CascadeClimber

Wednesday... The Dihedral for Spring: Jens led up the bottom of The Dihedral, then crossed over and finished on Waite. Fun. Icy BC first pitch: Picked out, somewhat funky, but plastic ice. Good feet. Getting hit by the morning sun now. Second pitch: Melting from the inside out. There was a hole in the back that revealed a hollow tube, perhaps eight feet in diameter, with loads of running water. Surely leadable, but we walked around. Third pitch: Jens led nicely. Chandeliered on the right, plastic and blobby just left. He TR'd No Deductible and made it look easy. I skipped it and nursed my flu instead. The lake was making cracking and groaning sounds all day. There are some cracks forming on it. We were a little nervous walking back across, then felt silly when, as we passed the lower lake, we noticed a pickup parked on it next to some fishermen. Thursday...We did a lot of hiking but didn't climb any ice. It was snowing hard up the Bridge. Wanted to try Capricorn, but couldn't see it at all in the clouds and snow. We slogged up to Shriek then, when the snow didn't let up, bailed. Then we went hunting for Botanie Falls and did a lot of hiking, slogging, and postholing amidst more hard snow, but didn't find any climbable ice. Lots of precip. Lots of standing water on the roads. Lots of snow in the Bridge. Beware the avy danger this weekend. I'll have a TR up on my site later today.

Ah, yes, I'd forgotten about that rap station. That's why I write TRs. It was at the point that we regained the crest of the ridge, not of the best quality, and led down into the depths of the north face. There is also a rap station in the saddle at the top of the west gully (near the summit). Though downclimbing is possible, I opted to rap and left a double-length spectra runner to augment what was already there. We found the same short bit of moderate water ice. The one screw we used was placed in the schrund to protect it.

You can certainly descend the JPG. And if it is well within your abilites and the conditions are good (particularly on the rock) it would be much faster than any other option. I climbed the JPG last spring and descended the Whitewater Glacier. The descent was technically easy, but very long. Had there been less snow on the rock, I would have voted for reversing the route. Some pics here (looking back I never did write a TR): Jefferson Park Glacier Special considerations: In early season the easiest route up the summit pyramid is not as described in Oregon High. Use the west gully instead. I'd call the knife-edge ridge 4th class. Pro was mostly slung blocks. If you have a 60m rope you can do it in one long traversing pitch. We used one screw for a belay pitch up the final headwall of the JPG. If you do a lot of belaying, expect a long day. We were 18 hours RT from camp at 6500' and made it back to the car around Midnight. It is a great route, IMHO. [ 02-05-2002: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

Almost forgot: Thanks to whomever put up the yellow handline at the Cayoosh crossing on Saturday. It made climbing off the rock onto the 'bridge' much easier!

Climbed Synchronicity on Saturday. Nice. No rock climbing necessary. A little wet and slushy on the last long pitch. The finishing "Ice Hose" is in. We also climbed the short pitch up in the woods. Discovered that a plow has been on the Phair Creek road, but only as far as where the gate used to be (if I remember correctly). Looks like the climbs in there will only be accessible to those willing to ski/snowshoe or by snowmobile Climbed the top two pitches of Icy BC early Sunday before the crowds. Found them both very brittle. Led the second, started to lead the third and backed off. Lots more ice on the third that two weeks ago, making it steeper and more sustained. Tried to take the shortcut from Marble to Oregon Jack. No way. Stopped 10k short by an unplowed road. Drove around just in time to miss the crowds. What gives with the path that crosses the fence? Is it cool to use? Very nice route in good condition. I thought it was harder than anything on Synchronicity, despite the 3+ rating. A TR and some pics are up on my site.

I can't seem to get through my head which couloir is which, but we climbed Lover's Lane and skied from the top of Lane down the 'main' one that Lover's Lane meets in March 2000. At the time I wrote the TR, I thought it was the Zipper. Some info and a few pics here: http://cascadeclimber.com/lane_peak.htm

Kam's descent was exactly a week after mine. I don't remember the weather, but there must have been a lot of snow to allow them to ski from the top. Here is another picture stolen from Kam. The right-hand sunspot shows the exit notch from the basin. The other one shows what I thought was Enigma, and the line I think Kam and Co. skied is mostly hidden and ends in the stunted trees to the left. Bob and Jon are right, though, this is all much ado about nothing. It is a fun line to ski with reasonable access. Go do it. [ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

That is supposed to be ice at the top? The whole thing looks like the last pint of Canadian I had at Mugs N Jugs, complete with a couple floaties that look a lot like climbers.

I'm confused now... This is a picture of what I'm pretty sure is "Enigma Gully", based on Phil's verification. But here is a picture of what Kam Leang calls "Slot Couloir": Though they are similar, I'm pretty sure they are not the same couloir. This is partly from the pics and partly from a conversation I had with Kam about how they accessed the couloir: Via the east side of Snoqualmie, without going to the summit. Can anyone clear this up?

Several years ago I was climbing at Smith when a non-local legend and entourage came up and started climbing next to us. At least two of the crew were long-time Valley folks. For the ensuing 45 minutes, I listened to (overheard) one story after another about lies that other non-local legends had told about their exploits in the Valley. According to these two, MANY claims of clean ascents, free ascents, solo ascents, speed records, etc., were distortions of the truth or wholly false, despite being published and well known. My point is that just because you read it, doesn't mean its true. And if you hold up the claims in a climbing rag to the same standard of truth, completeness, and accuracy as a textbook, then you are in for a lot of disappointment. The most honestly named climing book I've ever seen is "The Burgess Book of Lies". It's cool they got published. I haven't seen the article, but if ya gotta read between the lines to say they are claiming a first descent, then I don't see what the big deal is about. That aside, there are multiple couloirs on the northern aspects of Snoqualmie. Anyone have info on the others?

I heard through the grapevine that he survived the fall, but landed head first and suffocated. Either way, it's a bummer.

Damn! Congratulations on great trip: Fun, summits, sun. And an FA to boot! Post some pics when you get back?!?

quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: One thing for sure is that I bet everyone was just trying to have fun but the upset ones never spoke up face to face as usual. Ray, I think you have it nailed right there. I know that I am guilty of not saying something to the guide when he said he was headed back to Icy BC (though I did not know he was the guide until later). And the woman who accused us carte blanche of being "fucking rude Americans" asked if we were all TRing and then cursed us under her breath as she left. I would have gladly let her lead what I was TRing, it would have been a pleasure to watch. And I bet the kids from UW would have done the same on the third pitch of Icy BC. It is awful damn easy to look down my nose at someone TRing something that I can lead, and to call someone crazy for leading something I can't. What did George Carlin say? Everyone who drives slower than me is an idiot and everyone who drives faster is a maniac.

Hey Lambone- How long did it take you to hike up to the helmet testing zone on Shriek? FWIW, we took 2:15 to get to the base of Night N Gale, including belaying the approach pitch. With the fear of avalanche in us we made it from the base of the route to the car in 1:15.

Dunno which one that is. We TR'd the first half of the route to the right of the third pitch of Icy BC. There was no one on the "Dale R" route to the left of the Dihedral and no one on the corner route between Deeping and Waite. (I think I have those straight...)

I saw them there on Saturday. I saw the guides in the lobby of the Reynolds on Sunday morning and asked them where they were going. So in truth, I don't know that they climbed on Icy BC Sunday, but that was their intention. Things were getting testy at Marble on Saturday. When we came down every climb except No Deductible had a TR on it, including two on the first pitch of Icy BC. I heard someone refer to the people on the top pitch of Icy BC as "fucking rude Americans".

Icy BC: Led all three pitches. A guided group monopolized the first pitch both days, luckily we got there before them on Saturday. Seems like poor form to let clients beat the hell out of one pitch of ice for two straight days. Old Dogs, New Picks: Looked to have decent coverage, but thin. Mixed crux 1/2 way up. Silk Degrees: No way. Top pillar unformed. Rest is discontinuous. Salmon Stakes: Looked bad from the road with binocs. Couldn't tell for sure, though. We helped a "Northwest Legend" figure out which one it was. Not sure if they went up to it or not. Shriek of the Sheep: Looked to be in from the road. Night N Gale: Wow! I was up there twice last year and it was never this fat. We climbed in two rope-stretching pitches. I got hit by a small sluff at the top belay and a pretty good sized slide boomed down (we thought it was an airplane) just after we finished the rap into the descent gully. There was a party behind us on the route, and I was really glad to see them okay when we got back to the base. They were climbing the first pitch and must have had a big scare. The approach pitch is a little thin. We opted to belay. A HUGE ripper came down sometime in the last couple weeks. There was old debris the entire lenght of the approach, and well into the trees. Phair Creek: Tried to get in there on Saturday evening. The road is a skating rink covered by six inches of snow. Got halfway up the road past the bridge, then slid backwards all the way back to the bridge. I thought we were going into the water for sure. I'll have pics and a TR up on my site later today.

Paducah, KYClimax, MI (and I-69 runs right past it!)Hell, MIBoring, OR [ 01-15-2002: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

I rapped down the south face on Saturday. As DBB postulated, there is a lot of loose snow on the ledges and blown into the nooks and crannies. No ice to speak of. Climbing would be gloved hands on rock or dry tooling, your choice. There was a party getting ready to start up as we touched down. Maybe they'll post some info from their ascent?

I have an I-tent and a Fitzroy. They are great. The Fitz is 6 pounds w/o the vestibule and is bomber. I've been almost completely buried by blowing and drifting snow in it. Sleeps three in a pinch. I like the vestibules for cooking in the winter. The I-tent is short. Two past climbing partners didn't fit in it at all. Definitely for the under six foot crowd. They both set up very taut- like a drum. You have to be very careful around them with the shovel (learned that the hard way). BD/Bibler stands behind the 100%. I took a year to make the decision to buy the first one. Kept trying to find something cheaper. Buying the second was a very easy decision. After all, how many times have you heard someone in the mountains say, "Damn, I wish I didn't have this really nice piece of gear."

Just to clarify- I posted it purely for our entertainment. It has to be the most ridiculous, frivilous lawsuit I've ever heard of. The Humane Society and their attorney should be ashamed of themselves and I hope the judge laughs them out of the courtroom. But if they win, I preactively retract everything I said about the Mountaineers.

Just noticed this online: ********************************************* Woman Sued Over Chat Room Criticism LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - The Atlanta Humane Society has filed a $75,000 defamation lawsuit against a woman who called its executive director ``Mr. Kill'' in an Internet chat room. Kathi Mills, 31, criticized Bill Garrett after a television station reported that the society was killing animals without really trying to find them homes. Mills wrote in a Yahoo chat room that she was withdrawing her support from the society until it hires ``a leader who does not delight in slaughtering pets for fun and profit.'' According to the lawsuit, Mills also said: ``Bill Garrett is not worthy to lick the dog or cat poop off our shoes. He is evil and it is time for the Atlanta rescue community to unite in ending his long and tragic career.'' Mills, who runs an animal advocacy Web site from her home, said her comments were harsh but are protected by the Constitution. ``The fundamental issue here is that I was criticizing (Garrett's) performance, and the First Amendment guarantees I can do this,'' she said. ``They picked the wrong person. I'm prepared to fight it all the way.'' Garrett's attorney, Edward Greenblatt, said the comments were untrue and malicious. ``I'm a strong believer in the freedom of speech, but it does have its limitation,'' Greenblatt said. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20020109/tc/humane_society_lawsuit_1.html *********************************************

I like that: The Extreme Rock Climbing game is nearly blocking his view of the "Focusing on your Business" binder. But it is all okay, because the binder is filled with something else anyway, not the original contents. What is in it anyway? Beckey's secret list? A list of Ray and Mike's avatars? How about "Spray-der-man Buttress"? [ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

You're missing two ultra-classics: The "Old" trail up Mt. Si and the "Cable Line" trail to West Tiger 3. -LorenLame-ass SkierLord of the Mountaineers Rejects

My wife rocks. I was not a climber, lame-ass skier, and Mounties Reject when we got married, so I can't even say she knew what she was getting into. She understands how important it is for me to get out, though she does not understand how scrumbing through some alder thicket or freezing my nads off on a wind-swept glacier at 2:00 AM could possibly be fun. I don't get out as much as I did before we had kids, but I get out plenty enough. What else can I say? She is a good woman and I feel lucky that she puts up with me. -LorenLame-ass SkierSelf proclaimed Lord of the Mountaineers Rejects