layton

weed wacker wire works great on camalots cuz they've got bigger holes. melt the knots into blobs with a lighter. they've held up for years and make your cams lighter too!

yeah dude... get some high test fishing line (you just need a bit, so you may be able to steal some from a spool when nobodys watchin' ya at Fred Meyer or Home Depot) cut the old bits of wire off with some snippers. tie a double granny knot and thread the line through, pinch hold the cam lobes together, and somehow tie a knot on the other end nice n' snug against the hole on the other lobe (the crux). Violin! Cam's fixed.

what happened to the 1st guy's legs???? the somehow disappeared or something!!!??

glad i was useful to someone at some point in my life. fun times and nice photos

Listen to the Rat! (but go climbing with him before you do, or else you may find yourself a bit over your head...if he was neil armstrong he would have said "someone's probably been here before" and give it a moderate approach rating and a minor feat for mankind) actually climbing with the RAT gives you a new insight to reading instruction manuals...who's to say the FA's listed were the FA's, and who's to say the grade is what they said it was. All I know is it took us the major portion of the day to climb it and we got served on a number of pitches. I wouldn't hop this if i were just breaking into the grade. CBR felt easier to me by days end in comparison. The only reason i care is b/c i don't really feel like editing the topo, but the topo was hard to figure out after pitch 3 b/c of the foreshortening effect. Go do it! It's only 2 hours from the car damnit. final beta. it's totally obvious after p3...but when you get to what looks like the summit pulpit (not the summit) go straight-up. don't wuss out to the left on ramps or you'll miss the exciting, exposed ridge crest and you'll have to live with your decision the rest of your life and you may hate yourself soooo badly, you might wind up like the RAT, living in your rat hole, and girls will throw rocks at you.

maybe? my reasoning was that they were very long pitches (about 1000' total) and the climb was sustained at 5.10 for almost every pitch....plus with our "8th" bonus pitch.

CLICK HERE FOR TOPO Non B/W foreshortened topo w/o info added so you can see the cracks n' stuff Acid Baby from Asguard Pass. Climb starts on left at toe of buttress, crosses under alcove in middle, and takes exposed ridge cracks to top. Rolf starts up the 1st pitch Rolf finishes up the 1st pitch on the crux of the climb (only 1/2 the dihedral is shown) Dan on pitch 2. Dan got all the easiest pitches Rolf takes the non-retarded way on pitch 3 Dan follows the exposed traverse on pitch 3 Rolf hamming it up on pitch 6 Dan follows the exciting exposed ridge crest of pitch 6 There are many was to peg out the contrive-o-meter near the top. We burried the needle. Dan said if i called this part of the climb he'd put my mouth on the curb and step on the back of my head. Here's Dan on the final pitch...that i like to call "the New Pearly Gates" Pitch #9 looms in the distance! Our shadows on top of enchantment peak Rolf bouldered ever single one of these on the descent. Dan and I had to tear him away from any further 'proj. Wish I had someone to give all these pretty flowers to. please email me with photos (don't type anything though).

Climb: FRA-Acid Baby III+ 5.10 approx 1000' climbing-Dan Cappellini, Rolf Larson, Mike Layton Date of Climb: 7/31/2005 Trip Report: "Now that we've climbed together, I think you're ready to meet Dan," Rolf stated at 6am in Leavenworth. The three of us had a blast doing a fantastic climb up on Asguard Pass across from the NE face of D-tail. All three of us knew of the line, although they tried to get me to do d-tail madness or the boving route instead. i made lies why we needed to do this route. We get to the base. Crap, this is gonna be quick. What looked like a 4-5 pitch climb now looked like 3 pitches max. At least it'll be over quickly...We got back to the car at 10:30pm. I posted a topo (too big for here) in my gallery. I'll add the link on my next post when i put up the photos. Anyway, our climb ACID BABY turned out to be unrelently steep, quality, and a clean line. I pegged out the contrive-o-meter when my pitch came up by trying to go directly up the roof in the center of the face. After an hour-long battle with gear and fear I backed off. I had a 1/2way in nut, a grey tcu that kept pulling out when i moved, an RP between two removeable stones, and a belayer-slayer i was standing on trying to make the impossibe (for me) reach up over and aroudn the roof. I fell and nearly shat myself in the process. The nut pulled, but came to a stop when the remain metal that was touching the rock somehow held. My RP and TCU blew out. I got real bloody! After a lot of "gosh mike, you're retarded" Rolf slung his balls over his shoulder and gave the roof a go. Much swearing and "careful" grumbling later, Rolf downclimbed my horror show, not as excited to be lowered off my nut as I was. "Well if Rolf couldn't do it," I though.... Anyway, I got the seat of SHAME while Rolf took the obvious and way better way to go up super exposed cracks, ridges, and traversing. Dan and I got stellar pitches, and more stellar pitches led to the top. Turned out to be about 1,000' of climbing all pitches very physical and almost every pitch in the 5.10 range, two being very sustained 5.10. Maybe my photos will do it more justice then my not so good TR (i'm tired and don't have time to post this later). We topped out on top of Enchantment peak after fully burying the CONTRIVE-O-METER on top by doing a sweet pitch of climbing on a large steep slab covered in cracks. We just couldn't stop climbing....well actually we all we bitching pussies by the summitt. If I think of anything else important to the actual route, i'll post it. Rolf and Dan are free to call bullshit, i don't care. feel free to downgrade it to I+ 5.6 55meters. anyone know the name of this tower? if it has one that is. Gear Notes: set and a half cams up to 4", nuts Approach Notes: can't see the tower till you're almost there

i like his solo stuff more

He wears his harness alpine fashion..."he will know the ways as if born to them"

huh???

Mark Knopfler is my favorite artist. I really wish I was in town for that!!!

More like: -I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that I must let wash over me and pass through me, until only I will remain.

you talking about freeing the aid move over the roof on the sweet 5.9 pitch?

actually, the words "we could be in Skaha right now" came out of one of our mouths at the base.

hi ivan!

wayne did some moster climb of nooksack and traverse...not sure of the exact route or summits. some dude soloed the nf according to the register, but he stated that it was pretty over his head and he'd never do that again.

Where is my shit! I'm missing so much gear. Give it back!!! Thank you

Nice work guys! Fun route, shitty descent anyway you go.

Matt, i knew you did this route and was thinkin' of ya on the way up! What year did you do it in? As for the bivy, one of the instruction manuals told us that there was a spot right at the base of the route. when we got there and realized the knob was the spot of choice, we weren't too excited about going back down, and having to re-climb back up in the am. The rockclimbing was the easiest part of the climb. Hardest climbing was only 5.9 and the "5.7" pitches were cruiser. The 5.8's were a bit runout in spots. A full package! I should point out, like most of the longer routes i've done, was the 1st long route my partner and i had ever done together! So much for the shakedown. I trusted Ivan from our "committing" crag routes we've done toghether at beacon and broughtons!

No! Put it back on the list!!!! I had a lot of fun.

start calling her MEnopause

call Andy at the American Alpine Institute. he's been there before. 360-671-1570

The Tower The Log Necro on one of the many times up there: Approaching Camp: The Kitchen My Bedroom: Pretty sunset. The views of the surrounding peaks up north is unbeatable. Truly amazing mountains we've got in the cascades and coast ranges. Ivan on pitch 2 Me about to enter the crux pitch Ivan Climbing High on route: Rapin' off Harrowing descent: "I don't wanna go down there!!!" A special place for me. I miss it already.

Climb: Nooksack Tower-North Face (Bertulis/Davis) Date of Climb: 7/24/2005 Trip Report: (i'll add photos very soon) Ivan and I climbed the North Face(North Ridge) of the Nooksack Tower the other day. Finally! This was my SIXTH time attempting something on this side of the mountain (three towers, three Price). Perserverence pays off i guess! 2000-attempt #1. Price Glacier. Lyle and I try the Price in late october. Soft snow and mangled route turn us around. 2001-attempt #2. Price Glacier. Matt and I attempt the Price Car to Car and i sprain my knee on the approach. 2002-attempt #3. Price Glacier. Necro and I attempt the Price car to car. Arrive on lateral moraine at dawn and it's alread 100million degrees out. This ends my fascination with the price. 2004-attempt #4 Nooksack Tower. Jay and I bungle the approach and the record setting heat sends us home crying 2005-attempt #5 Nooksack Tower. a certain partner of mine gets the fear just after doing 1/2 of the glacier crossing. 1st pitch only a few hundred yards away. 2005-attempt #6 Nooksack Tower. Ivan and I finally get it. The story follows... It took a certain amount of will power to head up there once again, but I had Ivan and it didn't take much convincing for him to join me in my obsession. Plus, I brought a lightweight alpine partner gun. I told him i was packing, and he'd better not bitch. Luckily the gun never was deployed. The Approach: Ivan can describe the horrors of packing in a Bellingham park. It's old hat to me, so i can't do it justice. I needed to turn the brain to "off mode" so I popped a gram of vicodan. I almost regretted this decision as I stumbled down the trail, but by the time I reached camp, I had no recolection of the hike! The approach went smoothly, concidering I had it totally and completely wired. The grueling part is the 3 miles of flat trail along the rive with not a single view. Then comes the infamous log crossing. I've seen the log move up stream over the years, as floods destroy the old logs and make new crossings. The new crossing is about 200 yards upstream now. Keep your eyes PEELED the moment the trail turns into old growth for a faint path down to the nooksack river. It should occur within moments (just after a slight rise in the trail with cut logs). Schwack down and upstream (munching Salmon Berries along the way) to the log and walk it. Don't be a pussy and hump across it or wear your crampons. It's just not cool. Now follow a faint path with some happily added new flagging tape (not much, but enought to let you know you're not totally fucked) very carefully. Take the time to stick with the trail. You wind up following the very edge of the price creek after some time. Then the trail becomes vertical dirt, and you claw and kick your way up. Try not to go charging for the ridgeline up to your left, you'll get there soon enough. After a bit you enter some mossy old talus. You should only be on this talus for a very short bit. The talus soon turns into the lateral moraine, high above Price Lake. Note: Kevin McLane's guidebook has you on the lakes edge and following its shores to the head of the lake, and then scrambling up some cliffs. DO NOT DO THIS! you will be so fucked you'll feel like the only girl at an antarctic research facility. Okay, now you follow the moraine FOREVER even though it looks like a short walk. Look for a cairn when the morain peters out just below a cliff. Root grab violently up to the top of the ridgeline. There are some pools of water on top, but i'd filter that shit. There is fresh water a bit farther (1st water since car). I forgot to mention that immediately out of the car you gotta cross a stream. Bring sandals and stash them on the other side. Back to the ridge. Follow the ridge FOREVER again, cross a narrow connecting spur, and at the last cliff, traverse aroudn the left side. Cross the stream and scramble up 3rd class mossy waterfalls to the upper ridgeline and granite bedrock. IF you keep hiking to the upper most section of ridge that connects to the glacier..as far as you can hike on rock, there is an awesome and super flat bivy spot. Note, flowing water is strangely hard to find here, but it's there. 5 hours to this point. Crossing the Glacier: I made a good call and brought my trange ice boots instead of the usuall tenis shoes and strap on poons. Thank god! The glacier is a mess, and i would never concider doign the Price Glacier route anymore. It is very broken, but more so threatend by major serac fall for the upper 1/3 of the route. Not worth the risk for such a low angled glacier slog-a-thon. Crossing to the tower is quite manageble however. Now it occured to me many many times that Ivan is roughtly three times my size and weight and coupled with the fact that we had no snow protection and I was using a childrens ice tool (the fisher price My 1st Ice Tool), that if he or I was to fall in a crevasse or slip while downclimbing at any time, we'd both probably be dead as doornails. I even made a song about this, much to Ivan's delight! McLane mentions that it's about 1/2 hour to the base of the route from the glaciers edge, and there is a good bivy ledge at the base of the 1st pitch. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong! It took us 2.5 hours to cross the glacer to the 1st pitch. Much sketchyness was had and most of the details are now lost in the alpinist amnesia that occurs when put under the gun. I can say that there is shit for bivy sites at the base, and we spent a good hour trundling rocks to make two sloping, SUPER EXPOSED (CHRIST ALMIGHTY!!!!), coffins...er bivy spots. My ledge was right at the base of a loose rock gully that kept spilling down onto my head. I had to find some large rocks to make a barrier. I wasn't too pleased after the climb to return to my spot and find it slightly re-buried. I didn't sleep so good. Ivan had similar issues. Every time he or i went to visit each other's coffin, or go to the "kitchen", or our 3rd world bathroom, we'd send down a shower of rocks onto our respective bivies. Fucking awesome. THE CLIMB: Since we did the glacier crossing already, we didn't get up till 6am. That's when the sun hits the route, so it was nice to be warmed outta bed, having laid awake in cold fear all night long. We dicked around and finally got our asses on route at around 7:30am. A respectable time to start, vs the inhuman early hours of pre-dawn. The 1st pitch was just like the instruction manual said, and strenous 5.8 chimney and jam crack. Easy to find and start up. We did a few pitches and then I took off simul-climbing, until i got bored and had to poop. Ivan got the next stretch and took us to the base of the upper headwall. I took a different way than the users manual stated. The manual wasn't too verbose on where to go, and we tried to follow a natural line without peaking the dial of the contrive-o-meter. We follwed the ridge to around the right side of the peak, and I did a vertical and sometimes overhanging face to jam crack. I slung a block, and laughed my ass off when Ivan cleaned it not by undoing the sling, but simply picking up the block (easily) and pulling off the sling. Bomber! Ivan was almost crushed several times by rope-induced rockfall on several of the leads. Sometimes there was no gear for a hundred feet, sometimes there was. Interesting rock. Better be careful!! We topped out after 6.5 hours of climbing, and read the summit register. I recognized a few friends on the list, and some names i've heard of before. It was cool. The DESCENT! : We had the looming lurking overshadowing fear the whole entire trip of the dreaded descent. "Takes as long as the climb" we heard....and we heard corerct! Thankfully there's a shitload of tat all over the beckey route (which btw looked like one of the shittiest routes i've ever seen), but that didn't stop the ropes from tangling on every low andled talus covered rope chopping partner axing rappell. We did about 7 full double rope raps until we got the the super dreaded enterance couloir that was bordered on all sides by deep moats, shitloads of crevasss, and a big looming wants to eat you bergshrund. We both we thinking how the fuck are we gonna downclimb this steep snow with yawning crevasses everywhere? It took a lot out of us to get by this section, and we had to leave some gear to rap past some major sphincter pinching sections. Long long long way to fall. We had to unrope and free solo across some icy snow onto a gravel ledge for one last rap. I went down 1st only to have the rope end (with stretch) just a few feet from the bottom, just above the major bergshrund! Ivan was too far up to yell instructions to, so I said "fuck it", put in a "bomber" cam, and hung off it after yelling for Ivan to come on down! Ivan was not too pleased with me, or my anchor, or my idea for him to just jump across the moat and bershrund. I finally convinced him and he lept to non-safety on the other side. I quickly joined him. It was a scary traverse below the mountain back to our not-so-much-fun bivy spot. We ate a cold dinner and went to bed with worried smiles. Waking up at 8:30 was the only consolation about having to downclimb that goddamned glacier one more time. I don't really want to remember this bit, so i'll skip it. I was on 4 different types of drugs by the car, and 5 in the car. Pain and worry free, we sailed the car back to Bellingham Ivan can go into more detail on this, the cliff jumping water bouldering, alchohol binging party that night with 3 ericks at once, my run in with the crack dealers (more than one), etc etc etc etc. Good times, but glad they are over. I alread miss this beautiful place, i feel almost a part of it now, having spent some much freakin' time there. Sooooo beautiful!!! Gear Notes: rack of cams, a pin or two, poons, a tool (or two), two ropes...basic stuff. Approach Notes: bring a bike if you're not worried about being caught or pissing hikers off. we didn't, but it would've been nice on the 1st 3 miles of actual trail.