alpine_freak Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 Hola friends, anyone been up around the Mt Thompson, Huckleberry Mtn area recently? If so, please share what you observed if you don't mind me asking.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonthomp Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 It wasn't recenlty, but many years ago my wife and I went up to climb the 5.6 route, I forget the exact one. We bailed because of encountering worse and worse rock, the kind that pulls off in your hands, crumbles beneath your feet, and gives you no faith in you protection. When I completed the last rappel, I was standing on a rock and thought, "I should move." I stepped up to a rock a couple feet away not a moment too soon. A rock the size of a small wheel slammed right through the spot I had been standing on! Â I am sure you will encounter some snow patches both on and off trail (quite a bit still depending on exposure). If you are doing the 5.6 route, tread lightly and watch for the rain of stones. Better yet, do all the leading so no one is above you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible_ted Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 We did this route last week. I was pleasantly surprised to find the rock quality of the West ridge VERY nice. The east ridge descent (4th class) was loose, but nothing unusual. There is no snow on the climbing portion of the route. Â Mt Thompson TR Â I've got to think that jonthomp is thinking about a different peak? Maybe Black? Boston? Â -t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonthomp Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 Definitely was Mt. Thompson, though I wouldn't say for certain we were on any established route as both the rock quality and what we were seeing didn't really match up with the description. Anyway, sounds like if you stay on route, you should have fun. I might just have to get back up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJScott Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 I had a interesting time on the west ridge last fall, we knew we got a late start, but when the sun set on the final pitch we knew we were in for a interesting descent! We made are way down the east side, and as it got darker, we lined up bumble bee pass with a couple of stars so that we could find our way through the ridge. I might have to get back up there to get some gear! there was a cam stuck on the large slab pitch, but we were too busy worring about the sun going down to spend any time removing it. wonder if its still there, it was black. Â nice climb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible_ted Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 The cam's still there, I didn't work on it too long, but it seemed pretty well stuck. I've never come across as much involuntarily fixed gear on a route before. I lost a small tri-cam to it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinfox Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 Â BOOTY ALERT! Â Â That's weird, I don't remember any fixed gear when I did the route a couple of years ago. Must have been a mountie expedition there recently. Â The west ridge has decent rock, not great. There aren't a whole lot of pro options, but the climbing is pretty easy. Be very careful when pulling your ropes if you choose to rap off the summit down to the east ridge (its also possible to downclimb, but maybe a bit sketchy) there is LOTS of loose rock on the east ridge and I pulled a rock down which hit my girlfriend (now ex) in the elbow. She was pissed and cried and had a bruise and soreness for a couple of months .... no fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 Please note: The correct spelling for this peak is Mt. Thomson. The version with the 'p' is an error. Let's quit propogating the spelling error here and now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 Â maybe there are 2 of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 AlpineTom and I did this last summer (or was it the one before? I forget) and I actually thought it was a pretty cool route. The rock quality didn't bother me too much. I felt gear was decent in places I needed it. It's a great area and neat to climb the impressive looking peak I've always seen from Alpental when skiing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible_ted Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 Please note: The correct spelling for this peak is Mt. Thomson. The version with the 'p' is an error. Let's quit propogating the spelling error here and now. Â As long as you're pushing rocks uphill, why don't you start working on getting folks to pronounce "Goode" correctly as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinfox Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 (edited) Hey Klenke, Lambone misspelled "Thomson" in a picture he just uploaded to the gallery! Are you going to stand for that!??? GO GET HIM!!! Â edit: Jeff Smoot misspelled it in his "Climbing Washington's Mountains" too!!! Â another edit: Fred Beckey also misspelled it! You've got a lot of work to do. Â One more edit: Jim Nelson too!!?!?? It's an epidemic!! Edited June 23, 2004 by Alpinfox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 (edited) Okay, folks. Yes indeed. Whatever you say. Indubitably. They're all in error. Hey, this is how errors become propogated through histroy anyway. Â Nelson didn't do his homework. And you know Smoot never does his homework. Beckey referred to it as Thompson in his 1st Edition, 2nd Printing (1979) but added, "The peak was named for Seattle city engineer R. H. Thomson, who is apparently not remembered by a correct spelling." Note that current USGS maps have the correct spelling (as depicted in Topozone). Consider this a warning to Lampbone. Shape up or ship out. Edit: I looked at Lambone's picture. Not the same mountiain. Â The correct pronunciation for Goode is with a silent 'e' but it is often referred to in voice with a long 'e'. I say it as the latter only to make sure people know I'm referring to the mountain and not the word 'good'. I can justify my erroneous usage by saying that it is akin to nicknaming. Spelling errors in writing, as Thomson above, are more important to get right, though. Edited June 23, 2004 by klenke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squid Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 OMFG. Klenke, you're the best. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Yngve Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 As long as you're pushing rocks uphill, why don't you start working on getting folks to pronounce "Goode" correctly as well? Â It's pronounced "Good-ee," right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 As long as you're pushing rocks uphill, why don't you start working on getting folks to pronounce "Goode" correctly as well? Â Rhymes with "Gyng-vee". Â It's pronounced "Good-ee," right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpine_Tom Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 AlpineTom and I did this last summer (or was it the one before? I forget) and I actually thought it was a pretty cool route. The rock quality didn't bother me too much. I felt gear was decent in places I needed it. It's a great area and neat to climb the impressive looking peak I've always seen from Alpental when skiing. It was July 2002. I thought the rock quality was fine, and I'm pretty timid on rock. The descent was a bit dicey for me in a couple of spots, though. We passed one stuck nut on the nearly-horizontal section above what Nelson calls the "exposed slab." Â Regarding the name (everyone's got an opinon...) it seems to be that, according to Beckey's text, Thomson was the name of the guy, but Thompson is the name of the peak. There are other geographical features that are named incorrectly for people too. A couple are on the tip of my tongue, but I won't remember them until after I post this. Â Besides, as Stephen Jay Gould points out in his essay "Bully for Brontosaurus" which I was reading last night, it's just a name, it doesn't really matter all that much. In the essay, he argues pursuasively that we should be using the name Brontosaurus, and not Apatosaurus, which is the current PC name. (When you have a six-year-old boy at home, these things matter.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Stephan Jay Gould was the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimL Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Thompson is a good climb. The rock is OK, and the gear is good. Typical of an alpine climb you can't place a piece everywhere but its not like you are soloing pitches. The rock is sharp and I thought a little slick, but if anything its very compact. Note to take the Commonwealth Basin trail and gain access to the PCT in the basin. This will save a lot of time and miles switch backing up the PCT. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Note to take the Commonwealth Basin trail and gain access to the PCT in the basin. This will save a lot of time and miles switch backing up the PCT. Have fun. Â Yes, I wish I had realized this before doing the climb...it's quite a ways on the PCT otherwise... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod_Xuereb Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 I almost rode down a moveable hold going through loose crud on the east side of the summit block of Thomson. Not the recommended way. While on the subject of naming, my pet peeve is that there is no Denali peak. It is Mt. Mckinley in Denali national park. It was McKinley when I climbed it in '80 and it still is despite the political correctness of native names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Yngve Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Well, we can have a grassroots campaign where we call the peak Denali instead. The name could change eventually, just as how the English lexicon evolves over the years. Get guidebook authors to rebel and call it Denali in their books. Â Now, the key question about Denali is whether that hard route is the Czech Direct or the Slovak Direct. Â Other peeves: Â Why don't we use metrics? I'm making an effort to speak in metrics (instead of our screwy system) when in regular conversation. Â Why do we do "Month Day Year" instead of "Day Month Year" (like the Euros) or "Year Month Day" (good for sorting)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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