trip advice

[hbrogers]

deal goes off tomorrow. any suggestions?

[hbrogers]

i have about finished with the gear purchases. just needing some help on general plans for the trip such as airport and places to camp. my friend and i have made plans to climb eldorado peak with someone and then plan to climb mt. adams ourselves. i am wondering what the weather is typically like in mid june for those climbs. tips on where to camp and logistics for the trip would be greatly appreciated. so if anyone is good at planning trips send me a pm. also, what is the best way to get all of our gear out there?

[mattp]

June is typically unstable. Last year it started out with REALLY bad weather and then a lot of folks climbed high alpine routes, even rock routes, later in the month. This was rather unusual.

 

You should be prepared with an alternate plan that does not include alpine mountaineering.

 

If you fly out here and find yourself with some time in Seattle, might you be interested in hiking on the Olympic coast, perhaps? Even if it is rainy you can still enjoy the sea-stacks and the seafood that can be harvested from the tidepools. Are you interested in Seattle tourist sites, or Vancouver B.C.? Rock climbing in the eastern Washington desert?

 

Camping on the Cascade River Road (leading to Eldorado) will probably be had at the Mineral Park campground. The campground on the way to Mount Adams' south side may well not be open yet (Morrison Springs). I've had good luck just driving up a forest road and looking for a place to park, though.

 

 

[hbrogers]

oh damn, that's not good. what date range would you recommend for the trip? i'll be pissed if i get out there and can't climb. when you say bad weather what do you mean?

[hbrogers]

not an experienced rock climber either. good bouldering around with nice camping?

[Dave A.]

Poor weather can hit any time, June can be very nice. Stick with your plan until you see what the weather forecast is. If the weather looks iffy as your time approaches start looking at something on the eastside. Mt. Maude or something else up the Chiwawa drainage, maybe something up the Entiat River.

[hbrogers]

or those similar climbs to mt. adams and eldorado? would we be able to do those ourselves or need to get the guy that was going to take us up eldorado?

[medicsandy]

We did Adams the second week in July. The access road to the trail head had just opened a week before. Thats where you would probably have trouble earlier...access roads not open. Google climbing Mt. Adams, WA. You'll find phone numbers and info you need for permits, road access, etc. If not, pm me and I'll send it your way.

Happy Climbing!

[hbrogers]

i take it, long hike in if road is closed. i'll def. hit you up medic when time gets a little closer to make sure my info matches up with your adams info. what about the gear?

[hbrogers]

ok, im starting to rethink climbing mt. adams after we climb eldorado peak due to distance between the two and us having a rental car. any suggestions for similar climb in the north cascades or somewhere else that would be close?

[mattp]

Shuksan and Silver Star Mountain are two high peaks with easy routes to the summit that include a bit of glacier travel. Responding to your earlier question I'd suggest that if it was me and I was taking time off from work and buying airplane tickets and such I'd probably want to increase my odds of success by going late July or early August instead of June.

[builder206]

This thread reminds me of growing up in Dallas reading Haston & Bonington, trying to imagine what it was like, age 15-16 taking a a Greyhound to southern Colorado to walk up some of the 13ers, no farking idea what I should carry or not carry, how far I could get in a day etc.

 

I need to remind myself how lucky I am to live here & how much I owe the people who I have climbed with.

[hbrogers]

Would Shuksan and Silver Star be doable for two newbies and only experience we will have gotten from the guy taking us up Eldorado a few days beforehand and what we have read?

[DPS]

Silver Star and Shuksan both require scrambles up their summit pyramids, something the standard route on Eldo doesn't have. While the climbing is not difficult, if one has never rock climbed before it may be a little intimidating.

[hbrogers]

ok thanks DPS. you have any suggestions?

[RaisedByPikas]

+1 for changing your plans to mid July, much better chance of good weather.

 

A "lesser" objective with A+ views is Trappers peak in the north cascades. It requires a little bit of scrambling but nothing too intimidating except for maybe a 15' section of ridgeline with a few hundred feet of steep rock on both sides. Its super easy to get across though.

 

Also look at Ruth Mountain near Mt. Shuksan. Awesome campsites and Probably the best view of Mt. Shuksan. Can also be done as a day hike.

Edited March 8, 2011 by RaisedByPikas

[Highlander]

If your still looking for a guide service, check out Kaf Adventures http://www.kafadventures.com/. Mick Pearson runs it, and is a great guy who is into teaching skills and not just dragging you up a peak.

[hbrogers]

yeah a guide service would be helpful but pretty much all of my money has gone to gear and the trip in general. i really do appreciate all the advice because without it i wouldn't have a slight clue of what to do

[KirkW]

yeah a guide service would be helpful but pretty much all of my money has gone to gear and the trip in general. i really do appreciate all the advice because without it i wouldn't have a slight clue of what to do

 

So not trying to flame you here but maybe this is an indicator that you are getting yourself in over your head? If you don't have a clue and have to ask 5 pages of questions about climbing mount Adams, Baker or any of the other easier volcanoes then I might suggest picking a little different adventure for this trip. No Adams or Baker isn't really that difficult but it's pretty obvious at this point that it's a little more than you are prepared for.

 

Climbing cannot be learned off the internet. You have to go out and do it. Mother nature doesn't give a shit about what kind of pack you have or what boots are on your feet. The single best resource you can bring with you is a calm rational outlook and a willingness to let the experience be what it is and not what you've made it out to be in your head.

 

I think some of the people on this board are setting you up for a major disappointment when you actually get out here and find out what climbing volcanoes is all about. Several of the people offering you advice seem to really get off on giving free advice to noobs over the internet.Remember that free advice is worth exactly as much as you paid for it. It's fun to help new people get into the sport, but alot of the advice they are giving you is based on a boatload of assumptions that they are making about you. Nowhere in this thread has anyone asked you about your back ground or your skill set. I would NEVER suggest to a total noober from out of the area that trying to climb Baker in a day without a competent skilled partner or guide is a good idea. That's just fucking ridiculous! I must also disagree with the idea that Hood is a great "first" volcano for a complete noober from out of state. That might be the dumbest thing I've ever seen posted on this site. It is NOT a walkup as many would have you believe. It's not hard but just google "hood accident" and see what you find.

 

Sorry to be a grouchy asshole but this thread made me cringe when I read it. Whatever you decide to do I hope it goes well and you have some fun!

[JeffreyR]

I must also disagree with the idea that Hood is a great "first" volcano for a complete noober from out of state. That might be the dumbest thing I've ever seen posted on this site. It is NOT a walkup as many would have you believe. It's not hard but just google "hood accident" and see what you find.

 

This is a very good point. I think most people underestimate the dangers of this "walkup".

[DPS]

So not trying to flame you here but maybe this is an indicator that you are getting yourself in over your head? If you don't have a clue and have to ask 5 pages of questions about climbing mount Adams, Baker or any of the other easier volcanoes then I might suggest picking a little different adventure for this trip. No Adams or Baker isn't really that difficult but it's pretty obvious at this point that it's a little more than you are prepared for.

 

Climbing cannot be learned off the internet. You have to go out and do it. Mother nature doesn't give a shit about what kind of pack you have or what boots are on your feet. The single best resource you can bring with you is a calm rational outlook and a willingness to let the experience be what it is and not what you've made it out to be in your head.

 

I think some of the people on this board are setting you up for a major disappointment when you actually get out here and find out what climbing volcanoes is all about. Several of the people offering you advice seem to really get off on giving free advice to noobs over the internet.Remember that free advice is worth exactly as much as you paid for it. It's fun to help new people get into the sport, but alot of the advice they are giving you is based on a boatload of assumptions that they are making about you. Nowhere in this thread has anyone asked you about your back ground or your skill set. I would NEVER suggest to a total noober from out of the area that trying to climb Baker in a day without a competent skilled partner or guide is a good idea. That's just fucking ridiculous! I must also disagree with the idea that Hood is a great "first" volcano for a complete noober from out of state. That might be the dumbest thing I've ever seen posted on this site. It is NOT a walkup as many would have you believe. It's not hard but just google "hood accident" and see what you find.

 

Sorry to be a grouchy asshole but this thread made me cringe when I read it. Whatever you decide to do I hope it goes well and you have some fun!

 

Blah, blah, blah.

[Alex]

Several of the people offering you advice seem to really get off on giving free advice to noobs over the internet.

 

The irony is staggering.

[KirkW]

Several of the people offering you advice seem to really get off on giving free advice to noobs over the internet.

 

The irony is staggering.

 

 

So I'll take that to mean you stand by your previous suggestion that someone from the flatlands with no mountaineering experience should try to do Baker or Adams in a day?

 

 

 

[DPS]

Several of the people offering you advice seem to really get off on giving free advice to noobs over the internet.

 

The irony is staggering.

 

 

So I'll take that to mean you stand by your previous suggestion that someone from the flatlands with no mountaineering experience should try to do Baker or Adams in a day?

 

 

Mt Baker was my first real mountain. I climbed it with a friend. Our collective experience climbing glaciated peaks consisted of reading Freedom of the Hills. We did it in a day. I was 50 pounds overweight at the time. I think it was a reasonable thing to do. I know Gene, Alex, and Rob well, and I have a lot of respect for what they say.

Edited March 13, 2011 by DPS

[curtveld]

Um…yeah, I too got up and enjoyed some mountains I was not really technically prepared for. And that was after a Cascades apprenticeship of skiing, backpacking and ‘Parks and Rec’ climbs.

 

I’ve also recommended an ‘easy’ climb to a friend that just about got himself killed.

 

Bottom line is veterans on this board need to be careful about making assumptions about the capabilities of who they’re advising. Even a ‘non-technical’ climb takes basic abilities they might take for granted:

- Knowing what to wear and what to (and not to) carry,

- Knowing how to interpret a mountain weather forecast and track conditions during the climb,

- How to self-arrest and be prepared for crevasse rescue,

- Having a good aerobic fitness,

- And most importantly, knowing when to turn around.

 

Sure, the school of hard knocks and books can teach you a lot, but there are safer ways to learn too, including guides, classes and starting out with less serious mountain activities.

 

So be careful with the advice and consider your options, HB. Good luck