Gerald Focha, 76, of Danville, California died from what appear to be natural causes at the Alaska Railroad Denali Deport on Wednesday, May 27, in spite of the lifesaving efforts by personnel on scene, park rangers, and the local fire department.
The National Park Service received a report of a person suffering a possible heart attack at 4:2 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and rangers and an ambulance were immediately dispatched. While enroute the park’s communications center received a second call that the person was not breathing and that CPR was in progress. Upon arrival rangers found Focha was in full cardiac arrest. Ranger-EMTs and personnel from the Tri-Valley Fire Department performed advanced cardiac life support measures in an attempt to restore a pulse, but were not successful. After 40 minutes of emergency lifesaving effort, and after consultation with the park’s medical director physican, CPR and other efforts were terminated.
Focha’s wife was accompanying him. His remains were released to the Office of the State Medical Examiner.
Denali Park Visitor Death
AAI just received the following email from Denali National Park:
One goal shy of a hat trick
I have no clue what's going on. Seriously, there's been a complete reversal of everything I've been as a climber the past several years. The world has been turned nearly upside down, and this is a good thing.Yeah, yeah. You've all heard about my ankle sprain, and you've all heard about how it's held me back in the gym. I'm flailing on 10a's in there and falling on 5.8s by the end of the night.
Alaska Range Ice Climbing
Private Alaska Range Alpine Mountaineering Course (May 17 - 31, 2009) Finishes with some Technical Ice
Team Roster:
Guide: Kurt Hicks
Climbers: Mike and Ryan Guffy
Dispatch: May 29, 2009
Friday, May 29th, 2009: 6:39 pm
"Hey everybody This is Kurt calling from overcast Talkeetna. Mike, Ryan, and I have returned to our base after a couple of days of ice climbing on the Matanuska Glacier and some rock climbing today on a nearby crag. It was all good climbing and a great way to finish off this trip. The steep ice climbing and the rock thoroughly rounded out the trip.
We had a phenomenal time. Of course it was a great experience for the three of us to succeed on the Japanese Couloir of Mt. Barille. Now we’re going to hang up our boots and go into town and get some food. We're looking forward to enjoying some great climbing adventures in the future."
.
Team Roster:
Guide: Kurt Hicks
Climbers: Mike and Ryan Guffy
Dispatch: May 29, 2009
Friday, May 29th, 2009: 6:39 pm
"Hey everybody This is Kurt calling from overcast Talkeetna. Mike, Ryan, and I have returned to our base after a couple of days of ice climbing on the Matanuska Glacier and some rock climbing today on a nearby crag. It was all good climbing and a great way to finish off this trip. The steep ice climbing and the rock thoroughly rounded out the trip.
We had a phenomenal time. Of course it was a great experience for the three of us to succeed on the Japanese Couloir of Mt. Barille. Now we’re going to hang up our boots and go into town and get some food. We're looking forward to enjoying some great climbing adventures in the future."
.
Storm Still Dominating Denali
Denali remains enveloped by a low pressure system, and everyone on the mountain appears to be waiting it out. The following satellite telephone dispatch was received from AAI Guide Angela Seidling on AAI’s third Denali expedition of the season. We have not heard from the other teams and assume they are doing the same as Angela and the other climbers on Team 3.
Denali Expedition dispatches are normally posted on the "Daily Dispatches and Recent News" page of the AAI website http://aai.cc/currentnews/ . On weekends, they are first published here.
Here's the latest news from the mountain:
"Greetings everybody, this is Angela from 14,000 feet on Denali. We’re still at Camp 3, and we’re still waiting out this storm. It sounds like Sunday or Monday could be the next day for us possibly to be moving. We’re looking forward to that!
But In the mean time, we are trying to keep ourselves entertained and as busy as a person can be in a storm at 14,000 feet on Denali. There’s lots of book reading going on and exchanging of books because we've gotten a lot read in the last couple of days. There are lots of good conversations and people strolling around camp in the fresh snow, plus lots of digging out tents and rebuilding snow walls and all that good stuff.
I have a couple of messages to convey:
Anouk hopes that the Black Beast AKA Cookie Monster, had a good presentation and wants him to know coming to the his presentation last year was one of the best things she ever did in her life.
Ranjeet would like to say, 'thoughts of family and friends back home are making the temperatures warmer for all of us up here.' We all agree with that one.
OK. That’s the news and thoughts from here. We’ll talk to you all soon. By for now."
.
Denali Expedition dispatches are normally posted on the "Daily Dispatches and Recent News" page of the AAI website http://aai.cc/currentnews/ . On weekends, they are first published here.
Here's the latest news from the mountain:
"Greetings everybody, this is Angela from 14,000 feet on Denali. We’re still at Camp 3, and we’re still waiting out this storm. It sounds like Sunday or Monday could be the next day for us possibly to be moving. We’re looking forward to that!
But In the mean time, we are trying to keep ourselves entertained and as busy as a person can be in a storm at 14,000 feet on Denali. There’s lots of book reading going on and exchanging of books because we've gotten a lot read in the last couple of days. There are lots of good conversations and people strolling around camp in the fresh snow, plus lots of digging out tents and rebuilding snow walls and all that good stuff.
I have a couple of messages to convey:
Anouk hopes that the Black Beast AKA Cookie Monster, had a good presentation and wants him to know coming to the his presentation last year was one of the best things she ever did in her life.
Ranjeet would like to say, 'thoughts of family and friends back home are making the temperatures warmer for all of us up here.' We all agree with that one.
OK. That’s the news and thoughts from here. We’ll talk to you all soon. By for now."
.
Weekend Warrior -- Videos to Get You Stoked!
Believe it or not, there is another kind of climber out there. This is the climber that sees a tower of cement and steel as an objective, not as a place of work. And while this type of climbing isn't terribly legal, it's really cool to watch.
Alain Robert is known as Spiderman because he has practiced the art of climbing in the city as much as he has in the mountains. Following are a couple of videos about this urban adventurer.
Check out Alain Robert in the first video as he climbs a 46 story skyscraper in Brazil and in the second, watch as he scales the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper in Paris.
Alain Robert is known as Spiderman because he has practiced the art of climbing in the city as much as he has in the mountains. Following are a couple of videos about this urban adventurer.
Check out Alain Robert in the first video as he climbs a 46 story skyscraper in Brazil and in the second, watch as he scales the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper in Paris.
Granite Frontiers: A Century of Yosemite Climbing
Rock climbing has evolved with advancements in equipment and an ever increasing climber skill level. Those who were once considered senseless vagabonds are now exalted athletes. The 3,300-foot vertical wall of El Capitan took five weeks to climb in 1958 and now boasts a record time of 2 hours and 37 minutes, set in October 2008 by daring competitors Hirayama and Florine. The tools and techniques developed in Yosemite have since been applied to more remote mountain ranges throughout the globe.
The Autry National Center invites the public to meet the people who pioneered modern rock climbing and those who are taking it in incredible new directions in its new exhibition Granite Frontiers: A Century of Yosemite Climbing. These determined free spirits and visionaries of one of the West's last truly wild experiences guide visitors to the edge of infinity to experience the exhilarating rush and harrowing perils of this most extreme of Western adventures. The exhibit runs from June 12 to October 3, 2009.
"Climbers are among the last true Western adventurers," says Jonathan Spaulding, the Autry's Vice President for Exhibitions, "and Yosemite's big walls are one of the last wild places."
After United States forces entered the valley in the mid-19th century, naturalists, photographers, and surveyors—including Yosemite's most famous visionary, John Muir—scrambled up the cliffs and peaks to document the scene. The Sierra Club brought Yosemite mountaineering into the 20th century by introducing new techniques in the early 1930s. Climbing pioneers such as Royal Robbins, Warren Harding, and Yvon Chouinard led the way for contemporary icons like Lynn Hill, Tommy Caldwell, Yuji Hirayama, and Hans Florine.
"The Granite Frontiers exhibit is exciting," says Ken Yager, President and Executive Director of the Yosemite Climbing Association, "because it allows the public to view the 100-year history of Yosemite climbing for the first time. A visitor has the opportunity to see the evolution of Yosemite climbing, learn about some of the extraordinary exploits of these pioneers, and understand Yosemite's significant role in the development of the international climbing arena." To read more, Click here.
The Autry National Center invites the public to meet the people who pioneered modern rock climbing and those who are taking it in incredible new directions in its new exhibition Granite Frontiers: A Century of Yosemite Climbing. These determined free spirits and visionaries of one of the West's last truly wild experiences guide visitors to the edge of infinity to experience the exhilarating rush and harrowing perils of this most extreme of Western adventures. The exhibit runs from June 12 to October 3, 2009.
"Climbers are among the last true Western adventurers," says Jonathan Spaulding, the Autry's Vice President for Exhibitions, "and Yosemite's big walls are one of the last wild places."
After United States forces entered the valley in the mid-19th century, naturalists, photographers, and surveyors—including Yosemite's most famous visionary, John Muir—scrambled up the cliffs and peaks to document the scene. The Sierra Club brought Yosemite mountaineering into the 20th century by introducing new techniques in the early 1930s. Climbing pioneers such as Royal Robbins, Warren Harding, and Yvon Chouinard led the way for contemporary icons like Lynn Hill, Tommy Caldwell, Yuji Hirayama, and Hans Florine.
"The Granite Frontiers exhibit is exciting," says Ken Yager, President and Executive Director of the Yosemite Climbing Association, "because it allows the public to view the 100-year history of Yosemite climbing for the first time. A visitor has the opportunity to see the evolution of Yosemite climbing, learn about some of the extraordinary exploits of these pioneers, and understand Yosemite's significant role in the development of the international climbing arena." To read more, Click here.
Climbing News from Here and Abroad -- May 28, 2009
Northwest:
--The Access Fund announced this week that an option agreement to purchase the 20-acre private inholding at the Lower Index Town Walls of Snohomish County, Washington has been secured. This popular rock climbing area boasts several hundred quality granite climbing routes and is only an hour drive from Seattle. Its proximity to a major metropolitan area and its short 5-minute approach from the trailhead make this cliff line a popular after work or after school climbing destination for the Seattle-Everett area. To read more, click here.
--A small group of advocates are currently trying to expand the North Cascade National Park. Dubbed the American Alps Legacy Project, the effort to grow the park's boundaries is still in development. Maps of proposed areas for protection have been prepared, and now the conservation council and other advocates will begin reaching out to the public to see how the proposal should take final shape before it goes to Congress. To read more, click here.
--A climber suffered severe injuries to his face, arm and leg in a 500-foot fall last week on Mount Hood, sheriff's deputies said.The fall knocked the climber unconscious, but when reached by rescue teams, 54-year-old John Creager was in good spirits, according to Detective Jim Strovink, of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. To read more, click here.
--The Extreme Resolution project is a project wherein a photography company called xRex is creating high resolution photos of peaks and cities. The front of their website features a photo of Half Dome in Yosemite. The photos have such high resolution that you can zoom in to see the smallest detail. They are currently putting together a project to document the entire face of El Cap. To read about their new project, click here. To see their website, click here.
--A magnitude 4.7 earthquake rattled the area of the southern Owens Valley Saturday. Multiple significant aftershocks have followed since. To read more, click here.
--The decision on which roads on the Inyo National Forest to keep or which could face closure is expected this summer. The public comment period on the Inyo Forest route designation process ended March 31. Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch is now expected to decide which of six alternatives for a road system to choose, possibly by the end of July. To read more, click here.
Alaska:
--It's been a hard and windy season on Denali this year, but despite that, the American Alpine Institute Denali Team 2 put three climbers on the summit this week. To read more, click here.
Denali from the Southwest
--A solo climber went missing on Denali this last week. Dr. Gerald Myers began his summit bid from the 14,200-foot camp the morning of Tuesday, May 19. He was sighted at various elevations along the West Buttress route that day, the highest of which was somewhere between 18,000 and 19,000 feet. Dr. Myers did not return to high camp on Tuesday night. An individual climber was observed on the summit ridge the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20, although it cannot be confirmed that it was Dr. Myers. To read more, click here.
--A strong pair of Brits climbed a hard pair of new routes in Alaska's Ruth Gorge. On May 10th, they climbed a line of ice runnels through steep granite slabs on the north face of Mt. Grosvenor. Then on May 14th, they climbed a new route on the north face of Mt. Church. To read more, click here.
Mount Redoubt from Ninilchik, AK, on May 9, 2009
Photograph courtesy of Brenda Cruickshank.
--The Alaska Volcano Observatory reports the following on the Redoubt Volcano:
--Three men have appeared before magistrates charged with the manslaughter of the youngest Briton to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Jonathon Tinker, Henry Todd and Michael Smith are accused of unlawfully killing Londoner Michael Matthews, 22, on the mountain in May, 1999. To read more, click here.
--A Sherpa from Nepal who holds the world's record for scaling Mount Everest 19 times said Monday that the planet's highest peak was littered with trash and warned that its glaciers were melting because of global warming. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--Firefighters on Monday gained ground on a wildfire in the western reaches of Joshua Tree National Park that forced the airlift rescue of a group of hikers, according to the federal Bureau of Land Management. To read more, click here.
--For a short period of time we thought that the gun ban in National Parks would hold up. That wasn't the case. On May 20th, the House and Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of lifting the ban on concealed weapons in National Parks. To read more, click here. To read what the community is saying about this, click here.
CCH Aliens
--Over the last couple of years, there have been a lot of problems with the Colorado Custom Hardware Aliens. A forum poster at Rockclimbing.com took it upon himself to perform a number of tests on his Aliens. They did not perform well. And while the forum poster did not test a batch of these devices, the results of his tests were disturbing. To read about his test, please click here.
--The Access Fund announced this week that an option agreement to purchase the 20-acre private inholding at the Lower Index Town Walls of Snohomish County, Washington has been secured. This popular rock climbing area boasts several hundred quality granite climbing routes and is only an hour drive from Seattle. Its proximity to a major metropolitan area and its short 5-minute approach from the trailhead make this cliff line a popular after work or after school climbing destination for the Seattle-Everett area. To read more, click here.
--A small group of advocates are currently trying to expand the North Cascade National Park. Dubbed the American Alps Legacy Project, the effort to grow the park's boundaries is still in development. Maps of proposed areas for protection have been prepared, and now the conservation council and other advocates will begin reaching out to the public to see how the proposal should take final shape before it goes to Congress. To read more, click here.
--A climber suffered severe injuries to his face, arm and leg in a 500-foot fall last week on Mount Hood, sheriff's deputies said.The fall knocked the climber unconscious, but when reached by rescue teams, 54-year-old John Creager was in good spirits, according to Detective Jim Strovink, of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. To read more, click here.
--The mountain lakes in the backcounty of Washington state's North Cascades National Park are still covered in ice. The thaw usually doesn't come until early July. This year, however, a deadline comes along with the thaw. Unless Congress acts, the lakes won't be stocked by volunteers racing the clock through the wilderness with 5-gallon plastic containers of rainbow, cutthroat and golden trout strapped on their backs. To read more, click here.
--The Extreme Resolution project is a project wherein a photography company called xRex is creating high resolution photos of peaks and cities. The front of their website features a photo of Half Dome in Yosemite. The photos have such high resolution that you can zoom in to see the smallest detail. They are currently putting together a project to document the entire face of El Cap. To read about their new project, click here. To see their website, click here.
--A magnitude 4.7 earthquake rattled the area of the southern Owens Valley Saturday. Multiple significant aftershocks have followed since. To read more, click here.
--The decision on which roads on the Inyo National Forest to keep or which could face closure is expected this summer. The public comment period on the Inyo Forest route designation process ended March 31. Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch is now expected to decide which of six alternatives for a road system to choose, possibly by the end of July. To read more, click here.
Alaska:
--It's been a hard and windy season on Denali this year, but despite that, the American Alpine Institute Denali Team 2 put three climbers on the summit this week. To read more, click here.
Denali from the Southwest--A strong pair of Brits climbed a hard pair of new routes in Alaska's Ruth Gorge. On May 10th, they climbed a line of ice runnels through steep granite slabs on the north face of Mt. Grosvenor. Then on May 14th, they climbed a new route on the north face of Mt. Church. To read more, click here.
Mount Redoubt from Ninilchik, AK, on May 9, 2009Photograph courtesy of Brenda Cruickshank.
The 2009 Redoubt eruption continues. Seismic activity remains above background levels and consists of small, discrete earthquakes in the summit region. The lava dome at the summit appears unstable and could fail with little or no warning. Dome failure would likely cause ash emissions to over 30,000 feet above sea level and possible lahars in the Drift River valley.Himalaya:
Web camera images today reveal cloudy conditions at the summit. No ash emissions have been observed in radar or satellite data.
AVO is monitoring Redoubt volcano closely and the observatory is staffed 24/7. AVO will provide frequent updates of the volcano's status and the earliest possible warning of significant explosive activity and other hazardous phenomena.
--Three men have appeared before magistrates charged with the manslaughter of the youngest Briton to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Jonathon Tinker, Henry Todd and Michael Smith are accused of unlawfully killing Londoner Michael Matthews, 22, on the mountain in May, 1999. To read more, click here.
--A Sherpa from Nepal who holds the world's record for scaling Mount Everest 19 times said Monday that the planet's highest peak was littered with trash and warned that its glaciers were melting because of global warming. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--Firefighters on Monday gained ground on a wildfire in the western reaches of Joshua Tree National Park that forced the airlift rescue of a group of hikers, according to the federal Bureau of Land Management. To read more, click here.
--For a short period of time we thought that the gun ban in National Parks would hold up. That wasn't the case. On May 20th, the House and Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of lifting the ban on concealed weapons in National Parks. To read more, click here. To read what the community is saying about this, click here.
CCH Aliens
Guidebook: Gunks - Gelsa (5.4), Three Pines (5.3), Sixish (5.5), Squiggles (5.5), Son of Easy O (5.8),
Click here for all 'Gunks postsClick here for all Guidebook postsClick here to return to the 'Gunks Route IndexThree Pines (5.3) - Two / Three pitches - Trad - Tree / Bolted anchors- Approach: Take the third trail after the East Trapps Connector Trail that goes down to the road on the right. Head left at the top toward a right-facing corner that is across from a left-facing flake / corner / cave
Aerial Search on Mt. McKinley Suspended
AAI just received the following email from Denali National Park:
The active search effort for solo climber Dr. Gerald Myers was scaled back on Tuesday afternoon after search managers determined that further air operations were unlikely to locate him. There has been no sighting of the solo climber or his gear during six days of aerial and ground searching. Although no more aerial flights are anticipated, ranger staff will continue to search through the thousands of high resolution images taken during the aerial flights in search of clues to Dr. Myers whereabouts.
Dr. Myers began his summit bid from the 14,200-foot camp the morning of Tuesday, May 19. He was sighted at various elevations along the West Buttress route that day, the highest of which was somewhere between 18,000 and 19,000 feet. Dr. Myers did not return to high camp on Tuesday night. An individual climber was observed on the summit ridge the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20, although it cannot be confirmed that it was Dr. Myers.
Dr. Myers was observed carrying only a small daypack with minimal survival gear at the time of his disappearance. He did not take a stove for melting snow, and it is unknown how much food he had in his pack. Throughout his climb, Dr. Myers carried an FRS radio and a SPOT locator device; the last GPS location reported by the SPOT device was at the 17,200-foot camp on May 19. Throughout his trip, Myers had been making at least one position recording each day.
In light of his limited supplies and the subzero temperatures, search managers consider that survival is outside the window of possibility. Observers have thoroughly searched the route and surrounding areas to the degree that if the climbers were visible on the surface, there is a high probability they would have been discovered.
Conditions Report -- May 27, 2009
NORTHWEST:
--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.
--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.
--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.
--Forecast for Mount Rainier.
--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.
--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth, and Highway 2.
--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.
--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.
--The Tieton River climbing areas have been closed for the season due to nesting raptors. To read more about this closure, click here.
--It appears that a pair of peregrine falcons have nested on the classic line, Outer Space on Snow Creek Wall in Leavenworth. All routes from Outer Space, White Slabs Direct and White Fright, south to the descent gully, including Orbit, are closed to climbing until July 31st.
--The Sage Hill hiking and biking trails near Wenatchee have been closed due to neighbor complains. To read more about the closure click here.
SIERRA:
--For updates on the status of Highway 120 over Tioga Pass click here.
--The Glacier Point road in Yosemite opened for the season on May 5. More details about the status of nearby areas can be found here. Other current wilderness conditions for Yosemite can be found here.
--For information regarding wall closures due to falcon nesting in Yosemite National Park, click here.
--We found a recent update on road conditions in the Eastern Sierra region. Follow this link to read more.
--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.
--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Yosemite National Park.
ALASKA RANGE:
--Forecast for Denali.
--Webcam for Denali National Park.
--The Alaska season has begun and we are still accepting applications for our 2009 Denali Expeditions and our 2009 Alaska Range Mountaineering Programs. Please call our office (360-671-1505) for current availability.
ALPS:
--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.
--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.
RED ROCK CANYON:
--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.
--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.
--The scenic drive loop is back to opening its gates at 6 AM instead of 7 AM.
JOSHUA TREE:
--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.
--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.
AAI's Second Denali Expedition Summits
This is the dispatch we received from our second Denali expedition minutes after they descended from the summit of North America:
"Hey everyone, this is Dylan Taylor calling from 19,500 ft, on the Football Field just below the summit of Denali. I just made it to the top with Hannah, Ed, and Patrick! It was pretty amazing up there. It was my seventh time on the summit, and I've got to say that it turned out to be one of the best yet. It was the calmest I have ever seen it on top, especially after such a windy start to the day.
We had really strong winds, 40-50 mph, around Denali Pass which was almost knocking us over. We measured the windchill at -70 degrees. Folks pulled through though and avoided any cold related injuries and I'm very proud of everyone. Out of the three rope teams we had going for the summit, two had to turn back because some people were getting cold and they needed to not to risk cold injury.
Currently the rest of the team is waiting for us down at 17,000 ft. Ed would like to say hi to everyone back home; Patrick says that he sends his love to his girls; and Hannah also says hello. Alright, We'll talk to you all later"
NOTE:
You can follow the progress of three AAI Denali expeditions on the dispatch page of AAI's website: www.aai.cc The URL for the specific page is: http://aai.cc/currentnews/ Use the drop down to follow the team you want.
Dispatches are posted M-F on the dispatch page. Aside from special events (e.g., summits, major storms, etc), they are posted on this blog only on the weekends, and on Monday they are moved to the dispatch page.
Climber Still Missing on Denali
AAI just received the following email from Denali National Park:
Still No Breakthroughs in Search for Missing Climber
After five days of aerial and ground searching on Mt. McKinley, there has still been no sighting of Dr. Gerald Myers, nor any evidence of a fall or disturbance on the snow surface. On Monday, May 25, two teams of NPS ground crews, one out of the 14,200-foot camp and the other from the 17,200-foot camp, searched near the base of the Messner Couloir and along the ridge above Denali Pass, respectively, but neither team found any clues to Dr. Myers whereabouts. The U.S. Army Chinook helicopters flew early Monday morning, but wind instability at higher elevations turned them back to Talkeetna. As the winds calmed late in the day, the park’s A-Star B3 helicopter was able to fly the search zone and collect photographs in evening light conditions. At the Talkeetna Ranger Station, staff continues to comb through thousands of high resolution images in hopes of detecting clues.
Tonight, National Park Service search managers will assess the flight and photo data collected throughout the week and determine whether any additional areas warrant more coverage.
The Dawn Patrol
A number of years ago I read a fascinating article about a group of climbers and skiers in Salt Lake City who did most of their climbing and skiing early in the morning before work. The group -- lead by the now deceased super-climber Alex Lowe -- commonly did more before the world got up than anyone. They skinned up steep snow slopes and got first tracks before anyone else was awake. They swung their ice tools well before the sun came up. And they put other early morning athletes to shame in the amount that they got done before rolling into work at eight or nine o'clock in the morning.
Lowe called his early morning club, the Dawn Patrol. And since that article was published more than a decade ago, many individuals throughout North America have created their own Dawn Patrols.
Approximately a year ago, I moved from guiding over 200 days a year into the American Alpine Institute administrative offices in Bellingham. I have two small children, both of which are under the age of two and I just could no longer be gone as much as I was, guiding full time. The change has been very good for my family. I'm still guiding seven to ten days a month, so I haven't left it completely and probably never will. But my personal adventures have been seriously impacted by these changes.
The Martin Family on a Hike in the Chuckanuts outside Bellingham
Photo by Karen Zulinke
If I go out climbing or skiing on the weekends and it's not for work, there is a definite level of guilt. I feel bad that I'm not spending my time off with the kids, but am instead going out to recreate without them. Eventually they'll be able to join me, but right now they're a bit too young for anything but riding the backpack on easy day hikes. The result is that I've been thinking a lot about the concept of the Dawn Patrol.
This spring, I've been trying to take a page out of Alex Lowe's book and I've been trying to do some dawn patrols of my own. It's not terribly easy...especially with small children who don't necessarily always sleep through the night, but the few times that I have gone have been incredibly rewarding.
This Spring, Dana Hickenbottom -- another program coordinator -- and I, have gone to Mount Erie in Anacortes twice. The first time we pulled down on a couple of 5.10 sport routes well before our fingers could even come close to warming up for them. And the second time, we completed a pleasant three pitch 5.7 on a nice warm morning. On that second trip, Dana was attacked by at least two very nasty ticks, but tick attacks and potential lyme disease aside, we still had a fantastic time. On both occasions we were basking in the glow of an early morning climbing adventure for the rest of the day.
Mount Wilson in Red Rock Canyon at Sunrise.
Though I never Dawn Patrolled in the decade that I lived in Vegas, I certainly had a lot of early morning starts. It would be easy to Dawn Patrol sport climbing and bouldering in Red Rock. Photo by Jason Martin
I've also gone hiking in the Chuckanut Mountains just south of our offices three times this spring before work. It's unbelievably rewarding to be deep in the forest, in a small and low coastal range that is usually swarming with hikers and mountain bikers, completely alone. Indeed, yesterday morning I worked my way up to an incredibly pretty viewpoint called Raptor Ridge. I reached the point at about 6:30 in the morning while tight patches of fog were still draped over the trees below on the valley floor like cotton candy. The morning air is the best air...it was still cool and fresh and clean...
It's hard to get up so early in the morning to find adventure, but most of us do it all the time in the mountains. If we try, we can certainly reach down deep to find the same motivation that gets us psyched at 2:30 in the morning on a summit day to get up at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning on a work day in order to find adventure just outside of the cities that we live in...
--Jason D. Martin
Lowe called his early morning club, the Dawn Patrol. And since that article was published more than a decade ago, many individuals throughout North America have created their own Dawn Patrols.
Approximately a year ago, I moved from guiding over 200 days a year into the American Alpine Institute administrative offices in Bellingham. I have two small children, both of which are under the age of two and I just could no longer be gone as much as I was, guiding full time. The change has been very good for my family. I'm still guiding seven to ten days a month, so I haven't left it completely and probably never will. But my personal adventures have been seriously impacted by these changes.
The Martin Family on a Hike in the Chuckanuts outside BellinghamPhoto by Karen Zulinke
If I go out climbing or skiing on the weekends and it's not for work, there is a definite level of guilt. I feel bad that I'm not spending my time off with the kids, but am instead going out to recreate without them. Eventually they'll be able to join me, but right now they're a bit too young for anything but riding the backpack on easy day hikes. The result is that I've been thinking a lot about the concept of the Dawn Patrol.
This spring, I've been trying to take a page out of Alex Lowe's book and I've been trying to do some dawn patrols of my own. It's not terribly easy...especially with small children who don't necessarily always sleep through the night, but the few times that I have gone have been incredibly rewarding.
This Spring, Dana Hickenbottom -- another program coordinator -- and I, have gone to Mount Erie in Anacortes twice. The first time we pulled down on a couple of 5.10 sport routes well before our fingers could even come close to warming up for them. And the second time, we completed a pleasant three pitch 5.7 on a nice warm morning. On that second trip, Dana was attacked by at least two very nasty ticks, but tick attacks and potential lyme disease aside, we still had a fantastic time. On both occasions we were basking in the glow of an early morning climbing adventure for the rest of the day.
Mount Wilson in Red Rock Canyon at Sunrise.Though I never Dawn Patrolled in the decade that I lived in Vegas, I certainly had a lot of early morning starts. It would be easy to Dawn Patrol sport climbing and bouldering in Red Rock. Photo by Jason Martin
It's hard to get up so early in the morning to find adventure, but most of us do it all the time in the mountains. If we try, we can certainly reach down deep to find the same motivation that gets us psyched at 2:30 in the morning on a summit day to get up at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning on a work day in order to find adventure just outside of the cities that we live in...
--Jason D. Martin
May and June Climbing Events
--May 22-26 -- Kalymnos, Greece -- International Kalymnos Climbing Festival
--May 30 -- Camp Hale, CO -- VAC Teamworks Project
--May 30 -- Fairfled, NJ -- Gravity Bowl
--May 30-31 -- Fayetteville, WV -- Mountain Gear's UClimb
--June 4-7 -- Vail, CO -- Teva Mountain Games
--June 6 -- Nationwide -- American Hiking Society's National Trails Day
--June 6 -- Atlanta, GA -- Boat Rock National Trails Day
--June 11 -- Seattle, WA -- Adventure Film Festival
Climb. Ride. Slide. Fly. Fight for the environment. Inspire. Go higher than you've ever dared to go...
Adventure Film is a film festival based in Boulder, Colorado. Now in its fifth year, Adventure Film was created by a coalition of adventurers, artists, filmmakers and activists to explore the power of storytelling, especially through the narrative of adventure. The organization aims to mobilize people through an awareness of the world. Hence the tagline, "Make Your Own Legends."
Every year the international Adventure Film selection committee chooses over thirty new films from approximately two hundred entries from around the world. Awards Winners in nearly a dozen categories are selected, ranging from "Extreme Sport" to "Activism through Adventure." Adventure Film covers risks, mighty and absurd, the unknown and those experiences that bring viewers to the edge of their seats.
The Mountaineers is pleased to host the first Seattle appearance of Adventure Film on Thursday, June 11, 2009. The doors open at 6:30 pm, the show starts at 7 pm. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased through the Mountaineers Bookstore, or by calling 206-521-6001.
--June 13 -- New York, NY -- Peak Experience IV
--June 15-21 -- Jackson, WY -- Grand Tetons Climbers Week
--June 21 -- Salt Lake City, UT -- Mammut Bouldering Comp Utah
--June 21 -- Golden, CO -- Mountain Fest 2009
--June 24 --Seattle, WA -- Steve Swenson, President of American Alpine Club
Steve Swenson is the current president of the American Alpine Club and a member of the Seattle Vertical World. He will discuss his forthcoming trip to an unclimbed 7,500 meter peak in the eastern Karakoram in India as well as climbing in Pakistan, China, and Patagonia.
Seattle REI, June 24th 2009, 7:00pm
--June 26-27 -- Boulder, CO -- 3rd Annual HERA Climb For Life Celebration
--June 26-28 -- Gunnison, CO --Gunnison Rock & Race Festival
We're always on the lookout for events that bring the climbing community together. If you're aware of an event we don't have posted above, please feel free to email us with all the details. Event posts will be made at AAI's discretion.
--May 30 -- Camp Hale, CO -- VAC Teamworks Project
--May 30 -- Fairfled, NJ -- Gravity Bowl
--May 30-31 -- Fayetteville, WV -- Mountain Gear's UClimb
--June 4-7 -- Vail, CO -- Teva Mountain Games
--June 6 -- Nationwide -- American Hiking Society's National Trails Day
--June 6 -- Atlanta, GA -- Boat Rock National Trails Day
--June 11 -- Seattle, WA -- Adventure Film Festival
Climb. Ride. Slide. Fly. Fight for the environment. Inspire. Go higher than you've ever dared to go...
Adventure Film is a film festival based in Boulder, Colorado. Now in its fifth year, Adventure Film was created by a coalition of adventurers, artists, filmmakers and activists to explore the power of storytelling, especially through the narrative of adventure. The organization aims to mobilize people through an awareness of the world. Hence the tagline, "Make Your Own Legends."
Every year the international Adventure Film selection committee chooses over thirty new films from approximately two hundred entries from around the world. Awards Winners in nearly a dozen categories are selected, ranging from "Extreme Sport" to "Activism through Adventure." Adventure Film covers risks, mighty and absurd, the unknown and those experiences that bring viewers to the edge of their seats.
The Mountaineers is pleased to host the first Seattle appearance of Adventure Film on Thursday, June 11, 2009. The doors open at 6:30 pm, the show starts at 7 pm. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased through the Mountaineers Bookstore, or by calling 206-521-6001.
--June 13 -- New York, NY -- Peak Experience IV
--June 15-21 -- Jackson, WY -- Grand Tetons Climbers Week
--June 21 -- Salt Lake City, UT -- Mammut Bouldering Comp Utah
--June 21 -- Golden, CO -- Mountain Fest 2009
--June 24 --Seattle, WA -- Steve Swenson, President of American Alpine Club
Steve Swenson is the current president of the American Alpine Club and a member of the Seattle Vertical World. He will discuss his forthcoming trip to an unclimbed 7,500 meter peak in the eastern Karakoram in India as well as climbing in Pakistan, China, and Patagonia.
Seattle REI, June 24th 2009, 7:00pm
--June 26-27 -- Boulder, CO -- 3rd Annual HERA Climb For Life Celebration
--June 26-28 -- Gunnison, CO --Gunnison Rock & Race Festival
We're always on the lookout for events that bring the climbing community together. If you're aware of an event we don't have posted above, please feel free to email us with all the details. Event posts will be made at AAI's discretion.
Healthy Forest Fires
As the warm and dry weather of summer approaches, we all get excited about going out to play in the splitter weather. However, along with the blue skies comes the increased likelihood of forest fires...and for most of us, the idea of a forest fire in the areas we frequent turns our stomachs.Forest Fires often ravage the areas we care for, leaving them desolate waste lands in which the native flora and fauna are devastated, rural houses are destroyed and our access to the mountains is blocked. The list of the cons to forest fires seems daunting, especially the list of cons for those fires which are responsible for the loss of property, or even worse the loss of human life...but surprisingly, some wildland fires can actually be beneficial, especially the smaller ground fires which do not ravage the entire forest.
Forest fires can help stimulate the new growth and germination of many different plant species. For brevity, we'll look specifically at one type of plant that is affected positively by wildfires, the sequoia tree.
Sequoia trees in Sequoia National Park need forest fires to help them reproduce. When a fire moves through, the heat dries out the cones up high in the canopy, which causes the seeds to release and fall to the ground. In addition to this, the fires clear out the lower vegetation that would otherwise block the light and compete for nutrients with the sequoia seedlings. Without these fires, the great sequoias and other plants that need fires to aid in germination would not be able to successfully repopulate.
In the same way that wildland fires clear out brush and smaller trees to help the sequoia seeds get the nutrients they need, fires can also “reset” the vegetation for an area. Aggressive plants often choke out slower growing plant-life. When the existing vegetation is burned-up, the competition is limited and this promotes more diversity of plant-life on the forest floor.
In addition to aiding in the life cycle process of some vegetation and vegetation diversity, forest fires are also efficient in pest eradication and pest population control. This has a positive affect on a number of forest trees and plants that are adversely affected by these pests.
Certainly, some fires are bad. Some fires completely devastate everything in their path. And while these large fires have some benefits, it's more common for the smaller ground fires to provide the most benefit. Indeed, part of the reason that some fires are so large, is because there haven't been enough of these smaller fires to clear out the debris on the forest floor; the debris that when stacked-up can create a real tinderbox. This is part of the reason that some National Parks and National Forests have taken to setting controlled burns. By doing this they are helping manage some of that debris on the forest floor while providing the positive benefits of a small ground-fire.
So while none of us want a forest fire in any of the wilderness areas that we visit regularly, it is good to know that when they do affect these areas, they're not all bad.
To keep up with the forest fires in your area, click here.
Following is a public service announcement about forest fires that was produced in the 60s. You'll probably recognize the celebrity who narrates this commercial as Rod Serling, Mr. Twilight Zone himself...
--Erik Budsberg, AAI Staff
Denali Expedition Teams 2 & 3 Move to Higher Camps
Team 2 at 17,200’
Team 2 called to say that they had arrived at high camp at 17,200 feet. They arrived pretty late after a hard day. Dylan said, “It was a beautiful day but a really hard one. If the weather is good tomorrow we’ll go for the summit, but if not, we’ll take a rest day here. People are still strong and feeling good. Lauren says, ‘Hi Mom.’ It’s really cold outside and sometimes pretty windy. And that’s about it on news. We're all just fine as can be, and we’ll call again when there is more to report.”
Team 3 at 14,000’
Jesse Kao called From Denali Team 3 at 6:50 Alaska time to say they had made it to Camp 3 at 14,000 feet and to report the guide Mike Roberts is now learning French.
Denali Team 3 Establishes Cache beyond Windy Corner
Denali Expedition dispatches are normally posted on the "Daily Dispatches and Recent News" page of the AAI website. On weekends, they are first published here.
The following dispatch was received from AAI’s third Denali expedition of the season. Guide Angela Seidling called via satellite phone:
Friday, May 23, 1013pm
"Greetings from Team 3 on Denali. We are spending one more night at Camp 2. This morning we started out in good weather and with a dusting of snow from last night. It was nice and chilly! The plan for the day was to make a cache of supplies up around Windy Corner.
When we were about to leave camp our team member Carol Masheter, AKA the Silver Fox, started off with her traditional fox or wolf howl, and much to our delight and surprise we had enthusiastic and varied howls returned to us from quite a few different teams and camps.
Today we had more snow, wind, and clouds, sometimes one at a time and sometimes all at the same time. After returning to camp, we had a great burrito dinner.
Here are a few personal messages:
Carol says hello to her sister Linda, and to her work mates, and to all her recreational friends. She says that all of you are in her thoughts.
Daniel is wondering if he is an uncle yet.
Ranjeet would like to tell Sharon and Andrea that he wishes they were here.”
At that point the rest of the message could not be understood because of a weakening satellite connection.
Mt. Barille's Japanese Courloir: Successful Climb in Alaska Range
The following two dispatches were received by satellite phone from AAI guide Kurt Hicks and climbers Mike and Ryan Guffy on Friday and Saturday evenings:
May 22
“Hello everyone. It’s 7:34 pm and we’re calling from the Ruth Gorge. We’re going to get a few hours of sleep and then get up at about midnight and make our attempt on Mt. Barille’s beautiful Japanese Couloir. We practiced rescuing a few crevasses today, successfully I might add, and now the sun is slowly setting, if you can call it that, and all is peaceful here in the Ruth. We call when we get back from the climb, so that’s it for now.”
May 23
“Hey there. This is Kurt calling after another beautiful day, and a fantastic climbing day in the Ruth Gorge. I’m happy to tell you that Mike, Ryan, and I were totally successful in climbing the Japanese Couloir, summiting around 10:10am. It was a lovely day, though soft snow made the climbing a little challenging. We got back to camp early this afternoon, and we’re now all settled in at about 7:00pm our time. We’re drying out our gear and watching the sun slowly dropping a little. We tried to send you a photo on my new iphone, but I don’t know if it went through. But we’ll have a full photo report later regardless.
Tomorrow we’ll take it fairly easy, working on some expedition climbing skills and practicing some more crevasse rescue skills, and we’ll work in some rest time. OK, we’ll keep you posted. By for now.”
Memorial Day Weekend
With the great weather and long weekend lots of climbers have been summitting. We've had successful summits via the following routes: Kautz Glacier, Tahoma Glacier, Liberty Ridge, Fuhrer Finger, Ingraham Direct, Emmons Glacier, and Gibraltar Ledges. The daytime sunshine has also been turning icy glaciers into good corn snow for great riding/skiing. The snow in Paradise still reaches the parking lot making for fun descents.Climbing ranger David Gottlieb has just returned to Mount Rainier after another successful first ascent in Nepal. He and former climbing ranger Joe Puryear climbed Jobo Rinjang (6,778 meters). Check out http://www.climbnepal.blogspot.com/ for more information and some rad photos.
The weather continues to look clear and sunny for later this week. Come on up and enjoy the routes while they're still in great condition.
Weekend Warrior -- Videos to get you stoked!
Buenos dias Weekend Warriors!
Well, the Alaska climbing season is in full swing around here these days so I thought it was about time I paid tribute to the incredible climbing that can be found in that beautiful land to the north. So prepare to be blown away by the grandeur of the Alaska Range with it's impressive glaciers, sheer rock faces and incredible summits.
The first video documents an ascent of the Moonflower Buttress (AK Grade VI, M7/WI6) on Mt. Hunter. The entire climb, from camp to camp, took 44 hours! It is a great mix of photos and short video clips of the remarkable climb.
The second video is a photo essay from Chris McNamara, the founder of SuperTopo. In it he documents some of classic big wall climbs in the Alaska Range. If you enjoy looking at incredible lines and breathtaking scenery then watch this video!!!
The final video showcases the summit of the "High One", Denali. It is actually shot by our former Alaska Program Coordinator and guide Coley Gentzel, who now happens to be a climbing ranger for Denali National Park. Quite a view from the top eh?
Alaska Glaciers Melt, But Land Rises
Photo by Michael Penn for The New York Times
In Juneau, Alaska, as the glaciers continue to melt, the land is actually rising. At a rate of 10 feet in the last 200 years, the melting is depositing so much sediment that local streams are drying up and having an effect on the salmon and many local ecosystems.
The geology is complex, but it boils down to this: relieved of billions of tons of glacial weight, the land has risen much like a couch cushion regains its shape after someone gets up from their seat. The land is ascending so fast that the rising seas — a ubiquitous byproduct of global warming — cannot keep pace. As a result, the relative sea level is falling, at a rate "among the highest ever recorded," according to a 2007 report by a panel of experts convened by Bruce Botelho, Juneau's mayor.
In some places along the coast, the change has been so rapid that kayakers whose charts are not up-to-the-minute can find themselves carrying their boats over shoals that are so high and dry they support grass or even small trees.
In some places along the coast, the change has been so rapid that kayakers whose charts are not up-to-the-minute can find themselves carrying their boats over shoals that are so high and dry they support grass or even small trees.
A few decades ago, large boats could sail regularly along Gastineau Channel between downtown Juneau and Douglas Island, to Auke Bay, a port about 10 miles to the northwest. Today, much of the channel is exposed mud flat at low tide. "There is so much sediment coming in from the Mendenhall Glacier and the rivers — it has basically silted in," said Bruce Molnia, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey who studies Alaskan glaciers. "The land is rising almost three inches a year", Molnia said, making it "the fastest-rising place in North America."
The rise is further fueled by the movement of the tectonic plates that form the Earth's crust. As the Pacific plate pushes under the North American plate, Juneau and its hilly Tongass National Forest environs rise still more. "When you combine tectonics and glacial readjustment, you get rates that are incomprehensible", Molnia said.
Source - New York Times
The rise is further fueled by the movement of the tectonic plates that form the Earth's crust. As the Pacific plate pushes under the North American plate, Juneau and its hilly Tongass National Forest environs rise still more. "When you combine tectonics and glacial readjustment, you get rates that are incomprehensible", Molnia said.
Source - New York Times
Search Underway for Missing Climber on Mt. McKinley
AAI just received the following email from Denali National Park. Rest assured, all of the climbers on our expeditions are still accounted for...
An initial aerial search for an overdue climber on Mt. McKinley was flown on the morning of Thursday, May 21 by an Air National Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft. There were no initial sightings of the solo climber, although considerable cloud cover and high winds at upper elevations greatly limited the search.
Gerald Myers, a 41-year-old resident of Centennial, Colorado, began a long solo bid for the summit during the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 19. According to a note left for his three climbing partners, Myers departed the 14,200-foot camp around 4:30 a.m. Myers was next seen at the 17,200-foot high camp at approximately 11:00 a.m. that same morning, grabbing his skis and digging into a cache that the team had left there on a previous acclimatization day. Other sightings that afternoon were made on the traverse to Denali Pass at 18,600 feet and then again near 18,900 feet. According to NPS rangers on patrol at high camp, Myers did not return to camp Tuesday night.
During their investigations the following day, rangers learned that Myers was seen by another party at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday May 20 as he climbed the ridge approaching the mountain’s 20,320-foot summit. A subsequent team travelling approximately two hours behind the earlier party did not see any sign of the soloist during their summit bid; Myers did not return to high camp Wednesday night. At the time, weather high on the mountain was deteriorating with winds gusting 40 to 50 mph.
Myers was reportedly carrying skis on his backpack when he was spotted near the summit. Based on equipment left at various caches on the mountain, it is expected that Myers was carrying minimal survival gear at the time of his disappearance. While he departed camp in warm clothing, Myers was travelling light and did not appear to take a sleeping bag, thermal pad, bivy sac, or a stove for melting snow. It is unknown how much food or water he had in his pack.
According to his partners, the climber was likely carrying his FRS ‘family band’ radio as well as a SPOT locator beacon. Myers had programmed his SPOT device with three button settings: “OK, moving up”, “OK, but not moving”, and “911”. According to the GPS data recorded by the SPOT, the last electronically recorded location was the 17,200-foot camp at 10:50 a.m. on May 19, when Myers had recorded his position by pressing the “OK, moving up” button. Throughout his trip, Myers had reportedly been making one position recording each day.
Aerial searching will continue as visibility and winds allow. NPS rangers and volunteers at the 14,200-foot camp and at high camp have been conducting visual searches via spotting scope of possible ski descent routes. Currently, visibility is generally obscured by clouds, with wind gusting to 45 mph near the summit.
Climbing News from Here and Abroad -- May 21, 2009
Northwest:
--There have been a number of conversations over the last year or so about whether or not the Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument should be changed into a National Park. To read some of the arguments for and against this concept, please click here. Be sure to read all of the comments below the main article as well.
--Neighbors of Seattle's Discovery Park were startled Sunday to see a black bear wandering the area. Seattle police received the first report of the bear after midnight Sunday, when a resident reported a bear wandering around their yard in the 5600 block of 39th Ave. West. A second call came in around 6:45 a.m. from the 4200 block of 34th Avenue West. That caller said the animal was headed toward a ravine east of the park. And the bear was still at-large as of Sunday night. To read more, click here.
--Access Pan America is the first-ever campaign to keep climbing areas open and protect the climbing environment across the Western Hemisphere. Access Pan America is a fledgling grassroots effort of individual climbers, climbing organizations (including the Access Fund), federations, outdoor clubs, and corporate supporters. The network will meet for the first time during the Squamish Mountain Festival, presented by ARC'TERYX, August 12-16, 2009. To read more, click here.
Sierra:
Yosemite National Park is seeking assistance in locating a missing woman who was last seen below the Vernal Fall footbridge at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18, 2009. Katrin Lehmann, 31, 6' 0", 150 lbs. She has light brown hair and brown eyes. Lehmann was last seen wearing a maroon rain jacket, dark blue pants, light green button shirt, lightweight hiking boots, a light blue backpack, and a dragonfly necklace. To read more, click here.
--National Park Officials reported that they opened Tioga Pass to vehicles Tuesday afternoon. With this important and scenic road to the west side of the Sierra open in time for the holiday, Yosemite staff expects a busy weekend. To read more, click here.
Alaska:
--Global warming conjures images of rising seas that threaten coastal areas. But in Juneau, as almost nowhere else in the world, climate change is having the opposite effect: As the glaciers here melt, the land is rising, causing the sea to retreat. To read more, click here.
View of the active lava dome in the summit crater of Redoubt volcano. Photo taken May 19th.
Photo Courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory/USGS
Himalaya:
--Italian K2 pioneer Achille Compagnoni died on Wednesday in a northern Italy hospital at the ripe old age of 94. Compagnoni was on the hotly debated first ascent of the mountain in 1954. While the fact that the Italian reached the summit is not in dispute, a number of problems that took place on the expedition still are. To read more, click here.
--It appears that a recent Sherpa death on Mount Everest has been attributed to what the Sherpa thought was a bottle of alcohol. The product, which was labeled, Nepali Royal Stag Delux Whiskey, was actually methanol. It appears that others at the Mount Everest Basecamp are also experiencing symptoms of poisoning from the same product. To read more, click here.
--Denis Urubko of Kazakhstan recently summited Cho Oyu (26,906') by completing an alpine-style ascent of a new route on the steep southeast face. This was the final mountain in the climber's quest to climb all 14 8,000-meter peaks. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--On Saturday, May 9th, rescuers responded to a climbing accident near the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. A 27-year-old man was on "Feast of Snakes," which is located on the Pine Creek Canyon wall directly below the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, when the fall occurred. He built an anchor at the top of the route and was being lowered by his parnter who was using a Gri-Gri belay device at the bottom of the climb. The rope being used by the climbers was too short for the slingshot belay technique and the end of the rope went through the Gri-Gri, dropping the climber 20 feet onto his neck and back on a ledge below the route. To read more, click here.
--Two seasonal Yellowstone National Park concession workers have been fired after a live webcam caught them urinating into the Old Faithful geyser. Park spokesman Al Nash says a 23-year-old man on Tuesday was fined $750 and placed on three years of unsupervised probation for urinating, being off trail in a restricted area and taking items from the area. The man also was banned from Yellowstone for two years. The second employee's case is pending. To read more, click here.
Yvon Chouinard
--The University of Pennsylvannia recently gave Yvon Chouinard an honorary degree. Chouinard is well-known in the outdoor community as the founder of Patagonia and an early innovator of climbing equipment. To read more click here.
--Mikhail Mikhailov and Alexander Ruchkin completed the first ascent of a 20,124 foot mountain the in Sichuan province of China, by sending a steep Yosemite style rock rock pillar. To read more, click here.
--There have been a number of conversations over the last year or so about whether or not the Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument should be changed into a National Park. To read some of the arguments for and against this concept, please click here. Be sure to read all of the comments below the main article as well.
--Neighbors of Seattle's Discovery Park were startled Sunday to see a black bear wandering the area. Seattle police received the first report of the bear after midnight Sunday, when a resident reported a bear wandering around their yard in the 5600 block of 39th Ave. West. A second call came in around 6:45 a.m. from the 4200 block of 34th Avenue West. That caller said the animal was headed toward a ravine east of the park. And the bear was still at-large as of Sunday night. To read more, click here.
--Access Pan America is the first-ever campaign to keep climbing areas open and protect the climbing environment across the Western Hemisphere. Access Pan America is a fledgling grassroots effort of individual climbers, climbing organizations (including the Access Fund), federations, outdoor clubs, and corporate supporters. The network will meet for the first time during the Squamish Mountain Festival, presented by ARC'TERYX, August 12-16, 2009. To read more, click here.
Sierra:
Yosemite National Park is seeking assistance in locating a missing woman who was last seen below the Vernal Fall footbridge at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18, 2009. Katrin Lehmann, 31, 6' 0", 150 lbs. She has light brown hair and brown eyes. Lehmann was last seen wearing a maroon rain jacket, dark blue pants, light green button shirt, lightweight hiking boots, a light blue backpack, and a dragonfly necklace. To read more, click here.
--National Park Officials reported that they opened Tioga Pass to vehicles Tuesday afternoon. With this important and scenic road to the west side of the Sierra open in time for the holiday, Yosemite staff expects a busy weekend. To read more, click here.
Alaska:
--Global warming conjures images of rising seas that threaten coastal areas. But in Juneau, as almost nowhere else in the world, climate change is having the opposite effect: As the glaciers here melt, the land is rising, causing the sea to retreat. To read more, click here.
View of the active lava dome in the summit crater of Redoubt volcano. Photo taken May 19th.Photo Courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory/USGS
--The status of Mount Redoubt has not changed very much over the last week. Following is a status report from the Alaska Volcano Observatory:
The 2009 eruption of Redoubt continues. The lava dome at the summit continues to grow. Webcam views show low level steam and gas emissions from the summit. Rockfalls of fresh blocky lava continue to occur, often creating minor diffuse ash clouds within the summit region. Seismicity remains relatively low, but above background levels.
Himalaya:
--Italian K2 pioneer Achille Compagnoni died on Wednesday in a northern Italy hospital at the ripe old age of 94. Compagnoni was on the hotly debated first ascent of the mountain in 1954. While the fact that the Italian reached the summit is not in dispute, a number of problems that took place on the expedition still are. To read more, click here.
--It appears that a recent Sherpa death on Mount Everest has been attributed to what the Sherpa thought was a bottle of alcohol. The product, which was labeled, Nepali Royal Stag Delux Whiskey, was actually methanol. It appears that others at the Mount Everest Basecamp are also experiencing symptoms of poisoning from the same product. To read more, click here.
--Denis Urubko of Kazakhstan recently summited Cho Oyu (26,906') by completing an alpine-style ascent of a new route on the steep southeast face. This was the final mountain in the climber's quest to climb all 14 8,000-meter peaks. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--On Saturday, May 9th, rescuers responded to a climbing accident near the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. A 27-year-old man was on "Feast of Snakes," which is located on the Pine Creek Canyon wall directly below the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, when the fall occurred. He built an anchor at the top of the route and was being lowered by his parnter who was using a Gri-Gri belay device at the bottom of the climb. The rope being used by the climbers was too short for the slingshot belay technique and the end of the rope went through the Gri-Gri, dropping the climber 20 feet onto his neck and back on a ledge below the route. To read more, click here.
--Two seasonal Yellowstone National Park concession workers have been fired after a live webcam caught them urinating into the Old Faithful geyser. Park spokesman Al Nash says a 23-year-old man on Tuesday was fined $750 and placed on three years of unsupervised probation for urinating, being off trail in a restricted area and taking items from the area. The man also was banned from Yellowstone for two years. The second employee's case is pending. To read more, click here.
Yvon Chouinard--Mikhail Mikhailov and Alexander Ruchkin completed the first ascent of a 20,124 foot mountain the in Sichuan province of China, by sending a steep Yosemite style rock rock pillar. To read more, click here.
Nothing like a bit of choss to kick my booty
A year later and we returned. The heat wasn't so bad as last time, but the crowds were. I was thankful, though, that the man who had put up many of the routes was there to show me around.It was a weekend off, but I wanted to get out. An evening fundraiser kept me from playing too hard, but an early start would suffice. We drove until the road narrowed, and then we drove some more until the speed
A rainy start turns out great
"Ratherbe" and I hadn't climbed outside together since our last adventure in 2008, and I had only one weekend outside on real rock, Moab excepted because, well, I didn't actually climb and what I did get up wasn't real rock. I wanted to take things easy, but deep down inside I felt more confident than I ever had been before. My strength had not yet returned after a long recovery from an ankle
Mission Accomplished
Yesterday evening I flew back to Boulder. I was very fortunate to have perfect conditions on Monday. Originally I was going to wait till the evening so it was out of the sun, but the weather midday was cloudy and about 55 degrees with a decent breeze. I decided these would probably be the best conditions and so I started warming up around 10am in the boulders. Every so often the sun would poke through and I would get anxious -- worrying that I might miss the perfect conditions, but the weather held through my whole warm up. Once I felt loose and ready to pull on small holds, I headed straight to the Fly. A friend of mine from Boston, AJ, was up at the crag and I was able to get a catch from him after setting up the rope. It was great to pull onto the climb with tough skin that I knew wouldn't slide. I actually messed up the first few moves and even slightly changed my beta on the fly (pardon the pun). Nevertheless, I found myself at my highpoint and this time the toothy gaston actually felt pretty good -- my fingers stayed in place easily instead of sliding down the slope of the hold and I made the cross through move without trouble. I felt strong on the next move and pushed through to the end though slightly nervous about the final moves even though I had done them many times. I was super psyched to do it first try of the day and to have my primary objective for the trip completed. Here is video of the send.
After doing the Fly, I decided to try Cyberblock 13d because someone else was also trying it. They suggested that I try to flash it and I figured why not. The crux is close to the ground and the whole route is relatively short. I went for it and sent first try even though I was climbing very rigid and not relaxed on the upper section. Next I climbed a cool arete route called But Bongo Fiesta 13a. I was close to doing this climb many years ago when I wasn't really a 5.13 climber but never sent. It was fun to do the route.
After these climbs, my friend Phil showed up and tried the Fly a bit (for his warmup). Then we went down to Supernova 14b and he gave me the beta spray-down. I tried the climb and did all the moves but decided not to try any redpoint burns because I felt that I could hurt my shoulder on the crux move.
So we headed down to the Monsters of the Id crag and Phil did Parallel Universe 14a on his second try. I got back on it and figured out a good sequence for the upper part. I did a link from the end of the first boulder problem to the end of the climb and then called it a day.
Yesterday I went back out to the Id, but I was pretty sore from the previous day. I warmed up and then gave Parallel one redpoint burn and fell on the last move. I knew I could do the route but was unmotivated to try again so I stopped climbing, happy with the success of my trip.
The Fly Send from Matt Wilder on Vimeo.
After doing the Fly, I decided to try Cyberblock 13d because someone else was also trying it. They suggested that I try to flash it and I figured why not. The crux is close to the ground and the whole route is relatively short. I went for it and sent first try even though I was climbing very rigid and not relaxed on the upper section. Next I climbed a cool arete route called But Bongo Fiesta 13a. I was close to doing this climb many years ago when I wasn't really a 5.13 climber but never sent. It was fun to do the route.
After these climbs, my friend Phil showed up and tried the Fly a bit (for his warmup). Then we went down to Supernova 14b and he gave me the beta spray-down. I tried the climb and did all the moves but decided not to try any redpoint burns because I felt that I could hurt my shoulder on the crux move.
So we headed down to the Monsters of the Id crag and Phil did Parallel Universe 14a on his second try. I got back on it and figured out a good sequence for the upper part. I did a link from the end of the first boulder problem to the end of the climb and then called it a day.
Yesterday I went back out to the Id, but I was pretty sore from the previous day. I warmed up and then gave Parallel one redpoint burn and fell on the last move. I knew I could do the route but was unmotivated to try again so I stopped climbing, happy with the success of my trip.
Conditions Report -- May 20, 2009
NORTHWEST:
--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.
--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.
Lonely camp on Sourdough Mountain. Photo by David Baxter
--David Baxter headed up last weekend on a solo hike up Sourdough Mountain. He snapped some incredible shots and took some diligent notes on the current conditions up there. Read the full report of his trip here.
--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.
--Forecast for Mount Rainier.
--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.
--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth, and Highway 2.
Dan Helmstadter on the summit of Greybeard with Black Peak in the background. Photo by Eric Wehrly
--Eric Wehrly headed up with his partner, Dan Helmstadter, to attempt a ski descent of the East Face of Greybeard. They ended up skiing a very impressive line and wrote a great trip report on Cascade Climbers that can be found here.
--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.
--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.
--The Tieton River climbing areas have been closed for the season due to nesting raptors. To read more about this closure, click here.
--It appears that a pair of peregrine falcons have nested on the classic line, Outer Space on Snow Creek Wall in Leavenworth. All routes from Outer Space, White Slabs Direct and White Fright, south to the descent gully, including Orbit, are closed to climbing until July 31st.
--The Sage Hill hiking and biking trails near Wenatchee have been closed due to neighbor complains. To read more about the closure click here.
SIERRA:
--For updates on the status of Highway 120 over Tioga Pass click here.
--The Glacier Point road in Yosemite opened for the season on May 5. More details about the status of nearby areas can be found here. Other current wilderness conditions for Yosemite can be found here.
--For information regarding wall closures due to falcon nesting in Yosemite National Park, click here.
--We found a recent update on road conditions in the Eastern Sierra region. Follow this link to read more.
--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.
--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Yosemite National Park.
ALASKA RANGE:
The Moose's Tooth massif as seen from the summit of Mt. Dickey. Photo by Billy Finley
--Billy Finley and friends headed into the Ruth Gorge for the first 2 weeks of May. They stayed busy climbing Mt. Barrill, Mt. Dicky, Freezy Nuts, and scouted out the West Face of Dan Beard. To read more about their trip you can find the full report on Cascade Climbers here, or (even better) check out Billy's website which documents his many adventures in the mountains at www.peakaweek.com.
--Forecast for Denali.
--Webcam for Denali National Park.
--The Alaska season has begun and we are still accepting applications for our 2009 Denali Expeditions and our 2009 Alaska Range Mountaineering Programs. Please call our office (360-671-1505) for current availability.
ALPS:
--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.
--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.
RED ROCK CANYON:
--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.
--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.
--The scenic drive loop is back to opening its gates at 6 AM instead of 7 AM.
JOSHUA TREE:
--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.
--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.
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