October 10th - Index

Tiffany and I took the morning to go climbing at Index, her first time outside.  So, we did my favorites - the easy classics on Great Northern Slab.  Tiffany did great and I was especially impressed at her eagerness to rappel.  She makes other first-time guys that I've taken out look stupid!  Haha...nice job, Tiffany.

I was belaying Tiffany up the last pitch on the slab and suddenly remembered that I hadn't checked my morning meetings.  Oops.  So, I missed one that my manager had called.  But, he got over it.

(pictures sometime)

September 23rd - Leavenworth Climbing

Robert and I climbed various routes in Leavenworth, seeing no one else.  I couldn't believe it.  It was the perfect day - partly cloudy, so not too hot, but enough sun to keep the rocks warm.  Let's see if I can remember the various climbs:

• Ski Track Crack (5.9) - A goofy boulder move got us on the route that leads to a big dish where the cracks begin.  Not too hard, but the sloping cracks and lack of feet make it a little challenging.  I was getting a little worried about the numerous wasps flying around (I remembered too many previous summers where the yellow jackets were awful).  The wasps were friendly though and shared the rock.  Above the crack, some easily lie-backing led to one short thin move to the top.
• Sams and Cams (5.7) - Dang, this would be a 4 star route if it weren't only 50-60 feet long.  Super solid and fun cracks.
• Groping for Oprah's Navel (5.10c) - Slab climb!  This was tough; I fell in two spots.  It's just hard for me to hold on to these teeny tiny holds.
• April Mayhem (5.9) - A reprise of the climb that sloughed off Michael.  I would have done it clean had I not fiddle with a damn cam in the crack.  The hand jams were perfect.  You have to move fast though or you'll tire out.
• Some other 5.9 - This was a really cool climb, with a tough intro.  Beyond that was a long, straight, and sloping crack that reminded me of the 5.6 crack pitch that we climbed on Mount Terror.  The top part was the real crux with some steep roof moves. 
• The Fault (5.6) - Castle Rock.  The Fault is the "access climb" to Catapult.  It's kinda goofy.
• Catapult (5.8) - This was a fun climb.  I should lead it next time.  Not a gimme.  It's old-school.
• The Bone (5.9) - Damn, I thought this was hard.  I got schooled bad on "The Bone" having to hang more than once on the crux, a giant jutting roof with nothing for feet.  The hand holds are good but my pop guns gave out fast.  To conquer it, aside from the grunting and making myself look foolish, I had to lean way back and swing my feet up above me and pull up.  I felt a little timid on this climb - the exposure is intimidating!

We then went to Rusty's in Cashmere for chow and brew that we hauled out to Robert's property.  We watched the sun go down and chatted about work and other various stuffs.  I enjoyed myself as always.

Pictures sometime!

September 12th (I think) - Wallace Falls

Tiffany and I headed out on an awesome morning before work to hike around 5 miles or so to the various Wallace Falls.  Since I'm such a fan of water falls and had never been before, I'd been eager to do this one for a while.  We hiked really fast and chatted the whole way (and back).  As usual, the conversation was great and many insights were revealed.  The falls themselves were quite low.  Fall is easily the lowest flow season as the previous winter and spring snow is providing the last drips of meltoff.  Regardless, the falls were impressive.  At the highest falls, we stopped for celery and Thai peanut butter.

Pictures sometime!

June 18th - Granite Mountain

I felt like I was softening up thanks to the latest lousy weather here in the Northwest.  With big trips coming up soon, I needed to be sure that I was in good shape.  I decided to head out solo to Granite Mountain and briskly huff it up there.  I had been wanting to hike Granite Mountain for a long time.  The open slopes looked to be something that I would really enjoy.  I got a late started and hit the trail, amidst many many cars parked, at 11:30.  I brought my mp3 player with me to drown out the rumblings of I-90 below and to keep me company.  I hadn't hiked solo since 2002, I believe.  I'd just lost interest in it.  Well, I'm still not that interested in solo hiking anymore (no reason why), but this didn't really feel solo since it's a fairly short hike (8 miles, 4000 feet) and because there were so many cars parked.

I highly recommend this hike over Mount Si.  It's steeper with more elevation, but the scenery is much better.  About halfway up, I broke out of the trees into wide open alpine slopes with good views along the I-90 corridor.  I was making excellent time.  By the time I could see the summit hut, I was only an hour and fifteen minutes into the hike!  Wow, I thought I'd be hiking this mountain even faster than Mount Si; I must be in decent shape.  Well, thirty minutes saw me on the top, an hour and fifty minutes to be precise.  Not too shabby still.  The last amount was a fun romp on a simple snow ridge up to the summit.  Finally, I also had views into the deeper peaks along the Snoqualmie.  I could see the Tooth as well as Chair Peak, which looked dramatic from this angle, swirling in and out of the clouds.  I took a break on the far side of the mountain and voraciously downed some trail mix.  My cell phone didn't work so I got up and went back to the slopes along I-90 where I sat for a few more minutes and made some summit phone calls.

The descent was straightforward enough, although my left knee started hurting.  I made a mental promise to do my knee exercises!  I took it fairly slow on the descent, making use of my poles to east the stress on my knees.  3 hours 45 minutes after leaving the car, I was back.  Good trip!  I earned the salmon burger and hamburger that I had at Elvis's place afterwards.

June 11th - Climbing at Index

Finally, a shirtless day!  Aidan and I climbed pretty much everything under 5.9 at the Great North Slab area:

• Pisces - 4 times (laps)
• Great Northern Slab - 3 times (laps)
• Taurus Crack
• Aries

We didn't feel too studley to try anything harder so we just left it at that.  Aidan needed to get back so we left around 3:45 or so.  It was enough to get plenty of good so.

On the way back, Aidan mentioned that I had a bee "just hanging out" on my pants around my ankle.  Well, he was too far away to mess with so I just hoped that he'd get bored and then climb higher where I could shoo him out the window.  About fifteen or twenty minutes later I yelped as the SOB stung me!!!  What did I do?  Jeez.  I swerved on the highway and then pulled over where I pounded him into the next world.

June 7th - Mount Si (old trail)

Elvis and I made an early morning attempt on Mount Si via the old trail.  We got an hour into hike and Elvis started complaining about not feeling too well.  He was certainly hiking much slower than last time.  I wasn't feeling the best either.  So, after debating about what to do for about twenty minutes, we decided to head down and get into work before everyone else.

I'd like to come back and do the old trail again.  I did it once before with Michael and it's a fun trail.  It certainly feels more dark and hidden than the main trail.

June 1st - Little Si

Kevin and I took an early morning hike before work this day and headed up Little Si for an easy but vigorous early morning workout.  We hiked past where Robert and I had climbed a few weeks earlier and into a lovely dark "valley" between Little Si and Mount Si.  It was full of towering everygreens and thousands of ferns for undergrowth.  Most beautiful, but too dark for photos.  Beyond that, we swung back in the opposite direction and headed up.  Kevin asked how much longer I thought it was.  I replied maybe twenty minutes.  Actually, we were about two minutes away!  This was an easy hike, nice and moderate.  We hung out on the rocky top for a while and scrambled down the opposite side just looking around.  We were back at work pretty quickly.

May 16th - climbing at Index

Instead of going before work, when the rock would be potentially chilly, Elvis and I opted for after work, when the rock would be nice and sun-baked and still radiating warmth if Great Northern Slab was in the shade, which it was.  When we got there we encountered someone rope-soloing up Great Northern Slab.  As we started getting ready, I realized that I left my extra ATC belay device at home.  D'oh!  That was a crucial piece.  I knew I could build a carabiner brake for rappelling but what about belaying?  While the rope-solo climber did his thing, I fiddled with four carabiners trying to build some sort of decent belay device.  I didn't and then suddenly realized I didn't even need one (other than the usual locker):  I'd just use a Muenter Hitch.  OK, so we were off.

This was the first time Elvis had climbed outside so he had to learn the basics of following, anchors, and so on.  The first 5.0 pitch getting up to the base of the slab was a great place to do so.  I then continued up climbing "Great Northern Slab" (hadn't done it in a while), arrived at the top, set up the top rope, and lowered down.

Elvis nearly freaked out when he got his first look at the route but continued up it in fine fashion (pulling a back muscle while clinging tightly for dear life).

I did a couple of laps on Picses, which is always such fun.  I wish it were like 3 or 5 times as long as it is.  We then rappelled down and headed out.

May 12th -  Tiger Mountain, west summit

Tiffany and I left Kirkland at 4:55am and met Elaine at 5:15 at the Tiger Mountain trailhead.  I had never been up Tiger Mountain, believe it or not.  We decided to do the "Cable Trail".  We all chatted on the way up; I felt great having a restful sleep the night before.  After some minutes I noticed that I kept stopping and waiting for Tiffany and Elaine, so I decided to let them continue talking and headed up solo to the summit where I'd meet up with them.  There's lots of trail junctions on Tiger Mountain, fortunately they are well-labeled.  Just to be safe, I followed the "West Tiger Summit" trail and marked an arrow symbol in the dirt every time there was a junction.  I was moving fast and sweating a lot, especially on my back.  As I rounded a rocky ridge with a nice view east towards Mount Si, the wind whipped up and chilled me.  I kept moving and soon arrived at the top which was too chilly to stay exposed on.  So, I put on my fleece and retreated to the trees.  I tried calling Tiffany to let them know I was on top but got her voicemail. 

After about 15 minutes, I saw them arriving on a trail on the opposite side of the summit.  Ah, so that was the true "Cable Trail" - the one that went straight as an arrow up to the summit.  I had crossed it a few times as the West Summit trail switched back across it.  I suspected that was the official Cable Trail but decided to stay on the West Summit trail simply because it appeared to be a higher quality, more enjoyable trail (which it was).  We retreated from the summit to a sitting area in the woods and ate some trail food and some homemade tea.  Thanks again, Tiffany.  We hiked together and chatted on the way down.

I made it to the summit at 6:30, and we were back to the car before 8am.  I still beat most of my coworkers in to work.

May 10th - Mount Si

Elvis had wanted to go on a hike for quite a while.  I had to continually tell him that it would be too snowy most likely.  But in early May, the time had come.  I'd hiked up a week earlier and saw virtually snow.  We left Kirkland at 5am sharp and made it out to the trailhead by 5:45.  We started hiking fast and quickly had to strip down.  Before I caught my second wind, I became very lightheaded.  I guess it was because we were hiking pretty fast and I had nothing in my stomach.  We slowed down a bit and actually too a few short breaks.  I usually take none and favor a more steady pace.

(above) Shot of me near the top.

As usual, we took the old Mount Si cutoff, which is a more aesthetic trail, I think.  I noticed the continuation of the old Si trail curving away as well; I hadn't seen that before.  Last Friday, climbing with Robert at Little Si, I saw the cutoff that Michael and I took to hike Mount Si on the entire old Mount Si trail.  It was funny because I thought I'd never been on the Little Si trail; obviously, I had.  We'll have to hike up Mount Si on that trail again.  As I recall, it's a really fun trail.

(above) Elvis poses in front of the EXTREME CAUTION sign.  EXTREME caution.  EXTREME!!!!

I got in front of Elvis by a good bit on the cutoff and waited for him up below the broad summit plateau.  It was a little windier today and a little hazier.  I was pretty set on climbing up the Haystack this time.

(above) In the gully heading up the Haystack.  I'm being EXTREMELY cautious.  EXTREMELY!!!!

Elvis was a little wary of the Haystack, asking me multiple times, "Whoa, are we going to climb up that?"  I guess he was hoping that one of the times that he asked, I would finally say, "No".  I knew he could do it no problem.  We went around the backside and verified that there was no snow in it.  So we headed up.

(above) The final scramble to the top.

The final scramble is so worth it.  It takes no time at all and is a fun way to end the hike.  From the top, we could barely make out the Olympics.  Mount Rainier was clear, but we couldn't see Baker at all.  Shucks!

(above) "Check it out.  There's downtown Seattle."

May 5th - Little Si rock climbing

Robert and I climbed a few routes at Little Si Friday after work.  I'd never been out here before.  Of course, it is similar to Exit 38, but I thought the routes we did were generally better than Exit 38.  They felt more solid, a little more 'realistic' than Exit 38.  The climb "Sweet and Sticky" was outstanding - a very fun, high, blocky arete with a trusting crux move at the very end.  Robert announced the first climb, called "Godflesh" was a 5.8.  It seemed he moved a little slower than a 5.8 rating warranted.  As I climbed it, I found the middle to upper section pretty challenging, requiring a few committing moves.  I didn't have the head for leading and fiddled around with the right moves for quite a while, it seemed.  Eventually I climbed up to the bolts after two crux moves.  Later we learned that it was 5.10.  OK, I'd just done my first outdoor 5.10, but it was still too pokey to feel legit and I had rested a couple of times because my arches were hurting from standing on little nubbings for so long.

The 5.6 climb that we did, called "First Things First", featured one of the best cracks I've seen.  If it were like 50 feet long, it would be the most perfect crack in the state.  OK, maybe not, but it's way too short, like 15 feet!  It felt solid that I could have soloed it.  But why do that?

The last 5.9, called "On Second Thought" was the only one that I didn't lead.  Kinda glad I didn't because I wouldn't have enjoyed making a couple of the crux moves a few feet above the bolts.  Man, just not in the mood for falling!

Which reminds me - on "Sweet and Sticky", as I was hesitating at the crux, Robert suggested that I take a couple of controlled falls just to get used to it.  OK, so it wasn't too bad.  After falling deliberately twice, I made the move, actually two in a row, which wasn't hard, but was thin and committing.

Thanks for the intro to "Little Si", Meshew.  Here's what we did in order:

• "Godflesh" (10a) - lead
• "Unnamed" (7) - lead
• "Sweet and Sticky" (9) - lead
• "On Second Thought" (9) - TR
• "First Things First" (6) - lead

May 3rd - Mount Si

Tiffany and I hiked up Mount Si this morning.  We'd never hiked together but our pace was surprisingly close thankfully.  Of course, we had a great time yakking all the way up and down.  Near the 3.5 mile marker, we opted for the Old Mt. Si cutoff trail.  At this point, I pushed it a little extra and hiked a little faster and arrived on the top about 5-10 minutes early.  I hollered upon arriving to let Tiffany know it wasn't that far away.  The weather was perfect for us, warm and sunny with virtually no wind.  We'd made it to the top in 1.75 hours, which isn't too shabby for the first hike of the year.  We hung out on top for about 20 minutes enjoying Tiffany's homemade rice, oil, thingy mix which tastes great - the perfect hiking food 'cause it's full of carbs and fat and has a great taste.  We fed a few camp robbers from our hand by placing a small nut in our fingers.  They were happy to come land on our hands and pick out the nuts.  Thanks for the food and the company, Tiffany.