EISPIRATEN

Check this one off the list. Since we can't really talk about it, I say we rename the route "Voldemort". Smellavation gain ~10,000+ feet.





















You can see my tracks in the lower right corner of the picture above - I saw this coming and "ran" through the knee deep powder to dodge it - cut a crampon gash in the back of my knee

Nice pics, thats less than 9 miles from my house

"Voldemort" it is, very nice work, send me PM on time frames and conditions please.

Lilbitmo

Scha-weet! 'cept for the gash.

Oh, it was sweet alright. Got semi-lost in the first 5000 foot section, then climbed up some chimney I thought was the 3rd class bypass option in the dark dragging my 44 pound pack behind me using my umblical - no protection (gotta be 4th/low 5th), ice and loose rocks coming off. Oh, then I slipped on the edge of a crevass and bruised/cracked a rib. Hi-five!

I did have a wonderful night's sleep by a couple waterfalls, and I spent a surprise night in the cabin because I didn't think I could make the tram in time (I was wrong, only took me 1:30 in the morning).

Welcome to the suck.

welcome to the baptism

Zach wrote: ↑welcome to the baptism

Taco wrote: ↑Welcome to the suck.

Oh. Oh Gracias. Danke Schön.

Burchey! You're definately making the most of the spring season. Nice work, glad you didn't get rolled by that avi 8) Thanks for sharing the pix.

You're insane.

TracieB wrote: ↑Burchey! You're definately making the most of the spring season. Nice work, glad you didn't get rolled by that avi 8) Thanks for sharing the pix.

I'm trying my best, I feel like I'm running out of cold.

Very nice, Burchey! Some Snow Creek veterans also got fouled up on that bypass recently.

lilbitmo wrote: ↑"Voldemort" it is, very nice work, send me PM on time frames and conditions please.

Lilbitmo

+1 Thanks!

Sam Page wrote: ↑Very nice, Burchey! Some Snow Creek veterans also got fouled up on that bypass recently.

Thanks Sam. Did they climb too high above the 3rd class or take the wrong path up the wall to begin with? I'm trying to find a good clear shot of that wall so I can see where the 5th class line is, where the true 3rd class line is, and then what I think I went up ( somewhere in between the two ). My trouble was it was dark, and it was tough to find a place to walk along the creek in that section that wasn't running water or ice covered rocks.

I started up the wall one way, realize about 15 feet up that I couldn't top out, downclimbed and moved over to the south about 10 feet and headed up. About halfway up was a deadish tree, and then it became a chimney with the holds primarily on the climber's right. Finish to the left was a bit of a mantle move after you pass a column of stacked up boulders stuck in the back of the chimney. As soon as you stand up there, directly to your south is a big flat area that looks like you could pitch a tent on it. I may have been on the correct 3rd class and just didn't know it, but I get the feeling I blew by it in the dark coming up the creek, and then climbed too far out of the canyon as I made my way towards the snow tongue. Anyway, that's a long confusing description of what was probably a bad move to do alone in the dark dragging a heavy pack.

EDIT: I just found this - in another old post...caption said "the bypass, it's obvious". That is not what I did, that looks like a blast. Wow - I'm an idiot, how did I miss that and end up in the route I took up? This looks like a staircase. I was about to crap me trousers all alone-ski in the dark in the sketch-chimny. Dumb.

Nice work....yea a heavy pack in there sucks. I'm always glad I have a friend with me in there..it's a long way out when youre in the middle and something goes wrong.

bluerail wrote: ↑Nice work....yea a heavy pack in there sucks. I'm always glad I have a friend with me in there..it's a long way out when youre in the middle and something goes wrong.

Thanks. I haven't been good at hooking up with anyone willing to do a lot of these trips, so it's usually a solo thing. In the case of a major injury, it would be hell alone. I look back at the mistakes I make each time I go out, and try to figure out a way to avoid them next time. This is my first real winter season in the mountains, each one after will hopefully improve.

Burchey wrote: ↑

bluerail wrote: ↑Nice work....yea a heavy pack in there sucks. I'm always glad I have a friend with me in there..it's a long way out when youre in the middle and something goes wrong.

Thanks. I haven't been good at hooking up with anyone willing to do a lot of these trips, so it's usually a solo thing. In the case of a major injury, it would be hell alone. I look back at the mistakes I make each time I go out, and try to figure out a way to avoid them next time. This is my first real winter season in the mountains, each one after will hopefully improve.

Need to getcha a PLB my friend.

The real question: did you bring gas this trip?

Pretty cool stuff.

HJ

Hikin_Jim wrote: ↑Need to getcha a PLB my friend.

The real question: did you bring gas this trip?

Pretty cool stuff.

HJ

What's a PLB? I hope it's a pretty large biscuit, I'm starving.

Gas - new 200g canister took me the whole way up. I consume a lot of water. Boiled 3 liters at Falls Creek, then another 2 for dinner/drinking at the waterfall camp, then melted enough snow on Sunday on the way up good for another 6-7 liters, then enough snow for 3 more Monday morning...still have gas left. In warm weather, this wouldn't be a big deal, but with the cold I was dealing with, I'm happy I got that much out of it.

I'm going to call some local surfshops to see if they're tossing out an old rental wetsuit by chance: going to make a canister cover from the arm of a thick one, help a bit with the cold and keep the snow/ice that always ends up freezing to the canister away from it.

Nah, a PLB is a Pretty Large Blonde. Keeps you warm at night. Just don't let the gf find out -- unless she's the pretty large blonde.

In addition, you could get a Personal Locater Beacon which oddly has the same initials as a Pretty Large Blonde. If ya gets into a serious jam, ya pressez da button and the cavalry (or RMRU in this case) comes and bails yer butt out. Ya coulds also gets a SPOT, but der SPOT ain't as reliable. SPOT just announced another recall, this time on their product that works with a DeLorme GPS. Also, dere ain't no subscription fee mit a PLB but dere iz won wif da SPOT. Clears it up, yes?

If you do hook up with that hot blonde, post pics or mail them to me in a plain brown wrapper. No need to post pics of a Personal Locator Beacon.

Regarding the wetsuit idea, actually if you get good gas* (no butane, just propane and isobutane), as long as you keep it in a pan of water, the gas will still be good to go. See this article.

The wetsuit sleeve only works if you've been keeping the canister warm inside your jacket or something, and even then the very act of burning gas causes the canister temperature to drop. The water trick works pretty well -- up until the point that the weather is so cold that it's hard to keep the water liquid.

You've got a good one in the Reactor. It's got a regulated burner as opposed to a needle valve which allows you to go just a bit lower in terms of temperature than comparable stoves, plus whatever gas you have to work with will be maximized by the Reactor's design.

HJ

*MSR, Snow Peak, and I believe Brunton and Jetboil. Avoid Coleman and Primus brands.

Hikin_Jim wrote: ↑Regarding the wetsuit idea, actually if you get good gas* (no butane, just propane and isobutane), as long as you keep it in a pan of water, the gas will still be good to go. See this article.

The wetsuit sleeve only works if you've been keeping the canister warm inside your jacket or something, and even then the very act of burning gas causes the canister temperature to drop. The water trick works pretty well -- up until the point that the weather is so cold that it's hard to keep the water liquid. *MSR, Snow Peak, and I believe Brunton and Jetboil. Avoid Coleman and Primus brands.

I'll look into this safety device you speak of, although I will say I don't plan on living into the golden years, which is probably why I haven't picked one up yet. I've read a lot of debate over being very thorough with your trip details to others/safety beacons/etc so you can get that expensive helicopter rescue if you get hurt. Some go out of their way to leave no trace so there is nowhere to send a search team ( get dropped off at trailhead so there is no abandoned car, tell nobody where you go so they don't know even where to look, etc). I'm still figuring out the way I want to do it.

On the stove tips - as always, you rule for keeping us educated. I usually go with snowpeak, keep the canister in my sleeping bag in the sack my mattress goes in along with other electronics, etc I want to keep warmer. THe pan of water is really not an option, I already carry too much. I guess I could use my shell or something waterproof to fashion a bowl shape dish below it to hold water. There we go! But that really only works if I have water already available - can't waste gas melting snow for this purpose unless I can pour it back into my bladder. Hmmm, that might work. Hi-five for typing as I reason this out! I'll tax my brain for a while on the best solution.

I usually have a bowl along. The bowl is my primary food receptacle (I don't bring a plate). When I'm using the stove, I plop down a bit of foam, then put the bowl down, pour a bit of water in. Then the canister.

When it's time to eat, the water goes back into my Nalgene or whatever, and the food goes into the bowl. Zero extra grams if you arrange things right. If you wanted to do multi course foolishness, I guess you could bring a second bowl. Minimal extra weight, and the bowls could nest.

HJ

Hikin_Jim wrote: ↑I usually have a bowl along. The bowl is my primary food receptacle (I don't bring a plate). When I'm using the stove, I plop down a bit of foam, then put the bowl down, pour a bit of water in. Then the canister.

When it's time to eat, the water goes back into my Nalgene or whatever, and the food goes into the bowl. Zero extra grams if you arrange things right. If you wanted to do multi course foolishness, I guess you could bring a second bowl. Minimal extra weight, and the bowls could nest.

HJ

DOn't even bring a bowl. I eat right out of packages. I used to, and that would have worked great. I'm pretty sure I can rig a piece of my soft waterproof gear to a bowl shape, and then pour the water into my bladder/nalgene. Always trying to figure out ways to leave things behind, that heavy pack up Jacinto last weekend was a beast.

Dude,

If you want really light weight, just bring a Ziploc bag. With the right size for your canister, you should be able to have water in contact with a lot of the surface of the canister which should give you good vaporization. Probably work better than a bowl come to think of it and less likely to spill than some rigged up thing.

HJ

pee on it.

Hey ! BTW, did you happen to find one, or possibly even both of my ULTIMATE water bottles in there?

I can't believe you took a stove buddy..I carry one full bottle from the start to get me over to the creek crossing, and from there, theres so much good water...( unless you loose your containers! )

hey..so plmk if you found any bottles..red pullup tops..

HJ - well played, ziploc bag it is. That's a great idea.

Bluerail - Sorry man, didn't see any signs of human travel but footprints/cairns. I usually keep an eye out for bits of trash or whatever, pick them up. Didn't see any bottles for sure.

Now that you mention it, I remember seeing quite a few spots where water was running off the rocks on the way up the snow. Being my first time up, I wasn't sure what to expect, and when I got low on agua...should have just filled up at the little falls here and there. I'm taking it that you don't treat the water.

Burchey wrote: ↑I'm taking it that you don't treat the water...

That depends on whether your trip is before or after bluerail's trip...

HJ

Burchey, regardless of what HJ sais, the waters fine even after I've gone through...thats some of the best water, I see very little signs of wildlife on the upper sections of the northside, I've drank alot of that water and have had no problems at all.

Tossed a couple waypoints I saved into this website to get an idea of where I came up - I think I was just off the direct summit approach, which looked even steeper