--AAI Guides Alan Kearney and Erik Johnson climbed a new route on East McMillan Spire this summer in the Southern Pickets of the Cascades. The pair called the new remote twenty-five pitch line Come Over to the Dark Side (V 5.10-). Alan has put up dozens and dozens of first ascents and has worked at the Institute since the eighties. Erik has guided for AAI since 2000. To read more about the new route, click here.
--Nothing lures visitors to Mount Rainier's Paradise lodge like the transitory displays of wildflowers that populate the high mountain meadows. But summer sojourns could fade into memory and panoramic vistas vanish as alpine asters, rosy pussytoes and purple lupines are crowded out by trees. Add disappearing high mountain meadows to the catalog of effects wrought by global warming. To read more, click here.
Mount Rainier--The Seattle Times recently posted a travel article on the 120 mile stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail between Rainy Pass and Stevens Pass. To read the article, click here.
--A climber who fell and broke his ankle in Smith Rock State Park made the local news this week. Though the climber will make a recovery, his broken ankle and two hour rescue was enough to get news crews onto the scene. To watch the video, click here.
--The American Alpine Institute shop in Bellingham has switched to their winter hours. They will now be open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Sierra:
Yosemite National ParkEl Capitan may be seen on the left.
--Somehow Washington D.C. Lawmakers have found a way to take a little bit of time out of their insanely busy schedule to honor the three men who first climbed Yosemite National Park's El Capitan a half-century ago. Kicking off a round of commemorations, the House this week approved a resolution saluting the climbers who scaled North America's tallest free-standing granite monolith. The resolution sets the stage for a 50th anniversary ceremony to be held in Yosemite next month. To read more, click here. To see some pictures of the first ascent and to read some of the discussion about the 50th anniverary celebration, click here.
--On Tuesday a large rockslide made its way down the Staircase Falls area of Yosemite National Park. The 1,020-foot Staircase Falls cascades from Glacier Point to a meadow just east of Curry Village, which is also home to the winter ice rink and amphitheater. To read more, click here. To read commentary on this incident, click here.
--Labor Day weekend, Inyo County Search and Rescue Volunteers helped Thousand Oaks resident Steve Burch after a fall on the Mt. Whitney trail. Burch cut his knee to the bone in the fall and also badly cut his hand. With help from bystanders and Inyo Search and Rescue, Burch was flown out to Lone Pine by helicopter. In a letter to Inyo SAR team members, Burch says that because of his injuries from the Whitney accident, he survived the September 12, Metrolink train wreck that killed 25 people near Chatsworth. To read more, click here.
--This summer two large marijuana farms were found on the east slope of the White Mountains. Officers also eradicated another farm, said to have been worth $29 million dollars, in the Glass Mountains east of Crowley. Last summer, law enforcement eradicated 30,000 plants in the Sierra between Lone Pine and Independence. Officers are in agreement that these large outdoor marijuana farms are the work drug cartels from Mexico. To read more, click here.
--Cooler weather, some rain, weather on the way, and the work of wildland fire fighters could spell the end for two fires that have sent smoke toward the Eastern Sierra in recent weeks. Firefighters have been working since September 10th to stop the Hidden Fire burning in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park. Park officials report that the Hidden Fire is now 100% contained and 3700 acres in size. To read more, click here.
Himalaya:
Cho Oyu--A group of skydivers completed a jump over Mount Everest last week. Each member of the team was required to wear a breathing apparatus and a thick suit to ward off sub-zero temperatures. To read more, click here.
--Pete Takeda's non-fiction book, "An Eye at the Top of the World" about the CIA's cold war plans to monitor Chinese nuclear tests from instrumentation in the Himalaya, has been purchase by a Hollywood film company. Producers plan to turn the true-story into a fictionalized film. To read more, click here.Notes from All Over:
--A backcountry skier died last week on the Taylor Glacier in Rocky Mountain National Park. The 40 year-old was skiing alone when he likely slipped on the icy terrain. The unidentified man's body sustained massive trauma. It's likely that the man was skiing the extremely steep run known as the "Elevator Shaft." To read more about this incident, click here. To read about the "Elevator Shaft," click here.
--There are a few jokes out there about how climbing guides are dogs, but this is ridiculous.
