Rain-less in Seattle

Yesterday marked 29 days without rain in Seattle. Yes, I said 'without' rain - 29 full days. This has of course been a pleasant surprise, and has made for beautiful weekends in the mountains despite the rapidly melting snowpack.
For Memorial Day weekend, a jubilant Nick and I drove to Squamish, BC for three days of granite gneiss climbing on the 1,000+ ft walls that tower over this gorgeous community. There is something uniquely satisfying about topping out on a monster wall, just in time for sunset, after climbing up it all day. This was our view (click to enlarge):

Also, two weekends ago my friend Matt and I decided to get on some rumored ice on Eldorado Peak. The unusually high temps (in the 60's) at 7,000 feet made for knee to waist deep snow sloggin' on the approach and gave us some concern over the condition of the supposed ice on our route. The NW Couloir of Eldorado Peak is a moderate grade but almost classic line on the "far side" of one of the most scenic peaks in North Cascades National Park. A 4AM start from camp gave us the time to cross the Inspiration Glacier that smothers the NW side of the peak and to a notch on it's North Ridge. There we rappelled down to another glacier below the route.


The climb went smoothly except for a rude reminder of the reality of the rising temps.
Near the top of our route we were suddenly pummeled with fist to double-fist sized chunks of ice and rock. This is when you duck into the terrain and make yourself as small as possible! This is also where you are reminded of why you lugged the helmet up 6,000 ft. Fortunately, we were left with only a few bruises and shortly afterwards, the summit crest led us to views that exclaimed definitively, the awesome-ness of our very own North Cascades!

Southwest Road Trip'n

Ribbon Falls near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Backpacking down South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon

Exploring Canyonlands National Park, UT

The Alps of Alpental

45 minutes from my front door there is a very popular spot that, although many know about, fewer probably realize how much it contains. Aptly named "Alp-ee" (meaning Alpental Ski Area) by local boarders and skiers, the easy access to deep powder and a variety of rock and ice climbing gives it that American flavored namesake.
My co-worker Ryan who has spent 100+ days a year snowboarding in the state's of Maine and New Hampshire for many years, recently explored this back country and said it was "by far the best terrain I have ever boarded."
Of course there are numerous wonderful places in the world to experience these activities, but 50-mile proximity to a world class city is few and far between. I am very grateful for the opportunity I have to come here!
Also unique, is the view from the summit of one of the areas highest peaks - Chair Peak. It shows you the buildings of downtown Seattle on the edge of Puget Sound, dwarfed from a distance by Olympic Mountain National Park:

Embracing Change

I have always been looking for big answers. And more and more over time, ONE answer. An understanding is what I seek. An understanding of my purpose and my destiny. It's an answer that for so long I believed was always there and I just needed to figure out the right equation. But more and more I feel that this answer isn't exactly there in front of me. An answer is something that is discovered only when there is a question. So perhaps, my "answer" is the question itself. It's as mystifying as that classic wonder of what came first - the chicken or the egg.
Understanding my destiny is understanding my past and maybe the only answer to this perplexing question that I need to understand now, is that anything, any answer is possible. Life is "survival of the fittest" paired with unpredictable "chance", creating that constant and inevitable change.
Only in considering all the possibilities will I find the right questions to ask. Maybe then I will be closer to finding the answers!

Happy New Years!

Four Quick Photos

Ice climbing seracs on Coleman Glacier, Mt. Baker

Cascadian Couloir, Mt. Stuart

Lake Ann near Ingalls Peak, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Snow Lake, Alpine Lake Wilderness

Knight's Reward

-My girlfriend Ruby summed it up when she said, "It's so beautiful here, I feel like I'm in a fairy tale!" It was true, the terrain defied imagination with it's lush growth and towering, ice plastered peaks. And no myth either, nearby there lay a "dragon" that resisted showing too us, it's face. We would have to climb to the top of a glaciated peak just to get a glimpse of it's tail.
The journey had begun on a cloudy Saturday morning this Labor Day weekend. Four of us, all with a deep thirst for adventure and awe-inspiration, meandered steadily up Hannegan Pass Trail until Ruth Mountain came into view.
Ruth Glacier is a true moderate and perfect for introducing friends to the exciting activity of mountaineering. For such an amazing area, it is surprising more people don't venture to this far away corner of the North Cascades. But then thankfully, the masses have never been the type to seek out unique and remote areas. Only the few, represented as one courageous soul, that knight in shining armor, ever come face to face with the mystery, and only he can claim the beautiful reward that awaits if he perseveres.

-This fairy tale continues with each of us pushing our tiring bodies up Ruth Glacier, still fantasizing of the long-rumored reward that awaited our arrival. Some effort later, our tents went up just 15 feet below the summit while North-Westerly winds tossed clouds and snow at us, as if breath from the dragon. It was giving us the expected fight, and it was up to us to utilize our modern armor to survive the blast.
Early the next morning, while we nourished ourselves with back country style beans and rice, the ancient monster began to show it's rugged face. Clouds scattered to reveal our uncanny camp right on the tip of it's tail. A rightward arcing curve of a narrow and jagged ridge led slowly around a cirque to the bulky body of Mt. Shuksan. A massif of a mountain inspiring all of those brave and persistent adventurers who willingly fight the battles of the human mind and body that prevent so many from even an attempt.
The effort of the battle made the reward even more beautiful than the knight had ever imagined! Now the next battle begins: How would he ever convince people the truth of the glories of his adventure and the worthiness of the battle.

Olympic Gold

As you know, the 2008 Summer Olympics began this weekend over in the Far East. So what a perfect weekend to climb a peak, here in the Far West, named Mt. Olympus: highest mountain in Olympic National Park. "Home of the Gods" to English navigator John Meares, the man who named it in 1778.
Our adventure began deep in the wettest place in the Lower 48: the Hoh Rain Forest. This temperate forest receives a whopping 180 inches of rain each year and up high on the mountain tops, 100 feet of snow! That unlimited volume of water nourishes a broad variety of gorgeous plant and animal life. It also helps the park qualify as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hike itself is not quite as pleasant though, with over 21 miles to the summit. Scenic hiking along side the glacial-silt tinged Hoh River, and under giant trees curtained in moss eventually give way to a steep and lengthy ascent to base camp at mile 17.5. In a world that is shrinking because of modern technology, it is wonderful to be reminded again of how monstrous it in fact is!


That evening as the air cooled, puffy white clouds turned to classic Cascade drizzle and we began to debate our chance of summit success the next day. But it is a rain forest after all...and so during the flat light of a misty dawn we started up to see what we could achieve. Breaking free of the trees and moving onto glacial moraine the rain-drenched wind pounded away at our spirits and our modern rain gear. Soaked to the core, we reached the massive Blue Glacier that lies within a cirque of alpine summits named after Greek Gods. Here at these heights the weather charges in directly from the Pacific Ocean, unimpeded 1,500 miles from Alaska. With clouds thickening, temperature dropping and winds increasing, it didn't take long to conclude that a campfire sounds better than 7 hours in hypothermic conditions. Live to climb another day and come home stronger and smarter than before.
"The Gods" must have wanted the mountain to themselves that day.....but we are to return in better weather soon!

Three Fingers Reprisal

The first of back-to-back trips found me hiking ten rugged miles to Three Fingers Lookout (two extra due to road washout). Accompanying me were two good friends who had the same itchiness to finish this thing off. You see, last October we had almost arrived when a sudden snowstorm compounded with lightning strikes sent us "running" home! This historic lookout was established by the U.S. Forest Service during the early part of last century for spotting fires within the back country. On the trek up, my mind wandered often to the burliness of past mountain men, who a century ago carried heavy building supplies and telephone wire up this jagged peak. And to think that I sometimes fuss about the moderate weight I have to carry.
But what a worthy spot it is for a building: _atop a narrow spire of rock with glacier to the north and a half-mile drop to the east. There is barely room for the lookout up there. Just beyond the window glass, the mountain falls away abruptly. Any sense of vertigo is promptly overwhelmed by 360 degrees of pure Washington State goodness! ! !

- More photos here and here.

If I Were a Wild Animal

Some might say that I already am one - but if I had four legs this would be me:













Humbling it is to watch these animals romp with recklessness on terrain that I, with all my technical equipment and rope, would very carefully navigate. High in the mountains, and shedding their furry coats, I'm sure these goats are happy summer is here!

Day Hike - Me Like

Pilchuck Lookout. Mt. Si of the North. Whatever you call it, this spectacular alpine summit less than 60 miles north of it's Seattle-area cousin certainly has the cherry on top. A weathered fire lookout originally built in 1918 provides coziness with sweeping panorama's 5,000 feet off the valley floor! It is highly recommended, especially mid-week.

One Revolution at a Time

The issue of Global Warming is clouded by many contradicting facts. One thing is sure though, mankind as a whole is polluting the air, water and earth. It was inevitable and I do not mean to place blame because to some degree we are all on the receiving end of that. We are at a critical turning point where the demands of large populations may soon begin to outweigh what we are capable of producing and protecting. Maybe collaboration and technology will save us but I think greed and stubbornness just might prevent this from fully materializing.
So what is my point: Well, I am making an effort to reduce my impact and encourage everyone else to do the same. If for no other reason then at least to save money as prices likely won't be dropping! I thought about this reasoning as I rode my mountain bike to the grocery store. In one hour, I enjoyed 45 minutes of invigorating exercise and picked up 40 bucks in groceries. Compare that to the two hours this would have taken if I had driven a car and then came home end exercised. Wow, I just saved 100% on time! And then there is the 10 smackaroos I saved on gas! Why aren't there more people riding along with toilet paper strapped to their pack?

Here is what I got in my day pack:
Chicken Breasts, Medium Cheddar Cheese, PepperJack Cheese, 12 Cage Free Eggs, Annie's Yogurt, Organic Rasberry Lemonade, 2 bags Organic Corn Chips, Emerald Valley Organic Salsa, Emerald Valley Organic Bean Dip, Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Fresh Parmesan Cheese, PepperCorn Grinder, 4 Rolls Toilet Paper, Bike Repair Kit and Bike Lock , Fat Tire Ale and some fresh-made Sushi to top it off!

Surfing Westport, USA

- Pro surfers competed in Westport this weekend and the waves were perfect. Here is a clip of some action -

Migrating to the North

Feeling like an ant as I drive lonely highways in gigantic terrain near Wrangell -St. Elias National Park

Soakin' it up in the sultry waters of Liard Hot Springs in Northern BC

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Kayaking Tutka Bay

Big Sur Dreamin'

After a pleasant vacation to this spot in March, I can't stop thinking about this sunny delightful west coast haven, precariously placed on the brink of the largest body of water known to man!

- Paradise -

-30F

- Banff, Alberta. Remote beauty with HUGE mountain relief and extreme cold -

Hidden Treasure in North Cascades

Right near the Canadian border is a spot that is rarely discussed and even less photographed. The northern flank of Mt. Shuksan is absolutely stunning and ironically, the opposite side of which is the most photographed in the US. We started at 6AM Thanksgiving day with a great weather forecast. A long hike and cold, wet bushwack ensued. After reaching our camp above Price Lake, we realized our route was not in condition to be climbed. Watching as avalanches poured down the face and seeing the crevasses were covered with weak snowbridges that would never hold the weight of two climbers, we admitted defeat...this time! The Price Glacier is among the most committing routes on a Cascade mountain and needs to be in condition. This route has it all: steep ice climbing, snow-covered rock climbing, glaciers, incredible views and crazy route-finding difficulties, not to mention the 7,700ft. of elevation gain with full packs. Instead we enjoyed turkey jerky and excitedly planned our return in May...

Crossing the North Fork of the Nooksack River. It was super cold in the valley bottom

Our proposed route cuts diagonally across from the left (over my right shoulder). The actual summit pyramid is behind what is visible here. This face rises 7,000 ft. base to summit. You have to exit the ice and gain the rock at the top to bypass a broken part of the the glacier. Matt and I kept mentioning how we "feel like we're in Alaska"! These pics really don't show how intimidating this face really is!

That night the temps neared 15 degrees and the moon was as bright as I've seen

Moment of Zen :

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Falling for Fall

So I dropped my camera on the Sherpa Peak climb and now I am piddling with a friend's basic camera trying to get a feel. I understand more than ever now how important the right tools are to the artist. Here are a few I've snapped recently (and one from my creative girlfriend):