NORTHWEST:
--Firefighters are currently battling a blaze just north of Kendall in the North Fork of the Nooksack River.
--A cool new mixed line went up on Sacajawea Peak in the Lost River Range of Idaho. Dean Lords and Justin Avenius found M7 moves on the eight hundred foot east ridge of the peak.
--The Bellingham Herald ran a story last week about recognizing and treating altitude sickness.
--The Northwest Avalanche Center is working to upgrade their website in order for it to be more user friendly. They are looking for input on this project and have posted a survey online. If you would like to help them with their upgrades, .
--A climber was rescued after a crevasse fall from the Kautz Glacier on Mount Rainier yesterday morning.
ALASKA:
--American Alpine Institute Denali Teams 7 and 8 summitted Tuesday! They are now in the process of working their way back down the mountain to the airstrip. To read our daily trip dispatches,
--A grizzly bear attacked a 14-year old girl competing in a bike race near Anchorage just outside Chugach State Park this week. The teenage girl suffered severe injuries on her head, neck, torso and legs. She is listed in critical condition. To read more about this incident,
SIERRA:
--More than one thousand wilderness fires are burning across California right now. Most of these were started by the lethal combination of lightning, warm weather, and high winds. To read more about these fires and the effort to contain them,. Up to date reports may be found here.
--Heart transplant recipient, Kelly Perkins, 46, recently completed the Regular Northwest Face Route on the Half Dome in Yosemite. Perkins completed the two and a half day 2000 foot big wall route on Saturday. The climb caps a string of notable ascents since Perkins received a heart transplant in 1996. To read more,
--This morning NPR had a great story on the new Yosemite El Capitan speed record.
SOUTH AMERICA:
--Damian Benegas completed a new line on Huallomen (Wyoming) Peak (17,923') in the Condoriri Valley of Bolivia. The line is 14 pitches long with sections of WI 5. Former American Alpine Institute guides Geoffrey Bartram and Miles Newby opened up a number of routes in this valley in the late eighties. To read more about Damian's ascent,
NOTES FROM ALL OVER:
--More than one thousand wilderness fires are burning across California right now. Most of these were started by the lethal combination of lightning, warm weather, and high winds. To read more about these fires and the effort to contain them
--New York City is implementing an "Anti-Spidey" law. The new law will make it illegal to climb or jump off any building over 25 feet tall. Adventure seekers will now face a fine of up to a $1000 and will be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. It is likely that climbers and BASE jumpers that are strangely attracted to buildings instead of mountains will be willing to risk such a fine. To read more
--Nine young hikers were rescued Monday from a ledge above a swollen creek in Western New York. The hikers -- dressed in nothing but t-shirts and shorts -- were hiking in the Zoar Valley, 30 miles south of Buffalo, when they were cut off by a flood. The group was forced to spend the night before being rescued.
--Climber, photographer and skier, Jimmy Chin solo climbed and skied the Grand, Middle and South Tetons in Grand Teton National Park in a remarkable 10 hours and 55 minutes. To read more about this super fast climbing and skiing trifecta,
--A peak in Nepal has been named for the legendary chronicler of Himalayan climbing, Elizabeth Hawley. French ice climber François Damilano named a peak in the in the Dhaulagiri Group after a solo ascent. Hawley has been documenting ascents in the Himalaya since 1963. Her biography, I'll Call You in Kathmandu, by Bernadette McDonald was recently published by the Mountaineers Books. To read more about Damilano's ascent,
--The extremely popular rock climbing forum, rockclimbing.com was recently sold to NameMedia. This company also recently acquired dropzone.com and BASEjumper.com. To read the NameMedia press release,. To read the announcement on rockclimbing.com and to see both the positive and negative responses to the sale,
