Nisqually Icecliff

The weather was pretty much perfect on the upper mountain last Thrusday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Clear, cold, and calm. As the attached images will show, the Nisqually Basin routes (Icefall, Cleaver, Icecliff and Chute) all looked pretty good.

Nisqually Icecliff, on Saturday a solo climber successfully climbed the route. This marked the first summit for Mount Rainier in 2006, and a rather significant achievement for the climber, Hannah Carrigan.

Carrigan, headed out towards the Nisqually Basin around dawn, considering both the Icecliff or the Cleaver route. The Cleaver was tempting, but looked thin and icy (particularly near the high traverse up on the Cleaver itself.) The Icecliff also looked hard and thin in places, but doable considering the winter snowload. In the end, she opted for the Icecliff.

Carrigan reported firm snow and ice for much of the route. There were a number of difficult problems to negotiate. One section of the icecliff required commitment to both ice tools while traversing and climbing. Getting across the Bergshrund at the base of the cliff also required technical climbing. One notable comment was that slots, crevasses, and steep sections viewed from below, grew substantially in size once on scene.

After passing the technical secions in the Icecliff, Carrigan then ascended the upper Nisqually Glaciers to the crater rim and Columbia Crest. She reported a number of open crevasses on the upper Nisqually and Ingraham glaciers. Despite the deep snowpack below 10K, there still seems to be some gapping crevasses up high.

Carrigan descended the Gibraltar Ledges back to Camp Muir. An excellent solo journey on a big mountain in the winter, Good Job Hannah!

Gibraltar Ledges, a few climbers have reported STELLAR conditions on this classic Rainier winter route. They stated that the route has more snow and ice than normal. The traverse along the ledge, and chute were particular hard and icy. This makes for excellent climbing, but also increases the difficulty. Climbers should bring pickets AND a few ice screws.

Ingraham Direct, there is some ice going through Cathedral Gap, but nothing too daunting. Once past the Flats, climbers have been ascending the right side of the glacier up to the top the Disappointment Cleaver. Though no teams have summited this route, it looks as though the route does go.

Laughton - Gumley - S. Westerby -Saddington - Mowsley - Laughton

Barry led. With Gordon, Maureen, Eddie. 9.4 miles. Misty, not too cold. 49 stiles.







A pause while we regroup, just after Debdale Grange . . .









The Grand Union Canal







you can just make out Saddington Reservoir from the churchyard.







Eddie breaks the 'world record' as he climbs the 30th stile of the walk.







Applause as a new record is set - it now stands at 49!











We can climb stiles as well.











the sun almost came out.





There are not many recognisable views here. The mist lifted a bit as we left Laughton.

More Rodeo

Bareback bronc riding, my one photo of the team roping, and barrel racing.

Bear Creek Mountain

A bunch of us decided to get out of town and try something new, so we headed for Bear Creek Mountain. The first 3 miles are fairly flat and feature several meadows.


Most of the elevation gain is at the end of the hike. Some pikas kept running around and whistling in this rocky area.



The kids enjoyed themselves in a large deposit of Mt. Saint Helens ash that we found on the way up.


Dahlia, Lily, Bill, Daisy, Danielle, Jennifer, Doug, Tania, Tina, Bethany and Dreamer, the dog, on top. Our view was limited, since we were in a cloud. It was nice to get out, see some new sights and spend the day in a place where the high was only 60 degrees!

"Queensland - The Steep State" The Crux Magazine story

Featuring the Phil Box photo that went to number one in the U.S. for 3 months on rockclimbing.com

Click on the story to enlarge and read.





The Rock! mag story







Poster that appeared in Crux 4



Photo: Neil Montieth





"Call of Duty" 28 Coolum Cave The very long and very steep "Call of Duty" is an extension of the original Gareth Llewellyn line "Weapon of Choice".





Photo: Antoine Mousette

More on Shells....

I am likely the last person to test shell garments. I admittedly don't use shell garmentsin my own climbing very often. More likely something I would use skiing on the lifts or in the back country or for intentionally stripped down quick ascents in winter.



The biggest reason I don't use shells climbing generally is I intentionally try to climb in good weather. If that isn't possible I prefer cold weather where the moisture that I do see is snow and not rain.

If nothing else this mostly miserabletrip reminded me of the importance,"stay dry to stay warm".



Doug climbing in the Mountain Hardware DRYSTEIN and a NWAlpine hoody





So as I sat on a picnic table on day one of the "shell shoot out" and the rainconstant and seemingly never endingyou can imagine my excitement to get this demo over with. If it weren't for the amount of planning by all involved andtwo of my climbing partners willing totake the time to help me out it wouldn't have gotten done. A hearty thanks to all!



To do this test and get as much feed back as possible we sorted out base layers and pants so that all of use were using a similar set up.



Top and bottom base Layers were Cabela's E.C.W.C.SThermal Zone Polartec Power Dry built of three different Polartec fabrics.



Next up were the excellent soft shell climbing pants and lwt pile Hoodies from NWAlpine.



We had60g Primaloft andCorelofthoodies along one each fromArcteryx, the Atom Lt,from RAB, the Xenon and from Brooks Range CirroHoody.



Expecting to eventually be high on Rainier we also brought RAB Infinitydown jackets. They were intentionally part of Doug's and my sleeping system as were using the Feathered Friends Vireo. I got a chuckle when we all climbed into the tent the second night. Weand all the gear were wetand the temps were dropping. Lee pulled on his Infinityand snuggled up in a F.F's Swallow.



I'll be doing follow up blogs on all the gear I mentioned above.



For the shells? It became obviouson day one that some of the newestsoft shell technologyI hadwanted to testfor breathability againstthe neweststretch water proofgear wasn't going to happen.



It was simply too wet. Too much rain, with a measured 2" on day one and we had yet to leave the parking lot. Other hard shells I wanted to take didn't show up in time. So we'll have to do the shell test again I suspect. And a serious look at soft shells isobvious one as well.



The soft shell topsstayed in the truck on this one and rightfully so to be fair.







Here are the jackets we did take in:



Outdoor Reasearch's Axiom jacket cut from a stretch water proof breathable version of *Gore-Tex’s Active Shell* 13.7oz Large



Westcomb's APOC jacket cut from Polartec's stretch waterproof breathable *NeoShell* 17.4oz XL



Marmot's HYPER jacket cut from stretch waterproof breathable technology, *MemBrain® Strata 100% Nylon Stretch* 13.4oz XL



Mountain Hardware's DRYSTEIN jacket cut from their stretch, water proof, breathable *Dry Q Elite* 18.7 oz XL



RAB's Neo Stretch Jacket cut from Polartec's stretch waterproof breathable *NeoShell* and 18.6oz XL



Day one. Short day just getting organized and trying to figure out the weather window on Rainier. We finally gave up on that and just decided to test gear and if possible get a little climbing in on a tiny bit of snow and ice on Observation Rock if we could stay dry and motivated through the weekend. All of us just picked out what ever garments we thought appropriate that day for setting up the big "base camp" style tent, and dinner.



Doug and Igravitated to the RAB Infinitydown jackets. Lee had brought his own Goretex down jacket. Even in the rain all three were cozy setting up our "base camp", sorting gear and getting organized. The RAB InfinityisPertex® Quantum 10D ultra lightand was never intended to be a rain jacket.



But in this case it worked much better than expected. From this experience the RAB Infinity Endurance is the next down jacket I'll own.



More here on Pertex:



http://www.pertex.com/



I had thought we all would have jumped on the 60g synthetics right away. I knew better and still went for the down. More on that later.



Doug grabbed the Mountain Hardware DRYSTEIN. Lee theOutdoor Reasearch AXIOM. And me, having first dibs out of the bunch had already grabbed the Marmot HYPER.



As much as I like the Hyper after the first 4 hours in the rain on day two I have to confess it is not in the same league as the other three fabrics we used. With ice water running down my shoulder blades I reluctantly acknowledged my mistake and gave up on the Hyper and switched to mystand, Westcomb's APOC in Neoshell.



The point was clearly made. In these conditions you needed serious rain gear. If you were hunkered down and not having to move, commercial fishing rain gear would have beenmore appropriate



Now it was time to see if I could dry out wearing a garment made of Neoshell. Just how breathable is Neoshell?Remember we were all in soft shell pants.Somy lower body was damp and my upper layer of Cabella's E.C.W.C.S now wet before I changed jackets. By the time I turned in that evening everything was still damp but I was warm and drying out on top. Only my socks and boots were still truly wet...from the water running down my legs.



My soft shell pants had seen a lot of use comparedto the shiny new NWAlpine pants Lee and Doug were using. Because of the new DWR coatings on their pants they stayed drier and it showed.No water in their boots! Water still beaded up on their pants andclearly it did not on mine. Pays to remember you need to re-treat soft shells on a regular basis if you want to maintain the water resistance.

I guess it should be no surprise, but it wasfor me...again.



These are the real players from what I have seen to date.

Reliable shell gear that is stretchy, breathable and truly water proof came down to this:





*Gore-Tex’s Active Shell*





*Polartec's NeoShell*





*Mountain Hardware'sDry Q Elite*







More to come on the subtle differences we could perceive using them.

Getting a Drink

This is Tuffee trying to catch the water from the water hose while I water the plants, trees, and flowers. Tuffee can't go to the seaside like our blogger friend Max so she makes do by playing in the stream from the hose.

Balancing Rock

Want a Drink?

Traveler drinking from the water hose while getting his bath. He did a lot better than I expected for his first one. Me, I just look really hot and tired. And I was.

Long Commutes in the Rain

Most transportation cyclists eventually get comfortable with riding in the rain, and for me this was never particularly a problem. In the beginning, my commutes through the city were short and I mainly remember struggling with poor visibility and chaotic traffic, before getting used to it all. But as my travel radius increased, so did my exposure to rain. Some things began to matter that did not matter as much before, and I gradually made adjustments.






As far as the bike, the big thing for me was waterproofing. I carry a laptop always when cycling for transportation, a DSLR camera much of the time, and also hand-written documents. These items absolutely cannot get wet. While there is now a wealth of attractive new bicycle bags on the market, many of them are not designed to resist water beyond a short ride. For long commutes, I suggest using a touring-grade bag or one that is specifically described as waterproof. The Carradice I've been using on my Brompton for the past 5 months has been pretty good so far (for as long as 50 miles in continuous rain in Ireland - with both my laptop and camera inside), as was the Po Campo pannier I used on my full-sized bikes before that. Ortlieb bags are probably an even safer bet. Just in case, I keep a plastic bag inside for emergencies, and I always store water-sensitive items in internal compartments.






An issue for those who use leather saddles, is that these can get soggy (and, consequently, deformed) after long rides in the rain. A good saddle cover helps, and the stock one from from Brooks shown here is actually not the best example. Normally I use a thick gray one from Rivendell that fits tightly all around the saddle. It is deep, too, which protects the underside of the saddle as well. I am sure there are others that do a good job. Alternatively, there are specially treated leather saddles - such as Selle Anatomica - that claim to be waterproof.






Finally, long exposure to rain might call for additional bike maintenance. On a bicycle without a chaincase, lubing the chain is probably a good idea. And even if you're not into cleaning your bike, the debris that gathers around the brake calipers and derailleur is worth wiping off to keep everything functioning smoothly. The need for this kind of maintenance after long rides in a downpour certainly makes a good argument for internally geared hubs, enclosed hub brakes and a full chaincase. However, bikes with those features may not be ideal for hilly long distance commutes.






As far as the cyclist, clothing choices get trickier - especially if you want to ride in regular clothes and don't have the opportunity to change upon arrival. A truly waterproof outer layer is essential. But equally important is breathability, since you are exerting yourself more than you would on a shorter ride. When I started riding longer distances I discovered that my usual raincoat was neither entirely waterproof, nor very breathable. Eventually I found one that worked well - made of light, technical fabric with lots of vents and a removable hood. Rain capes may be another option, with some breathable, cinchable ones from Iva Jean and Cleverhoods recently introduced. Just as crucial as outerwear is waterproof footwear: Shoes that are fine on short rides can get soggy after 10+ miles pedaling in the rain,and you probably don't want to sit around with wet feet all day.




Of course, all the general tips for riding in the rain still apply: Lights, fenders, extra caution. On an upright bike, I don't feel like the rain is hitting me in the face as hard as it does on a roadbike, which makes things more pleasant.Once outside the city, I generally find it fairly peaceful and low-stress. Mixing ideas from transportation cycling and touring has been helpful for me and that's what I would suggest to others with long rainy commutes. Find a setup that works for you, and enjoy not being stuck in suburban rain-day traffic!

Mt. Rainier, Furher Finger

Mt. Rainier finally had a good weekend forecast, so it was time to attempt the Furher Finger route.



Our route is shown in red. We descended the Kautz Glacier route, shown in blue.

Dave on the Nisqually Glacier passing some crevasses on our way to high camp.

Our camp at Turtle Rock (9400').



We got an "alpine start" at midnight, so we could hopefully get to the top and down before the snow got too soft. Dave moving up Furher Finger.



Doug near the Hourglass.

Doug and Dave on top with a little snow falling.

Dave below the steep pitches on the Kautz Glacier, just above the Turtle Snowfield.





The weather was great on day one and OK on summit day. The fresh snow from a few days earlier made the climb pretty tiring. We ended up using our snowshoes to keep from sinking into the mushy snow on the way down from high camp.





It was fun and challenging to climb a new route on Rainier.

Mom :: Before she was Mom

My Mother would have been 83 years old today. I thought that I had seen all of the pictures of her through the years, but amongst her things we found the picture below. I don't know whether it is her or not but it was in the same drawer as her marriage license and certificate.





Whoever it is, she is a cutie! Below are some (okay, a lot of) confirmed photos of Mom. What do you think? Is the above photo my Mother? As always, double-click to view a larger version of the photos.



1928 and 1934

1936 and 1937

1941 and 1942

1943 – fifteen years old – yes, 15!

1944 – sixteen years old

1945 (Junior Prom) and 1946

In May .., for her 80th birthday, I posted some photos of her in her later years.