Hiking & Backpacking
- Thread starter R1pps
- Start date
theLostWizard
🧙♂️
Set the bootpack yesterday and legs feel ok today. Damn nice snow.
BigFrank
Forbidden Chicharron
Should we take attendance and make sure everyone is accounted for?
www.cbsnews.com
Backpacks full of $1.1 million worth of cocaine found in wooded area near border with Canada
Agents found 30 brick-like packages of cocaine inside the backpacks, located in a wooded area in Washington near the U.S. border with Canada.
www.cbsnews.com
First time I entered the Enchantments lottery in ~2012 I got a Core permit for early September. Hiked into Colchuck Lake and people coming down from the pass said it had dumped like 18" the night before. I was completely unprepared for that so I slept there and hiked out the next day thinking I would just do it again the following year. Failed on permits for the next 7-8 years straight and then Covid. Now I'm wondering if it'll ever happen with the post Covid boom. Not sure if they still do walk-ups but maybe a mid-week walk up in retirement will be an option down the road.
mborden
Otter Enthusiast
They in fact still do walk ups! Obviously more committing though if you aren't local and strike out. I've been lucky to get Snow Zone permits a couple times, and thru hiked last September. The speed run was a cool achievement but you really don't get the chance to savor it. TBH I'm kind of nervous for the Enchantments if the rangers that were fired aren't reinstated. The amount of traffic they get even when it's being monitored is massive. Only time will tell.
The Enchantments are beautiful but the North Cascades and Wallowas in Eastern Oregon (I know it's a haul for you CA guys) have plenty of alternative, permit free wilderness to explore as well.
The Enchantments are beautiful but the North Cascades and Wallowas in Eastern Oregon (I know it's a haul for you CA guys) have plenty of alternative, permit free wilderness to explore as well.
BigFrank
Forbidden Chicharron
mborden
Otter Enthusiast
This is actually a pretty wild story and don't worry, I'm not about to get a Fastest Known Time on jack shit
Squinty McWigglespit
the 90s didn't give a fuck about your face
Anyone been to cloudland canyon GA? Heading there next week and looking for hiking info
mborden
Otter Enthusiast
This past weekend my wife and I continued a July 4th tradition of celebrating America by getting out and experiencing some of what we love most about it. After six months of training more seriously for any mountaineering objective than we ever had before, we joined a group of friends on a climb of Tahoma (a.k.a. Mount Rainier) via the Emmons-Winthrop route. With a total elevation gain of over 10,000 feet and round trip mileage of just over 18 miles, the Emmons Route offered a technical challenge in addition to a physical one.
On the first day of our climb we started out at the White River Campground (4400 feet), gradually making our way over 3.5 miles through a beautiful forest to Glacier Basin (5935 feet). With the first bit of excited nervousness out of our system, we continued through alpine meadows to where the snow finally started at the base of the Inter Glacier (7000 feet). Recent reports indicated that there were no open crevasses and as such we, like many other teams, opted to not rope up and ascended through surprisingly firm snow to Camp Curtis (9000 feet). From there we rested before transitioning to taking on the crux of Day 1, a rocky descent to the Emmons Glacier, where we roped up for the first time and traveled past a couple open crevasses to where we would stay at Camp Schurman (9500 feet).
Our basecamp had us pitch our tents amongst many other climbing parties, but the main attraction was the massive summit behind us and the large rock edifices and crevasses all around us. Even as we were setting up camp and going about our business, it was impossible to not constantly stop and stare, especially when one of the frequent rock or ice falls happened in the distance. As we made dinner and melted water, two rangers came by and chatted with us about our plans, gave some beta on the recent route conditions, and asked us if we had any questions. With the recent staffing cuts across the National Park Service and the even more recent anger around Republican attempts to sell off national lands to the highest bidder, we took the opportunity to thank the rangers for their stewardship of and advocacy for those sacred spaces.
After getting to bed later than we had hoped, we awoke with two whole hours of sleep under our belts to start our summit bid. As we started up the route at 11 pm on July 4th, we spotted the tail end of a fireworks display far in the distance. As we made our way up through what felt like a million switchbacks on "The Corrider", we caught glimpses of crevasses and hulking snow and ice features as our headlamps swept across them in the dark. Around 12,000 feet we started encountering more heavily crevassed terrain that took some evaluation and navigation. As the sun rose and daylight broke, half of our team of six turned back as they weren't feeling well. The remaining three of us pushed on, heading towards the saddle between Liberty Ridge and Columbia Crest.
The final 500 feet of the climb entered the realm of pure mental challenge. We were sleep deprived, physically exhausted, and each retreating into our own mind palaces to keep going. Finally, the summit at 14,441 feet was in sight. As we arrived we laughed, hugged, and congratulated each other as we signed the summit register. We took some summit selfies, consumed some calories, and made a long, tired descent down softening snow back to basecamp.
Back at camp we reconnected with the other half of our climbing party. We swapped stories about our respective days as we relaxed, made dinner, and enjoyed the camaraderie that shared experiences in the outdoors brings. The next morning we enjoyed "sleeping in" until 5 am and began our descent back to the cars. On the way back our trip down Inter Glacier was much faster, as we were treated to 2,000 feet of glissading before transitioning off the snow and making our way back through the forest to the parking lot.
On the first day of our climb we started out at the White River Campground (4400 feet), gradually making our way over 3.5 miles through a beautiful forest to Glacier Basin (5935 feet). With the first bit of excited nervousness out of our system, we continued through alpine meadows to where the snow finally started at the base of the Inter Glacier (7000 feet). Recent reports indicated that there were no open crevasses and as such we, like many other teams, opted to not rope up and ascended through surprisingly firm snow to Camp Curtis (9000 feet). From there we rested before transitioning to taking on the crux of Day 1, a rocky descent to the Emmons Glacier, where we roped up for the first time and traveled past a couple open crevasses to where we would stay at Camp Schurman (9500 feet).
Our basecamp had us pitch our tents amongst many other climbing parties, but the main attraction was the massive summit behind us and the large rock edifices and crevasses all around us. Even as we were setting up camp and going about our business, it was impossible to not constantly stop and stare, especially when one of the frequent rock or ice falls happened in the distance. As we made dinner and melted water, two rangers came by and chatted with us about our plans, gave some beta on the recent route conditions, and asked us if we had any questions. With the recent staffing cuts across the National Park Service and the even more recent anger around Republican attempts to sell off national lands to the highest bidder, we took the opportunity to thank the rangers for their stewardship of and advocacy for those sacred spaces.
After getting to bed later than we had hoped, we awoke with two whole hours of sleep under our belts to start our summit bid. As we started up the route at 11 pm on July 4th, we spotted the tail end of a fireworks display far in the distance. As we made our way up through what felt like a million switchbacks on "The Corrider", we caught glimpses of crevasses and hulking snow and ice features as our headlamps swept across them in the dark. Around 12,000 feet we started encountering more heavily crevassed terrain that took some evaluation and navigation. As the sun rose and daylight broke, half of our team of six turned back as they weren't feeling well. The remaining three of us pushed on, heading towards the saddle between Liberty Ridge and Columbia Crest.
The final 500 feet of the climb entered the realm of pure mental challenge. We were sleep deprived, physically exhausted, and each retreating into our own mind palaces to keep going. Finally, the summit at 14,441 feet was in sight. As we arrived we laughed, hugged, and congratulated each other as we signed the summit register. We took some summit selfies, consumed some calories, and made a long, tired descent down softening snow back to basecamp.
Back at camp we reconnected with the other half of our climbing party. We swapped stories about our respective days as we relaxed, made dinner, and enjoyed the camaraderie that shared experiences in the outdoors brings. The next morning we enjoyed "sleeping in" until 5 am and began our descent back to the cars. On the way back our trip down Inter Glacier was much faster, as we were treated to 2,000 feet of glissading before transitioning off the snow and making our way back through the forest to the parking lot.
mborden
Otter Enthusiast
Thanks! It was incredible.
It's the ranger station at Camp Schurman. They have rangers that live up there (rotating through on stints) to check permits and make sure people are prepared, have the most recent beta and weather, etc. A huge bonus is that they also have solar toilets with actual toilet seats behind there so you don't have to poop in a bag at camp.
I love wag baggin. To each their own.
Great trip, and thank you for sharing. I always look forward to your posts!
mborden
Otter Enthusiast
Don't get me wrong, I took two separate shits in a wag bag on the ascent. But squatting and wiping my ass 24 inches from other climbers because I couldn't hold it on a steep pitch of snow loses some of the appeal
BigFrank
Forbidden Chicharron
Username checks out?
theLostWizard
🧙♂️
Forgot to post, was a fun little hike