Pencil_Pusher Posted July 19, 2003 Posted July 19, 2003 Our pace in seemed fast, but you'll definitely need to jog a little ways or swap carrying the rope (hint, hint) to do better than last year (?6:30). Definitely wear running or trail shoes the whole way. Clip your toenails? Short aluminum axe... all the light stuff from the other thread. No, I wasn't a runner either before this. Although I had lost 15-20 pounds two months earlier, which definitely helped. Break it all down into sections and it won't seem so bad. Once y'all get back across the glacier, it can pretty much be every man for himself to the trailhead. Then I can tell JoshK it's chestbeating, plain and simple Seriously though, after reading your triple 9k quick trip, I figured you'd go for something like this. The scenery is quite good. Oh, and check out gapertimmy too. This is a quote of his from another thread on Olympus: "i like the challenge of it, but i think the fact of being able to go lighter is what attracts me. either way, i'd love to do olympus this year, or perhpas some traverses of the whole range. " Quote
chriss Posted July 20, 2003 Posted July 20, 2003 So, I go over to check out this Olympus trek. After hearing all this talk, I think that could be fun. Solo, 1st time in the park, it's time to punish myself for getting out of shape. Left the trailhead Thurs at 6PM, manage to make Elk Lake at 10PM. I am BEAT. Sack at in the shelter, get up at 6AM, thinking I'll probably be going down today. Think I'll at least hike up a little more just to see. At 12 I'm just below the summit piramid, wondering if I can reverse the rock moves in WET trail runners (no rope). I did't see it happening. Checked the so called SE 4th class option. After 20 or so minutes climbing on a loose choss pile, gave that up. Set and talked with some packers back at Glacier meadows for a while, needed the break. Out to the 9 mile ranger station, 6PM, another long break. To the car, 9PM. And I was spanked. About 27 hours round trip including the bivy. And worse yet I miss the last ferry back and had to sleep in the car last night. GOOD time. chriss Quote
Flying_Ned Posted July 20, 2003 Posted July 20, 2003 Pack weight and footwear should make all the difference. If you leave the rope to the advance team, you really only need a basic harness, some light fleece and shells, your crampon of choice, axe, water, iodine tabs, hardtack and a big cigar. Easily under 12 lbs with room for a belay device and a few prusicks in your hydro pack. Running or approach shoes with aluminum crampons would be the ticket, I think. I got an excellent view of the snow dome yesterday from McCartney Peak. The lower section off the Blue Glacier is pretty melted out. By Sept it'll be a dry talus trail from the glacier to near the top of the dome. Still a fair amount of snow up on the plateau now. Quote
JoshK Posted July 21, 2003 Posted July 21, 2003 Flying_Ned said: Pack weight and footwear should make all the difference. If you leave the rope to the advance team, you really only need a basic harness, some light fleece and shells, your crampon of choice, axe, water, iodine tabs, hardtack and a big cigar. Easily under 12 lbs with room for a belay device and a few prusicks in your hydro pack. Running or approach shoes with aluminum crampons would be the ticket, I think. harness? bowline on a coil or sling harness Quote
Attitude Posted July 21, 2003 Posted July 21, 2003 Flying_Ned said: If you leave the rope to the advance team.... This is bullshit. Quote
Flying_Ned Posted July 22, 2003 Posted July 22, 2003 Not really. It's just some guys thinking about going in and out pretty fast. I don't think their talking about a certified-record-setting-Dan --glory march. No big deal. Just a little test on a nice mountain. If you go back a few posts you'll see that the idea was floated to join a roped team at the glacier, eliminating the need to bring one on the trail run. That doesn't sound like BS to me. Just leaves an opening for the next party to claim a better time. Quote
sketchfest Posted July 22, 2003 Posted July 22, 2003 Last year we foolishly carried a 9mm x 50m rope, this was way more than was needed, both in length and diameter. This year I have a line on 30m of ice floss. I don't think carrying the rope with us is going to be as big a deal this time around. We also brought along a few tricams for the summit, but having now experienced the summit block, I think there is enough places to weave the rope we should be able to leave that little bit of weight behind as well. Norman, Joshk, what do you guy's think? Quote
kklimber Posted July 22, 2003 Posted July 22, 2003 (edited) Holy cow, this is a trip into the mountains! If you are going to send in an advance team or try to slum a ride on someone who is already there (this is unethical in my opinion anytime you are in the mountains), why not map out the mileage and altitude gain and find a paved road somewhere that will do the same for you - if you are reducing it to being all about time. Suck it up, boys. My husband and I did this about 10 years ago without any special training. A Rainier route was melted out so we got a wild hair to do Olympus in a day. I wore light weight hiking books (not those tennis shoe hybrid thingies), we took a glacier rope with accessories, and the 10 essentials. We took a 45 minute nap at the high camp (on our pads), stood in line for the summit, chatted with the folks up there, took a 30 minute break at the ranger station at the meadow on the way out, and still did it in under 24. The high point of the trip for me was the spectacular scenery (having never been to the area before). It was quite daunting as we prepared to depart the summit to realize what lay ahead. It is adviseable to take ALOT of high energy food. We ran out at the above mentioned ranger station and really felt it on the way out. Hubbie and I were both in our 40s back then, I suspect I was the first female dumb enough to have done this, and I wonder if we have the dubious distinction of being the oldest. . . Edited July 22, 2003 by kklimber Quote
MounTAIN_Woman Posted July 22, 2003 Posted July 22, 2003 What is the descent like from the summit? Do most parties rappel or just downclimb? If they rappel, how long of a rappel is it? Trying to figure out which rope to bring. Quote
Norman_Clyde Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 We could have rappelled the steepest 15 feet or so, but the holds are all there, so we downclimbed. 30 meters is enough of a rope. KKlimber, we're not hardcore chestbeaters, really. The idea is to have a fun day in the mountains. I was glad for an excuse to climb Olympus in a day last year because I didn't have 3 days to spare at the time. Having done it once, I now like the idea of going for it in a single dawn-to-dusk period because it's a slightly bigger challenge, but does not require a sleepless night beforehand. So far I have no partners volunteering for the 16 hour plan, so I'd have to solo the whole thing if I go for it that way. This raises annoying questions of safety regarding glacier travel. I'm not willing to be the guy who disappeared into a crevasse while soloing Olympus, regardless of what line of reasoning got me there in the first place. The plan of hooking up with another party was one way of getting around the solo glacier travel issue. But it complicates the logistics and the timing, and therefore detracts from the smooth simplicity of a one day solo ascent. Guess you can't have your cake and eat it too, where speed and safety on a glacier are concerned. Quote
Pencil_Pusher Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 Belay device? Munter hitch. Norm, screw solo, let's do the phone thing. I may be a lard-ass nowadays, but I might be up for a three day climb. I could go in with Flying_Ned early and wait for you at the Blue Glacier. Quote
Fence_Sitter Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 Norman_Clyde said: We could have rappelled the steepest 15 feet or so, but the holds are all there, so we downclimbed. 30 meters is enough of a rope. KKlimber, we're not hardcore chestbeaters, really. The idea is to have a fun day in the mountains. I was glad for an excuse to climb Olympus in a day last year because I didn't have 3 days to spare at the time. Having done it once, I now like the idea of going for it in a single dawn-to-dusk period because it's a slightly bigger challenge, but does not require a sleepless night beforehand. So far I have no partners volunteering for the 16 hour plan, so I'd have to solo the whole thing if I go for it that way. This raises annoying questions of safety regarding glacier travel. I'm not willing to be the guy who disappeared into a crevasse while soloing Olympus, regardless of what line of reasoning got me there in the first place. The plan of hooking up with another party was one way of getting around the solo glacier travel issue. But it complicates the logistics and the timing, and therefore detracts from the smooth simplicity of a one day solo ascent. Guess you can't have your cake and eat it too, where speed and safety on a glacier are concerned. NC- I might be in to do the whole thing with ya... i just ran a 13 miler up in wallace falls area in about 1:40 (just got back) what is your fitness level compared to that? i dont wanna have you count on me and then just dust me after the first 10 miles... lemme know... also i am hosting a race- 100 km form my school to the top of golden ears in B.C. anyone can come race in that... cheers fellow nutso's! Quote
Rodchester Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 I wore light weight hiking books Where did you get those lightweight hiking books? I bet they weren't by Fred Beckey. Just kidding Quote
kklimber Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 The boots were Danner high tops, I believe these were the first gortex/leather boot available way back in the 70s. You don't see them too much anymore, but I found them to be an excellent all-round light weight boot, very good on snow (unlike the tennis shoe hybrid). By the way, the bottom fell off after that trip! Eat your heart out. Quote
ncascademtns Posted July 24, 2003 Posted July 24, 2003 MounTAIN_Woman said: What is the descent like from the summit? Do most parties rappel or just downclimb? If they rappel, how long of a rappel is it? Trying to figure out which rope to bring. Are you doing the B. Traverse? Funny to ask. (1) 50m rope will do you. Rap of the Northwest side. Loose rock but that is your only choice. You'll need (2) to rap off the Northeast side. Enjoy! Quote
Flying_Ned Posted July 26, 2003 Posted July 26, 2003 ncascademtns said Rap of the Northwest side. Loose rock but that is your only choice. You'll need (2) to rap off the Northeast side. Enjoy! I prefer rapping the summit block. If you bring the rope, why not use it? It'll also save some time getting the party off the rock. But Norman Clyde correctly points out that the downclimb is quite sturdy if your moves are properly sequenced. Most people, including me, had a similar reaction to seeing the crux for the first time: is that really class 3? Wood certainly downplays the summit block, especially when you consider how he describes struggling steep trails--makes me wonder. Quote
ncascademtns Posted July 26, 2003 Posted July 26, 2003 We actually scrambled up to the summit on the northwest side. The rock was so loose on the lip just before the top. I think that was considered the crux. After rapping down the northeast side, I realized it would have been better climbing up that side instead. Quote
benman Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 Jason and I climbed Olympus on Saturday in 18 hours car to car. We didn’t run and spent a good 2 hours resting and taking photos. I could have done 14-16 hours by setting my own pace and trimming a few items from my ~20lb pack. Jason dealt with a sporadic fever and brand new shoes with “not enough arch support” and “too much room up front” so he was pleased with his off the couch time. The route is in good shape and I saw no end to the snowbridges that are rumored to be melting out. We had no support and carried no GU. The crux was the drive home because neither of us had slept in over 40 hours. Quote
skykilo Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 Nicely done! That's an accomplishment I might like to reproduce for myself, but I'll hold off on saying, "I wish I could have been there." What, no skis? Quote
AllYouCanEat Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 skykilo said: What, no skis? It's all you. I'd be up for a ski traverse this winter though. Cool place... Quote
Norman_Clyde Posted August 5, 2003 Posted August 5, 2003 Excellent work!! So, in your opinion, were the snowbdridges solid enough that a solo would be reasonable next weekend? Skykilo, if you can ski the Price on Shuksan like you did in April, you can certainly handle an Olympus one-dayer in August. Next Sunday looks good to me. Quote
benman Posted August 5, 2003 Posted August 5, 2003 Norman_Clyde said: So, in your opinion, were the snowbdridges solid enough that a solo would be reasonable next weekend? I'm probably not the best person to ask but I'd say go for it. Jason and I wore tennis shoes the entire way. We crossed nothing that I would consider a snowbridge, just end runs around a few crevasses on slopes of less than 30 degrees. We carried a rope but didn't use it on the glacier. If you're comfortable downclimbing a couple low 5th moves or exposed 3rd class you could do without. The path is obvious but watch out for puddles on the lower Blue Glacier. Our shoes got wet on the descent but they dried out quickly with a couple change of socks. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Do yourself a favor and stay a night at the trailhead. We left at 4am and got back at 10pm. Quote
skykilo Posted August 5, 2003 Posted August 5, 2003 As in Sunday the 10th of August? I was going to hang out and party this weekend, but if you'll drive... Quote
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