dberdinka

Tower Ridge is on the "backside" of The Cirque facing Shadow Lake. Could easily be accessed from the Cirque though by climbing up to the Wolfs Head/Overhang Tower col and dropping down the other side. A "10-pitch" low-angle arete of slabby granite rated 5.3 in the guide book. This is followed by 1-2 pitches of 4th or low 5th to the top of Overhang Tower. Included in the authors top-20 list. So is the NW Ridge of Temple Peak another super long 5.3 on a 13.000' peak (I think). This is south of Big Sandy in the Deep Lake Area. A very beautiful place with a lonelier feel than the Cirque. Both would probably put anything in the Cascades to shame but I wouldn't know I've only looked at them.

Yes

North Ridge of Cutthroat!!! The Pigeon Spire of the North Cascades!! Well almost. Lots of low-5th ridge climbing on perfect granite guarded by a chossy start that probably mid-5th. Oh well. JoshKs recommendation of Black Peak is a good one. Silver Star is good too. Mesachie and Fisher have low-5th class routes on them but they are involved and generally have poor rock. The Twisp River Road provides access to a number of peaks that look to have good 4th to low-5th class ridge routes on them. I think the Skoogs did a lot of stuff back in there. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Anyone been there?

The Gate? The Gate? They've added a gate to Nesakwatch Creek Road? Whats it's status on weekends? Nice TR by the way. A beautiful place.

Might add Brown Ale 9, Milk Run 10c A0 (puts Index to shame! ) and I'll just say it The Split Pillar pitch to list.

One more that seems climbing related from the same source From the Practice of Wise Men - To become wise, on must WISH to have certain experiences and run, as it were, into their gaping jaws. This, of course, is very dangerous. Many a wise guy has been swallowed.

Another quote Tourists - They climb mountains like animals, stupid and sweating; one has forgotten to tell them that there are beautiful views on the way up. - ?????

Thanks for the killer beta guys! Dr. Hook, how long did your trip take? What peaks and routes did you hit? I'm thinking fly in Friday afternoon. Chill. Climb Tantalus, maybe Dione and bivi at the old Red Tit Saturday. Then traverse Serratus and Alpha by their easier routes or do a more technical climb on Alpha Sunday and down to the Lake. I've been in the area and done all but Serratus so route finding won't be a time consuming issue. How far from the lake to the cable crossing in hours?

I'm trying to throw together a Tantalus Range Traverse trip with some buddies. We'll be helicoptering into the N Ridge of Tantalus then either flying back out from Lake Lovelywater or trashing our way down, out and across the Squamish River. Any beta or first hand recent accounts of getting across the river? Whats the deal?

What an amazing place! I think Snaileye pretty much covered what I'm familiar with. The crowds were...crowds...but I guess thats the price of admission. Cathedral Peak is a phenominal (sp?) climb crowded or not. Go do it. Matthes Crest was probably one of the finest days I've ever spent in the mountains. Another must do. The best choice we made was to camp at the Forest Service Campground just outside the east entrance to the park. WAY nicer than the T Meadows campground, clean, quiet, spacious. Really good dinners at the little lodge there within walking distance. Have a blast!

Seems like it's all been said already but the one time I used one of those little mylar space bags I found it surprisingly warm. Get one, use it. 2 overbags, 2 down coats, mittens, balaclavas, shoes, water...... is gonna start getting pretty damn heavy on a project like that. Drop the overbag, bring a space blanket/bag, pray for a warm evening, suffer a little bit, go for it, please do spray when it's all over. Have fun!

Through the crux area there are 2 or 3 very small, very positive pockets that make it doable at 5.10. One of those pockets looks like 3 very shallow 3/8" holes lined up. Sorta like ()()(). The others seemed unnatural as well. Like I said, it's the only climb I've ever done where I came down feeling...dirty. Regardless, I received a very polite e-mail from someone apparently in the know who said "No, that climb isn't chipped...it's the other climb nearby that has a chipped hold" ****** EDIT ****** Rather than paraphrase the e-mail as I did above I've been asked to acurrately quote it. Here..... "The only chipped holds are the foot holds at the start of Leap of Faith. The foot hold kept breaking so we finally decided to chip it until it didn't break anymore." My apologizes to those I've offended. ****** End of Edit ****** Ultimately I was just curious what other people thought (which apparently isn't much) PG is an awesome area to climb at and I don't think chipping is running rampant through the Icicle. Peace, word, have a nice week in your cubie.

That would be what I'm suggesting. Maybe I'm just full of shit but it's the only climb I've ever done where the holds seemed obviously unnatural. Guess, I don't really want to believe myself. Anyone out there have an opinion. Do you concure? or am I smoking crack?

Has anyone else climbed this slabby route at the Pearly Gates? Did you find something...ummmm...interesting about the features through the crux?

Thanks!

Stainless! Your bomber. Just bring a bunch of Screamers.

Whoaaa! Glad you guys were on the doubles. I remember tossing a fair amount of detrius off the same pitch..eee....gadds...in the end climbing is just friggin dangerous.

Check your PMs

Aren't the only bolts the now-hanging-in-space anchor?

Is that my detailed topo? Uhhh......Wrong Graemlins. What in the hell are those things supposed to be doing???

You've got a very good point. The solitude out there is wondeful. With a guidebook coming out in the near? future I wonder how much it will change. How was getting past the now-missing flake 2 or so pitches up?

On Sunday MattP and I went up to Blueberry Hill on the south side of Exfoliation Dome and pretended to be mini-tree loggers 1000 feet off the ground. It was fun to toss bushes and dirt off the cliff and watch them slowly disintegrate on the slabs far below. Then the lightning and wind came and we got real wet for a little while until the sun came out and dried up all the rain. The Granite Sidewalk was still soaked so we had a surprisingly pleasant descent through mostly old-growth forest to the north of the sidewalk. This was followed by beer, mosquitos and eventually corndogs. MattP, Chris Greyell, David Whitelaw and others have invested much time and energy putting in some very fine free climbs on X-Dome. Someday it will be a very popular place. See his website for partial details. http://www.seanet.com/~mattp/Darr

I like these two, they concisely express some of the deeper pyschological reasons for climbing. Any others? "If the conquest of a great peak brings moments of exultation and bliss, which in the monotonous, materialistic existence of modern times nothing else can approach, it also presents great dangers. It is not the goal of "grand alpinisme" to face peril, but it is one of the tests one must undergo to deserve the joy of rising for an instant above the state of crawling grubs. " Lionel Terray (following the ascent of Mount Huntington in Alaska in 1965.) "The wall, the climbs, inanimate objects, so often personified, are never really conquered. Man can only conquer his weakness, exceed his self estimates, and fail to yield as his very soul begs that he retires." -Don Davison (1974)

How many other times have you felt this way? before a big solo or some other project? Yet ended up having a incredible time? Probably a lot! Why should this time be any different? Hell, If that doesn't do throw some jugs in the pack. Get after it up there are Urquart. I wan't a detailed topo when it's all over.

Skipped work and went to Darrington on Wednesday. Climbed 10 great pitches of face, crack and even some friction on the Combs. As usual saw no one. Why does no one ever go to Darrington?