Marko

S. Rib of Garfield. Just finding the damn start of Resolution Arete.

I descended the SE Spur and Japanese Ramp a while back. Do you need info on that or for the true S. Buttress?

Cool. Winter... Lots to do up there.

Hey Rad, Great shots! Bring your slides tonight, let's put 'em up on the screen! See you there.

Nice job, man. Sounds like you had a full on Pickets trip. Was that your first visit in there? If it was--> REALLY nice job! How was getting over to the upper Barrier from Inspiration, did you hit the glacier or stay on rock? And how "interesting" was the bushwack getting down to the valley from the Barrier?

Sounds like a perfectly rational thing to do to me. Well freakin' done!!

Because... “I agree with those who say that <ALPINE> climbing is not life. It is much better than that. In <ALPINE> climbing you get nothing other than what you absolutely deserve. It has no skin color, no gender, no rules that matter, and no lawyers, referees, or pushy parents. You can’t get any more or any less out of <ALPINE> climbing than exactly what you put into it. There are no dead ends in climbing, no barriers other than the ones we impose upon ourselves. The blend of skill, boldness, and desire that each route requires is unique unto itself and yet connected to every other route as if within one long and contiguous passage. Life is hard on dreams, harder on dreamers. <ALPINE> Climbing was built for them . For in <ALPINE> climbing success and failure both lead to the same place, to new resolves and new posssibilities. Life should be so good.” - Geoff Childs I think this sentiment is more true (whatever the hell that means) to travelling around on the mountains than anything else. -Mark

Not just loose, but scary loose eh? Food for thought. Thanks for the info Heinrich.

Anyone?

Anyone have any first or second hand info on the rock quality on the SE Ridge/Face route on Buckner? Anyone? Anyone?

Met these guys in the AK Range a few times: Look up Jeff Benowitz. He's a cool out there kinda guy and a very solid climber. Also, try Rick Studley when he's sober. Mark

Timcb, I've got a 14 oz. up-to-the-neck Vireo with drawstring that I pretty much like. With a sweater, balaclava, and a light shell the bag works good enough for a high pressure summer trip. If I expect heavy dew or fog/mist I'll bring the Endurance bivy sack also. While I'm satisfied with the bag, I'm always jonesin' for a hooded bag when I'm in the thing. I do sleep colder than most of my partners though, so the hoodless thing might not be too bad for you. And the thing packs down to zilcho! Cheers, Mark

Man that looks like a great trip. Thanks for the pics, and WELL DONE!

BP hammer or adze?

Ditto. It's a great little tool.

Rad, From Inspiration's summit there's downclimbing and a few single-rope raps (a 60m is nice), then some really fun and solid climbing up to maybe 5.8 on Pyramid. Easy scrambing gets you up and down Degenhardt. I don't remember what it looked like getting down to the Barrier from there, but it sounds like it's been done. Re: descending the Barrier, scope the descent ramp from the upper Terror Basin. The place to descend the east side of the Barrier is maybe 200 vertical feet below the highest trees. Follow the crest down until you find a rather indistinct, treed ramp leading skier's left. We left a small cairn at this point. There's one sketchy dirt traverse (I put on crampons), and ~5.6 downclimbing (possible to rap off trees). That's a pretty cool traverse right there, have a blast! Cheers, Mark

So Wayne, there WAS that one bunny you pasted on the way to Newhalem a few weeks ago... By the way, I mailed that ckeck for the poster yesterday. Cheers

What's funny is that by 11:47 last night Colin probably just scored himself two cams and a nut!

Here's a link to an updated Southern Pickets enchainment topo: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=1635 Yup, still smilin', Mark

That E. Ridge of the Blob (Rake) was a hoot.

Nice frickin' job!

A few more Pickets shots: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showgallery.php?cat=504&thumb=1

The Mighty Tooth over to Hemlock, Bryant, then Chair is pretty fun. A rappel on the way to Bryant is handy, then also for descending Chair.

Thanks y'all! Photos en route... Still smiling.

Other stuff???? You lost me. (Just kidding Cathi!)