Best of TRs on CC.Com

[sobo]

Check to make sure you don't have any foreign objects in your equipment...

 

 

Oh, and

[pc313]

I don't see any furr bags!!

[syudla]

My first TR would be better if I were allowed to edit.

 

I like my last TR.

[Buckaroo]

Colin, Mark, and Wayne's, Southern Pickets Traverse

 

Josh and Wayne, Northern Picket Traverse

 

Colin, Fast N Face of Robson Solo

 

Wayne's Mongo Ridge

[ivan]

to be truly the best of tr's, you must first master the fine art of balancing blatant crassness w/ hyperbolic horseshit

 

either that or take some decent fucking pictures

 

shots of chicks doing handstands on the summit is another certain path to sucess

[G-spotter]

My eye's are bad

 

more than just your eyes

[Sol]

some from my watched topics:

 

Good girth pillar beta here

 

No tr, but good TC beta

 

Index Traverse in Winter

 

Stuart N Ridge in Winter

 

FWA of NE Ridge of Triumph

 

Bertulius Route on Nooksack Tower

 

Dragonscar

 

Winter sickness on Chiwawa

 

Kearney route on Colfax

 

Poltergeist Pinnacle in the Pickets

 

East Pillar of Slesse

 

Navigator Wall on Slesse

 

North Rib of Slesse

 

Darin's Pasayten Trip Part 1

 

Part 2

 

Megalodon Ridge on Goode

 

Dissapearing Floor on Mt. Hardy

[Choada_Boy]

Another Sleese TR

[Dechristo]

Another Sleese TR

 

Is the link safe for work?

[Sol]

First ascent bump.

 

Sherpa Peak, Rilikpa

 

Mount Sloan, South Central

 

Lemolo Peak, After Hours

 

Sloan Peak, SE Ridge

 

Distal Phalanx, North Arete

 

Baron Spire, Royalty Ridge

 

Silverhorn, Playin Not Sprayin

 

CBR, The Tempest Wall

 

Baron Spire, Lawdogs Lament

 

 

[olyclimber]

Definitely been a great summer in the Cascades!

[powderhound]

Definitely been a great summer in the Cascades!

 

 

......and the toofs

[wayne]

Fully accepting (and appreciating) the hijacking from the almighty, I have pressed on to make the start of a new web page devoted to cataloging newer or underexposed routes from the internet age. Here it is so far Great New Routes-Waynessite . There are much more to add as I have time and as you present them . It could be a great page to enjoy and resource, Hope you enjoy and further contribute, Wayne

[David Trippett]

Fully accepting (and appreciating) the hijacking from the almighty, I have pressed on to make the start of a new web page devoted to cataloging newer or underexposed routes from the internet age. Here it is so far Great New Routes-Waynessite . There are much more to add as I have time and as you present them . It could be a great page to enjoy and resource, Hope you enjoy and further contribute, Wayne

 

the distal phalanx link goes to the wrong page

[pope]

Aspirants Take Notes

[Raindawg]

Thanks, pope...that was a fine and worthy climb, and for them's that not be so savvy with the innernet, here it be: And for those who whine that we never post trip reports, here one be:

 

Climb: Tumtum Peak, Mt. Rainier National Park, 4678ft.-North Ridge

 

Date of Climb: 9/2/2006

 

Trip Report:

Anyone who has been up to Paradise or higher reaches above on the south side of Mt. Rainier (a.k.a. “Raindawg”), and has taken the trouble to gaze west, will have no doubt admired a tall, striking conical peak off in the distance. It looks kind of like Mt. Fuji, except not as big and it’s green, but apart from that, it looks kind of like Mt. Fuji, you might say. The peak is known as “Tumtum”, an onomonopedic word in Chinook jargon for the beating of one’s heart; the effect it probably had on the native population when they admired its beautiful yet intimidating flanks. “Tumtum” is rarely climbed, but on Saturday, 2 September in the year 2000 and 6, me and my buddy Dwayner set out to scale this mighty mountain via its menacing north ridge.

 

The starting point was the Kautz Creek parking area just a few miles within the Park boundary. (A cute and cheerful rangerette at the Park Entrance examined Dwayner’s annual Raindawg admissions pass and nodded her approval. “No, thank you”, we would soon reply…”we don’t need the complimentary maps….we know the roads like it’s our own neighborhood and we’re here to climb something that isn’t on your tourist-oriented brochure: Tumtum Peak.” “You guys aren’t….no you couldn’t be……Dwayner ‘n pope?”, she asked with a teasing blush. “That’s entirely too correct!”, I replied. She quickly wrote down a phone number on a small slip of paper and asked us to call her in Ashford on our way home. “Enough of the jibba-jabba!”, yelled Dwayner, “we’s gots a peak to climb!” Dwayner grabbed the phone number, wadded it up and threw it in the back seat, where it landed in a pile of dozens of others. “Focus, now, pope…focus!” he admonished as we left the entrance booth. A glimpse in the rear view mirror revealed our little rangerette leaning out her window and giving a tiny little wave as we sped away for bigger things to climb. I could read her lips: “please, please be careful, my men”.

 

As I sorted through my gear at Kautz Creek, Dwayner put “Funkytown” in the CD Player and proceeded to do The Robot in the parking lot. It only took a few moments before I, too, was seduced by this infectious music and joined him for a heartily recommended warm-up. (Note to Jens: warm-ups such as The Robot might assist in reducing climbing injuries.)

 

Gotta make a move to a

Town that's right for me

Town to keep me movin'

Keep me groovin' with some energy

 

Well, I talk about it

Talk about it

Talk about it

Talk about it

Talk about, Talk about

Talk about movin

 

Gotta move on

Gotta move on

Gotta move on

 

Won't you take me to

Funkytown!

 

In each of our lives, we have our own “Funkytown”. Funkytown, in this particular case, would be no other than Tumtum Peak!

 

Armed with a map, compass and GPS, we headed up the Kautz Creek trail full of anticipation as the giant west face of our target loomed to our left. Crossing the creek involved a trek across a log bridge over rushing brown waters to the trail that continued up along Tumtum itself. Having plotted GPS coordinates based on a topo map, it would be necessary to hike to around the 3200 ft. level and then begin a lateral, ascending cross-country trek to find a broad notch that would takes us to the summit slopes. Being new to the GPS, it was interesting to find that it proved utterly useless in the thick, tall old growth forest, although for whatever reason, the altimeter on the devise seemed to function. “Old growth forest”, we yelled enthusiastically, “right on! Woo-hoo!” as we gave each other several rounds of high-fives. A couple of female hikers on the trail approached us to ask us if everything was O.K. “Old growth forest!”, we yelled again and as if by instinct, they knew exactly what to do. Several more rounds of high-fives ensued and then they parted company; they: heading up the trail to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground, and we: heading off the trail to find the north ridge of Tumtum. As the hikers left, I noticed that they had dropped what appeared to be a gum wrapper. Indeed it was, but this was no ordinary gum wrapper….it was a gum wrapper with a phone number! “Put it with the rest and let’s keep moving!” demanded Dwayner, as I shoved it in my bulging back pocket.

 

The upward traverse to the southwest was quite steep and eventually we reached a kind of ridge top but not the saddle the map showed. The GPS continued to provide us elevations so we kept hiking up this ridge until we reached an even broader saddle. This was it: the staging point for the higher reaches. With thickly wooded slopes, it was difficult to see the giant summit pyramid through the trees, so we worked on the assumption that continuing uphill would eventually bring us to the top. It did, but not without the necessity of noting oddly-shaped trees and mossy rock formations for navigational landmarks. We would need them because, you see, it is one thing to climb UP Tumtum Peak, and it is quite another to descend its generally homogenous slopes to find oneself back on the trail, epic-free. No doubt there are piles of bones to be found along the slopes of Tumtum, the remains of thousands of years of summit aspirants, some who may have actually survived the trip to the top, only to become perilously lost on the descent. Dwayner and I discussed this on one of our brief water breaks. “Hats off to those mighty pioneers!” we agreed as we removed our hats and engaged in a brief solemn moment of silence in their memory. Yes, there are many ghosts on Tumtum Peak, and that beating heart you hear tum-tumming in your ears might not be from exertion, but may instead be wandering spirits warning one to take heed, lest one join their company.

 

The final slopes of Tumtum are steep, slick with pine needles and fallen debris and relentless. Gradually, we spied a glimmer of light that seemed to taper off…”Ahoy!”, I loudly declared, “the summit must be near!” The once broad slope now tapered to a point and a cliff appeared to the east. Soon the sides dropped off on all sides. We turned on the GPS and with a clear sky above, the expensive gadget finally worked and confirmed for us what we already knew…we had reached the summit! Tears welled up in each of our eyes. Dwayner will never admit it, but he turned away and put on his sunglasses. Overcome with emotion, his only response to me was “Change your Pampers, you big baby!” I would have at least appreciated a big alpine hug but I understood his position: save that cryin’ strength for the descent, and should we become lost, those tears might have been better spent on water rationing.

 

We dangled our feet over the edge of a cliff and I whipped out some sardines in mustard sauce and some kippered herring. Dwayner had a can of those li’l Vienna sausages. They never taste good at sea level, but here, several thousand feet above the floor and with fresh air floating everywhere, canned fish and processed meat taste like hor d’oeuvres straight from the kitchen of Mr. Wolfgang Puck himself!

 

Wolfgang Puck: "Taste this!"

 

By the way, there is something very special about the summit of Tumtum Peak. I will not share this with you. Those who have been there will know. The knowledge of this phenomenon will remain a secret and will separate those who have climbed the peak from the many wannabe’s, faux-contenders and poseurs. This is something you will have to discover on your own. I must admit that I did not believe Dwayner when he first told me about this; something he had heard from a friend. Who could image such an experience!

 

The descent involved steady footwork and our trekking poles prevented many a long tumble. The landmarks observed on the way up guided us to the saddle, but from there it was all by compass. Dwayner says he knows a guy who claimed to have climbed Tumtum in the winter. Its long steep slopes would be quite arduous on snowshoes but the descent would be greatly simplified by being able to follow one’s own tracks in the snow back to the trail. The compass along with the altimeter did the job and we reached the trail not far from where we had left it earlier that day. Dwayner and I sat on a log and had more snacks. We didn’t need to say a thing. We just sat there with wide grins across our faces that could only mean one thing: we had climbed Tumtum Peak!

 

The hike back to the cars was uneventful and we headed out of the Park to Ashford to celebrate with some cold ones at the giant Whittaker climbing complex. A buxom bar-maid ran up to our car. “Are you the guys who just climbed Tumtum?”she asked with excitement in her voice. “Everyone is talking about it!” They must have been tipped off by the rangerette. Dwayner stared at his feet but I would not feign such modesty. “Why yes, miss, that would be us”, I said with my thumbs placed through my front belt loops. She squealed at the news. “Come to the bar!”, she insisted, pulling both of us by the arms. “Big Lou says ‘water those boys down with what they’re having”, she informed us, and we did. The beer selection wasn’t bad and as we relaxed with our drinks, van after van arrived to unload their cargo of RMI-guided summit climbers. Many appeared haggard and worn-out but nonetheless straggled over to our table to congratulate us. A small child came up to us and asked for our autographs. Now while Dwayner might be used to this, I am not. “Would you like it in print or cursive?”, I asked the young man. Dwayner snatched the paper and pen out of my hand. He quickly scrawled the words, “I am a Jack-Donkey” and handed it to the boy. “Now go find your parents!” he ordered as the kid ran away.

 

I could go on and on about the events of the rest of that triumphant day: the doughnuts, the spicy chicken wings, the girl who sat on an inverted barstool and spun….but it would only pale in comparison to our big mountain adventure. As we approached Tacoma, Dwayner and I summarized the whole experience by agreeing that the world can really be simply divided into two kinds of people: those who have climbed Tumtum Peak, and those who wish they had climbed Tumtum Peak. Indeed it is a rare and humble privilege to belong to the few in the former category.

 

 

Gear Notes:

Camelbacks

Trekking Poles

Map and Compass

Useless GPS

Canned Fish

Li’l Vienna Sausages

Nerves of Steel

Great Will to Succeed

 

 

Approach Notes:

Look at a topo map. Trail and then cross-country.

 

[olyclimber]

Thanks for your contribution Raindawg and Pope! Somehow I suspected your favorite TR would be your own.

 

Note to all: Do not turn this thread into the usual wankfest that seems to be associated with Dawg and Pope's contributions on these forums. The topic is clearly stated in the title, and its not best pissing contests on CC.com.

 

Thanks!

[EWolfe]

Bin Moderated

[billcoe]

Thanks for your contribution Raindawg and Pope! Somehow I suspected your favorite TR would be your own.

 

Note to all: Do not turn this thread into the usual wankfest that seems to be associated with Dawg and Pope's contributions on these forums. The topic is clearly stated in the title, and its not best pissing contests on CC.com.

 

Thanks!

 

 

I was thinking the same thing after I read your first paragraph.

[olyclimber]

Bump. Any new ones to add in the past couple years?

[olyclimber]

I'll go ahead and add all of Steph Abeggs TRs, definitely has become a resource for climbing in the PNW and beyond...and in some of the coolest areas. One of my favorites was her TR of the Valhallas in the Olys, see her first TR she posted on page two of her reports.

 

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/tripreports/fromsearch/1/user_name/Steph_Abegg

[olyclimber]

Another person who has made a huge contribution here and other sites is Klenke. I don't see him much on here anymore so he must have climbed every peak there is...probably moved on to golfing.

 

Klenke's TRs:

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/tripreports/fromsearch/1/user_name/klenke

[bellows]

Any trip report from Marc-Andre. Reading his winter solo of Slesse then following it up with his first TR of Cheam Peak is mind blowing:

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1137036

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=800493

 

I also really like Josh Lewis's trip reports. He tells good stories and his youthful enthusiasm is inspiring.

 

JasonG's trip reports for pictures of places I need to add to my ever expanding list.

[DPS]

25 years ago a partner of mine said 'when these kids who are raised in climbing gyms hit the mountains, they will completely blow up the standards'. I told him it would never happen. Marc is proof how wrong I was and how prescient my partner was.