier with lots of traffic nearby. Alex

No doubt, since going from Blowhole to Blacks in 3.5 hours is possible!!

Blakej, most of us are self-taught or taught by close friends. Here are some additional suggestions for you: If in Seattle/PDX, come to Pub Club and simply ask the people around you how they learned and what good beginner routes are: you will get excellent advice, and be able to have a give-and-take interaction that isnt possible on this board. You will get not only great advice on how to start, but what gear is worth investing in and what isnt. Read Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills and Andy Selter's excellent Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue. Select some "practice outings" based on the advice you get. The stuff on Jason's list are all good beginner routes, but even simpler would be to take a day or weekend and play around on a glacier, learning how to self arrest and haul yourself and others out of a crevasse (setting up and anchor to rap into a crevasse ensures that you pay extra attention to everything - you'll learn alot just from this).

Thanks for the link alpinfox, very good info

so I am hearing "Nickerson"? ....

There was an enormous cornice collapse onto the Tremor Glacier along the high traverse on to the glacier from Pattison. The debris field alone was enough to spark the imagination and make you want to just go home...

Moving this to "Access Issues"

That looks like a bouldering area I started at called Cradle Rock, near Princeton, N.J. Am I right? Any additional info on the pic?

digital or analog?

ah, I just found... "New location for BC basemap viewer: Go to http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ Then click open the "Provincial Basemap" hotlink." I can probably print out enough stuff to get us going... Alex

skiing

want to do spearhead this weekend but yank stores dont sell BC maps, and we are crossing too late for MEC. can someone in the Squish or Whistler area loan us something fri night/sat am? Or let us know where in Whistler we can buy before we get on the lift, eh? PM me if you have any ideas. thanks!