dberdinka

But.... The idea that she was taking a selfie and fell off the standard north face route seems entirely plausible. No way that red thing is still there by spring. Too bad, hard to believe no one checked it out. Could be clothing, back pack something else that got hung up.

Dude!!! Have you been doused in ketamine for the last six month? I wish I had never gone anywhere near Vesper Peak and helped in my own little way into turning that corner of the Cadcades into a total shit show.

So.....that’s a great fucking trip report......Jesus.....tell us more about the car! Insurance going to cover it? A now permanent fixture? Or are you in the hook to get it removed? glad you made it home safely, that gully approach is NOT daddy terrain.

As it gets more popular I hope people work to keep it as pristine as they found it. Unfortunately in that sterile an environment it seems pretty easy to leave a lasting mess behind, witness the desicration I nearly stepped in on the “grassy benches” last weekend. Dig a hole! WTF!

I like you're TR a lot but before others follow you down the gully of doom I recall it being fairly straightforward to follow your "second option". Climb some broken rock to near Marble Needle where a couple short rappels put you on the Mccallister Glacier near the standard route on Dorado Needle.

Maybe your epic was a result of all that photo taking. Great pics, looks like an awesome climb, wish I could remember it.

Nice looking mountain you got there.

Another significant injury on forbidden. Climbed slipped and got wedged in moat. Broken back. Two hikers have fallen off bridges on Wonderland Trail and been swept away (dead). and of course the woman lost on Vesper Peak. 7 fatalities and 1 serious injury is a lot in one summer. probably still missing a couple.

Probably varies considerably by day. But check this for current conditions http://www.iciclechalet.com/webcam.html

We all were.

With all the interest on speed records in the mountains this summer I thought I'd point out this amazing story from 1913, 105 years ago!. The worlds changed, the trail is gone and this ascent could no longer be replicated but I'm just curious if people think there's really been any advancement in the sport. The following comes from an excellent read, published locally in Bellingham, called Komo Kulshan- The Story of Mount Baker by John C. Miles (2010). The original Mount Baker Marathon was a balls out race to the summit and back from Bellingham using cars or trains to access trailheads and back. Due to bad weather the third and final race ended in confusion and near disaster. A disgruntled local name A.M. Burnside challenged the winner Paul Westerlund to a rematch starting in the town of Glacier to the summit and back. At the time there was no road up Glacier Creek, only a roughly hewn trail that had been built two years earlier by locals as part of the first Mount Baker Marathon. The round trip distance was 28 miles. Here's the quote from the book "The rematch was run in early September, Burnside leading most of the way, only to be overtaken by Westerlund with just three miles to go. Westerlunds winning time was six hours and two minutes over the twenty-eight mile course with it's 9,700 foot elevation gain (and loss). He certainly dispelled any doubts about his strength, though Burnside later claimed to have had such a bad ankle that his doctor had advised him not to race." That's an average rate of just under 13 minutes per mile. Shitty trail, talus, presumably late season ice and hard snow. If modern speed freaks had to add 16 miles of trail and 3000' of gain/descent what would times look like now? For that matter what is the current non-ski C2C (so sad we base it off cars) record for Mt Baker from the Heliotrope TH?

Trip: Watson - North Ridge Trip Date: 08/07/2018 Trip Report: Obscure, short and slabby with one of the mellowest approaches you’ll find in the North Cascades. Gloriously beautiful as well. Maybe not the highlight of your summer but possibly of your Tuesday evening. From the buttress toe a 150’ of 3rd or maybe 4th class rock leads to a more pronounced buttress. The original route climbs the obvious corner system on the north side (5.4 Kloke 1970’s). It’s also possible to move up left to the very crest and climb a full rope length of 5.6 on ridiculously clean and solid rock. A bit runout but gear (and/or fixed pins) show up where you need it. Continue on the crest, slightly dirtier rock, to the summit in one more pitch or wander off to either side. We descended east which involved some downclimbing, a rappel, a loose gully, a moat and some moderate snow. Supposedly a more straightforward descent might exist to the west if you carry over. Gear Notes: Small rack to 2.5”. 60m rope. Ice axe and possibly crampons. Approach Notes: Find you way to Upper Anderson Lake then faint path up gully at east side of first lake.

Ginsu? Thats a really good climb!

So is it true they were using dulfersitz because a rappel device was too heavy to carry? Seems a bit unreasonable to expect someone to risk their neck to save you when you cut your margins that thin. And then to leave yourself anchored to both chopper and wall. Yikes.

I made it in from the west ridge notch with a single 60 m rope years ago. I recall maybe two rappells on rock followed by another off a bollard and then maybe one off a picket to get to the ramp Jason mentioned. Definitely full on. I imagine it would be in no better or worse shape than ever.