Is Mount Stuart Technicle?

[Josh Lewis]

I gets the feeling you've never checked out the link to his website. Two words: "Asperger's" and "teenager"

 

What gave you that idea? Well I should have listended to the Sith legend "All who had power lost it" I thought about it before going to Rainier, looks like it's becoming a reality.

[PhöQ]

toking contributes to perspective change.

 

For those who want to get together in groups and practice bio-electrical awesomeness together. Please invite anyone else who has this ability to some degree and or wants to learn.

[Buckaroo]

McDonalds is JUST as bad as Taco Bell

 

Think about Taco Bell, McDonald's and most fast food like this.

 

There's regulations on gasoline, it has to be a certain octane to be sold. The minimum octane is something like 86, premium goes up to about 92. Octane in layman's terms measures the amount of power in gasoline.

 

Think of food as gasoline for humans. Think of the nutritional value in food as the octane of that human gasoline. There are far less regulations or requirements on nutrition in fast food than there are in gasoline. In other words they can sell junk food with low "octane", and they do.

 

Junk food is the equivalent of about 15 octane gasoline. If you tried to run your car on it, it would run like crap if it ran at all. If you're trying to do high performance aerobics like climbing and biking why wouldn't you want to run your race car on premium fuel?

 

Rainier is more dangerous than other mountains in the area for several reasons. First and foremost is the altitude. Not just the peak elevation but specifically the distance from base to summit. It's a lot of elevation gain for human physiology to handle in a short time frame. When you go from sea level to 14,000' in one or two days you're pushing the limits. This applies even more so to younger people.

 

One thing you can do to minimize the effects of altitude is to acclimatize by spending a couple extra days at 5K' to 10K' before going to the summit. I've done this with great success, it's turns a death march into something more enjoyable. It's the last 2K' or so that really is the kicker, that's why Adams, Hood etc aren't near as bad.

 

Another dangerous thing about Rainier is icing. You can go up in summer on the easiest route, the Emmons and it will be nice kickstepping and styrofoam cramps in good snow conditions. You get to the top and a front comes in and hard freezes the upper 2,000' to boilerplate ice and it's hella hard to climb down.

 

Your cramps better be razor sharp and uber-secure to your boots, and your axe better be sharp and you better know how to downclimb hard ice for thousands of feet. Experienced people have been killed just because their crampons were not dialed in for hard ice.

 

Rainier creates it's own weather like this that is conducive to icing. The other volcanoes do it also, just not as bad because of the altitude.

 

If you're caught in a big storm on Rainier you better know how to dig a snow cave. It helps to practice beforehand because it's sometimes hard to find the right snow conditions, or you have to make the best of what's available. You have to know how to locate the best place to dig, how to dig, and how to keep a breathing hole.

 

I was solo on Rainier one time in winter and got stuck in a snow cave for 3 days. During storm you are up every hour clearing your breathing holes. If you don't wake up, you will go to sleep for good.

 

The first snow cave I ever made was when I was near your experience level. I was on Shuksan and got caught in a 2 day spring snow storm with just a bivy sack. I dug it with the stove pot and stayed in it for about 30 hrs.

 

People have died on the approach to Muir (not even in winter), for the single solitary reason, they did not know how and when to dig a snow cave.

 

Hydration is of primary importance, especially when you go to altitude. You need to figure out your system to keep a steady supply of water, be it iodine pills, filters or whatever. A stove to melt snow is safe from giardia, and above timberline more certain to supply water than hoping for runoff or melt. Your expected altitude should determine whether you take a filter or stove. And remember, hydrate first, then eat.

 

Try Walmart for the bike rack, that or one of the 2nd hand bike stores like 2nd Ascent in Ballard. Should be about $15.00 new or less used.

 

 

 

 

[Raindawg]

Dudes....why do you persist?

 

You're spending your precious time and wisdom on topics ranging from alpine experience to Taco Bell to a:

 

 

You musts gots more times than me!

Suckas!

 

 

 

[Frenchy]

FAP FAP FAP

[Josh Lewis]

McDonalds is JUST as bad as Taco Bell

 

Think about Taco Bell, McDonald's and most fast food like this.

 

There's regulations on gasoline, it has to be a certain octane to be sold. The minimum octane is something like 86, premium goes up to about 92. Octane in layman's terms measures the amount of power in gasoline.

 

Think of food as gasoline for humans. Think of the nutritional value in food as the octane of that human gasoline. There are far less regulations or requirements on nutrition in fast food than there are in gasoline. In other words they can sell junk food with low "octane", and they do.

 

Junk food is the equivalent of about 15 octane gasoline. If you tried to run your car on it, it would run like crap if it ran at all. If you're trying to do high performance aerobics like climbing and biking why wouldn't you want to run your race car on premium fuel?

 

Rainier is more dangerous than other mountains in the area for several reasons. First and foremost is the altitude. Not just the peak elevation but specifically the distance from base to summit. It's a lot of elevation gain for human physiology to handle in a short time frame. When you go from sea level to 14,000' in one or two days you're pushing the limits. This applies even more so to younger people.

 

One thing you can do to minimize the effects of altitude is to acclimatize by spending a couple extra days at 5K' to 10K' before going to the summit. I've done this with great success, it's turns a death march into something more enjoyable. It's the last 2K' or so that really is the kicker, that's why Adams, Hood etc aren't near as bad.

 

Another dangerous thing about Rainier is icing. You can go up in summer on the easiest route, the Emmons and it will be nice kickstepping and styrofoam cramps in good snow conditions. You get to the top and a front comes in and hard freezes the upper 2,000' to boilerplate ice and it's hella hard to climb down.

 

Your cramps better be razor sharp and uber-secure to your boots, and your axe better be sharp and you better know how to downclimb hard ice for thousands of feet. Experienced people have been killed just because their crampons were not dialed in for hard ice.

 

Rainier creates it's own weather like this that is conducive to icing. The other volcanoes do it also, just not as bad because of the altitude.

 

If you're caught in a big storm on Rainier you better know how to dig a snow cave. It helps to practice beforehand because it's sometimes hard to find the right snow conditions, or you have to make the best of what's available. You have to know how to locate the best place to dig, how to dig, and how to keep a breathing hole.

 

I was solo on Rainier one time in winter and got stuck in a snow cave for 3 days. During storm you are up every hour clearing your breathing holes. If you don't wake up, you will go to sleep for good.

 

The first snow cave I ever made was when I was near your experience level. I was on Shuksan and got caught in a 2 day spring snow storm with just a bivy sack. I dug it with the stove pot and stayed in it for about 30 hrs.

 

People have died on the approach to Muir (not even in winter), for the single solitary reason, they did not know how and when to dig a snow cave.

 

Hydration is of primary importance, especially when you go to altitude. You need to figure out your system to keep a steady supply of water, be it iodine pills, filters or whatever. A stove to melt snow is safe from giardia, and above timberline more certain to supply water than hoping for runoff or melt. Your expected altitude should determine whether you take a filter or stove. And remember, hydrate first, then eat.

 

Try Walmart for the bike rack, that or one of the 2nd hand bike stores like 2nd Ascent in Ballard. Should be about $15.00 new or less used.

 

 

 

 

Thanks! Now this is some inspiring information! Very much appreciated! I'll have to keep this in mind. I don't usually eat fast food before a hike or whatever, but with the whole bike ride, I was in a hurry, and was looking for fast and cheap food which would have enough calories to keep me going. For me altitude would be my biggest of the worries, I have a wee bit of asma which I have been running for years, and hiking and doing what I can to over come it. I run to the point were I fall over after runs and cannot get up for a while. Sometimes same with hiking, it's sometimes a stuggle, but gets me strong. But I know, don't do that on the bigger stuff. Weather is another main concern, not only does the mountain create it's own weather, but even more worrysome is how easy it picks up drifting clouds.

 

As for you beeing stuck in a snow cave, that's crazy! Also sounds scary, Rainier in winter..... that's hard core! I am very glad you made it out of that ok. Going to Camp Muir, I know that even going there can be dangerous, I've had it be a clear day, a while later it looked like this:

 

My Crampons are a good pair, I have had to kick steps down steep stuff before, and I will say, it's a bit of a nervous feeling you get when it's hard snow, when it's soft, a whole lot easier.

 

As for hydration, I very much know from experience that it is important. I think a stove would work best, if your at Camp Muir, and there's just snow and ice around, and hardly if any running water, might as well melt the snow, although a water filter would probably be lighter and easier, but might be hard to locate melting water. As for the bike rack idea, I'll have to keep that in mind. Very much appreciated! Cheers Josh Lewis.

[mvs]

I wish we had something like a clubhouse, then Josh and Mark could come over and hassle us while we are trying to sharpen crampons or something. Josh wouldn't have to learn that whole thing about sleeping on snow without a pad on his own. Or if he still did, he'd come in and tell the story and it'd be a laff riot. Then I'd buy him a coke and he'd help me seam seal a tent. Then Wayne comes in with pictures fresh from Mongo Ridge. "Hey, look!!" "Cool!"

 

Man, that would be a great summer...

[Josh Lewis]

Well, there's a little problem... checked your SP profile... http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php?user_id=547

You live all the way in Germany... btw I checked SP because I think I've seen it one time before so I remembered the name and it rang a bell. Well, I think a really cool club house are the one's on top of a mountain.

[mvs]

Haha! Yeah, well I used to live in the PNW, and I miss the get-togethers for slide shows and stuff. But really, I think it'd be great if you had more face to face interaction with people. So whose gonna set up the CC.com clubhouse next to the sweet Renton granite?

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Well, there's a little problem... checked your SP profile... http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php?user_id=547

You live all the way in Germany... btw I checked SP because I think I've seen it one time before so I remembered the name and it rang a bell. Well, I think a really cool club house are the one's on top of a mountain.

 

so, how did Stuart go?

[Josh Lewis]

I did not go to Stuart yet.... I don't have an experienced partner for this one.

[Braydon]

I did not go to Stuart yet.... I don't have an experienced partner for this one.

 

you can solo cascadian

[Frenchy]

Let your technicles drop? Sofa king? Bart simpson facial?

 

Baaaaaaahahahahah.

[Josh Lewis]

 

you can solo cascadian

I hear I should not solo it....

[sobo]

It would seem that similar advice has not stopped you in the past. Just sayin'...

[marc_leclerc]

Josh... if you can get yourself to Canada you can tag along on ONE of my trips.... you might learn something, or die... not sure which one.

[Bug]

 

you can solo cascadian

I hear I should not solo it....

I applaud your listening to advice.

How about going up to the Encantments and climbing Little Annapurna?

Then MAYBE the back side of Dragontail with an ice ax.

Do NOT be tempted by the Colchuck Glacier. It will likely be icey and unforgiving. Go up the left side of Asgard Pass.

Post a TR.

[Josh Lewis]

I'm experienced with an ice axe. Little Annaperna is on my to do list.

[Josh Lewis]

Josh... if you can get yourself to Canada you can tag along on ONE of my trips.... you might learn something, or die... not sure which one.

 

Hmmm..... I'm interested some day. Die? Remember what I said, I don't die so easily, what kind of crazy place would you take me up?

[Ponderosa]

Dying is as easy as breathing.

[marc_leclerc]

Josh... if you can get yourself to Canada you can tag along on ONE of my trips.... you might learn something, or die... not sure which one.

 

Hmmm..... I'm interested some day. Die? Remember what I said, I don't die so easily, what kind of crazy place would you take me up?

 

Joking about the dying thing, I would just bring you somewhere easy... maybe a scramble (no glacier travel) with a couple low 5th class pitches that I could tie you onto a rope for. A non-technical descent would be ideal, perhaps the West Ridge of Mt Rexford would be good. Also, there wouldn't be liability problems as I am also a minor

[Choada_Boy]

Sounds awesome!

[Pilchuck71]

way easier.

[Josh Lewis]

If Mark came as well... that would be even better! He is experienced and is slightly younger than me. That way if any ropes are used, we have another guy. Now I just need a pass port and a ride to Canada.

[olyclimber]

I've got a fast car! Have you got a ticket to anywhere?