Mike's Hikes

Adventure among Mexico's Volcanos

2009-11-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Distance: ~ 12 miles Total for Trip

Trailhead: ~13,000 feet (GPS data available upon request (Garmin))

Highpoint: ~16,150 feet on Ixta and Adam peaked on Orizaba at 18,490ft
Elevation Gain: ~ 5,000 ft (Total for me then add Adam's Orizaba peak)

Hike Difficulty Calculator: 29 - Extreme

Trail Notes: Read the blog then ask any questions.

The set of photos for this hike are located here.

HUGE thanks to Adam and Robbin for sharing photos !!

Coming off the summit of Mount Rainier earlier this past summer, several of us enjoyed a post climb pizza at the Summit Haus pub in Ashford. Here I noticed several RMI posters of the expeditions they offered around the globe. The one that stayed in the back of my mind was Mexico's Pico de Orizaba. The low technical difficulty, higher elevation, easy travel access, and being able to somewhat converse in Spanish added up to an appealing goal for me to attempt.

A little bit of research on climbing sites yielded several trip reports that provided the impetus to put plan to action. Finally settling on bagging two peaks within close proximity (Pico de Orizaba and Ixta) over a time frame of a week and half, I was left with asking for climbing partners. Adam and Robbin were able to meet the proposed itinerary and were game for the adventure of international climbing.

Pico de Orizaba is the third and Ixta is the eighth highest peaks in North America. Both are volcanoes and are relative close to each other as well as Popo, another volcano, which is the fifth highest peak in North America. Though Popo is not permitted to be climbed as it is still somewhat active.

During our time leading up to the trip, the three of us enjoyed several conditioning hikes up to Camp Muir on Rainier. The long, hot summer really opened up some big crevasses on the Muir snow field and gave us plenty to concentrate on. Obtaining plane tickets, acquiring possibly needed gear, food, and intense reviews of printed material of our destinations made our preparation time go by quickly.

DAY ONE (Nov 11th)
All three of us met at SeaTac airport in the early morning hours for an anticipated long day of travel. Preparations paid off when we were able to check one bag per person and still not exceed the fifty pound weight limit. I have to admit I was surprised when not one airline employee bothered us about our large backpacks. Fortunately, as we boarded the plane, we all had room for the packs in the overhead compartments. Leaving the rain of the Northwest, we looked forward to sunny Mexican adventures as our plane took flight.

Transferring planes in Phoenix, we eventually arrived in Mexico City sometime after 3:00pm. Before landing, the stewardess handed out the declaration paperwork, asking me if Adam was my son, since we all of us boarded together with packs and in climbing clothes. We had a good laugh but assured her that we would each fill out one of the forms. M Customs/immigration was no problem for us. Even though we were not selected for a random bag check, we did have questionable items stashed in non-clear bags to prevent attention. With all gear accounted for and our passports/papers stamped and in good order, we made our way to the bus terminal area of the airport.

From airport to Puebla

Locating the bus terminal, I looked for Estrella Roja (Red Star) bus lines as they had direct service from Mexico City to Puebla (Be sure to get the service to Puebla CAPU bus terminal vice Puebla 4-Points terminal for the follow on bus to Tlachichuca). The Red Star bus was the most expensive ride during our entire trip, 184 pesos per person. Turned out this was first class service with movies during the two hour ride, packs and bags were loaded for us, restroom in the rear of the bus, and a bag of cookies and peanuts for the weary traveler.

Watching the sun set over the arid plains of Puebla, we arrived at our first stop sometime after dark. At the CAPU terminal I asked a young employee of the Valles/AU bus lines if they had service to Tlachichuca and was rewarded with a satisfying Si. Fortune continued for us as a bus was leaving in about thirty minutes. Enough time to grab some food, hit the banos (restrooms), take a deep breath, and start the next leg of our journey. Hitting the banos first to make room for the forthcoming food, I watched the bags while Adam and Robbin searched for sustenance. Time was ticking dangerously close to our departure, which was located at the farthest end of the terminal, when I noticed Adam returning with a bag overflowing with sweet pastries and a contented smile on his face. Explaining the time situation, we all grabbed our gear, how Adam managed two large non-wheeled bags and the food is beyond me, and sped down the terminal to the last gate, hopping aboard the bus with the driver giving us just the hint of a little stink eye. M:-)M Finally situated in our seats, I glanced over at Adam who had just finished one of the fresh made pastries and was licking the remaining sweetness off his fingers, when he gave me a sly smile that seemed to say, "this international climber knows how to enjoy his travels". Not to be outdone, I opened my small bag of peanuts from the previous bus and noisily crunched them down while taking solace in the price of this second two hour bus trip only cost 40 pesos per person. MLOL

Inside Puebla station MMM Ensure Puebla CAPU

Our final destination for this lengthy day of travel was the small town of Tlachichuca. Located just within the state lines of Puebla, almost bordering the coastal state of Veracruz, Tlachichuca is a modest agricultural community of ~25,000, that resides in the shadow of North America's third highest peak, commonly called Pico de Orizaba and locally known as Citlaltepetl. Arriving some time after 10:00pm, a passenger queried us as we were exiting the bus with, "Alpinistas?(Mountain climbers?)". Answering in the affirmative he asked where we were staying and then was kind enough to escort us the three short blocks to the climbing hostel of Sr. Joaquin Canchola Limon. Upon our late arrival we were warmly greeted by Maribel, Sr Joaquin's English speaking daughter, who assured us all our needs would be met and offered to show us to our rooms so we could rest and have energy for the mountain.

The Canchola's climbing hostel, or Summit Orizaba when online, is family run and very attentive to their customers. They have ten rooms of multiple accommodations with three shared bathrooms/showers containing plenty of hot water. The courtyard/parking lot is available to sort and pack gear while the rooftop allows for excellent views of the city and Orizaba. Be sure to bring a camera. And they have several 4x4s for transporting clients and gear up to the mountain trailhead. After a full days travel and a reluctant acceptance by Coffee the dog, we tossed our gear on the floor and went horizontal for some much needed sleep.

The climbing hostel of Summt Orizaba MMMMMMMMMMMM Coffee, the friendly dog

DAY TWO
It had been quite some time since I had woken up to the sound of a milk cow needing attention, but sure enough, after I wiped my eyes, got my bearings, and realized where I was, the black and white Holstein named Juanita was calling to Sr. Joaquin for her daily delivery of dairy delight. Soon there after, the awakening of the household and climbing hostel, which I will now refer to as the 'hacienda', caused the rest of us to gradually rise up and greet the new day.

Beautiful weather MMMMMMMM Juanita the dairy source

Wiping the sleep from our eyes, we each performed our morning rituals, including washing away the previous day's travel. As we freshened up, Maribel, Sr. Joaquin's daughter, kindly asked us when we would like to take breakfast. Giving ourselves a half hour to shower, scratch and stretch, we went up to the roof to hang our towels to dry and took in the views of the town and mountain which dominated the eastern skyline. The weather was perfect and temps were in the low 60sF already. I took a GPS reading and commented that we were at 8,660ft. Normally we have not been affected by AMS at this altitude, but quickly coming up the stairs last night with my bags left me catching my breath. I was surprised.

Orizaba from the roof

Coming down from the rooftop, we met Sr. Joaquin and introduced ourselves. In business for close to forty years, Sr. Joaquin gave us an informal looking over and seemed satisfied that we were capable of summiting Orizba. Tolerating my poor Spanish, he then asked if we were acquainted with Fred Becky. Being from the Pacific Northwest, of course we were familiar with Fred Becky and Ed Viesturs, two of the worlds most renowned mountain climbers. Sr. Joaquin then proudly showed us some of his personal pictures with Fred Becky and a hard copy of Becky's 1982, 'Mountains of North America' were he hired a guide by the name of Joaquin Canchola Limon for his services. I find it difficult to describe the look of reminiscent pride on Sr. Joaquin's face as I perused this rare treasure.

Becky & Sr Joaquin MMM Book photos

Soon we were in the dining room enjoying an extremely wonderful breakfast prepared by Maribel and her mother Sra. Guadalupe. We started with a diced apple under a light blanket of maple syrup before moving on to the main course which consisted of ham, eggs, tortillas, extremely fresh milk, whole beans (frijoles ranchos), fresh tomatilla salsa, limes, and various fresh sweet pastries. Maribel was kind enough to obtained fresh flour tortillas upon my request. Everything was tasty and we spent enough time to eat everything placed in front of us. We were very happy and contented when we excused ourselves from table.

Giving ourselves a full day and another night for acclimation purposes, we rolled our full bellies outside the hacienda to explore the town. Enjoying the warm and sunny morning, we navigated ourselves down a few side streets towards the central plaza. It was mid-morning and we expected more liveliness than we saw. Some of the businesses surrounding the plaza had just begun to open their doors, sweeping their entrances, and beginning preparations for the day's activities. It was a jarring reminder that we were not in the U.S. and that life had a different and easy flowing rhythm in Tlachichuca.

Tlachichuca Central Plaza MMM Church from the hacienda and closer

Having captured our attention earlier from the rooftop, we made our way to the central church, or iglesia. Attentively painted, we quietly wandered the premises, absorbing the ecclesiastical ambiance. Leaving the iglesia, we took to exploring the surrounding streets that connected to the center of the town. Passing businesses and homes alike, we soon heard some cacophony of music coming from around the corner. As if the Pied Piper lead us himself, we followed our ears to the brewing sound. Soon enough we had divined the source of music. One of the local elementary, or primeria schools, had congregated outside to form up and practice their part for the upcoming Dia de Revolution Festivo or independence day festival. This was an unexpected pleasure and we enjoyed seeing the children practice their musical roles with innocent and coquettish smiles. This occurred several times with other elementary schools over the next few hours of the morning as we wondered about the town, greatly adding to our experience.

Inside the Iglesia

Festival practice for the elementary students

After another satisfying meal at Maribel's table, we spent some of the afternoon sorting through our gear, separating what we were going to take on the mountain and what would be left at the hacienda. Then we strolled out among other areas of the town, collectively noting the cultural differences of another country and yet the similarities of people living their own lives as we do ourselves.

Extremely fresh & low cost MMM Adam going local MMMMm Ethel if she's working

Daily life in Tlachichuca

After a filling dinner with Maribel, someone got the crazy idea to go for a jog. Adam was wise enough to excuse himself, taking the responsibility of checking the weather forecast on the mountain for the next few days (no precipitation for the next five days). I reluctantly laced up my shoes and attempted to follow Robbin as she lead us to the outskirts of town towards a small but prominent ridge. The further we went the more bucolic the scenery became. Farmers returning from their day in the fields, corn stacked in conical formations, kids playing ball after chores were finished. Very peaceful, to some. For others, such as myself, I had to keep inventing excuses to take a breather. First the shoelaces, then the large meal, then whatever came to my mind, ignoring the blatantly obvious fact that jogging at almost 9000ft after originally coming from sea level the previous day is not the easiest thing to do. Robbin was excruciatingly kind enough to keep circling back, making sure I didn't get lost and my food remained inside me. I think we covered about three miles, it was bearable except for the time when a farmer with a wagon full of kids passed me, driven by a mule. Discounting the pointing fingers and giggles of the boys, as Robbin was way ahead of me, and the farmer's look of CRAZY STRANGER, it was the mule's snort of derision and roll of his eyes as he slowly plodded past me that caused me to hang my head in accepted defeat. mLOLm But I'd do it all again in a heartbeat, or four. M:-)

Surrounding views

DAY THREE
Morning came with much anticipation, as we were to reach the Piedra Grande hut and begin our Orizaba experience. With a palate pleasing late breakfast from Maribel, Sr Joaquin and his son loaded our gear and satiated bellies into the Jeep Wagoneer for the approximately two hour ride up to the hut, which is at 14,000ft, which sure beats lugging a sixty pound pack up 5000ft of vertical to Camp Muir on Mt Rainier. M :-)M We rode past more fields under cultivation, herds of sheep and their shepherds, and finally into the Pico de Orizaba National Forest. Surrounding by pine trees (pinos), we slowly made our way along the winding and rutted dirt trail. We were fortunate for the lack of precipitation as a recent rain would have made the dirt road a lot more treacherous.

Sr Joaquin loading up MMMMMM Hazards of bucolic life MMM Entering the Park

Sr Joaquin kept us occupied with his stories of Orizaba (29 summits), exploits of Becky, the Large Millimeter Telescope on the nearby mountain Sierra Negra, and local fauna (mostly birds, rabbits and lizards). Even though it is located in a national park, there is no fee nor permit needed to climb Orizaba. The local guide services maintain the Piedra Grande hut and work together to ensure all clients/climbers are well taken care of. Several times as the truck crept closer, we were able to see the various routes taken by other climbers as they ascended the Jamapa Glacier (pronounced hamapa). Photos were taken along the road and spirits rose even higher as we rounded a bend, finally seeing the hut in the distance. We arrived at Piedra Grande at 11:30am.

Finally the Hut MMMMMMMMM Routes emerging behind the Sarcophagus Rock

Unloading our gear, we noticed about a dozen other people milling about the hut. The stone hut or refugio is roughly 40ft long by 20ft wide and 20ft in height, with the entire eastern side composed of three levels for sleeping arrangements. I imagine it can accommodate up to sixty people or maybe forty-five with gear. With people and gear coming and going throughout various hours of the day and night, we chose to bring our tents and used one of the nearby flat spots about thirty yards away from the hut with the expectation of fewer disturbances. Temperature was somewhere in the low sixties, which was plenty comfortable for us Northwest folk.

Inside and outside of the Piedra Grande Hut

After establishing our camp and eating some lunch, we did a non-load bearing acclimation hike up the aqueduct and beyond to what we called lo-camp (15,000ft), consisting of 3-4 semi-circular stone sites (similar to Lunchcounter at Mt Adams). No water is at this area, so either bring it up or find snow and melt it, which can be higher depending on the time of the year. This short stretch of the legs was about three quarters of a mile, gaining one thousand feet. The aqueduct was used for the first couple of hundred feet in elevation then we took to the trails. About halfway to lo-camp, we bisected another aqueduct that ran northward. After this second aqueduct we again followed the trails up to lo-camp. Normally I'm accustomed to a prominent destination having one main trail or two, but we saw cairns (or patos, Spanish for duck) all over the place with interlacing trails through the scree/talus, like a plate of spaghetti with meatballs. No matter, we went up and we came down, feeling good after this acclimation hike and not sensing any of the symptoms of AMS.

Camp, small hut & aqueducts

Upon our arrival back in camp, sixty minutes to ascend, thirty to return, we noticed some new climbers had become our neighbors by using the smaller hut (4-9 people depending on need) about 25ft above us. After the usual meet and greet, we took our dinner in the main hut for company and conversation. After the sun left us its lingering rays of fading orange light, we made our way to the camp and attempted the nights sleep.

Heading to Lo-Camp

I forgot to mention that even though we had no symptoms of AMS, we definitely could feel the elevation. Just the act of walking at normal city speed from the hut to our tents at a slight upgrade, left me trying to catch my breath. It certainly caused us to adjust our speed down to first gear, so as not to exert ourselves as much and therefore end up trying to breath with some sort of normality. Matter of fact, that first night at 14,000ft left me with no sleep. I would be drifting off to sleep, respiration and heartbeat gradually slowing to a normal resting state. Several times, just as I would be falling asleep, my slower breathing, which was bringing less oxygen to my body, would cause me quickly to sit upright, gasping for breath. It was very frustrating to say the least, especially when I could hear the snores of other climbers.

DAY FOUR
Crawling out of our tents a little after sunrise, we again took our meal in the hut. Meeting people and querying those who had summitted about conditions. Adam suggested we establish a hi-camp at the base of the glacier. We agreed to take two trips, one today and the final one on the next day (Sunday). Carrying half our needed gear each time and leaving a small cache at the hut. We reasoned this would give us some more acclimation without rushing our ascent in altitude.

Rise & Shine MMMMMMMMMM Going from Lo to Mid-Camp

So we divided our gear and loaded our packs with 25-30lbs of gear(water, harnesses, food and extra layers) that would remain in a yet to be designated cache below the glacier. The trip up to hi-camp took a lot more effort than I expected. I took many breaks on our ascent up to high camp, lengthening the trip and earning some jokes from my mates but not affecting our schedule that much. Past lo-camp the trail levels out a bit and is easy to follow. Then we reached mid-camp or the base of the Labyrinth. Like it sounds, the Labyrinth is a wide and steep section below the glacier that is full of ravines/gullies, many filled with snow and ice even at this time of year. Helmets, crampons, and ice axes are strongly recommended. Taking the lead, Adam chose a direct route to where we expected to find a decent campsite. Negotiating the labyrinth in daylight was a tremendous help. Class 3 and 4 scrambling over frozen rocks and up icy ravines is not my preferred choice for alpine ascents in the early, dark hours of the morning. After several breaks for me and my winded lungs, Adam successfully had us up and over the labyrinth.

Looking down, negotiating, and going up the Labyrinth.

Here we deposited our cache and located a good campsite, marked it with the GPS, made some high fives for Robbin and I on our new altitude records, and then started the return trip. We had started at 10:00am and return to Piedra Grande was about 4:00pm. Longer than I expected but our goal for the day was accomplished. Climbing with gear at higher elevations was a humbling experience for me. I thought I was physically prepared for this expedition, but I learned that cardio needs to be higher on the exercise regimen than cuba libres (rum and cokes). ;-)

Marking Hi-Camp MMMMMMM The goal MMMMM Late summit attempt by lone climber

Again it was dinner in the hut for company and conversation. This evening before turning in to sleep I took half of a 250mg Diamox. I noticed the increased respiration it caused and hoped it would provide me some much needed rest. I actually hadn't had any decent sleep for the past four nights, averaging only about 15-30 minutes. I know I got a little sleep because I remember one dream of underwater cave diving. I recall swimming and swimming, trying to reach a tank of air that was always just out of my reach but I woke up gasping for breath before I ever reached it. Things that make you go hmmm....

DAY FIVE
The sunrise provided another wonderful diarama display for us to enjoy as we crawled out of our tents. Man, I really love unspoiled nature. Being as thorough as we could we separated our remaining gear, dividing the equipment into what would we take to hi-camp and what would be left at the hut. Our loads today were predominantly tents, sleeping gear and warm layers. Our extra water, about four gallons, some food, and non-climbing shoes would be left in the hut(Not one item was stolen or ended up missing during our whole time Mexico). Today's goal was to make it over the Labyrinth, establish hi-camp, relax the remaining part of the day before turning in for a 2:00am start up the glacier.

Grabbed cooking instead of drinking cocoa M:-(

Because of my lack of sleep over the past half-week, I included a full 250mg Diamox with breakfast. Even with our final loads to carry up the aqueduct, pass lo-camp, and negotiating the Labyrinth, I did climb stronger and felt better than any of the previous ascents, though Diamox does not replace energy lost by not sleeping. Familiar with our route, Adam once again lead us up the direct trail, necessitating crampons and use of our axes on the steep icy sections of the Labyrinth, directly to our cache for hi-camp.

Others staging at Mid-Camp

Arriving near 2:00pm, we caught our breath and then established hi-camp in the midday sun. The tents became very warm once erected and exposed to the full force of the sun and its reflected rays off the glacier. It became so warm inside the tent that when I tried to sleep, unsuccessfully, in the tent, the temperature drove me too strip down to my boxers and eventually out of the tent. It had to be in the 70sF outside, surprisingly warm for 16,300ft. So to take advantage of the moment, we melted snow and subsequently filtered the water for our hydration needs.

Needed breather MMMMMMM

Necessities taken care of, Adam scouted ahead to verify we had the correct route to reach the Jamapa glacier. Here above the labyrinth yet below the glacier, we needed to ascend approximately 350ft of easy scree and talus before donning crampons and negotiating the glacier. Thankfully the trail was easy to find. Our views at hi-camp were spectacular. The surrounding towns on the plains to the northwest of us were contrasted by the ridges and rollings hills to the south and east as the topography of the land made its way to the Veracruz coast and finally the Gulf of Mexico. It felt good being above what little clouds there were while being soothed by the sun.

Adam scouting ahead

After eating our dinner we prepped for our early ascent. The more one does in the evening to make the morning duties easier, the sooner boots hit the trail. We also took Adam's advice to strengthen the tent tie-downs in the event we might experience katabatic winds, bringing cold air from the glacier. After all was in order and the setting sun was hidden by the Sarcophagus Rock, we sought the familiar comfort of our sleeping bags. Even though I had my fifth sleepless night, the sounds of the others in their restful slumber came to me clearly over the 25F glacial night air.

DAY SIX
Waiting for the alarm clock to sound, I went over possible reasons for my insomnia. The travel, climbing, and exertions of the previous days certainly made me tired enough to sleep. Yes, I was excited to be climbing the third highest peak in North America, but that type of emotion is easy to control and put away when necessary. I was without a clue as too why I could not sleep. At least my mates were resting much better and none of us had any common symptoms of AMS.

The alarm went off and we didn't hesitate to exit our warm sleeping bags, for our big summit day awaited us. Robbin and Adam made a warm breakfast while I went with a cold meal, Diamox included. Base layers, sweater, and shells were donned. Even some hand warmers were started to be ready when needed. Outside the tents, we put on our climbing harnesses in case they would be used, loaded our summit packs, and attached the final items consisting of crampons, water, ice axe, etc. and finished with balaclavas and gloves. I felt as tight as tick with the GPS and camcorder kept within my layers for battery warmth.

Prepped for glacial ascent MM crack of dawn

Away we went, following Adam's headlamp over the easy trail that lead to the glacier. Thirty minutes later we reached the edge of the glacier which was as distinct as crossing the beach to reach the ocean. You could place one foot on the glacier while keeping the other on the scree. It was that apparent. With crampons attached to boots, ice axes in hand, and packs double checked, we began our ascent of Pico de Orizaba.

The temperature was in the mid 20sF with a slight wind coming off the glacier and the snow conditions were absolutely perfect. The crampons bit well with no hesitation nor sloppiness, couldn't ask for anything better. We all fell into a easy rhythm of rest steps that gave us steady progress up the steep slope. Our headlamps provided plenty of light to follow the tracks of previous climbers though we were the initial climbers for this day. We were all surprised that the route basically attacked the mountain head on. There were no switchbacks to lessen the degree of steepness, just straight up.

I got into my climbing rhythm, ice axe, step, step, ice axe, step, step, repeat. Matter of fact I climbed for most of the first hour with my eyes closed doing just that. Nothing to trip over and I could hear Adam and Robbin off to the side or in front of me. Piece of cake, or so I thought. Keeping a slow and steady pace helped me maintain my breathing without much trouble even as we passed 15,000ft. But I was tired and it was beginning to show when I requested my third break within an hour and a half. Adam and Robbin gathered to one side while I tried to pull up some more energy from somewhere. Next thing I knew, Robbin and Adam were telling me how tired I looked and that they had never seen me so weak. It took me a moment to realize they were asking me to turn around and give up the summit. I'm sure whatever I said was feeble, cause they pulled the 'you need energy to get back down without injury' card. Damn, I was in a pickle. Yes I was exhausted, enough for my mates to be concerned about my safety, yet it was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other for a while longer and Orizaba would be mine. But it was the hands of my mates that I placed my trust in and I reluctantly faced away from the summit. #&$^@!! I was frustrated to say the least.

Sarcophagus blazing MMM Orizaba's shadow

I was escorted back down the glacier by Robbin while Adam, continued on to the summit (You can enjoy his excellent trip report here). We were back in camp soon enough and I checked the GPS to see how high I did go. Slightly over 17,500ft. A personal best but I still felt terrible for causing Robbin to miss the summit by having to care for a tired climber. We puttered about camp while waiting for Adam. Enjoyed another alpine sunrise, seeing the sun spread its luminance over the forests of Veracruz and paint the Sarcophagus a brilliant orange.

Sooner than expected (Around 10:00am, we noticed Adam coming down the trail. He was tired but was wearing the big smile of having climbed the third highest peak in North America (18,490ft). We were both very glad to see him arrive back safely. Once his gear was off and he had some time to relax, we asked him all kinds of questions about his climb and time on top. Hearing his tale was wonderful as he showed us several of the excellent photos and video he took.

Adam on the summit MMM The Large Millimeter Telescope M Crater rim

Another crater shot MMMMM Edge of glacier and our camp M Steep ascent

I asked Adam and Robbin if they would agree to another day and night at hi-camp to see if I could get some sleep and we could try a second attempt the following morning. They selflessly agreed and then we planned for the day, taking inventory of food and water. To limit our use of gas for the stoves, we took one of the backpack liners, a black garbage bag, and used it to melt collected snow. With the unobstructed rays from the sun warming the bag, we had several liters within a few hours. Enough to safely see us through another twenty-four hours. After lunch, I attempted to contact Sr. Joaquin via the walky-talky to make him aware of our plans and to arrange transportation back to his hacienda. We tried for several hours with no answer.

I had better luck at rummy

Even from the exertions of the early summit attempt, I was still unable to sleep. Coupled with the inability to contact Sr. Joaquin and the hour of the day, it being too late to descend the Labyrinth and reach the hut before nightfall, we were now in another night at hi-camp with no summit attempt planned. So we made the best of time and played some rummy in the tent till dark while munching on a variety of tasty trail foods. Again sleep eluded me that night, but seeing the constellations against the Milky Way and a few falling stars was enough to put me at ease and realize that the mountains would always be there and having good friends to enjoy the outdoors, whether in a tent or on a peak, was more important to me than a selfish summit.

My Orizaba profile MMMMMM Route in Google Earth

DAY SEVEN
The others woke prior to sunrise, so we shared known constellations and waited for the sunrise. As the new day's light started to shine on our little spot of the planet, we noticed that the area predominantly to the east, Veracruz, was covered with a thick blanket of clouds. Alone at hi-camp with no other climbers and only the occasional crow, we felt the isolation the clouds provided and felt as if we had the world to ourselves. Even though I missed Orizaba, my soul was still fulfilled with the beauty of the land around us.

Clouds over Veracruz MMMMM Sarcophagus on fire MMMM On top of the world?

Unaware of any expected precipitation, we had a feeling the cloud cover might make us a little wet during our descent back to the Piedra Grande hut, so we broke camp with practiced ease and headed down. We used crampons and axes when descending the ice and snow covered portions of the labyrinth, then we made good time to the hut returning with our loaded packs. Only a little bit of fog kissed our cheeks near the upper aqueduct and we didn't need to adjust our clothing. With a big welcoming grin, Sr. Joaquin was at the hut to greet us and provide a ride back to the Tlachichuca and Maribel's wonderful cooking.

Final Labyrinth descent M One of many memorials MM Returning to Piedra Grande

Arriving back at the hacienda, we went to our room (all was in order) and deposited our gear on the floor and made our way to some the showers for a long, hot, and much needed cleansing. With renewed bodies, minds, and clothes we sat down to fill ourselves with delicious food. After our after dinner and evening conversation, we stopped at a cyber cafe and made plans for tomorrow's day of travel to Amecameca, the staging point for climbing Ixta, La Mujer Dormida (The Sleeping Woman).

Painting at hacienda

DAY EIGHT
Woken by he familiar sound of Juanita mooing to be milked, we partially organized our gear before enjoying a final breakfast with Maribel. Another wonderful repast was followed by another hot shower before finalizing our gear and bill. Prices ran roughly as follows: for each person, ~$13 per night, ~$7 per meal, ~$10 for each used gas canister, $50 for transportation to and back from Piedra Grande, and a sizable gratuity.

Unable to determine which bus line was needed to reach Amecemeca from research the previous night, we caught the the same bus (Valle/AU) on its return route to Puebla CAPU. We caught the bus directly in front of the hacienda and gave our fond farewells to Sr. Joaquin and his wonderful family. I chose to return to Puebla as it is a large city and the bus terminal services many areas over the region we were visiting.

Roughly two hours later we arrived in Puebla where I asked the bus lines customer service people how to reach Amecameca. Learned that there is no direct bus service to Amecameca from Puebla. No problem though, with a little assistance, patience, and the ubiquitous paper napkin for direction notes, we made our way. First we had to take a bus (I forget which line at the moment) that was heading past Puente del Chalco. Directions were to exit the bus about 100 meters pass the last highway toll booth, climb up Puente del Chalco (Chalk Bridge?) and cross back over the highway to the other side, follow the north road, turn right at the furniture makers store, cross over another street and then find a bus with our thumbs that was going to Amecameca. Simple, but makes for good adventure. :-) So we followed directions, lugged our packs and gear over the highways, along the bridges, dodged some crazy traffic, and grabbed the first bus that had an 'Ameca' sign in their window. Ten pesos for a 45 minute ride with our gear crammed around us but we made it to Amecemeca.

Thrown out of the bus MMMMM At least there is no ice MMMM Making the adventure

Finally onboard

The only information on lodging we had was from a prior online Ixta trip report. So we sought out the Hotel San Carlos. Located near what we'd call a city park or town square or plaza, we found our nights lodging. (We did see nicer places on the way into town, but needed to stretch our pesos, so we rolled the dice) We were very furtunate when we exited the bus as a good visual scan of the road and surroundings yielded the marquis for the Hotel San Carlos about a half mile away. As we neared the entrance to the hotel we noticed the local offices of the National Park that Ixta was a part of is located adjacent to the Hotel San Carlos. As the day's sunlight was descending on our day of travel, we obtained a room (250 pesos for 3 twin beds and a bathroom, no TV) As far as accommodations go, lets just say the Hotel San Carlos does not provide customer satisfaction survey cards. MLOLM Basic needs are met, firm bed with sheets, a towel for each person and hot water for the patient person.

Gear stashed in the room and hungry, we promptly went to the National Parks office to obtain permits and route information before they closed. Permits are required for Ixta but not Orizaba. Permits us cost 22.08 pesos per person. We filled out a hike itinerary form for the group, receiving wrist or pack bands for each person. A helpful young lady, Monica, assisted us with our questions and arranging secure transportation from the Hotel to the trailhead and back. The negotiated cost was 800 pesos for all three of us and our gear leaving at 0500 and meeting us back at the trailhead for our return at 1900-2000. It was a little higher than we desired but within our budget. (There is a storage closet underneath the stairs nearby the front desk of the hotel, we used it to keep our travel bags secure while we climbing on Ixta. Again, we had not one thing show up missing during the entire trip)

Route information from the National Park office (see attached) showed a round trip of ~11 kilometers which converts to ~6.75 miles. After acclimating on Orizaba, we felt capable of a 7 mile round trip and therefore scheduled only one day for Ixta. With info obtained and transportation arranged for the morning, we finally acknowledged our hungry bellies and made our way to the plaza in search of local fare. Many delicious tacos (Cabeza, tripa, puerco), elote (corn on the cob on a stick flavored with either, salsa, mayo or cheese) were consumed buy us (5 pesos per taco, even Costco can't beat that). Hunger satiated, we strolled the plaza enjoying the night time activities. We soon walked through a small market district (mercado) where Robbin and Adam spent some time with Lupita sampling many and purchasing some of the items offered (various nuts, cactus, sweets, and such for tomorrow's trail food). Then it was back to the room by 10:00pm for some sleep. I actually slept well for several hours, best rest of the trip so far.

Fresh, flavorful, and fast tacos MMm Lupita sharing info MMMM Take you pick

DAY NINE
It was either the alarm or the dog outside telling us the alarm was going off that woke us up. Our practiced morning routine went quickly, leftover bags stashed under the stairs, and we were outside waiting for our driver, Arturo a little before 5:00am. He was there exactly on time to begin the roughly ninety minute drive to the National Park entrance. Scheduled to open at 7:00am, the park personnel were a little late, but we quickly showed them our permits, obtained a small distance vs elevation graph for part of the route, and jumped back into the car for another forty-five minute ride to Paso de Cortez, the trailhead for starting Ixta.

Ixta Legend
In Aztec mythology, Iztaccihuatl was a princess who fell in love with Popocatépetl, one of her father's warriors. The king sent Popocatépetl to war in Oaxaca, promising him Iztaccíhuatl as his wife when he would return (which Iztaccíhuatl's father presumed he would not). Iztaccíhuatl was falsely told Popocatépetl had died in battle, and believing the news, she died of grief. When Popocatépetl returned to find his love dead, he kneeled by her grave. The gods covered them with snow and changed them into mountains. Iztaccíhuatl's mountain is called "White Woman" because it resembles a woman sleeping on her back, and is often covered with snow. (The peak is sometimes nicknamed La Mujer Dormida ("The Sleeping Woman").) He became the volcano Popocatépetl, raining fire on Earth in blind rage at the loss of his beloved.

Popo for Ranger building and Ixta MMMMMMMMMMM The Sleeping Woman

Park sign

Arranging with Arturo for our return pickup at 7:00pm to make the park closing time of 8:00pm, we shouldered our packs and put boots to trail shortly after 8:00am. Temperature was warm enough, around 50F, that even light gloves were not needed. The sky was mostly clear with high, light clouds to the south of us. With no snow in sight, except on the nearby smoking volcano (Popo, which is not permitted to be climbed, due to activity) the terrain around Ixta provided a refreshing change from Orizaba with its surrounding ridges, valleys, and rock formations.

(Paso de Cortez) MMMMMMMM Local fauna

Trailhead to Ixta MMMMMMM Enroute

Following the well worn path, we began to ascend quickly (from 13,000ft to 14,500ft in the first mile and a half). Though we all felt good with no issues of AMS, the elevation prevented us from jogging up like a bunch of eager puppies. LOL We had gear and food in case of an emergency overnight stay, but we each shouldered our packs without comment as the trail started ascending up a rocky ridge. Pretty soon our ascending turned into scambling as the ridge steepened and we found ourselves on a rock outcropping. Though the scrambling was a pleasant experience it turned into an untimely diversion as we soon cliffed out.

We had wonderful views of he surrounding topography and enjoyed a brief respite, but we had to backtrack a little and scramble down a steep chute to the main trail that we saw from above. Missing the main trail probably cost us about thirty to forty-five minutes of valuable time. At the base of the cliff, we picked up the main trail and began a gradual ascent next to the base of large rock formation.

Fun scrambling MMMMMMM Returning to correct route

First pass MMMMMMMMMMM Approaching second pass

Finishing our gradual ascent we arrived at a pass where the actual climbing of Ixta begins (I believe we were starting at the ankles section). But we turned in the opposite direction once at the pass and went off trail for maybe fifty yards for a snack break. Checking the clock and the distance covered so far, we rearranged our packs, going from carrying one pack each to two packs total, leaving the third, mostly sleeping gear, as a cache. We did this to lighten our load a little in the hopes of making up some time.

Wonderful terrain MMMM Lunar landscape?

Back on trail we continued to climbed the dirt path as the clouds started to appear. Again the trail turned into some very light scrambling. Onward we went, enjoying the diversity of the terrain, finally peaking out on the scramble and then we saw the hut below us. Coming down the small ridge the trail took us to another refugio. This hut was expected as it is mentioned in several Ixta trip reports. Named the 'Grupo De Cien Refugio' (Group of 100 hut)

Passing the hut we saw the trail go up a steep section of scree to what we believe was the base of the knees. Less then a quarter of a mile in distance, the scree section demanding our attention as it was steep, slippery with plenty of pebbles, and at roughly 16,000ft we had to take it slowly. Forty-five long minutes later we were past the scree and at the next section. With all three of us standing at the base of the knees, we took a few minutes of rest while enjoying the clouds that were dancing in and out amongst us.

Approaching the Refugio MMM Another memorial MMMMM Plenty of contrasts

Prior to putting the packs back on we took note of the time and I studied the GPS intently. It was a little after 1:00pm and we knew we had just passed the hut. Per the Park information map the hut was supposed to be at 2.87 km (1.78 miles) but the GPS showed we had covered 5.63 km (3.5 miles) since the starting at the trailhead. Damn it !! We came to the realization that the Park info was incorrect by a factor of two. Instead of an expected seven mile round trip, we were looking at fifteen miles.

Full profile of Ixta attempt MMM Map provided by park and copied on a sign (note Dist, vs Elev)

A sense of deja vu came over us. It was obvious that we had lost the summit, again. So we played the same game and sent Adam off with a further lightened pack and our best wishes as he aimed to get as far as he could before the turn around time of 3:00pm. Off he went, scrambling up what we thought were the knee's of Ixta. Several times we saw him reverse direction and change course, but his attempts at further progress were not as successful as we had hoped. After thirty minutes Adam conceded the scrambling (class 3) and returned to the top of the scree section with us.

Adam trying to scramble up the knees MMMMMMMMMMM Behind and below us

Proper route explained here

Well, nothing to do but turn around and make the best of the return trip. We cautiously descended the scree section and took a lengthy respite at the hut, exploring the inside, writings, and several of the surrounding memorials. Then packs back on and down we went, returning to our cache to pick up all our gear and continuing at an easy pace. All three of us really enjoyed the Ixta trail with its diversity of conditions. We all agreed that we wanted to return and accomplish Ixta in its entirety.

We arrived back at the trailhead with an hour to spare before Arturo was scheduled to show up. It had been a lengthy day for us so we took a little siesta as we watched the sun bid us its daily farewell.

Tired climbers waiting for their ride

Wonderful sunsets

Arturo arrived precisely at 7:00pm and we gratefully climbed in for the ride back to Amecameca, where we washed up at the hotel then headed out for some late night tacos. With only one more day for us in Mexico before our return trip, we wanted to play tourist and see the Aztec pyramids at Teotihuacan, just north of Mexico City. We located the bus terminal and learned that the bus for Mexico City leaves every fifteen minutes starting in the early hours of the morning. So we headed back to the hotel with semi-solid transportation plans and crashed. Best sleep I had in over a week was in a one star hotel. MLOL

Two views of Ixta Route in Google Earth

DAY TEN
Well rested, we woke before the 4:00am alarm. Showered and shouldered our packed gear and bags for a short day of travel, hopefully. Walked the ten minutes to the bus station and three gringos where on their way to Mexico City within two minutes for the low price of $40 pesos (~$4.00US)(SUR bus lines). It was roughly another two hour bus ride, which brought to mind the geographical oddity that every destination we sought necessitated a two hour bus ride. M:-)

Half of the bus ride was through Mexico City itself, which has a metropolitan population greater than 21 million. Sometime during the morning rush hour we arrived at the SOUTH Bus Terminal. After a few inquiries, I learned that our staging city for seeing the pyramids, San Juan, was only accessible via the NORTH Bus Terminal. So we took a safe taxi from one bus terminal to the other one. The safe taxi or 'taxi seguro' is a pay first for destination then line up for the next available taxi driver. Our shuttle to the northern bus terminal cost us 25 pesos each (~$2.50US). We got a grin out of the driver who drew our fare. He saw three passengers with six bags and tried to refuse to take us, claiming to the other drivers that we would not fit (Just about all the taxis were old, small Nissan Sentras). We took his dilemma in stride and showed him, with big smiles of our own, how we could fit everything in the car. All the bags and us went in without a problem. The driver was silent the whole time to the North Terminal. M;-)

We were dropped off at the first opportunity when we arrived at the North Terminal. I made a few inquiries and found the bus line (Teotihuacan Lines if I recall correctly) that provided service to San Juan (25 pesos per person). Then I asked about hotels and was given two names, 'Quinto del Sol' and 'El Sol y La Luna'. I had an unsubstatianted hunch that Quinto del Sol was the more touristy and therefore the more costly of the two. It turned out to be true. During our 'two hour' ride to San Juan, we passed the Quinto del Sol hotel and saw that it was geared more for tourists. A little more patience and further into the city, we were dropped off about two hundred yards from the other hotel.

The hotel, El Sol y La Luna, was the nicest place we stayed to date. Along with a customer survey card, they had breath mints on the coffee table, and the SPARE roll of toilet paper was folded in a flourish for astethic purposes. We three tired climbers were in heaven. MLOLM Cost for one night ran us about $13.00US per person. Bags deposited in the room, we inquired at the fromt desk how to reach the pyramids. We were informed we could take the bus or walk about two miles. Much better to explore new surroundings on foot, so we opened the door and made our way towards the pyramids of Teotihuacan.

On our way to the pyramids, we stopped at a colorful restaurant for a hot brunch. We each ordered different dishes, with Adam having the Conejito (Rabbit) platter, and enjoyed a nice sit down meal. Meal paid for (most expensive was ~$10.00US) we then continued walking to the pyramids. During a curve in the road, we could see one of the pyramids through the trees. Soon enough we arrive at one of two entrances.

Roadside cafe to enjoy a relaxing brunch MMMMMMMM Fresh steak and sides

First peak at Pyramid

$51.00 pesos gained us access and $35.00 pesos more was charged for my camcorder. We passed through the section of souvenir vendors who were just opening their stalls for the day's tourists. With no observable flow to the park, we went straight to the pyramid of the sun and climbed it like any good hiker would. 233ft later, I could claim my first and only summit of the entire trip. MLOLM Located at an elevation of ~7,680ft, we saw several non-acclimated people laboring to find their breath as they climbed the many stairs to the top.

Passing vendors as they open

The Sun Pyramid provides an excellent vantage point to survey the surrounding layout of the ancient city. To the north was the Moon Pyramid with the main thoroughfare between the two dominant pyramids being called the Street of the Dead. To the south were more and smaller contructions as well as some living quarters that had been excavated. Throughout our wanderings I found little posted information that could have explained what we were looking at. Though the museum, no extra charge, had plenty of information about the city and its history as well as numerous artifacts. And my memories of the movie, Apocolypto, let my imagination run in various directions.

Pyramid of the Sun MMMMMM Street of the Dead MMMMMMM Pyramid of the Moon

Pyramid of the Sun MMMMMM Street of the Dead MMMMMMM More excavations

Museum objects

We spent about five lazy hours wandering the ruins, enjoying the day off from climbing. Upon leaving the Park grounds, without any souvenirs, we were swarmed by young kids anxious to have our attention and our money in their respective restaurants or clubs. They drifted off when we ignored their hawking as we already had a place in mind for a late lunch. Much closer to the pyramids and therfore more expensive we decided to enjoy some seafood for a change. I settled on the Camarones Holendesa (Dutch Shrimp) (Butterflied shrimp, stuffed with cheese, and wrapped in bacon) and enjoyed every bite. After this early dinner, we returned to our previous spot during our walk back to the hotel where we felt we had earned some helados (ice cream).

Back at the hotel around sunset, we prepped our bags for tomorrow's departure back home. Soon enough we had finished and decided to go explore the San Juan district. The hotel clerk gave us directions to the nearby central plaza and twenty minutes later we were enjoying more of the sights, sounds, and smells of the Mexican night. This plaza was larger than Amecameca's, as expected, and provided all sorts of digestive diversion. Tacos al vapor, enchiladas, pazole, vampiros, helados, churros and many more were all available to enjoy. Adam and Robbin enjoyed trying the many items offered and swore that the churros they ate were the best ever. I had a hankering for some American junk food, so I picked up a bag of cheese puffs. ;-)

More delicious food MMMMM Made fresh and fast

Never seen such a large bag MM Future trail meals?? MLOL

DAY ELEVEN (return flight day)(tired of typing)
- Woke early, prepped bags and bodies for return trip. Went back to plaza for breakfast. Fantastic fruit bowls and different types of tacos for breakfast.
- Caught bus back to Mexico City bus terminal (North) (25 pesos per person) and then used the seguro or safe taxis to get a ride to the airport (110 pesos total).
- At airport for several hours, played rummy and ate some leftover trail food. Security a little more reasonable. Able to take greater than 3oz of fluids on plane, just had to prove it was safe by drinking some of the liquid yourself.
- Flight uneventful, baggage and customs in Phoenix was easier than expected. Almost missed flight back to Seattle, last ones on board, whew.
- Seattle return as expected, gray and raining. LOL
- Nothing lost, no injuries, no incidents, all returned safely. Adam got one of the two peaks and we learned lots of fun while having grand adventures. Successful trip !!!

Feel free to contact us with any specific questions.

Enjoying the Enchantments for a WEEK !!!

2009-09-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Distance: ~ 37 miles Total for Trip

Trailhead: 3470 feet (GPS N47 31.683 W120 49.243)

Highpoint: 8,850 feet (GPS N47 28.745 W120 49.977)
Elevation Gain: 14,453 ft (Total)

Hike Difficulty Calculator: 52 - Extreme

Trail Notes: Permits required. Use this link for permit information. Cost is $5 per person per day.

The set of photos for this hike are located here.

Day One
Arriving in Leavenworth after a somewhat lengthy drive and ferry trip from the Olympic Peninsula, we made for the deck of Gustav's restaurant to enjoy the last rays of the setting sun while refueling our famished bellies. Excitement built for our forthcoming excursion in the Enchantments, as we discussed the many scrambling and climbing options available to us for the week. Stomachs satiated and full of fun expectations, we drove the loaded trucks along Icicle Road to Eight Mile Campground for the night. Here, the four of us, John, Robbin, Tim, and myself, scrutinized our gear one final time to ensure everything was included without any unnecessary redundancies. With everything in acceptable order, we turned in for a warm nights sleep with the whirling wind buffeting the starlit boughs above us.

Arriving at the Stuart Lake trailhead and donning a fifty pound pack this particular Monday morning was mucho better than showing up at the office in a suit and tie. No phone, no meetings, no razor, and even no soap. Nothing to do for a whole week but selfishly explore the prominent peaks and verdant valleys of mother nature's hidden delights with fantastic friends. We were as anxious to hit the trail as two amorous teenagers in the back row of a theater for the lights to dim.

Starting out at a little over 3400ft elevation, the four and a quarter miles to Colchuck Lake passed quickly via strong strides on the well traveled path. Autumn shades were beginning to show themselves as we passed the occasional maple tree with its vivid hued leaves. Unfortunately, Robbin added to the kaleidoscope of colors by misplacing her Buff during the hike in. Smart planning enabled her to pull out a spare Buff that was well watched during the remainder of the trip.

Autumn Leaves MMMMMMMM Sun and sand MMMMMMM

Evening residents

Arrival at Colchuck Lake was heralded by some Camp Robber Jays or Gray Jays under a beautiful blue Northwest sky. Some recent water management might have occurred as the level of the lake was lower than remembered. Looking for a good campsite we settled on the south shore next to the talus field below Colchuck Peak and Colchuck Glacier. Soon other folks joined us on the sandy beach including 6 month old James and Florida resident Mitch.

Talus field MMMMMM Future hiker James MMMM Evening colors

Prior to sunset several of us jumped into the cold waters of Colchuck Lake before we we started dinner. Yes, it was eye opening and eunuch enabling cold. So I decided not to participate in the hopes of being useful to some roaming woodland nymph, but alas, that did not come to pass.M ;-)

To make more of the outdoor experience with such a fine forecast, I did not attached the rain-fly to the tent. Temperature was completely fine (30-40s), and I had a zero degree bag if needed. We gazed up in awe at the multitude of stars that were spread across the night sky. I attempted to count a portion of them, but after I removed my second sock I couldn't get past twenty-one. John pointed out the Big Dipper and its relatively low position in the night sky. I woke up every hour or so and noticed the Dipper's slow revolving progression as the heavens seemed to spin before us. Around one o'clock in the morning, the Dipper was basically horizontal and right above Colchuck's horizon. I think it was this subliminal message that caused me to get up and find a bush to water.

A few hours before dawn I woke up to survey the surroundings and noticed there was some collected water on my down sleeping bag. This frustrated me some as I expected without a rain-fly we would have no condensation from our breath collecting on our gear. As I grumpily wiped my sleeping bag dry and threw the rain-fly over the tent, I tried to figure out the cause of the moisture. Drifting off to sleep, I vaguely remembered that the exposed, cool surface of the sleeping bag was radiating my body heat outward at a rate faster than the moisture could evaporate in the cool night air, resulting in the formation of water droplets on the sleeping bag. But all that cognitive activity during the wee morning hours just caused me to say twenty-one and then I was instantly asleep.M :-)

Day Two

After some shuteye, John roused us from our slumber to greet the new day. Inserting some uranium into the reactor Tim produced some hot water in no time. The aroma of fresh made coffee wafting over the lake shore seemed to cause some stirring from the neighboring tents.

Fueled and awake, we efficiently broke camp and made our packs ready. While enjoying the soft glow of morning light we turned eastward and faced our first challenge of the day, Aasgard Pass or Advil pass as some refer to it. Rising 2200ft in roughly a mile (~39 degree up angle), this steep scramble up a chute consisting of granite slabs is exactly what is needed to get the blood flowing during the cool morning air, especially with 40-60lb packs. Following the faint trail via cairns, I was sweating in no time and quickly fashioned a bandanna to keep the sweat out of my eyes. Or they could have been tears of tortuous pain. I'm not sure which, but the bandanna did help. With the moisture, not the climb. M;-)

Aasgard route on previous trip, MMBreak time, MMMMM Slow & steady progress

John was leading out in front, ensuring we stayed on route. Which was pretty easy even for the navigationally challenged, such as myself. Sandwiched between sheer walls of stone, one just needed to go upward. Simple in strategy, more difficult in execution. We kept a good pace, breaking only twice before reaching the top of the pass at 7800ft in about 2 hours. I looked at John with envy. He hadn't broke a sweat, much less begin to perspire. And he was carrying the heaviest pack. A regular energizer bunny.

I want to digress a little and explain what might have contributed to our successful ascent during the morning. A few things come to mind. 1) A good nights sleep with a warm, filling breakfast. 2) A regular regimen of exercise. 3) And while reading up on endurance activities such as cycling, running, etc., I learned more about performance nutrition. For the average person, the body can only process and use about 300 calories per hour. If any more calories are consumed (ex: Big Mac), they will have to wait in the body for processing and if the body is not actively burning calories for energy (sedentary), those calories might end up as stored fat. So a somewhat ideal method of keeping the body's energy levels up without overloading the calorie/energy conversion process, is to take in about 100 calories every 20 minutes of a high glycemic indexed food (easily digested and quickly converted to energy) (marketed as power gels). A little more research will yield homemade recipes of these gels or energy goos. So I made some homemade gel (took all of 15 minutes including clean-up) and followed the recommended practice of taking in one ounce (~100 calories) and then following with a few ounces of water every 20 minutes. This keeps the body supplied with calories that are easily converted to energy and helps with hydration replenishment without overloading the body. It's also much cheaper than retail prices and there are none of the individual packages that require disposing. I initially carried the goo in these reusable containers, but have since graduated to this type of container. Long story shortened, we felt fine on our ascent to Aasgard, never really feeling out of energy.

Once we ascended up and over Aasgard, we enthusiastically removed our packs and set them down with a sigh of satisfaction before biting into a bit of brunch. Welcomed by a cool wind, we slid into our shells to keep from cooling off too quickly. This was coupled with seeking a more sheltered area to rest in. Once comfortable, we relaxed with satisfied smiles for about twenty minutes knowing that Aasgard was below and no longer an obstacle to deal with. With clear skies, temperature in the upper 50sF, and no one in sight, we were filled with an early sense of accomplishment.

Sheltered solace MMMMMM Making our way down MMMM

Entering Brísingamen

Packs returned to their upright and shouldered position, we casually made our along the upper basin. Definitely no longer in the Wenatchee forest with its acres of Fir and Hemlock, the upper basin, which is referred to as the 'Enchantment Basin' by veteran climbers, is dramatically barren of many trees with the exception of Tamarack Larches sprinkled about here and there. Looking out over the gradually descending landscape, we put boots to trail in search of a camping spot that would meet our needs.

Passing Lake Brynhild MMMM Partial lakelet with Temple Ridge

With our vibrams tenaciously adhering to the sticky granite, we entered the area of the Valkyrie Lakes. First we passed Lake Freya to the north side and then slid between the peaceful and still lakes, Brynhild and Reginleif. Looking to our south as we strolled eastward, we could see the remnants of the Snow Creek Glaciers below Little Annapurna and Dragontail Plateau. Continuing our search for the perfect camp, we passed Hildr Tarn and approached the Brísingamen Lakelets. These small lakes are connected to one another as they tranquilly tumble and gently gurgle down the peaceful plateau. When lit by the sun in a western sky they sparkle with points of fire, giving homage to their Norse origins of the flaming or brilliant necklace of the goddess Freyja. Amid this barren and bubbling region we located a camp site that would fulfill our needs. Water that was close by, soft sand to place all the tents on, shelter from the plateau winds, views of Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak, Prusik Peak, Witches Tower, the Black Dwarves and a wonderful eastern horizon to watch the sun rise up between Temple Ridge and McClellan Peak. And if I recall correctly, it was Lake Ladgunn that was a short walk away to assist us with our swimming or cooling off needs.

The perfect spot we chose was only lacking the 'Feng Shui Red Door'. And as if to state all was well with our location, within a few minutes a lone mountain goat ambled into our site and began munching on some vegetation. This was pleasant foreshadowing as we were visited every morning by various members of the local goat population. With one day bringing a mother and her young kid. Having setup camp, arranged our sleeping quarters, and pumped water for the day, we took a short siesta to just unwind and breath in the beauty.

Tasty tamarac MMMMMMM Tim setting up his personal Vegas

Re-energized and ready, we donned smaller daypacks and headed southward to explore Little Annapurna. Directly east of Dragontail Plateau and rising up from the west side of Nightmare Gorge at a little over 8400ft (8480ft by my GPS), Little Annapurna almost seems as if was crafted thousands of years ago by humans . Two large mounds of sectioned granite resembling a grand hall, as if royalty were gathering for an important procession, flank an area that could be viewed as a processional avenue. Walking between the two mounds, one comes to the end and looks southward. Able to see the city of Cle Elum about fifteen miles away, Mount Rainier, and Mount Adams, the undulating valleys and ridges of the Wenatchee Forest unfold before the eyes with a mesmerizing view. But be careful, make one misstep and you'll tumble several hundred feet down to an unpleasant landing on the sharp rocks below.

Approaching Annapurna MMM As if man made MMMMMMM

Easy ascent !!

North looking view MMMMMMM More of the Basin

The views from Little Annapurna were a favorite of Tim and myself, even after the enjoying the many other splendors of the Enchantments throughout the week. With our souls filled with wild wonder, we left Annapurna, heading westward to assess the conditions of the saddle at Snow Creek Glacier for a future trip up to Dragontail. Along the way we climbed around and on top of the formation known as The Chief. Nothing too difficult but be careful as there is enough exposure to cause a serious injury from a misstep or failed grip. Scramble up, squeeze through the upper feather of the Chief's war bonnet, twist your body to grab a hold of the one chickenhead or small handhold, and then slowly pull yourself upright to be on top. Voila, you made it.

Coming to the Chief MMMMMM Squeezing through

Continuing on to the saddle, we saw that it would be very easy to cross with about twenty yards of packed, horizontal snow to navigate. With our beta gathered and stomachs reminding us of dinner to come, we oriented ourselves back in the direction of our Annapurna ascent and scrambled over more of the grippy granite. After a round trip of two and a half miles with about 1200ft gained and then lost, we arrived back at camp around 4:30pm, to again unwind, enjoy, and fill our bellies in the most lazy of manners. We were on vacation, so along with the strenuous fun of Aasgard and Annapurna we made sure we had our ample share of relaxation. M:-)

Aasgard & Annapurna Profile (Day 2)

Video of Day 1 & 2:

Day Three

Milky Way at midnight MMMMM Wednesday's wake up

Even before the sun rose to grant us another visual display of earthly beauty, the nightly heavens performed their pageantry in the play of eons by exhibiting their ephemeral elegance. Waking up after several hours to share the soothing solace of the stygian sky and silence of our surroundings, one only has to lift one's head upward to observe the magic of of the Milky Way during midnight in the mountains. Countless galaxies sprinkled like dust throughout the universe evoke an awareness of one's soul in the universe. I'm glad to have experienced these private night time moments.

Before long, John roused us from our peaceful slumber for another days adventure. Over hot coffee and warm vittles, we decided on some rock climbing. Several choices were discussed, with all us agreeing on the High Priest. This outing would take us north easterly to Temple Ridge, famous for the many beautiful pictures of Prusik Peak.

Morning routine

Packs loaded with climbing harnesses, shoes, gear racks, and food, we said goodbye to the goats and traveled in the opposite direction of yesterday, following the main trail. Our route took us past Talisman Lake with the Black Dwarves sky-lined above, then we dropped a little elevation on our approach to the northern point of Rune Lake which provides a north facing side trail that takes the hiker up 300ft to Prusik Pass. After discussing whether to bushwhack our way up to the High Priest from Rune Lake, we opted for taking the easy trail up to Prusik Pass and then navigating around Prusik, and the Boxtop before taking our line to the base of the High Priest.

Prior to the Pass MMM Looking over Rune MM Little A, Dragotail, Rune & Talisman

With another gorgeous Northwest day upon us, we paused at Prusik Pass to delight in the visual candy offered us. Looking northward and several hundred feet below us was Shield Lake and Lake Grace just visible in the distance. Druid Plateau and Elf Ridge rose to the west, with Nada Pass and Tamarac Meadows to the East. This verdant area below us was named the Lost World Plateau by early pioneers to the Enchantments.

Shield Lake MMMMMMM Elf Ridge (Cannon Mtn) MM

South - McClellan Peak & Chessmen

Pleased by the panoramic views at Prusik Pass, we began to bushwhack our way around Prusik and under Boxtop, covering a little over half a mile in an hour. Then we began the ascent to High Priest. This consisted of over five hundred feet of tallus and scree, aided by the inevitable vegetable belay from the stubborn, hard-willed alpine trees. Arrival at the base of the High Priest occurred around 10:30am. Again we amiably discussed rope team options, with the result of John and Robbin making the ascent team. Tim and myself would sit this one out, performing the difficult part of providing the moral support while soaking up as much sun as possible. Someone has got to bask like a lazy lizard in the sun atop a granite rock. M:-)

High Priest is \/ this peak MMMM Boxtop MMMMMMMMMM

Destination in sight

Preparations MMMMM Gear MMMMMMM Starting out

Upon their successful return, the ESPN sports team called and said Chris Berman was unable to interview the successful climbers. Something about a woman, Jerry,...Jenny, yes Jenny Craig was taking up his time. So instead of ruining the experience and jubilation of the team by some talking bobble-head, I turned the microphone over to John himself.

"Well Mike, I'll lay out the basics for you.....We traversed under Prussik Peak on the south side of Temple Ridge and gained the west col of the High Priest before the East Germans. Here we roped up and began climbing the west face despite the freezing sleet and gale force winds. After the first pitch the route seemed to veer to the north side of the peak. From the north side three pitches were climbed (~ mid class 5) to the top, this enable us to gain a big lead on the Aussies. The final pitch involved a short pitch with a thin crack.... I would estimate that this was a short 5.8 move, Robbin nailed it perfectly, eliciting perfect scores from all the judges. Beckey's book describes the route as staying on the west face so I think I got off route, a discounted book full of errors. This made the day a bit more sporting. :-) mOnce on top we could see for three days! No other team was even close to us, we totally made the Priest bow before us! We rappelled 4 times back to the col, we even rappelled with our eyes closed just for a challenge. The most interesting section involved an overhanging free rappel that left my voice pitch a bit higher as the harness "dug in".m :-) m I'm sure that won't affect any endowment, uh, endorsement contracts.

Gear used....(1) 60 m rope, #3,2,1, and 3/4 cams, a couple of small stoppers..& donated a few 8 ft webbing sections for the rappel." And there you have it folks. The play by play action of the gritty climb atop the second highest peak along the Temple ridge.

John leading MMMMM Success for both MMMM Beginning the rappel

After all their adoring fans had left, John and Robbin, scraped hands and all, permitted Tim and I to pick up their gear and helped them change from climbing back into hiking mode. With all of us ready with gear packed, we tossed some ideas for how to finish the fine afternoon. It was decided to drop down as straight as we could to reach Naiad Lake. All of us had looked down from our respective perches through the climb and were tempted by its clear, inviting waters. We were eager to see if it was as nice as it looked.

Head down, watch the rocks and scree, use the trekking pole or both hands, catch that tree limb during a slip, all the usual methods to keep one upright while descending a steep and slippery slope. About twenty minutes and a thousand feet lower we reached the west shore of Naiad Lake and found some suitable boulders for diving and drying. Having hiked, climbed, and scrambled for a couple days we were ready for a little cleanup. The area of the lake we chose dropped quickly to about 20 feet so we all decided to bite the cold bullet by diving instead of walking in.

Naiad Lake from the Col MMMM Pristine waters MMMMM

Get wet time :-0

Five minutes after they were out and drying themselves in the sun, I still hadn't jumped in. That water was clear, inviting, and pretty damn cold. With a slight breeze blowing my hiking aroma in the direction of my mates, they told me to get in or be thrown in. Crap, have to get in now. I made a big fancy display prior to diving in and then dove out as far as I could. Damn, it, was, COLD! I couldn't get turned around and back on that warm rock fast enough. After clambering back onto the boulder, I removed my cold, wet boxers to aid in the drying process. There was a couple of hikers on the north side of the lake but modesty didn't matter, it took over an hour for slim-jim and the twins to re-emerge.

Cairn Terrier marking the trail :-) BB-day mom at 76 !! MMMM

Stopping to share experiences

Fully clothed and respiration returned to normal, I brought up the rear as we made for the main trail. John brought us to course a little east of Lake Vivianne. Naiad and Vivianne start the lower portion of the Enchantment basin. We would follow the trail past Leprechaun Lake with its peninsula before continuing onto Rune Lake with its side trail to Prusik Pass. The lower basin is populated with more trees than the upper basin and coupled with the ever flowing streams creates such fascination that makes one want to sit and absorb as much as possible. I know I'll never be able to describe our experiences well enough, but the feel of the granite on your body is tough, tactile and tangible, the perfume of the pines are for your pleasure alone, the symphonic sounds of the sparkling streams elicit a silent ovation from the soul, and the visual beauty of Nature's creation will always outshine the attempts of Man.

Dragontail upon return to camp MM Tim is neat and tidy M:-)

After our dip in Naiad, we returned to our home away from, gaining 700ft, passing three lakes, and putting about three miles on our boots. Enough to get us dry and to generate an appetite for a hot meal. Looking west we saw some clouds that did not portend very well. Fortunately, by after dinner, the clouds had finished their dance among the Dragontail and returned to their heavenly lair. Slowly, as if to say all was well, the evening stars began appearing one by one to bestow their blinking brilliance over the upper basin. Another wonderful day had been enjoyed by all.

High Priest (Day 3)

Video of Day 3:

Day Four

Checking the competition MMM Morning guests MMM

Another beautiful day had dawned in the upper basin and a new adventure was waiting for us. More members from the local goat union came down and checked our camp as we went about our morning routine. I'm sure the word had made it rounds that super-hiker John was in their neck of the woods and they wanted to check out the competition up close and personal. After their brief but thorough inspection the goats ambled on to parts unknown.

Dragontail Peak in background MM Vacation personified

The breakfast discussion of which area to appreciate today was concluded with exploring westward. We decided to scramble up to Dragontail Plateau, run the ridge, and then summit Dragontail Peak. This would give us some new territory to savor and provide up close views of Mt Stuart and its surrounding peaks. Now all we had to do was entice Tim, our resident reclining rock lizard, away from his sunny perch and up to the peak. Vacation can be tough at times. M :-)

Loaded with lighter scrambling packs than the previous day, we turned our backs to the rising sun and gained a couple hundred feet of elevation towards Little Annapurna before heading westward above the remaining portions of the Snow Creek Glacier. John lead us unerringly back to the pass we had explored out two days prior. Crossing the short section of snow at the pass, we paused to scout the route upward before we began our climb up to Dragontail Plateau.

East: The Chief and Little A MMM Wait for us John MMMM

Atop the plateau, south to Rainier

We stood atop Dragontail Plateau around noon time. I don't like being repetitive, but it was another gloriously beautiful Northwest day. Temperature was in the low sixties with a gentle breeze and the skies were my favorite shade of blue, cerulean. It was perfect. We then gave our attention to some boulders that fitted our tired butts just right and made a snack time of the respite.

Regaining our feet, we oriented ourselves toward Dragontail and commenced to traverse the ridge. We normally held to the west side but when we were able to straddle the upper edge and gaze eastward, the ever present views of Temple Ridge and McClellan Ridge accentuated the beauty of the upper basin. As we progressed closer towards Aasgard Pass, The Witches Tower came into full view. This solitary rock pinnacle just south east of Dragontail Peak divides the the Snow Creek Glacier between Little Annapurna and Dragontail Peak. The north side has a dark and striking wall when viewed from Aasgard. The tower has an easy scramble route to the top as well as several technical routes for those desiring more of a challenge.

The Witches Tower MMMMM North - Enchantment Plateau

Dragontail Ridge & Peak MMM John indicating the trail MMM

and there it is

As we traversed the ridge, we slowly dropped a couple of hundred feet of elevation. This brought us to the col below Dragontail and to the beginning of a distinct hikers trail. What has been descended must be ascended So we continued on and gained a little over three hundred feet in our scramble up the steep path to the peak of Dragontail. It was named back in 1955 when Lex Maxwell, Bob McCall, and Bill Prater, while climbing an adjacent peak, noticed the miniature 'tails' making up the peak of the Dragontail, and gave it the name, which eventually stayed.

It was magnificent. Simply soul stirring. The highest point of our trip (8850ft per my GPS), the three hundred and sixty degree views must be seen to have an understanding of the natural beauty that lay before us. Upper and lower Enchantment basins, McClellan and Temple Ridges, the Black Dwarves, Colchuk Peak, Cannon Mountain, Mount Stuart with Sherpa and Argonaut Peaks and a stunning view of Colchuk Lake almost directly below our position. Hard pressed to think of a better location.

Atop Dragontail MMMMMM 5000ft above Colchuk MM

Mt Stuart w/ Argonaut & Sherpa Peaks MM Another panorama

We spent about an hour at the peak, taking lunch and a lengthy lounging period. It felt so good to bask in the sun amidst all the natural wonders around us. Not a care in the world entered my mind as my eyes traveled around; Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Stuart, Argonaut, Sherpa, Enchantment Basin, beautiful clear skies, the Wenatchee Forest, and the numerous alpine lakes. And to enhance the enjoyment, I was in great company to share it with. So pleasurable it was almost sinful. M:-)

Unlike Icarus who ascended so high he fell to his death, we chose to return below to our camp before the sun hid itself for the day. A simple retrace of our route brought us back to Dragontail Plateau where the observant Robbin and Tim spotted a trio of Rock Ptarmigans or Snow Chickens. In the process of moulting from their summer brown to white plumage for the coming winter, they exhibited no alarm at our presence, content with their foraging about for food. And speaking of food, I think I saw John watch the ptarmigan with a hungry eye. Normally leading our group, John was the last to leave the plateau, casting several backward glances at the plump, docile, easily caught dinner, I mean birds. But ever the superior steward, John left no trace and disturbed no wildlife as we made our way back to camp. Though I will say he was a little more contemplative than normal during his evening dinner of instant rice and dehydrated vegetables. M;-)

Rock Ptarmigans

Back at the camp we once again took advantage of the sunny day to jump in the nearby lake to clean off the day's exercise. Fed by the Snow Creek Glacier remnants, the water is clear and COLD. After diving in and clambering back out, it felt exhilarating to dry off with nothing but my birthday suit. Returning to camp, we conducted our daily chores of water filtering, dinner cooking, and relaxing for a few hours as our friendly and fiery galactic points of light began to appear for their nightly disco in the dark.

Dragontail Peak (Day 4)

Video of Day 4:

Day Five

Ever beautiful sunrises MMM Nanny and kid MMMMMM

One aspect of this trip that came to me as a pleasant surprise was waking up and having to think for a moment which day it was. Thursday, Friday? I had to go back over each day's activities to know for sure. I had been out here enjoying the experience so much that life outside the basin had ceased to exist for me. I know a week isn't too lengthy, but I took the viewpoint that I was thoroughly immersed in the here and now and therefore having a damn good time. All of which was true. M:-)

Healthy & content

After the stars conceded the heavens to the flaming sun for its daily sojourn, the four of us emerged from our tents well rested. While lazily stretching, performing a few faux yoga moves, and enjoying fresh made coffee, a nanny and her kid circled our campsite. Even though we had been jumping in the local lake for a daily rinse off, we were not using any soap. Perhaps we were beginning to blend with the environment enough that the wildlife was a little more accepting of us. M ;-) During breakfast, we also chewed on which location to explore for our last full day in the basin. This time we decided to go roughly south easterly and attempt the less visited McClellan Peak. Gathering our gear, John thought we might be able to find a shorter route via the southwest side of Runne Lake. But to our dismay, we were cliffed out along the south edge of Runne. Not gearing any gear to rappel, we turned around and followed the main trail, making our turn before Sprite Lakelet.

Talisman in the morning MMMM A route around Runne? No M :-(

Leaving the main trail, we began our upward scramble across more of the ever present granite. Our vibram soles provided wonderful traction on the tacky terrain that I could only wish for back in the Olympics. Thirty to forty degree angles were navigated with no worries. There were plenty of handholds if needed. The Chants are a great place to flex your feet and test just how much you can get away with during a scramble. Almost felt like a gecko at times. Pausing on top of a butte for a short break, we surveyed the shadowed ridge for our ascension route. From the first photo below, we went up far behind the trees on the right yet stayed just below the snow. Then we crossed horizontally, making use of the small gap in the center that is almost split by sun and shadow. From the second photo, we stayed below the snow. But just after the snow, we followed a vertical and somewhat difficult (Two steps up, one step back) scree line for about thirty yards before angling off to climb up the line that lead to the gap below the tall formation on the left. Challenging enough to don protective headgear, but fun all the same.

McClellan peak & Chessmen MM Steep scramble up the gap

Once we made the gap we took another rest to observe the easterly views below the lower basin. Here we were provided a terrific view of Upper and Lower Snow Lakes, giving us an inkling of the area would we traverse upon our exit.

Snow Lakes

John put us back on trail as we began to loop around counter-clockwise to our approach for the peak. Halfway across we noticed a pair of goats way up on McClellan, almost at the top, spotlighted by the morning sun. As traversed over, the goats seem to be watching us also. I'm sure they were scoping out John, hoping to pick up some lessons from the master climber himself. As we neared the base of the peak, the goats conceded the granite to John and went their own way.

Lessons from John MMMTim only lacks the horns :-)

The final push to the peak consisted of some steep, wall hugging scrambling. I admit as we crawled our way upward, I was concerned about the down climb. It would be hairy without gear. We then had to negotiate a fissure which I hope comes out well in the video. After the difficult portions, John informed us he didn't take the normal route. I think he was giving lessons to the goats. MLOL

A little more effort and we were on the summit peak of McClellan (~8225ft). There was a small area which the four of us barely could squat down. The summit register is located here within a steel pipe. If I recall correctly there were some dates in there since 2006, all with varying descriptions of their climb and conditions. Again we were fortunate to have fantastic weather for the day.

Views consisted of Temple Ridge (Prusik and the summited High Priest), Upper and Lower Snow Lakes, lower basin lakes; Runne, Leprechaun, Vivianne, Naiad, the Knitting Needles, the Chessmen, Little Annapurna, Mount Adams, Mount Rainer, and the top sliver of Mount Saint Helens. A little windy on the peak, but an immensely wonderful experience none the less.

Attempting to emulate MM Successful summit MM Summit register

John brought us down from the peak via the regular route without a problem. The goats were no longer around, confident that we were in the capable hands of John. We came down the south side of the ridge and hoped to traverse among the Chessmen before dropping down the north side back into the lower basin. We traveled a ways, trying to keep our elevation while navigating around obstacles. However, we had to decide whether to lose several hundred feet only to regain to make some of the progress along the ridge or drop back into the basin. In the end we threw a leg over the ridge and began our descent back into the lower basin. Coming down quickly, we had plenty of time remaining in the day. We ended our descent on an escarpment above Sprite Lakelet, with views of Runne, Leprechaun and the connecting streams all with Temple Ridge as a background. We spent about forty-five sitting in silence, each in our own world, absorbing the awesome ambiance around us. Robbin noted how the Tamaracs had started to turn more to their famous gold color as our week in area progressed. Returning via the Runne route, John noticed a twelve inch trout at the fork to Prusik Pass. With more people searching, we ended up seeing two trout in the very shallow waters next to the trail. John had that gleam in his eyes, similar to the rock ptarmigan. Those trout would make a fine final dinner, especially with Tim's last two tablespoons of butter. But we let nature take care of her own and continued our way back to camp.

Tamarac beginning to turn MMM Sunlight off Runne MMMMM

Larches in light

A little over five miles and 2000ft feet gained for the day, we arrived back a camp a little early. Even with preparations to pack out tomorrow complete, I still had time to explore the Brísingamen Lakelets in the waning daylight hours. Wandering among the gently flowing lakelets can be a surreal experience. Following their flow as they coursed downward, I enjoyed watching the softened sun sparkle off the ripples as the glacial water sought the easy path downward eventually cascading into Talisman Lake. Soooo relaxing....

And yes we took another dip in the lake to wash away the day. As the sun left us and the stars began to make their debut, we laid out among the boulders looking up to the infinity of space. Sharp eyed as ever, Robbin spotted a satellite tracking across the sky. I was skeptical and didn't believe her at first but with some patience and assistance from the group, I soon spotted it also. First time I ever saw one. It travelled a very straight path, had no blinking lights, and quickly disappeared when it lost the sun's reflection. Things that make you go hmmm.....

As we started to turn in John point out a moving light in the vicinity of Dragontail. As all of us looked that way, sure enough, there appeared to be a climber's headlamp a hundred feet or so below the peak swiveling about. After half an hour passed, we noticed no progress had been made and the light appeared to be stationary. Hopefully the climber had not miscalculated their abilities or the sunlight and was making a bivouac for the night. We wished them a safe return and turned in for our last night in the Chants.

Things that make you go hmmm.....

McClellan Peak (Day 5)

Video of Day 5:

Day Six

For our last morning we were treated to a fantastic display of fireworks prior to our departure from the Chants. The colors, they were superb. Wish a better photographer was available to capture all the subtleties. Practiced and prepared, we broke camp efficiently, leaving no trace but taking memories that will last a lifetime.

We put boots to trail and headed out via Snow Lakes. Long story shortened, we dropped over a mile in elevation over about eleven miles. No bugs, the whole trip for that matter, no precipitation, some hikers going up, some climbers on the crags, and plenty of natural beauty. Robbin cracked the whip and had us out of there around 1:30pm. I understand there are various opinions on how to approach and enjoy the Enchantments. Some prefer the Snow Lake route as it tends to slowly unveil the beauty as one ascends into the basins and there are others that prefer Aasgard Pass via the Stuart Lake trail. My suggestion is to try both routes and enjoy what is around you.

Lessons Learned
1. MSR Reactor use and fuel consumption - Trangia versatility pros & cons: I've used the JetBoil and the MSR Reactor. The Reactor for a couple ounces more dry weight, brings twice the amount of water to a boil in significantly less time. Fuel consumption seems to be less but I haven't run any data on that. Put it this way, two people used less than one MSR canister the whole six days of the trip. I normally averaged about 12-14 boils, with half the amount of water, in the JetBoil. The Reactor rocks, plain and simple.

Tim brought along a Trangia alcohol fuel setup, the Trangia 27-7 UL/HA, I believe. The alcohol stoves offer a light and uncomplicated alternative to cooking systems (See link above). I was impressed how he was able to vary the amount of heat, even simmering with ease some of his gourmet dishes. I think he brought a 12 oz bottle of fuel but only used about 4 ounces at the most for the entire trip. A very effective and efficient system.

2. Another camping item that occupied our relaxing discussions in the evenings was the sleeping bag liner. Not that it was really necessary for warmth reasons, I used a silk sleeping bag liner with my zero degree down bag (Liners add anywhere from 5 to15F degrees of extra warmth depending on marketing). A little excessive but the liner also aids in keeping the bag clean, absorbing the moisture the body gives off, as well oils from the skin. And then the liner can be easily washed after every trip. Something that is not recommended for a down bag.

Tim brought and used a vapor barrier liner for his sleeping bag. A VBL is constructed from a waterproof, non-breathable coated material. The trick to using a VBL is regulation of clothing to prevent overheating and subsequent sweating which will remain on the body instead of evaporating through the material. The critical benefit that VBLs provide is they keep the sleeping bag dry. This is important on lengthy, winter type expeditions where buildup of evaporated moisture from the body is absorbed and retained in the sleeping bag. Eventually adding weight and water to the bag making it very inefficient.

The effect of the body sweating and going into and through the sleeping bag occurred to me on the shore of Colchuk Lake during our first night. I did not adjust for the temperature, stayed all cocooned up and when the evaporating moisture seeped through the sleeping bag and hit the cold outside air, it condensed back into water drops on the exterior of my bag. A VBL would have prevented this.

Things that make you go hmmm.....

Early map of area w/ original names MM Color rendition MM Complete trip Profile

The Goat Rocks Wilderness

2009-08-28T20:40:00.001-07:00

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Distance: 40 miles Round Trip

Starting Trailhead : 3730 feet (GPS N46 25.360 W121 28.516)

Highpoint: 7655 feet (GPS N46 30.864 W121 27.382)
Ending Trailhead : 4460 feet (GPS N46 38.600 W121 22.724)
Elevation Gain: 3925 feet direct, but lots more up and down.

Hike Difficulty Calculator: 43 - Extreme

Trail Notes: Dogs ARE permitted in the Goats Rocks Wilderness. We placed vehicles at both trailheads (Walupt Lake and White Pass) to enable a thru-hike.

Pass: National Forest Pass required to park at campground or just park a few hundred yards away for free.

As always, click on the pictures for larger size.

The set of photos for this hike are located here

The Goat Rocks Wilderness is a wonderful place to hike and camp. We visited twice over the last three weeks. First time was a three day, 40 mile thru-hike for Jay, Robbin and myself, then the latest outing was a 15 mile day hike, with Jay and myself, to re-visit an area that was clouded over during the first day of our previous trip.

My camera acted up during the thru-hike so I did not get to photograph as much of the beautiful views of the area as I wanted. Fortunately, Jay and Robbin had no difficulties with their cameras. Jay's terrific trip report and photos can be enjoyed at this link.

Video of Cispus Pass day hike:

Mount Rainier Summited 9-12 July 09

2009-07-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Distance: ~18 miles Round Trip

Trailhead : 5400 feet (GPS N46 47.124 W121 44.066).

Highpoint: 14,406 feet (GPS N46 51.175 W121 45.627)
Elevation Gain: 9006 ft

Hike Difficulty Calculator: 38 - Extreme

Trail Notes: Mount Rainier Rangers Blog with latest trail conditions.

Pass: $20 for an annual climbing permit and $20 each time you hike/camp above 10,000 ft. (Camp Muir is the demarcation line for the main route to the summit) As always, click on the pictures for larger size.

The set of photos for this hike are located here.

Helping to prepare for this trip, I hiked Mount Adams twice and then up to Camp Muir in a span of 8 days. I felt ready to attempt Mount Rainier. The planning for this trip began several months ago when permit requests were mailed in for a team of six to spend four days and three nights in an attempt to summit. Permits were received and then we slowly gathered our gear over time, scheduling one team meeting to determine community items (tents, stoves, ropes, etc.). We (Ron, Tim, John, Cheryl, Robbin, and myself) checked our list twice and were glad to report that after coming off the mountain, we lacked nothing. Our packs would be heavy, but we had all we needed for just about every condition, including emergency gear. I ended up with more gas than usual but I can always reuse at a later date. Stove gas, that is. M ;-)

We scheduled ourselves to meet at Paradise at 4:00pm to complete the remaining paperwork and obtain our annual climbing card. Everyone climbing Rainier must check in with the Rangers at the Guide House. Park Ranger Kevin took care of us real quickly and provided answers to our many questions about trail conditions, weather, and such. Very helpful young man. While waiting for all of our members to arrive, several of us noticed some Seahawks personnel milling about the Paradise Inn. This was due to the expected return of the NFL Commissioner (Roger Goodell) and Seahawks Coach (Jim Mora) who were part of a big charity climb. Cheerleaders, camera people, and even Tony Ventrella (local TV veteran sportscaster) were on hand for the return of the team. Their story is captured here.

Chery was sharped-eyed enough to spot Tony and gave a squeal of delight upon his entrance to the newly renovated Paradise Inn. With a little bit of coaxing Cheryl went over to speak with Tony. Tony was kind enough to let me take some footage and photos while signing Cheryl's hiking helmet. It was a great opening for our little excursion and gave us plenty to joke about with Cheryl. M:-)

I bet it never gets cleaned M:-)

After the paparazzi finally left us alone and we had our permits in hand, we headed out of the Park to stay the night at the Nisqually Lodge. Here we double-checked our gear, grabbed a good dinner, and caught some sleep in preparation for our first push up the mountain tomorrow. With our packs loaded up, we drove back into the Park around 6:00am to begin our trek up Rainier. Driving the familiar, winding road to past Longmire, on to Paradise, we had mostly overcast clouds with an occasional, teasing opening of blue summer skies. The warm temperatures of June and July were shown in the increase flow of the melt-off coming down from the Nisqually glacier. A few minutes before arriving at Paradise we broke through the cloud layer. We all let out a big sigh of relief. From Paradise and higher the weather was fantastic for us to climb. With blues skies, high spirits and thoroughly prepared, we left Paradise and began our trek up Mount Rainier.

Mike, Cheryl, Robbin John, Ron & Tim

We began by putting our boots on the Skyline Trail, which at this elevation in July still had snow coverage on the portions near Paradise. In no rush with our heavy packs, we kept a constant pace in the still firm snow as the sun continued its morning climb. The trail that most people follow when climbing Rainier takes them to Camp Muir at ~10,000ft. It is approximately four miles from Paradise up to Camp Muir, providing an elevation gain of about 4500ft. Quite a few people come out on the weekends and climb to Camp Muir, which requires no permits and is therefore free. It is a good acclimation climb, combining the significant elevation gained with having to become accustomed to the thinning air which begins around 8000ft. Then it is a relatively easy descent, made more enjoyable by glissading, skiing or snowboarding back down. But coming down was far from our minds as we trudged our way upward, following the well worn snow tracks of other independent climbers and guided expeditions. We enjoyed the nice morning, taking breaks to speak with several of the other climbers out this early.

Unicorn, Castle & Pinnacle Peaks M Paradise under clouds Slow and steady up the glacier

Making our way higher, we took regular breaks and were sure to drink plenty of water. During portions of the hike where heavy exertion was required, I kept the energy levels up by consuming some homemade energy gel with frequent sips of water. I have done this before on Mt Adams and it works for me. Having been to Muir recently, the landscape was slowly being changed as the summer season came to the higher elevations. Several islands of rock were more prominent and we took a good 20 minute break at one of them not far from past Pebble Creek. Back on the trail, our steady progress finally brought us within sight of Camp Muir. For the next 30-45 minutes the reflection of the solar panels off the Ranger's facility, beckoned us onward. We knew we would able rest well at Muir.

Crossing the islands of rock M Taking a much needed breather MMM Light at Muir

Crossing those last steps on the Muir snow field were relatively easy, even in the warm noon-day sun and with our heavy packs. Making it up and removing our packs, we quickly added another layer to prevent the wind from cooling us off too quickly. Some of us snagged some food, others did the siesta thing, and I tried to scramble around the camp to get a few photos. Keep in mind there is no water available to the public at Muir. Bring it with you or melt snow for your hydration needs.

There are roughly four facilities at Muir. Two smaller buildings for the Rangers, one for the clients of the guide companies, another large facility for public use (The Muir Bunkhouse) and three solar toilets.

Guide facility on the left MM Siesta time in the sun

For the majority of climbers and guided groups attempting Mt Rainier, Camp Muir is the staging point for the push to the summit. Most folks start early like we did and upon reaching Muir they setup their tents or accommodations in the bunkhouse (First come first serve, holds 18 I believe). They relax the remainder of the day, prepare their gear for the next big push, get to sleep around 7:00pm for an alpine start at midnight to climb the remaining 4000ft to the summit. And a lot of people can do this. Our plan called for more time on the mountain and was less strenuous, at least for us. We stayed this first night at Muir in the bunkhouse. There were ten climbers in all within the warm and relatively quiet bunkhouse. Our plan was to rest here for the night, then travel another 1000ft up to Ingram Flats in the morning, where we would acclimate some more, practice our rescue techniques, and get another good night of sleep.

Acclimating at Muir MMMM Entire Muir facilities

The owner of the Homer Simpson pajamas in the photo below staggered the last few steps to Muir where he promptly collapsed on the ground. Overexertion with a little dehydration caused him to curl up in the bunkhouse for a short time. Robbin kindly offered him some water to aid his recovery. He was one of three youths that were very free-spirited and not the most mountain savvy. However, they were full of smiles and good humor. I believe they left Muir to return to Paradise just as the sun crossed behind Rainier.

The professional adolescent M :-)

Determined to rest at Muir for the night, we commenced to claim our area of the bunkhouse. Then we gathered snow, melted and purified our water, and ate a filling warm meal. We spoke with several other climbers, some staying at Muir, others coming down the mountain. Some of these folks were with the Camp Patriot group that had volunteered their services to assist injured veterans in climbing Rainier. It fills me up with good feelings when we encounter others among the freedom of the hills who have their hearts and minds in a good location.

Inside of the bunkhouse MMM Soaking up the scenery and sunset

Following a warm nights sleep, we awoke and made a lazy breakfast. Then we gathered our gear, put our crampons to our boots, and roped up. Being cautious, our plan was to stay roped up into two teams once we passed Muir and began traveling on the glaciers. This was our choice and it did not hinder our efforts.

Final equipment checks MMMM Cowlitz Cleaver panorama from Muir

The big area behind Camp Muir contains the Cowlitz Glacier, the Cowlitz Cleaver, Gibraltar Rock, with Cadaver and Cathedral Gaps. We followed the well worn path across the Cowlitz Glacier, passing one team coming down, and chose to ascend over Gilbraltar Rock via the Cathedral Gap.

Crossing the Cowlitz MMMM Muir from Cathedral Gap

Navigating our way up the narrow, rocky path at Cathedral Gap, we had to be careful and balanced. Providing a great grip on the hard-packed ice, we had to watch were we placed our crampons on the rocky slope. Very easy to become off-balance or roll an ankle on a loose rock. But we were in no rush as our destination for this morning's push was Ingraham Flats on the Ingraham. Roughly a gain of 1,000ft over about a mile, with most of the vertical via Cathedral Gap, we took two easy hours to make the short trip. Crossing the Gap and approaching the Flats we could see more of Rainier's elements. Disappointment Cleaver, glacier crevasses, the Emmons glacier, Little Tahoma, a good portion of the east part of Rainier National Park and beyond.

Little Tahoma at 11,138 ft MMM Ingraham Glacier MMMMM Ingraham Flats campsite

Arriving at the Flats, we marked our territory and setup camp. We had all day to relax and watch other climbing groups arrive on the Flats, but we did stick to our schedule of melting ice for water, practicing rescue techniques and the most important of all, acclimating to the altitude by lounging around and breathing pure fresh air while enjoying the unspoiled scenery. Hard work, but it must be done. M :-)

Camp established MMMM Looking at Goat Island Mountain

With our gear ready for a summit push, we turned in to sleep while it was still light. This was done to support an early start. We wanted boots on trail by 1:00am to take advantage of solid snow conditions and potentially be ahead of the majority of the other climbing groups. 1:00am on the wristwatch was illuminated by my headlamp as we began our ascent to the summit of Rainier. Conditions consisted of a high altitude cloud layers, temperature in the mid 20sF, solid snow, and high spirits. Our summit packs being about 75% lighter definitely assisted the spring in our step. Roped up liked children at a crosswalk, each with our own headlamp, we followed the well worn trail up the Ingraham glacier. John led our team well, keeping a good pace but still maintaining safe spacing between the rope teams. We crossed the Ingraham and then started the rocky trail portion that skimmed the south part of Disappointment Cleaver. Part way up the cleaver we could look back and see the other climbers beginning their summit ascent, as evidenced by the multitude of single points of light from their headlamps. After passing the top of the Cleaver, roughly when the sun was rising over the horizon, the trail was populated with people. Creating a nighttime traffic scenario with headlamp after headlamp following the same route up the mountain. The first picture below barely shows the scene of people ascending the route. After sunrise we took another one of our several breaks. Even though our packs were not heavy, we could certainly feel the exertion of climbing at an elevation with reduced oxygen.

Keep in mind that the oxygen content of air is ~21% at sea level but feels much less near the summit of Mt Rainier. The percentage of oxygen remains the same, but the barometric pressure due to the alititude causes a reduction in the partial pressure of oxygen, equating to ~12% for 14,400ft. The wind picked up a little causing some of us to add extra layers and break out a couple of hand warmers. Others climbing groups eventually began to pass us after we passed the Cleaver. These groups were mostly with the guide companies and were on a shorter time schedule. Normally they hike to Muir and that same night, they head out to the summit and return all the way to Paradise by the evening of the second day. So the guides set a demanding pace to make their schedule. We had more time and thus had no need to stress ourselves. There was one group that did turn back due to one of their members developing symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).

Sunrise and headlamps MMM A brief respite MMMMMMM Continuing our march upward

Sometime after 7:00am we finally approached the eastern rim of the summit crater. It felt good to drop our packs and celebrate our ascent. There were plenty of climbers within the crater and we soon joined others in a ten minute walk to the true summit and then on to the summit register.

Cheryl recording the event MMOur proof in the register MMM At the true summit, 14,400ft

It was very fulfilling to have summited Rainier. Though we did cross crevasses and some exposed terrain, the climb itself was not that technical. All of us were adequately experienced and were lead by seasoned veteran, John. Can't say enough about how great he was as our trip leader. Even though we were only halfway finished with our climb, the descent is where most mountaineering accidents occur, it was with renewed energy and an attitude of accomplishment when we turned around to head back down. Breaking out of the clouds somewhere around 12,500ft, we were welcomed by the new day and fantastic views of the eastern portion of Rainier National Park.

Robbin leading the way MMM Small Penitentes MMMMM Crevasse at base of the Cleaver

A successful and safe return to camp was made under a shining sun. Here a couple of us headed back down to Muir and out of the park due to prior commitments while the rest of us stayed another night at Ingraham Flats to partake of the majestic beauty that we were part of. It felt so good to be away from the hustle and bustle while having nothing to do but enjoy the good company in scenic surroundings.

We watched the whole, wonderful sunrise in sublime lazy fashion :-)

After catching up on sleep, I must have been in the tent more than ten hours, I scouted around the Flats taking several pictures and probably getting too close to some of the crevasses. But they were so intriguing. M :-)

At least 30ft deep MMMMMM Right on the edge

During our lazy morning we spoke with several other climbing teams as they came down from their climbs (Not all made the summit). The four folks in the photo below were participants in a fundraising climb. These climbers were part of the University of Washington MBA alumni, where they have joined together to raise money for childrens education in Nepal and at the same time to reach the summits of major mountains in the Cascade range. This team was lead by Abi Devan, far left. Their website, 3 Summits for Nepal is located here.

Eventually we too had to descend the mountain. Roped up for safety we casually but cautiously made our down Cathedral Gap, across the Cowlitz, and back to Muir, where we took another break, thanking park ranger Kevin for all the good information he shared with us. Outstanding young man.

Approaching Muir from the Cowlitz

Arriving back at Paradise we were all smiles with satisfied relief. With the rope, my pack still weighed sixty pounds, but it didn't matter as the climb was successfully behind us. We changed clothes and headed out of the park.

That pizza never tasted so good. MLOL

Route Profile MMMMMMMM Route Topo

Video:
Part 1

Part 2

Mount Adams Summited - Finally 2-4 July 09

2009-07-05T09:23:00.001-07:00

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Distance: ~13 miles Round Trip

Trailhead : 5600 (GPS N46 08.195 W121 29.913).

Highpoint: 12,304 feet (GPS N46 12.135 W121 29.401)
Elevation Gain: 6704 feet

Hike Difficulty Calculator: 34 - Extreme

Trail Notes: Dogs ARE permitted on trail !!!!

Pass: During permit season, each person 16 years and older is required to register and purchase a Cascade Volcano Permit at a cost of $15 for each person for the weekend and 10$ during the week (I could not locate this permit on their website but $15 did leave my wallet). We DID see Forest Rangers checking permits when we descended on Saturday. Their location for checking permits is described in the trip report below. Plus you need a parking pass. I just used my National Parks Pass.

As always, click on the pictures for larger size.

The set of photos for this hike are located here.

Wow, I'm so glad to get this peak under my belt!! Three of the last four outings (broken up by four weeks on the flat and humid East coast due to work) have been to Mt Adams. It is not a technical or difficult mountain to summit but personal circumstances prevented us from reaching the top. At the end of May, Robbin and I headed down to Mt Adams during a good weather window for a two day/one overnight outing. Significant snow accumulation on the road to the trailhead added a grueling extra 8 miles to our effort. It took us over 8 hours to hike about 7 miles. We were beaten and sore when we made camp as the sun set behind Mount Saint Helens. After a slow start on Saturday, we trudged our way up to the top and realized that we had made it up to the false summit.M LOLm We still had another 1000 ft to climb in approximately one mile. I needed to travel the following day, so we agreed to head back to camp and limp out as best we could. Still didn't get home till after midnight. A long trip and hard effort to come up short. Our lessons learned are captured in this trip report.

Adams in May MMMMMMMM In June MMMMMMMMMMmm May's whiteness

Follow South Climb MMMMMM Take the right fork here

The first weekend upon returning from the East coast saw me pack the gear and grab Kiwi for another attempt at the top of Adams. Four weeks of summer weather had cleared all the snow from the road, allowing Kiwi and myself to camp at the trailhead before heading up the following morning. I gave myself three days and two nights in the attempt to make the outing less tiring and hopefully more successful. Having a good nights sleep in the truck, Kiwi and I headed out as the sun was rising at 5:30am. With four less miles to traverse, we reached our camp destination of Lunchcounter at ~9,200ft by 8:30am.

Kiwi's ready for adventure MMMMMM Setting up camp MMMMM Not feeling too well

The plan was to establish camp and then just relax and acclimate the remainder of the day, then get an early alpine start for the summit attempt. Man, it was great to lay around in the sun and do absolutely nothing but breathe. While exploring the Lunchcounter area and getting water I noticed Kiwi was walking more gingerly than she had earlier in the day. I checked her paws and noticed they had been abraided by the rough volcanic rock. And during the night, even while wearing her cold weather suit, she was shivering and lethargic. Therefore I made the decision not to go any higher with Kiwi to prevent worsening her condition. So again I packed up the following morning and headed out without reaching the summit. It was the right decision to take care of Kiwi and I would do it again. She was back to normal activity and attitude in the morning, and had no problems carrying her pack to the truck.

He got high centered after I told him I went across. I felt so bad he got stuck. :-(

Having scheduled three days for the trip, our three hundred mile return trip got me home before sunset. This enabled me to catch a quick last minute outing to Camp Muir at Rainier the next day with two other hiking mates, Cheryl and Robbin. All three of us made it to Muir and back with good weather despite the forecast. A really good day hike. We all felt strong and had no problems, even had the pleasure of seeing Bronka Sundstrom, a local climbing legend.

The following weekend was the Fourth of July, which meant I had Friday off for holiday. So I checked the forecast (clear, sunny & hot) and decided to try my luck a third time to reach the summit of Mt Adams. I asked Robbin if she was game enough to give it another go and she said yes. So the two of us packed our gear (without Kiwi), reviewed our lessons learned and headed down the familiar roads to the Trout Lake, Wa. ranger station to obtain our permits. We had that summit firmly fixed in our minds. M:-) MIt was truly a pleasant drive after we were east of Portland on Hwy 84. Going a little further south into Oregon and catching 84 east provides better driving conditions, a four lane highway instead of the winding two-lane road (Wa 14). Just be sure to keep your eyes open around exit 64 for the Hood River bridge (75 cent toll) to access back to Washington. Going the Oregon route also allows easier enjoyment of the Columbia River Gorge scenic area including Multnomah Falls. Right at the Hood River bridge there are great conditions for windsurfing and kitesurfing. There must have been more than twenty kitesurfers within a small stretch of the Columbia River. With their brightly hued kites and sails, erratically skimming across the surface of the water, it conjured up a kaliediscope of whirling color with a magnificant back drop of Mount Hood. Simply jaw dropping beauty.

Kitesurfers in front of Hood MM Kitesurfer in action (not my photo)

After crossing the Hood River bridge, we went into Bingen to catch Wa 141 up to the Trout Lake ranger station (~25 miles). Be sure to stop at at the Solstice Wood Fired Cafe for a dining experience with earthy ambiance. The drive up to Trout Lake is very peaceful. Small-town northwest laid back attitude, no pretentious city posturing, just friendly folk living an enoyable life. With the windows rolled down, we took in the pleasant smells of the roadside wildflowers that were blooming everywhere and other rural odors that accented Nature's own. (read horses, hay & cows LOL)

After leaving work and heading directly south we arrived at the Mt Adams wilderness South Climb #183 trailhead a little after 10:00pm. The weather was so nice, we placed our sleeping bags on the ground next to the truck and counted the many, brilliant stars till we fell asleep, accompanied by a local concerto of crickets.

Before the sun rose on Friday morning we were packed and making our way along the dry dirt path. On our previous attempt, the four extra miles prior to the trailhead really affected us. This time, well rested and refocused, we made a smooth and easy ascent to Lunchcounter by 8:30am.

Lunchcounter is a gently sloping area at an ~9200ft elevation that has many makeshift campsites. Over time, hikers and campers have moved much rock to create semi-circular wind shelters around a soft, flat section of dirt, enabling a decent campsite. I had located a large site that was sheltered very well from the wind when Kiwi and I last visited. Located about 100 yards from the main route (GPS N46 10.704 W121 28.883), we had a good view of Mt Saint Helens and a quick 10 second scramble brought Mount Hood into view, privacy from the main herd of people, a great view of the glissade route, and plenty of comfortable lounging areas.

Combined campsites MMMM All set up MMMMMMMMMM Watching water boil

I want to digress a little and explain what might have contributed to our easy ascent in the early morning. Three things comes to mind. 1) Four less miles to hike with backs helped a lot. 2) Starting early in the morning instead of midday as we did on our in May made a tremendous difference in snow conditions. During the heat of the day, the snow becomes slushy and slippery. This takes much more effort to traverse even when wearing showshoes. Even though we had snowshoes previously, it was tiring. This time, with our early start, the snow we encountered was hard packed and very stable. It was much easier to hike on and once we had past the last section of trail that was dirt and rock, we put on our crampons instead of the snowshoes and had a safe and stable climb the rest of the way. 3) Reading up on endurance activities such as cycling, running, etc. I learned more about performance nutrition. For the average person, the body can only process and use about 300 calories per hour. If any more calories are consumed (ex: Big Mac), they will have to wait in the body for processing and if the body is not actively burning calories for energy (sedentary), those calories might end up as stored fat. So a somewhat ideal method of keeping the body's energy levels up without overloading the calorie/energy conversion process, is to take in about 100 calories every 20 minutes of a high glycemic indexed food( easily digested and quickly converted to energy) (marketed as power gels). A little more research will yield homemade recipes of these gels or energy goos. So I made some homemade gel (took all of 15 minutes including clean-up) and followed the recommended practice of taking in one ounce (~100 calories) and then drinking a few ounces of water every 20 minutes. This keeps the body supplied with calories that are easily converted to energy and helps with constant hydration. It's also much cheaper than retail prices and there are not all the individual packages that require disposing. I initially carried the goo in these reusable containers, but have since graduated to this type of container. Long story shortened, we felt fine on our ascent to Lunchcounter, never really feeling out of energy.

On the trail up MMMMMMMMM Lots of visitors MMMMMMM Sunrise over snow

Back to the hike at hand. With camp established at Lunchcounter, we took all day Friday to settle back and acclimate. It was another wonderfully sunny, clear, Northwest day. Nothing to do but relax and breathe. It's pretty rough working on a tan while taking a nap. LOL For diversion we walked over to the Mazama Glacier. Viewing the Yakima Indian Reservation along the east side of Adams we could see how the glaciers had carved the surrounding valleys and formed what lay before us. We also took note of the local volcanic geology, noting ancient gas pockets and varying layers that had stratified over time. Filtering water from the snow melt was another taxing endeavor that we had to deal with during our arduos day of acclimation. It was so good to have no phone calls, no commercials, and no real world distractions. Just the beauty and wonder of Nature. While we were exploring our surroundings our camp guardian, Karl, kept watch our over site only permitting the bees and occasional humming bird to infringe on our solitude.

View of 2K slope at camp MM Our camp overseer MMM Karl the camp guardian

As the afternoon wore on we observed many other outdoor enthusiasts make their way up to the false summit and even further. Many folks were hiking up so they could ski/snowboard/glissade down. The 2000ft slope between Lunchcounter and the false summit it a great slope to enjoy. Relatively free of obstacles, there is plenty of snow covered terrain to make use of and many folks ski down as far as the snow allows them (roughly 7000ft for constant snow level). Real hardy skiers and boarders slog themselves up to the true summit for an extra 1000ft of downhill delight. While observing these events we also prepared our gear for an early start. A good early start begins the night before with preparations for food, clothing, and gear. We set aside the food/goo/water for our ascent, laid out clothing for the anticipated cold summit, and loaded the packs we were to take with us. Then we hit the sleeping bags for more of that doggone resting thing. M;-)

Sunset and Helens MMMMM Sunrise on Helens MMMMM Climbing Adams during dawn

After about 19 hours of acclimation and demanding relaxation, we woke to a dark and definetly cooler night (~30F). With the moon already completing its nightly traverse, we could see faintly the Milky Way and the bazillion stars that competed for our wondrous attention. After some star gazing in the crisp, perfectly clear air I elected to have a cold breakfast to minimize time and conserve stove fuel. By 3:30am we put crampons to snow and began our climb up the ~25 degree slope to the false summit. At this hour we had the mountain to ourselves. We were halfway up when the orange glow of the impending dawn began to add color to our ascent. We kept to our ascent regimen of swallowing some goo with swigs of water. Every now and then one of us could hear the other performing some forced breathing to remove stagnant air from the bottom of our lungs to permit more fresh air with the needed oxygen to get in (Remember, at ~9,000ft there is ~20% less oxygen in the air than at sea level, which is noticable by the person exerting effort). But with our acclimation, slow steady pace, and constant caloric energy conversion, we did much better than our previous trip. I actually felt slightly out of breath less than a dozen times during the whole summit ascent and return trip.

People on the trail MMMMMMM Getting closer

Just as we were approaching the false summit at ~11,200ft, the sun had rounded the horizon to wake up the planet to another warm and wonderful day. We were happy to be welcomed by both the sun and the views at the false summit. We took a few minutes to soak in the surroundings then began our traverse over, down, and then up to the true summit.

Looking down on Lunchcounter M Hikers and Hood

Still wearing our crampons, we traversed in a north easterly direction over snow and frozen mud with rocks. Dropping down a few hundred feet into a depressed area, we crossed solid snow that had been shaped into small penitentes by the wind, sun, and temperature that kept us alert to ensure good footing. Then we followed a faint frozen dirt path up a small ridge of sorts (~800ft gained) that brought us to the upper plateau. Here again we were surrounded penitentes but quickly spotted the foot path from the previous day that lead us easily to the summit and its snow covered shelter. High fives all around, we finally summited Mt Adams !!!

Route to summit MMMMMM Followed the rock ridge MMM Penitentes to summit

Summit shelter MMMMMMM Robbin and Rainier MMMMM Rainier and more

Panoramic southward from summit

Smiles were shared, pictures were taken, and Hood to the south, Helens to the west, with Mt Rainier to the north of us were admired (our destination for the following week). Up on top we were thankful for our thoughtful preparation and appropriate layers of clothing to shield us from 20F temps and 25mph winds (wind chill of ~ 0F). We then sauntered over to the east side for a view of southeastern Washington. Lots of green !! As we began our return to the false summit the next pair of hikers were approaching the summit and others were just reaching the false summit. We dropped back down into the depression via a more direct route and once there we took a 15 minute break against a large rock. All lessons from our previous outings had been acted on, making our summit a successful and safe one.

Crossing back to the false summit we passed more people reaching the top. Reaching the false summit we spoke with a few people before starting our descent down the 2000ft slope. It was a little before 8:00am and the sun had yet to thaw out the glissade path. The glassade route when viewed from our camp at Lunchcounter, looked as if someone took a giant pencil and scribed a trough down the slope. For weeks people had consistently glissaded down the same route, deepening the trough to a good one foot depth. It was a great way to get down the slope quickly, but since it was currently still frozen, we decided to walk down the slope for awhile. About one-third of the way down, we convinced ourselves that we had enough courage or not enough brains, to attempt the glissade.

I started off (no video recording of this one as I knew it would be dangerous) with the ice ax in the brake position. It didn't matter, that steep slope and frozen trough started me downhill faster than green grass thru a goose. I zipped down way faster that I desired. Because the trough was so well formed and SOLIDLY FROZEN I was gaining enough speed to be thrown out of the trough. So apply the brake, apply the brake!! I did, with all my strength I dug that ax into the trough! It was enough to slow me down so I stayed in the trough zipping along but not even coming close to allowing me to stop my speeding descent. mLOL MFinally there was a curve that threw me out of the trough forcing me to self-arrest with the ax before I continued further down the slope. Man that was exhilirating! Sure enough, within a moment I hear Robbin hollering as she came down, dragging that ax to stay in control. Well that meant I had to get going before she overtook me. M:-)M So I jumped back in the trough and shot downhill with a mixture of glee and pending doom on my face. The lower portion of the glissade trough was rougher that uphill. Here there were small buildups of snow and small piles that glissading causes as the person goes down. Only this early in the morning, all those frozen rock sized bumps and lunchbox sized mounds were bouncing me all over the place and bruising my butt. I wised up a little and began kicking at these buildups with my heels in an attempt to lessen the pains in my ass.MLOL

Anyway, we made it down relatively intact. Returned to our camp, thanking Karl for keeping watch over it and began to pack up for our trip back home. With practiced precison we were loaded back and heading back down the mountain. Near the beginning of the Lunchcounter area (~8700ft) we saw four forest rangers establishing a checkpoint along the main route up to Lunchcounter. Here they were greating everyone and checking for permits. I don't know how much the fine would be if someone was caught without a permit, as we had ours and just exchanged pleasantries.

Before too long I was down to one layer and sweating. About a mile from the trailhead the temperature was at 90F. The ground was very dry and each step on the trail caused a small puff of dust to surround our boots. We really felt for the hikers that passed us, laboring uphill under heavy packs in the oppressive heat. Before too long we were in the truck with the AC going full blast, headed back north to the Puget Sound area. All in all, a satisfying summit of Mount Adams, finally. M :-)

Ranger checkpoint MMMMMMM Summit traverse MMMM Full route

Route Profile

Video:
In time

Directions:
Find the Trout Lake Ranger Station off Wa hwy 141. Reverse back a mile after obtain info and permits and head north on the Mt Adams Road (the right fork at the gas station as you enter Trout Lake). Take the right fork at the second split onto FH17 (there will be a house on your right with a large wrap around porch). Follow the signs to Cold Springs via road 80 and then 8040. The trailhead is about 15 miles from Trout Lake via paved road, then gravel, and finally a single lane dirt road. The Ranger station provides maps as well as scat packs.

Mount Adams 29-30 May 09

2009-06-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

Regret the delay in the late posting, but work saw me on the East Coast for four weeks following this hike. m:-(

My deepest respect and admiration for Robbin who suggested this outing. This was her third hike of the week !!

As always, click on the pictures for original size.

The set of photos for this hike are located here.

From near the ranger station

Mount Adams lessons learned:
1. If possible, wait until the trailhead is accessible by car. Snow still covered the road, adding 4 miles to our hike in and 4 miles to our hike out. Those extra eight miles really made themselves felt on this difficult hike.
2. If arriving from a lengthy distance, sleep at the trailhead to enable an early and better rested start for the outing. We started hiking in at noon and did not reach our camping destination till sunset. We cut that too close.
3. Recommend two nights on the mountain and one at the trailhead for a more enjoyable and unhurried outing. We did one night and felt the effort. Our butts were kicked.
4. Recommend staring early and setting Lunchcounter (~9000ft) by noon as the day's destination. This will give approximately a 4000ft gain and provide about 18 hours of rest for acclimation to the altitude prior to a summit push.
5. Remember Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) can start around 8000ft. There is ~20 less oxygen at 9000ft. Know the symptoms of AMS and be sure to hydrate often.

~ 6 miles into the hike

6. Remember to have two fresh sets of batteries for the GPS. m:-(
7. Choose the use of snowshoe ascenders wisely. I used my ascenders before the steepness of the terrain warranted their use and I ended up suffering severe muscle cramps near the end of the day's hike.
8. Plan for snow conditions. We experienced a very warm and sunny day, that had the snow all the way up to Lunchcounter wet and mushy. It was similar to trekking in oatmeal. The wet, heavy snow stayed on the snowshoes adding unneeded weight and made for slippery conditions when going up steep inclines. An early start what have seen harder and subsequently easier to traverse snow conditions.
9. Be prepared for wind on Mt Adams. Because of Adams being a volcano, the constant wind whips up the very fine pumice from exposed areas. Take precautions to cover eyes, food, etc.

Sunset & Mount Saint Helens

10. On a bright sunny day, apply plenty of sunscreen. Be sure to include inside of ears, throat, inside the nostrils, and under the chin as the snow reflects the suns rays back upward. I left the mountain with tender nostrils. Discovered that when I was blowing black, pumice boogers on the way out.
11. Recommend an alpine/early start on the second day when going for the summit. Snow conditions will be hard, providing a better purchase for snowshoes or crampons. Snow started becoming soft around 11:00am. Better glissading can be had before the snow starts getting mushy.
12. For us, water was a concern. We heard of a stream that runs through Lunchcounter, but we could not locate it and therefore had to melt snow(lost one hour). Though necessary, melting snow wastes time and fuel. To aid in water management, scoop clean snow into 2/3 full water bottle to promote melting. Continuous this as you take brakes during the outing to keep as much liquid water available as possible. Also there is no real need to 'boil' snow/water for drinking use. A couple minutes of 160F water will kill the critters that might have an effect on a person. Save the fuel.

Look at the people near the top

13. We made it up to the false summit (11,200ft) and called it a day as my commitments necessitated travel the following day. True summit is almost 12,300ft and would have added another 2.5 hours to the outing.
14. Be aware of the fee/permit season for hiking Mt Adams. We were able to get in a few days before the season. Here is the Gilford Pinchot National Forest service link.
15. Some 'hikers' had friends ferry them up partway via snowmobiles. Definitely would have been easier.
16. Coming from near Seattle the drive was approximately 4 hours. On our return trip we skipped over to Oregon and came back via Hwy 84 instead of the curvy and slower two lane road of Washington Road 14. More comfortable and quicker.

Lunchcounter from false summit

17. Because Lunchcounter is exposed to the wind, there are several man-made walls of stone (~2 ft high) erected in semi-circles to provide wind breaks. Be sure to anchor the tent well. Earplugs will help reduce the constant noise of the tent flapping during nighttime.

and... last but not least, the Scat Packs.

18. The Forest Service provides Scat Packs for humans to carry out their waste. A Scat Pack consists of: one ziploc plastic bag, one brown paper lunch bag with some cat litter, a second brown paper bag, one paper towel, and the below pictured piece of paper with the following instructions on the backside

a. User should defecate on soil, snow or secured paper target. (Pilot to bombardier...)
b. Put paper target and feces into brown paper bag containing cat litter. OR Pick up feces with paper towel and place paper towel and feces into brown paper bag containing cat litter.

Do not urinate into paper bag.

c. Fold paper bag securely and then double bag with second paper bag.
d. Place double paper bag into plastic bag. Push all (aromatic) air out of the plastic bag before zipping it closed.
e. Upon returning to the trailhead, deposit plastic bag into designated can.

Target for poop LOL

Mt Rainier crevasse rescue training, OC Course 5-23-09

2009-05-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

Course: Training for crevasse rescue of a fallen climber

Distance: 4.5 miles round trip

Trailhead: 5398 feet (GPS N46 47.028 W121 44.528)

Highpoint: ~7500 feet
Elevation Gain: 2100 feet

Pass: National Park Pass or Seasonal Pass. Driving directions at bottom of post.

As always, click on the pictures for original size.

The set of photos for this hike are located here.

This past week in class at Vertical World we were introduced to rescue systems and the actions needed to rescue a fallen climber from a crevasse. Using ropes, carabiners, and a pulley or two, we were taught how to establish a mechanical advantage to aid in lifting a load. Keep in mind that these trip reports just cover what occurred during our outings and are in no way instructional or technically accurate. Always defer to peer reviewed literature and veteran professionals for lessons in mountaineering.

We arrived at Paradise around 0730 to an absolutely beautiful day on Mt Rainier. Only the diehard climbers had begun to arrive at the mostly empty parking lot. Soon enough the rangers kindly asked us to relocate our vehicles to a another section, to create more room for the tourist and visitors that were not into climbing but more about visiting and experiencing the mountain for their first time. Packs slung on our backs we headed out onto the white wonderful world of Rainier.

Rainier from Paradise MMMM Morning leg stretch MMMM Looking back at The Castle

We merged with the other climbers onto the main route that people follow up to Camp Muir and higher. The day was absolutely gorgeous in the 50/60sF with nary a breeze. Purely phenomenal views.

Heading toward lesson location M Climbers heading to Muir

Arriving at our lesson destination we enjoyed a brief respite and soaked up the magnificent scenery around us. Then we began setting deadman anchors for our 'fallen climber' to be attached. We dug down about 12-18 inches using only a single picket as an anchor because the snow conditions didn't call for two anchors. Once the anchors were set for our two teams, our fallen classmates attached themselves to the rope via their climbing harness. To belay them down or up if they were able to climb, we used the Munter hitch.

Single picket deadman anchor M Digging the anchors MMM Munter hitch to anchor

The classroom scenery we had to endure :-)

During the morning all the students cycled through all the positions of each of the rescue methods. We progressed from an ambulatory climber that could self-scramble out of the crevasse to a climber that was immobile and needed to be raised with full assistance. We put our classroom lessons into practice with 3:1 and 5:1 pulley systems.

Teamwork is important MMMM Beautiful day MMMMMM Carabiner and pulley

Of course our lessons were broken up with snowballs, nearby climbers, and the occasional slough off of snow or small avalanche from the mountain. Occasionally we would hear what sounded like thunder or the report of gun being fired. This would signal a crack in the snow that often lead to a section falling down or small avalanche. We witnessed several of these as the day progressed and the sun warmed the snow.

After the class lessons were finished several of us stayed to climb higher and enjoy more of the perfect day. With the holiday weekend there were plenty of people making their way up the Camp Muir and beyond. The photos below capture some of the scale as climber make their way up and down the main route.

North from Panorama Point MM Trails to Camp Muir MMM Mt Rainier & some features

Route Topo MMMMMMMMM Route Profile

Video:

Directions
Drive Washington highway 706 east towards Mount Rainier National Park and go through the town of Ashford. About 3 miles east of Ashford you will arrive at the Nisqually entrance station. Remaining on the same road, 706, continue about 17 miles to the Paradise Visitors Center. Voila, you have arrived at Paradise.

Castle Rock, OC Course 5-16-09

2009-05-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Course Goal: Snow hike with rock climbing

Distance: 6 miles round trip

Trailhead: 4600 feet

Highpoint: 6460 feet
Elevation Gain: 1860 feet

Pass: National Park Pass or Seasonal Pass. Driving directions at bottom of post.
As always, click on the pictures for original size.

The set of photos for this hike are located here

Navigating southeasterly from Olympic College, the class set its coordinates to climb The Castle which is located within Rainier National Park. Meeting at Narada Falls, we gathered our gear and followed Stevens Canyon Rd till Reflection Lakes and then turned south onto the snow.

Westerly vista MMMMMMMM The Castle on the left MMMM Part of the class

Within about two miles of hiking on good firm snow, we took a break near the base of our destination. Mt Rainier was our inspiring background to the north. We could just barely see other climbers making their way up the main trail to Camp Muir. Break over, we began our last push of elevation as we followed the treeline up to the saddle.

Beautiful break spot MMMMMM Class in tow

Reaching the saddle we were rewarded with panoramic views of Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Saint Helens, and even Mount Hood in Oregon and the Olympics to the west. Truly some magnificent landscapes lay before us. After the saddle, our trip leader, John, had us circumvent a steep slope to bring us to the base of The Castle where we unpacked our gear and began laying out equipment for some rock climbing.

Unicorn Peak & glacier MMM Coming up from the saddle MM Trip leader John

The rock climbing portion of the hike is captured in the video below. All the students scaled about a fifty foot section and then self rappelled down. A great time was enjoyed by all. Our return to Stevens Canyon Rd seemed more difficult in the afternoon, as the sun had warmed the snow enough that traversing it was like walking through mashed potatoes. Not the most leisurely snow stroll. But this was offset by an impromptu glissade down to our parking lot that saved us about a half mile trek. My GPS erroneously clocked the glissade at 217 mph. LOL

Tope Route MMMMMMMMM Route Profile

Video:

Directions
Drive Washington highway 706 east towards Mount Rainier National Park and go through the town of Ashford. About 3 miles east of Ashford you will arrive at the Nisqually entrance station. Remaining on the same road, 706, continue about 12 miles to Narada Falls. Voila, you have arrived at your destination.

Mt Angeles - OC Course 5-9-09

2009-05-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Course: Practicing rope techniques and rock scrambling
Distance: 2.7 miles
Trailhead: 4244 feet
Highpoint: 6460 feet
Elevation Gain: 2216 feet
Avg Trail Speed: 0.6 mph
Highest Speed: 13 mph during a glissade!m :-)
Hike Difficulty Calculator Score: 37 - Extreme
Trail Notes: Some deep snow that should have been handled with snowshoes, some rock scrambling near steep vertical drop-offs. Be cautious and safe.
Pass/Parking: Olympic National Park entrance fee ($15 for car & driver), Seasonal National Parks Pass.

Driving Directions at bottom of post.

As always, click on the pictures for easier viewing.

All photos of this hike are located at this link.

All returned safe. Previous Mt Angeles visit/videos are here: Summer & winter. All videos, including OC course video, are at the bottom of this post.

Prep at the trailhead MMMM Reviewing conditions and actions

Another strong showing both by students(9) and OC mountaineering support staff(7). Mount Angeles is a relatively short hike, just under 3 miles roundtrip, but provides opportunities for teaching rope team methods, rock scrambling, and belaying in both summer and winter conditions. Plus the summit provides fantastic views from Canada into the heart of the Olympic Mountains. A truly great and fun trail.

With recent warming of the weather, the deep snow took much effort to break trail. This was experienced by all students as everyone took turns leading the group and breaking trail. Sometimes the leader sank to the knees in snow, but after a few people had followed and set the trail, the hiking/climbing was much easier for the rest of the group. Trail breaking leaders were rotated to provide experience and rest periods after their turns.

Following footsteps MMMM Wonderful views

The photos below were taken to show how fickle the weather was during our excursion. One moment the sky clear and blue, the next moment clouds quickly coalesced and covered us. This occurred throughout the day and was completely tolerable since it was not accompanied by any precipitation or strong winds.

Clouds played tag with us all day, often obscuring our destination

Several routes can be taken when ascending the trail to the false summit. The trip staff took the students up routes that were not exposed as the route taken in the summer video. Not that the scramble was any easier over the ice, snow, and loose rock, but no steep drop-offs and being rope into teams provided a better safety factor. Another lesson explained to the class.

John ascending one of the flutings to the false summit with rope team in tow.

After making the false summit, the Mount Angeles trail provides a challenging and fun ridge to traverse for about five hundred yards.

Summit in sight MMMMMMM Looking back, who is that? MMM Bruno, Zasha, and Ryan

Good route leading and carefully navigating the ridge brought us to the summit of Mount Angles. I have never seen more food on a summit that this outing. Over a pound of meatloaf, a whole chicken, eighteen inch sub sandwhich, and much more. But the grand finale was the fresh strawberry short cake !! LOL m(See video)

Slow and steady = success MMM Best summit shortcake mm Peaking over to Canada

Route Profile MMMMMMMM Route Topo

Directions:
In Port Angeles on US 101, turn south onto Race Street. Follow Race Street 1 mile to Heart O' the Hills Parkway. Follow Parkway 5 miles to entrance station and continue on Hurricane Ridge Road. Continue about 7-8 miles further and you will see a small parking area in a hairpin turn. Look hard and you will see the trail head sign. (GPS data: N 47°59.945’, W 123°27.357’, elev –4308 ft).

Summer Video

Winter Video

OC Class Video

OC Mountaineering Snow Techniques 4-25 & 5-1

2009-04-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Lessons: Rope teaming, Ice Axe belay, Plunge Stepping, Self-Arresting
Trailhead: Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center
Pass: Free with class but entrance requires fee.

As always, click on the pictures for larger size.

The set of photos for this hike are located here.

I was really looking forward to the hands-on class today at Hurricane Ridge. A familiar place for several of us and a great location to survive if one has to. m :-)

Our classroom instruction this past week was presented to us by Mark Flagg. A veteran of mountaineering and high peaks, Mark has guided expeditions on Mount Rainier, Denali, and Aconcagua. He shared his experience with us students in snow travel and climbing by go over equipment and techniques of snow climbing and roped snow climbing. Today we were going to put his instruction to practice.

Arriving by 0830 at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, we were the first people to climb out of the cars and play in the snow. Along with our packs filled with food for the day and the ten essentials, the OC staff ensured everyone had their helmet, gaiters, and harness. Then some of the climbing gear was divided up, which included extra ropes, pickets for snow anchors, and an ice axe for everyone.

The ice axe or piolet is an essential tool of the mountains for nearly two hundred years. It has almost as many uses as teenagers have excuses. mLOLm These include: self-arrests, probing for crevasses, walking sticks, emergency belay anchor, stability and balance as a third contact point with the ground, cut steps in hard snow/ice, improvised hammer, poking a slow climber in the butt, and one can even look cool to amateur hikers by carrying one during no-snow conditions. m:-)

Some winter climbing gear (pickets are yellow)

The snow conditions were fantastic for today's lessons. A hard, fast, and crusty surface of 3-4 inches with a softer layer underneath. Great stuff to practice our first technique, the Plunge Step. This method of descending while in hard snow provides confidence and balance. A stooping, shoulder wide stance is used. While raising the leg up, the heel is forced down in the snow while the ice axe is in the ground acting as a point of balance, and if necessary, a self-belay during a fall. One bends at the waist, attempting to keep the body balanced. This can best be remembered by the phrase 'nose over toes'. Shown in the video below.

Plunge Step practice

Another aspect of the mountaineering class is that sometimes our 'classroom' has the best views one could want. No industrial formica desk, no listening to a self-inflated professor drone on and on, but instead the wonderful Olympic Mountains in real three dimensions and unmatched beauty. I sooo really enjoy living in the Pacific Northwest.

Hurricane Hill in background M Mount Angeles

I mentioned in my first OC course post that I would not detail all the lessons we would learn. All that information would necessitate the time and effort of a book. The written guide we use in our course, coupled with other methods and experience our instructors share is titled, "Mountaineering, The Freedom of the Hills". It is the de facto written standard on the subject. With the knowledge already in print, my writing is an attempt to capture what our class experiences.

There was a class topic we covered, snow anchors, that was both new to me and had me highly skeptical. Instructor Mark explained why pickets were carried and how they were used. I was unfamiliar the device and found it difficult to believe that driving a thin metal stick in the snow would suffice as an anchor for safety and belaying activities. Heck, I 'd never seen one in REI, but my search this morning proved me wrong. Here is the snow picket offered by REI. Color me surprised and informed. When the climbing group is traveling on a glacier, ascending a snow field, or if there is a need for a secure object to help pull gear up or down, then the snow anchor can be used to provide protection and security for rappels and belays.

Seen in the photo below, two 24 inch pickets are driven into the snow at a slight angle. A combination of carabiners and straps are connected to the pickets which permits the climber to securely fasten himself to the anchor. The climber can then have both hands free to rappel or belay people or items as necessary while securely anchored. In the background of the below photo is the Deadman snow anchor (Sideways picket buried and connected to the orange strap) that is more suited to softer snow conditions than the hard snow preference of the Picket anchor. We had four students pull on the Deadman anchor and it didn't budge a bit. My skepticism was thoroughly erased and again I was pleasantly surprised and informed.

2 different snow anchors

During our lunch break I shared a recent incident of mine that went like this.

Last weekend I saw something at Cecil's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was my birthday and I was looking for a little something extra for my wilderness outings. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized tazer. The effects of the tazer were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing me adequate time to retreat to safety.

WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home.

I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned however that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

AWESOME!!!

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain what that burn spot is on the face of the microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries, right? There I sat in my recliner, my dog Kiwi looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Kiwi (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet hiking companion. But if I was going to use this thing for protection against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and tank top with my rum and coke perched delicately on the corner of my desk, directions in one hand, and tazer in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant, a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control, and a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5 inches long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference, pretty cute really and (loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, 'no possible way!' What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best...

I'm sitting there alone, Kiwi looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, 'don't do it dipshit,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . .

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD . ... WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . . WHAT THE HELL!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs?

The dog was making sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.

Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a tazer, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor.. A three second burst would be considered conservative?

IT HURT LIKE HELL!!!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My rum and coke was adding its own artwork to the painting above the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling.

Apparently I pooped myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I believe came from my hair. I'm still looking for my nuts and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!

Good thing I'm in a college class to avoid being stoopid !!!

After finishing lunch it was time to practice our rope team techniques. How to travel to minimize the risks of falls, how to use a picket for a running belay, how to use an ice axe with a carabiner as an emergency belay method, and more fun stuff. We divided into teams of three which almost gave us two instructors for each team. Again, great student to instructor ratio with lots of knowledge be dispensed.

After a little familiarity some of our lessons were combined. Such as using a running belay and one of the climbers falling, causing the team to take emergency action. Situations can turn sour if climbers are on frozen terrain and someone slips or a whole bunch of other things (Mount Hood accidents). It is very easy for a chain reaction to ensue after someone falls. The heavy weight of the climber burdened with gear or maybe a sled, coupled with a sloping, slippery surface can gain lots of momentum, necessitating the entire climbing team to take immediate and coordinated action.

The skills we are being taught by the climbing veterans are not the most difficult to learn, unless you're prone to self-tazing, but they are necessary for snow travel. The whole team must be alert for potential accidents; crevasse, weather, snow conditions, rope management, etc. The first goal of climbing is not to reach the peak but for the team to return safely.

Taking a pause during snow travel lessons

More to follow after next week's lesson.

This past week in class we were treated to another guest lecturer. Wade is a medical doctor as well as a veteran climber and presented the OC mountaineering and backpacking class a presentation on wilderness first aid. Accidents and illnesses can occur to climbers just as they can to folks back in civilization. However, climbers are far away from expert help and must be able to manage the situation while providing first aid to the injured.

Topics covered include: The seven steps in responding to an accident, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hypothermia, frostbite, sunburn, high-altitude sickness, blisters, and illnesses from insects.

The scheduled field outing for our fifth week had Steeple Rock as our destination. The objectives of this trip to were to continue our practice of rope team techniques during mountain snow travel and glissading. Glissading can be defined as, the normally voluntary act of sliding down a deep slope of snow.

Arriving as the first customers of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, we met our trip leaders and explored a little while we waited for other students to join the class. The weather was forecasted for rain but we were lucky enough to just have the clouds caressing the tops of the surrounding peaks instead of real precipitation falling on us.

Easiest parking ever MMMMM Badger? Valley in the Olympics

Even though all of us were familiar with Hurricane Ridge and its environs, we still enjoyed a little down time checking out the exhibits. The different types of plant and animal life that exist high up in the alpine region of the Olympics as well as the history of the area. In case you don't have your reading glasses on the middle picture contains two people, not exhibits.M;-)MThose two mountain men have more time and experience in the wild than some of us students have on the planet. mLOL

Visitor Center exhibits MMMM Mssrs Boone & Bowie? MMM Press Expedition members

After seeing our destination beckoning to us through the window it was time we gathered our gear and headed off-trail towards Steeple Rock. An easy ~2.5 mile hike, mostly along a road, Steeple Rock peaks out near 5600 feet.

Center formation is Steeple Rock

With plenty of time on our hands and an easy stretch of the legs in front of us, we began the usual hiking and climbing banter. How you been to this area, the trout are really big at X lake, National Park funding requires more volunteer efforts, and more. One of the topics I asked about was the pros and cons of choosing a snow cave or a tent for high alpine overnights. After some lively debate and sharing of past experiences, the following was captured.

The igloo was far superior to the tent because:

1. Structural: Snow causes the tents to bend inward. Tents have collapsed in on their occupants in the middle of the night and they had to dig out, re-erect, then try to dry off and warm back up in the dark in a snowstorm. Others had to curl up into small balls to avoid touching the tent walls, which become wet from condensation. Igloos freeze solid and become self-supporting domes within just a few minutes of placing the snow blocks. The more it snows, the thicker (toward the OUTside) their walls become and the stronger they get.

2. Moisture Control: Tent fabric collects condensation from occupant respiration, which collects on the inside surface of the fabric, so you try not to touch the tent fabric, but at the same time, the tent fabric is bending closer and closer inward... Condensation in the snow cave either vents out the side vent holes that are cut into the walls, or re-freezes on the inside surface of the walls

3. Temperature Control: Tent fabric is not a very good insulator, whereas the thick snow walls of the igloo provide very good insulation. The temperature inside a tent is only a few degrees warmer that outside (in our case, in the 20's) - until of course, they become completely buried in the snow - whereas inside the igloos it never gets below 32 degrees. That's why one of the ways to survive a snowstorm is to build an crawl inside an ice cave - for temperature and wind chill protection. It was quite cozy snuggled up in a down sleeping bag (rated to 15 degrees F) on top of TWO sleeping pads. Very important not to stay in direct contact with the snow for very long, as it sucks the warmth out of your body.

4. Wind: Tents can be very drafty and the fabric gets buffeted by the wind. Igloos don't even notice the wind.

5. Sound Control: The sound of flapping tent fabric and wind-driven snow smacking against a tent (especially hard frozen pellet-like snow) is very loud and annoying and makes for very bad sleep. Snow cave construction provides very good acoustical isolation - the howling of the wind just outside seemed miles away and is barely noticeable - actually, kind of a pleasant lullaby.

6. Ventilation: Tents only have small vents at the top, and the wind can blow snow in. Vent holes can be cut into the igloo walls at an angle away from the wind so they stay open and did not let snow or wind in.

7. Claustrophobia: With their walls bowing ever inward, the space inside the tent becomes quite small, cramped and claustrophobic. The igloo interiors stay the same size as originally built - I could almost stand upright in both of the domes of our two-room igloo.

8. Quality of Light: In tents, you have to wear LED headlamps at night to see - very bright white annoying points of glaring light beams that blind other people around you if you're not constantly vigilant about being considerate. In the igloos, all we needed was a candle or two in each room (can't have flames inside a tent) and the resulting play of dancing light and shadows is exquisite. Also, the softest mottled pale blue daylight comes in from outside via the vents and varying thicknesses of the snow walls - this lasts well into the evening. Even during the night after the candles had extinguished themselves, I could see that blue light pattern in the walls. Truly peaceful.

9. You don't have to carry the igloo in your backpack - you just built it, live in it, then demolish it. No resource consumption, no waste, no cleaning issues - very environmentally responsible!

And such an elegant, simple, natural shelter.

All this discussion and putting one boot in front of the other brought us to our training area. After a relaxing snack and hydration break, we roped up and began ascending the side of the mountain under the tutelage of our insightful instructors.

Retrace 8 to a climbing harness MMM Rope team tactics

Plenty of knowledge was shared by all. I don't know if he was the eldest, I forgot to count his growth rings, but Willie showed us various ways to use our boots while both ascending and descending, at different angles of attack, which parts of the boot are best used for each technique, and so on. Of course I fell several times while attempting to assimilate all the information and put it to practice. LOL

Before you know it, the summit block was in front of us. A short ~75ft steep stretch placed us on Steeple Rock. Enough room for most of us to plant our butts down for a little rest. Jordy went fancy and broke the JetBoil for some chipotle chicken and mashed potatoes. I tried a little and really enjoyed the flavor. For some reason he would not trade his meal for some raisins and peanuts even after I offered an old Snickers bar from the bowels of my backpack. Rather snooty of him, no?

Can you smell the chicken? MMM Only blue sky we saw all day.

Up and then down we went, but more fun than the economy. Nice and slow, using the techniques we learned over the past two weeks. Getting into a rhythm really helps a team advance safely and with good speed.

John overseeing the safety of his students

Then we got to glissade !!! Finally some class sanctioned thrills. Willie ploughed a path for us and then John gave every student personal instruction on body position, ice axe use, possible dangers, and arresting techniques. Some of our glissading is captured in the video below. And a few of the students went back up for multiple glissade runs. Good times in the outdoors.

Video:

OC Rock Climbing 4-18-09

2009-04-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

Lesson: Climbing - Belaying - Rappelling

Distance: NA

Trailhead : Icicle Road, Leavenworth, Wa

Highpoint: NA
Elevation Gain: 60-90 feet

Climb Difficulties: 5.6 thru 5.9

Trail Notes:

Pass: No pass, no fees for climbing. Slept at Eight-Mile Campground along Icicle Road which has a pay for use system.

As always, click on the pictures for larger size.

The set of photos for this hike are located here.

This weekend's outing of the Olympic College Basic Mountaineering Course was for climbing, belaying, and rappelling. I purposely skipped last week as it was the first half of the lesson, culminating in this weekend with rock climbing at Leavenworth, Wa. A super wonderful outing!!

"Belaying is a fundamental technique for climbing safely, a system of using a rope to stop a fall if one should occur. Belaying can safely control the enormous energy that a falling climber generates, but takes practice to do well and requires an understanding of its underlying principles."

Before OC students go climbing and have a chance to challenge gravity, we are taught the basic tenets of belaying. We need to understand the dynamics in play and methods used to climb safely and prevent injury before and when a fall does occur. So we learned and practiced the various knots and basic belaying techniques at a local indoor climbing gym, Vertical World, after our classroom session.

We learned about some climbing gear, including knots, runners, stringers, carabiners, harnesses, belay devices, and the commands used to safely belay climbers. I know it will take a lot of practice to be familiar with all the knots and methods in belaying a climber. Conservative by nature, I want to be comfortable in my knowledge before being responsible for someone's well-being. And this is where the importance of the class assistants come into play.

The class assistants consist of previous students, mountaineering veterans, and subject matter experts in various applicable fields. This provides almost a two to one student to instructor ratio, which is really outstanding. Especially with hands-on activities like belaying and rappelling. Mucho thanks to all the assistants and their patience. (Ward, John K., Jim, Randy, Tiffany, Robbin, John W. and the many others that will come out to help us.) It is a real treasure to be in a class with so much knowledge and experience contained among people willing to share. Truly inspiring.

Class at Vertical World MMM Self-Rappel system MMMMM Putting lessons to life

Our class came and went so fast as there is much to learn and it takes a lot of practice before newly learned methods become second nature. Plus it is a blast climbing all over the place. Perhaps a Freudian pleasure from being to told by parents to"get off that thing right now!" mLOLm But this is where the OC mountaineering class and its lead instructor, Brad Albro, take care of the students again. All the students are provided a three month membership to Vertical World. This enable lots of fun and practical use of all the stuff we learn while in a safe, controlled environment. Thanks Brad and OC !!

Before long the weekend was approaching with its anticipated outing to Leavenworth for some real rock climbing. As a bonus, good weather was forecasted. Some of us decided to head over on Friday to get a little more practice. Plus it just feels great to play hooky from work now and then. m:-) SmSo five of us, two instructors and three students, crossed the Puget Sound and drove down to Leavenworth, Wa.

A crag along the Wenatchee MPeople climbing the crag M Upper Town Wall at Index, Wa

We set our tents for the weekend at Eight Mile Campground. This campground, though open to the public, is not a state campground, so the fees are a little more. We each had to pitch in an astronomical amount of five dollars. m:-) But the campgrounds did have restroom facilities and running water at several locations and it has the added bonus of being located along Icicle Road where there is whole bunch of places to climb rock.

Tents were pitched and then we scoured the books and Icicle Rock to find some rock of our own. Within a few minutes we were gearing up to climb Mountaineer's Buttress. This hunk of granite had several routes to chose from. Our unfamiliarity with the region showed itself when we anchored our rope and let down to begin climbing. Even though it was a 70 meter rope it was still short. Armed with experience we re-anchored at a lower spot and then began in earnest.

Plenty of room at 8 Mile MMMM Atop Mountaineer's Buttress

The reason I show the next photo is to point out the sky. Twenty minutes after taking this picture we were leaving the rock due to bad weather. Clouds came in from the west, turning the sky gray, and sharing some moisture with us. Quick as that, but rapidly changing weather does happen in the mountains.

And before the clock had ticked off another thirty minutes, the skies were blue again and we were setting up at another location. There really is an abundance of climbing opportunities along Icicle Road. Our second choice was a crack and slab route next to the Wenatchee river.

Weather changes MMMMMM Having too much fun

The second picture below shows the Klemheist knot (Green & yellow cord) being used as a self-belay device during a rappel. The cord is wrapped ~three times around the rope to provide friction and the free end of the loop is secured to a carabiner. But look a little closer and you can notice where I did not place the end of the loop in the carabiner properly. The cord is caught in the notch that the gate is supposed to lock into. This improper and unsafe setup could lead to the cord coming away from the carabiner and then completely negating the friction of the Klemheist knot which means no safety stop in case I let go of the rope during a rappel. Jim's experience permitted me to make the mistake own my own, then he patiently explained how this error could affect me and how to inspect the belay device properly before beginning a rappel.

Double anchored for safety MM Knotty problem

As soon as the sun went behind the mountains it was time for our return to camp. Plenty of food was shared by all, then a fire was started by a wandering scout to sooth our satiated stomachs, and finally the marshmallows made their debut. I didn't bring any alternate beverages this trip (Official school outing) so I had to keep myself occupied. I did find out that it is sort of difficult to fling a flaming marshmallow at our campsite neighbors with trees all over the place, but hey, it's still fun to try. m;-)

We woke to Ra shining his brilliant benevolence upon us. Wiping sleep from our eyes, we rolled out of our warm sleeping bags, scratched where it felt good, and broke our fast. Finished with the feeding, we flung our gear in the truck and met the rest of our fellow students for the class outing. We checked out several places to climb but another very, very large group (Mountaineers?) had come in before dawn and bogarted all the easy to reach rock along the road. They staked their verbal claim for the day and were inclined to selfishly climb the public rock. I'm sure they did well earning their climbing badge but they failed at the friendly-sharing badge.

Well this is when the course instructor, Brad, donned his cape and came to the rescue. Brad had lived in the area years before and he was able to guide us to a secluded spot just a short hike from the road. Brad took us to formation named Bebop. We set up three ropes to put our classroom skills of belaying, climbing, and rappelling into practice. The three routes that were established had varying degrees of difficulty. There was a 5.6, a 5.7, and a 5.9. There was plenty of challenge for all of the students and our instructors were friendly and free with their knowledge.

Those who have never climbed cannot empathize what it is like to challenge gravity. There are no engineered handholds or steps for the feet. The cracks, features, protrusions, lips or whatever is in the rock was not designed for human use. The rock will not be what you want it to be, which is why it is important for the climber to change himself. It is the climber that must see the rock, accept what the rock is, and then adapt himself to climb the rock. Fingertips, elbows, knees, toes, and more were used to make my way upward. I was able to climb the 5.6 with little difficulty, but the 5.7 gave me fits.

I was about a third of the way up the 5.7 when I ran into the crux or decisive point, of the route. I was stuck. The parallel cracks were close together that using the chimney technique was physically out of the question. There was no decent handholds within reach nor something to put my foot on. I was really getting frustrated. Especially when I noticed no one else was climbing and all eyes were on me. What to do? How to keep climbing this? The others did it, I need to do it. Try again. Scrape hands. Toes slide. Sweat building up. Should I admit defeat? Maybe climbing is not for me. My mind was a vortex of vexation. Screw it Mike. Stop your whining and climb the damn thing.

So I did. I accepted some pain, uncomfortable positions and stressed some muscles but I made it up. All by myself with no external assistance. YES!!! Man what a feeling of accomplishment. Then I looked up and saw the remaining two-thirds of the route. I smiled. But it was an experienced smile. For I knew that I could do it and I did. Simple as that.

Reflecting back on that route as I type this report, I was so glad that no one shouted suggestions or provided any tips. The problem was mine alone and only I could solve it. There is nothing I have experienced yet quite like climbing. Nothing but rock and your body to keep gravity from pulling you down thirty, sixty, or ninety feet. I was SO focused on that rock. No sports playoffs, no work issues, nothing. Nothing else entered my mind. It was a moment of mental clarity like no other. Can't wait to go climbing again!!!! M:-)

Bruno showboating on an overhang M Gorgeous day M Better check his pants m LOL

Side Discussion:
A question was posed by one of our instructors during a break. Which was more physically demanding, hiking or rock climbing? Having just climbed and rappelled from the 5.7, I threw out that rock climbing was more demanding. Didn't I just exert, strain, and grunt my way to the top where my muscles were flushed from effort? Of course climbing had to be tougher than walking with a backpack I thought.

But she countered with the length of my climb compared to reaching Camp Muir from Paradise on Mount Rainier. Yes, the effort to climb sixty to ninety vertical feet was physically demanding, but over time how did that compare to climbing 4000ft of elevation even at a moderate pace? Well she had me there. Not to mention the return trip from Muir. There will be plenty of lactic acid built up in the body from that much effort and the calorie expenditure will be greater. Yes, the body would feel the hike to Muir more intensely and longer than the 5.7 or 5.9 that was being climbed today.

But what about a multiple pitch route of rock climbing? Where the climbers carry their climbing gear and ropes while ascending several hundred to a thousand feet in a day. How would the body react to that exertion? Well neither she nor I had made a mutli-pitch climb yet, so we agreed to wait and experience that outing before settling on a decisive answer. m:-)

5.9 MM 5.7 MM 5.6 Routes MMAscending the 5.6

Video:

Skydiving on a whim 4-5-09

2009-04-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Activity: Skydiving

Distance: NA

Airport : 0 feet

Highpoint: 13,190 feet
Difficulty Calculator: It's all personal. :-)

Business Notes: No dogs permitted an airport, Snohomish Skydive was professional, friendly and well run.

As always, click on the pictures for larger size.

The set of photos for this outing are located here.

Well I certainly did this on a whim. LOL The idea of skydiving found its way into my mind a few weeks ago. Nothing dramatic nor inspirational, just a slow, simmering thought in the back of my mind that came to a boil during a weekend of good weather that coincided with my birthday. So I did it, and it was AWESOME !!

First I attempted to schedule my exciting adventure online among the various outfits located in the Puget Sound area. With my selection narrowed down to Snohomish Skydive, my fingers did the dialing in hopes of getting a last minute reservation. It must have been the luck of the birthday and the wonderful patience of the staff that I was able to obtain a 3:00pm reservation.

So we gathered a few things and began a super fun day. Outstanding weather on this weekend, a tranquil ferry trip across the Puget Sound, no obligations or worries for the whole day, and an exciting adventure waiting to be had. mYahoo !!

Planes, ferries, and automobiles this day

Welcomed by the friendly staff, the intrepid person is first required to complete the mandatory paperwork. The contract was many pages of, "this activity can cause death and you accept all responsibility". When I look back at the whole day, writing my signature and initials all those times was the hardest part. mLOL

Names were called and the three o'clock students were classed up for instruction time. Veteran jumper and instructor Vlad, introduced us to what we would be enjoying, mischievously playing on some of our fears but patiently answering all our questions and making us feel relaxed none the less. A few people were holding the arms of their adventurous mates but there were lots of smiles all around. Then we headed out to the flight line for more instruction and to observe all the activities associated with skydiving.

Preparations for fun MMMMM Parachutes being packed

For the uninitiated to skydiving, there was action everywhere. Planes coming and going within 100 feet of us, students and solo divers gearing up for their flights, parachutes being packed, friendly staff helping as needed, skydiving banter all around, people watching other parachutists returning to earth, cameras clicking, and videos being shot. Felt like calm but organized chaos. Definitely sends the senses in pleasant overdrive. m:-)

Then my personal jump instructor, Todd, had me suit up. This consisted of donning a thin nylon one-piece colorful coverall or jumpsuit over the daily clothes. The weather was comfortable enough that extra layers were not needed. Matter of fact, in the summertime you could skydive in your birthday suit. Might get a little frostbite on the nipples as you freefall at 120mph, but hey it can be done. m;-)

Donning suit and harness MMM Sexy hat and qualude pic, LOL

Everyone will describe their skydiving experience differently. Mine is short and goes something like this.

I was not nervous nor filled with fear. I was relaxed and enjoying all the hubbub that surrounded us. We hopped in the plane, three tandem students and four soloists. Enjoyed the twenty minute ride up to 13,000 ft with lively banter and wonderful views of the Sound, Cascades, and Seattle. Finally Todd told me to scoot to the door, which requires a little coordination as we were securely fastened together. Then we assumed the launch position and left the plane.

Wow, what a rush!! Falling at 120mph with a sensation of weightlessness. The roaring wind whipping the face into new shapes. Heart pumping the blood furiously fast and stronger than ever. Adrenaline coursing through the body. It's difficult for me to describe all the sensations, it must be experienced. SOOOoooooTOTALLY AWESOME !!!

I did allow my mind about three seconds of analytical thought during freefall. What would I/we do if there was a problem? Fast forward to the answer, absolutely nothing. Because if something did go wrong it would just be the ground crew scooping up Mike marmalade. mLOLm So I pushed the rational world away and just hollered my ecstasy as loud as I could while rejoicing in the experience.

After freefalling for sixty seconds, Todd wisely pulled the ripcord without telling me. As the parachute leaves its confinement, it opens with a loud noise, expanding very quickly with the rushing air. This brought us from ~120mph to ~40mph as fast as it takes to snap your finger. By the time you regain your thoughts and realize what occured, you are gently gliding in a very serene and silent manner. With the chute open, Todd and I could talk easily without raising our voices. Very cool to lazily drift down. Another sensation to absorb.

To spice things up, Todd asked if I was open to perform some maneuvers. What the hell, no stopping the fun now. He had me take over of the control lines where we first corkscrewed left and then right. Straightening up, we then did an end-over where the we became parallel with the parachute when looking at us horizontally. Something like this mm(--xmm

Sooner than I wanted, we were getting close to the ground. Todd steered us in, right over the spectators and other students, to the landing circle. Legs out in front and feet pointed up, we glided in for a safe and successful landing. Woot!! High fives all around, arms raised in victorious achievement, with smiles bigger than the Puget Sound. m:-)m What an experience!!

Exuberance and exhilaration effused from everywhere.

Now get out there and try it for yourself. It is much easier than you think.

Safe and sound on the ground

Trip Profile MMMMMMMMMM Freefall Profile

Video:

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