Gone for awhile

[randycw]

I will be gone for about 9 days -- have this idea that I am going to summit Gannet Peak (tallest peak in Wyoming) during this abscence! :D

Anyway if anyone happens to notice that I am not turning is WUs please send e-mail to ewesnitzer@home.com and ask her to restart Genome! (Hate to lose ground on you folks faster than I already am! :D :( )

[pelligrini]

Cool, have fun.
No accidental decents (sp?) at 9.8 ft/sec ;)

I'll try to keep an eye on your production.
Have you upgraded to the v99 client? It has much fewer crashes.

[randycw]

Yeah, I'm using .99 client -- since using it, it hasn't crashed once!

Don't plan on any quick descents! Hoping the ice axe, crampons, or rope can stop any falls -- at least within 45 feet! :eek:

[Rizzo]

Originally posted by pelligrini
Cool, have fun.
No accidental decents (sp?) at 9.8 ft/sec ;)

I'll try to keep an eye on your production.
Have you upgraded to the v99 client? It has much fewer crashes.

Is gravity lower over there. Here it is 9.8 m/s.

[pelligrini]

Hehe, been a long while since I've needed to use that factor. At least the numerals were correct :)

[randycw]

Well made it back! No major injuries. Was not able to make it up Gannett -- too technical on the ice for me. Did manage to summit two other peaks though Miriam just over 13,000ft and Fremont at 13,745ft. Had a great time too! Intend on getting better at ice climbs this winter and going back to Gannett next season.

Go here for pictures of the trip! (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=45042569103&n=29498844)

[Stilgar]

From a flatlander backpacker all I can say is give me oxygen!!!:D

[Bruce]

Originally posted by Rizzo


Is gravity lower over there. Here it is 9.8 m/s.

That's 9.8 m/s/s or 32 ft/s/s

[pelligrini]

Nice photos.

I'm going to have to check out that area next time I'm up there.

Do you know if those mountainside lakes are populated with trout? Preferably indiginous (sp?) species I would hope.

[Jodie]

beautiful pictures! In the last picture, there's a small peak next to your camp that looks like it has a couple of routes on it. Do you do any climbing? It looks like a pretty technical climb from the picture - are there routes on it and did you do them?

If you ever make it down to Southern California in August, let me know and I'll show you my playground down there - Palisade Glacier is an awesome place to learn to be more comfortable on technical ice. Everything from gentle glacier fields to summiting on a 110M frozen waterfall. (5.10b/rope or artificial)

Your photos make me want to take a trip to Wyoming. I've never done any climbing there!

WELCOME BACK!

[Miles]

It looks like you had great weather. No thunderboomers in any pic. Awesome pics too! Where do you call home? I climbed a bunch in GTNP and spent 10 days in the Cirque of the Towers a few years back. I also hit a few of the sporty areas: Wild Iris, Sinks Canyon, Jackson. Good to see you made it down form the hill in one piece. I never feel like it's quite over until I'm havin' a microbrew and tellin' lies.

[Miles]

Jodie,

Are you a ropegun too? :)

[Jodie]

I've been known to hang from my fingertips now and again... And that's just around the office. :p :D We have this awesome overhang for traversing on the building, about three stories up, scares the heck out of people. :rolleyes: :cool: Ever climb around Whitney and Palisade? I have a house up on Donner Summit and am about an hour and a half from there, also an hour and a half from City Rock on Mt. Diablo.

[Miles]

Yeah, CA. is climbing heaven. I'm jealous. I did a few Yosemite/Owens River Gorge trips. Climbed the E. Buttress on Whitney and stared google eyed at the Fishhook arete on Mt. Russell. Someday!!! Clark Canyon by Mammoth was cool. Loved Donner Summit and Lover's Leap. Have you done Goldilocks yet. I remember a cool little breakfast place,,,,The Sqeeze Inn in Truckee. I remember great views of Lake Tahoe from the S.W. Did I mention that I'm a good belayer? Lot's of ballast!

[wbierman]

I've done Whitney 3 times, Mt. Lassen twice, Mt. St. Helens once (solo assent in snow storm [really stupid] and an abort 3/4 up Mt. McKinley (Denali, the High One) weather turned really bad.

[randycw]

Jodie;

The picture you're asking about has Helen Peak in it and is within the Titcomb basin area. It has some very good crack routes (2 to 5 pitches), that range from 5.7 to 5.10 so no none of them are too technical. I have climbed this peak, but not this year. I am still a pup in this area -- I have done no lead climbing and on my best top rope days I can do a 5.10 without coming off! :( Hope to spend more time on the plastic this winter to improve!

BTW... Miles and Jodie if you ever have occassion to be in the south end of the Wind Rivers, Ellingwood Peak is said to be one of the BEST routes in Wyoming (not difficult 5.7, I think). It is very long continuous route -- 10-12 pitches!

[randycw]

Miles,

By you enjoy Cirque? I was kicking around trying to head that way next year, but have heard mixed reports. Heard that the climbing is the best in Wyoming, but also heard that it is very crowded. I tend to like to go where the crowds aren't! On this last trip we did not see another sole for 5 days of camping -- now once on the trail that was another story!

[randycw]

Pelligrini;

The lakes are full of fish! Mostly cut-throats, but a few browns as well. On Senaca lake we have pulled a few 14 inches from it, however, on the other side of the divide on Native Lake we absolutely went nuts catching fish! :cool: :D

[pelligrini]

Originally posted by randycw
Pelligrini;

The lakes are full of fish! Mostly cut-throats, but a few browns as well. On Senaca lake we have pulled a few 14 inches from it, however, on the other side of the divide on Native Lake we absolutely went nuts catching fish! :cool: :D

Very cool! I love fishing those crystal clear, frezing cold, high waters. The fishes are always hungry, it's not like they have a lot of time to be picky. Such a short feasting season in between winters.

I must get up there, doesn't look like it will happen this year though :(

You know of any Grayling around there?

[Miles]

Randy,

I went into the Cirque the first week on July in '96 . Melt out was in full swing- still about 20% snow covered. MOSQUITOES were everywhere. As Carl Sagan would say, Billions and Billions of the hungry little blood suckers. I cooked with the rain gear on even though it was about 75 degrees. The trouble is that I really hate mosquito repellent. Now to your real question. The was pretty quiet during the week but the weekend was busy. Maybe 10 or 12 tents on Saturday. If you go in on Sunday or Monday, you would be fine as long as it's not the week of the Climber Festaval in Lander. Lot's of people then. Randy, it worth bothering with the crowds. The only other place that had better alpine granite that I touched was the Bugaboos and the Cirque has a lot better weather.

Will,

Were you forced to turn back on Denali at 14,200 or did you make it to 16,200? I was wondering about the stretch above the 14,200 camp.

Talk about crowds. There must have been 40 people on the summit of Whitney when we topped out. They hiked up the trail on the backside.

[randycw]

pelligrini;

Grayling fishing is pretty good on some of the lakes in the Big Horns (near Buffalo, or about 50 miles from Sheridan -- or maybe better still to find on a map Casper then almost directly south about 80 to 100 miles). Several of the lakes there have Grayling fishing that is good to excellent!

[randycw]

Miles;

Thanks for the info!

Just noticed you're from MinneSNOWta -- what's the climbing like around there?

[Miles]

Just crags for climbing in MN. up to 100 feet or so. On Devil's Tower there is a climb called "The Best Climb In Minnesota" It's a .8 or .9 hand crack and if it were here it would certainly be the best. :D :(

[wbierman]

Made camp V at 16,200 on the 16th day. Fell asleep that first night with beatiful weather. Woke up to white out for the next 4 days... two of the guides got hurt on day 3 of the white out. We wanted so bad to try for the High camp at 17,200. It wasn't in the cards that year! Definately one of my major disappointments in life...to get so close and have to turn back without reaching summit. I've never been in that kind of shape since....

[MechCD]

Wow, thats one thing about mountain climbing, the weather changes very suddenly

[Jodie]

There's no worse feeling on earth than being a thousand feet from summiting and knowing there just is no physical means in existance to make it. It's a true bummer. But then the feeling when you go back and summit is just that much higher.:D

[wbierman]

Yes indeed. Have always desired to return....someday.

[Miles]

Glad to see you made it off big Mac. Doug Scott and Dougal Haston said it was the coldest mountain that they ever climbed and that was after they summited Everest!

[wbierman]

Perhaps due to its proximity to the Artic Circle....