The Bigger Picture?

I get a lot of email here from climbers just beginning to get out and get serious about their owntechnical climbing. Over the last week I had a conversation with my climbing partner about the "bigger picture" and our own personal climbingobjectives.



Neither of us likes crag climbing in particular. Truth is, likemost of us we'd rather be in the mountains. The flip side to that is it takes a LOT more effort to get out in the mountains and get somethings done. As in something actually climbed. By this time of year, every year I have usually had a full belly offrustration with the bad weather and the dangerous avalanche conditions.



We came up with a less than 50% percentage of successful trips compared to what we have actually attempted in the mountains. Alpinists are a hardcore and stubborn tribe! Attributes I can admire even if I don't always possess them. By this time of year I can moreeasily turn to rock climbing and riding my road bike. I hatebeating my head against the climbs I still want to get done before the temps soar and the snow and ice disappearsfor another year. My lack of motivation can be telling this time of year. But it is also the time of year I most want to get my alpine projects done.



One of the many discussions we had this last week was the difference between crag climbing and actualalpinism. From that discussion and the local conditions we were experiencing the conversationsplitinto several topics. One of the most interesting topics to me was how I end up labeling"little picture" and "big picture" climbs.



Hopefully what Irelate from those conversations my help others sort out their own projects.



"Little picture" climbs in the context of Cold Thistle and Alpinismare generally crag climbs. Climbs that are close to the road, little objective danger and generally (but not always) at the upper limit of one's technical skill level. Little picture because you really don't have to concentrate on much past how hard the climbing is, what gear will I need and how will I get back down.



Small picture climbs generally allow you to make huge errors in judgment and the gear selection with little consequence for the mistake. It is a great place to learn from mistakes.



The ice climbing in Ouray and Codywill generally fall into this category. As will most of the top roping and smaller cragging areas around the country. But there are "big picture" dangers anywhere it snows. Ice always falls down when it gets warm or cold enough. Bozeman at any given time gets snow and wind as can Cody. There is no easy label when it comes to ice climbing.



Hafner and Johnson Canyon are other "little picture" climbing areas. The places you might head whenthe overall conditions are dismal in the Canadian Rockies.



Alpine objectives in the Canadian Rockies are not "little picture". When it snows, the wind blows, or there is a radical temp change there, the actual technical difficulties will mean almost zip. What really matters in Canada and the Alpsis what might drop on your head at any given time, It might well be rock, ice, lightening,rain or snow! The climbing might well be "easy" by comparison.



If you spend enough time out you get to know what the real timepicture is for your own objectives. Small picture or Large picture? Some climbing areas might be little picture in summer (few issues that need to be on your mindbut the actual climbing) and big picture (a laundry list of objective dangers) in winter. The "picture" and what is required of you mentally canchange by season or be the same year around.



It is easy to come from a strong technical back ground and jump into "small picture" objectives safely.



"Big picture" objectives on the other hand might well have little patience for strong technical climbers without the ability to process all the issues alpinism will eventually require.



The climbs that I generally see turn onto epics are where the climber's technical abilities get over whelmed by the bigger picture of the climb's objectives dangers. That in turnforces the climber into a mental and physical state oftunnel vision. Call it "sketched out". But things go bad quickly when it happens. Once you are forced to deal with the world via tunnel vision it is very easy to over look the environmental details that defineyour safety and well beingon a big climb.



I think it is better to first label and then study your climbs. Note the avi terrainon the approach and decent. What are the snow conditions you want as compared to what you have. What is the hour you want to be up and off the climb? Will conditions allow you of attain your goals? What is your plan if you can't maintain your time schedule?



There is a reason we look for "perfect conditions". Perfect conditionsmake ourclimbs easier on the approach, decent and the actual climb. Perfect conditions make the picture smaller.



What I learned, again, from the conversation is notto let anyone or any one climb over whelm your ability to appreciate the "picture" fully. If something "feels" wrong, it generally is. Don't let your inability to articulate what is wrong stop you from making good decisions. The mountains have been there a long time. They aren't going any where.



Postscript:



I suspect it has something to do with the conditions in Canada last week but it is worth checking out Will's recent comments as well. Same idea,different voice.



http://willgadd.com/?p=668

Year in Review

We thought you devoted readers of the Mount Rainier Climbing blog would enjoy reading a 2007 Year in Review. We know, this should have been posted in December, but I was busy. Anyway, better late than never, right?

So, without further ado, my talented assistant Rebecca Agiewich and I present: Mount Rainier 2007: a blogosphere perspective of climbing on Mount Rainier.

January and February

CLOSED! Basically, every major road in the park was wiped out (to some degree) by the epic rainfall (18 inches in 36 hours) and subsequent flooding of November 2006. Fixing that sort of damage completely was too much for a meager NPS budget to handle, which created quite the buzz about how it was all going to get cleaned up. So much so that acclaimed cartoon satirist, David Horsey, poked fun at the park’s desperate financial situation. Despite Horsey’s pointed jab at government priorities and politics, Congressman Norm Dicks came to the rescue by reallocating 36 million dollars for flood repairs from the Department of Transportation and the Department of the Interior. NICE eh?

As for mountain climbing? Very little happened early in the year because of the difficult access.

The Tacoma News Tribune reported extensively on the damage. They even took time to poke a little lighthearted fun at me. The fact, however, remained: little changed in February and climbers weren’t scaling the peak. Therefore, this blog devoted more time to the flood recovery (i.e. a specific “Flood Blog” and photo gallery) than to climbing. Things were so slow around here that I took a trip to South America for an ascent of Aconcagua. Recommendations? Visit Mendoza, it’s wonderful.

March

This month started off sadly. A devoted married couple drowned in Ipsut creek while on a backpacking trip. Frances "Annette" Blakeley slipped while crossing a log over Ipsut Creek. Her husband Robert tried to rescue her by immediately diving in. Tragically, both were swept up in the torrent and caught in a “strainer” (log-jam).

On the lighthearted side of things, former Mount Rainier climbing ranger Mimi Allin was noticed by the Seattle Times for her work as the Poetess of Green Lake. See what sort of career opportunities exist post-climbing-ranger employment?

The Seattle Times judged the National Park Inn in Longmire “one of the most exclusive hotels in the world”. Such distinction!… Well that was the case for a little while, but that was because the inn stayed open even as park roads remained closed. Those visitors were shuttled into Longmire via a back Forest Service road and were allowed to "enjoy indoor plumbing in the park's largely unpeopled wilderness."

April

Road re-construction continued at a feverish pace as preparations commenced for the park to “re-open.” During that time, the Mount Rainier community mourned the loss of former climbing ranger Lara Kellogg. She fell while descending Mt. Wake in Ruth Gorge of the Alaska Range. Her death was a significant loss for the local climbing community as she was a wonderful person and significant social hub.

Meanwhile, outdoor writer extraordinaire Greg Johnston wrote about his experiences climbing Mount Rainier for the Seattle PI, which included witnessing a rescue at Camp Muir. He also wrote an article about changes at the park from due to the flooding.

Most notable of Greg’s articles, however, was the piece about the historic change in the guiding concessions on Mount Rainier. This, perhaps, was some of the biggest mountaineering news on Rainier in the past decade. For the first time in over 30 years, RMI would be sharing their exclusive guiding concession privileges. Into the scene entered Alpine Ascents and International Mountain Guides. Now prospective climbers have three guide services to choose from for mountaineering services. All routinely offer summit climbs and other expedition experiences on the mountain and beyond, truly connecting Mount Rainier to the international mountaineering circuit.

We also posted the 2006 "Mountaineering Report" in April. It includes a variety of interesting statistics such as the overall success rate for 2006 (63%) and the amount of human waste carried down from the mountain (four and a half tons). As an aside, we’re working on the 2007 report, so hang tight!

May

And with great fanfare, the primary road into the park re-opened on May 5th. More interesting for you upper mountain lovers, ski sicko Sky Sjue and partner Christophe Martine made what is probably the first ski descent of the Fuhrer Thumb. Thanks Sky for your continued cool reports from the upper glaciers. Everyone loves them.

Meanwhile, more sad news came out of Alaska when mountain climber Mizuki Takahashi and Brian Massey -- well-known climbers in the Seattle area who both loved to climb Rainier-- died while on Mount McKinley. They fell on the upper reaches of the West Rib route.

June

911 is not a climbing information service. Amid a flurry of climbing activity, a number of climbers dialed those sacred three digits when they probably shouldn't have. Because of it, they received a lecture about when and how to use the “emergency service.” We also used the blog to remind some climbers about the importance of not leaving sick or slow-moving partners behind.

While on the topic of emergencies, an actual tragedy struck off of the mountain yet in the park. Hiker Jeff Graves fell to his death when he became disoriented on Eagle Peak. Clouds and heavy snowpack were contributing factors to his getting off route.

Less dramatic, the door to the outhouse blew away over at Camp Schurman (three times). This made for a cold – yet scenic -- potty experience.

July

Bill Painter strikes again! Washington State’s famed 84-year old climber made yet another successful ascent via the Emmons Glacier route, resetting his own record as the oldest person to climb Mount Rainier.

Speaking of fame, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell visited Camp Muir and chatted up some of the climbing rangers. Imagine a sitting U.S. Senator getting the inside scoop on the park from a group of mountain climbers (I’m glad she didn’t call 911 for such questions!). Anyway, this wasn’t the last of Senator Cantwell, as she reappears in August for a summit climb.

The "no-rescue" streak (for the upper mountain) that began in 2006 ended in July when a climber broke his ankle practicing self-arrest at Camp Muir. Afterward, there were a few other minor incidents later in the summer, but it is worth noting that no significant accidents or injuries occurred in 2007. There were a number of great trip reports in June and July, so check out the archives.

August and September

Park superintendent Dave Uberauga and Deputy Superintendent Randy King made a successful summit attempt. Along the way, they caught up on the progress of hut repairs at Camp Muir and checked up on the new guiding operations. In this busy climbing month, lots of folks went up the Emmons/Winthrop Glacier route.

There was a flurry of helicopter activity around the upper mountain during a mock-rescue operation in late August. KOMO TV and other media types went along for the ride. Senator Maria Cantwell returned to the mountain for a summit climb -- a trip that was reported on by the Puget Sound Business Journal. She would have likely made the summit, but a longer route and team dynamics thwarted the attempt. Perhaps she’ll try again in ?

October, November and the end of 2007

There was a touching story about two “old-time” mountain rescuers who revisited the mountain. In September, they were flown around Camp Schurman on a special flight. Back in the early 60’s, they helped to build the Camp Schurman hut (read about it yourself.) Some climber/skiers did a trip on the Kautz Glacier and although they didn't meet their objective they posted a funny trip report with lots of photos.

As a video-game devotee, I was thrilled to discover Mount Rainier featured in the new X-Box 360 version of Halo 3. And then there were those two lost hikers on the Muir Snowfield, whose butts were saved by a Canadian climbing guide Phil Michael. Go Canada! Not so lucky was Pickles, the famed fox of Mount Rainier. Poor Pickles had to be euthanized after being hit by a car. Other November news can be found here.

December kicked the winter off with intense snowfall (198 inches) which then created long periods of exceptionally high avalanche hazard. That hazard caught hiker Kirk Reiser. Kirk and his best friend Troy Metcalf were descending to Paradise from when Kirk was caught and buried in an avalanche in Edith Creek. It was a terribly sad way to close out 2007.

Selling City Bikes: NYC Case Studies

While in New York City last week, I had a chance to visit two bicycle shops specialising in transportational cycling: Hudson Urban Bicycles (HUB)and Adeline Adeline. These visits were great, but they also evoked some envy. Why do we not have shops like this in Boston? Seriously, there is not a single bike shop in town catering specifically and exclusively to urban transport. A few shops do stock transportation bicycles, but the selection is limited. When I ask why they do not offer more I am told there is no demand. Baffling, because I know for a fact that both New York and Portland, ME(not to mention a number of online retailers) receive a steady stream of Boston customers because there is no local supply.



Based on my observations over the recent years, I do not think there is in fact a lack of demand. But it seems that bike shops that specialise in transportation may be in a better position to sell city bikes than bike shops that are diversified. Visiting Adeline and HUB in New York underscored this idea.






I would say that for shops selling transportation bicycles, location is key. Adeline Adeline is on a small and quiet street in TriBeCa. Hudson Urban Bicycles is on an equally small and quiet street in the West Village. In both cases, there are bike lanes literally just out the door, with protected greenways nearby. This sort of thing is absolutely crucial for beginners looking to test ride some bikes, which is precisely the category many potential customers fall into. They would like to ride in the city, but quite possibly they have never actually done so before. Their first cycling experience in ages might very well be this test ride outside of the bike shop. It makes a huge difference whether the space outside the shop is beginner-friendly.




When I was shopping for my first bicycle in the Spring of , I was not confident on a bike at all and could not yet imagine riding in traffic. I found it impossible to properly test ride a bike in almost any local shop, because the spaces outside were not beginner-friendly. While it's hard for established shops to change that reality, a new shop devoted specifically to city bikes can choose their space with access to infrastructure in mind.






Appropriately informed staff are important to selling transportation bicycles as well. In typical bike shops, most sales staff tend to be avid road cyclists, many of them racers. I have listened to quite a few steer customers by default toward cyclocross bikes with drop bars for commuting. I have also witnessed sales staff actively discourage customers from getting bikes with step-through frames or internally geared hubs, citing performance drawbacks. They did not even ask the customers how long their commute would be before saying such things.




While hanging out at HUB, I watched the owner talking to a couple who was new to cycling, and as they chatted I could see that couple grow more relaxed about the prospect of riding in the city. In shops that do not focus on transportation per se, I often observe the opposite happening: The longer a potential customer talks to a member of staff about commuting, the more concerned their facial expression grows. The "information" they are receiving is obviously scary and confusing. Bike shops that sell many types of bicycles cannot usually afford to hire separate sales staff to handle the city bikes.






No less important is the atmosphere inside the shop. The interiors of Adeline and HUB are heavenly microcosms - worlds where transportation cycling is normal, cool, intuitive, safe, and has an obvious place in everyday life. And the creation of such an atmosphere is a huge public service as far as I am concerned. Even if the customer walks out the door without buying a bike, they will still walk away with the impression that transportation cycling is fun and, above all, normal. They will be more likely to come back, or at least to keep cycling in mind as a valid possibility.When city bikes are mixed together with all sorts of other types of bikes on one cluttered floor space, it is impossible to achieve this kind of ambiance; it is impossible to communicate this message. I do think it's possible for diversified bike shops to present transportation cycling in a similar light by designating a special area to them, and then staging this area as if it were its own boutique. But in actuality this is seldom done.





Several members of the bicycle industry have mentioned to me now that it is easier to start a dedicated city bike boutique in a town that already has a dozen bike shops than it is to get existing shops to carry city bikes. And I have seen plenty of evidence to support this. Aside from the issues already mentioned, existing bike shops tend to err on the conservative side and stick with what they know. Even if they delve into city bikes, they are not going to start carrying 5 new brands right away; they might start with one or two. But that might not be sufficient to be truly effective. Hopefully, some brave entrepreneurs will start transportation-specific bike shops in Boston soon, as well as in every other city that is ready for them.





In the meantime, I may just have to keep visiting NYC for test rides. During this visit alone I test rode four bikes, and there were plenty of others to try. There were also other city bike stores to explore had I not run out of time, most notably Bicycle Habitat and Rolling Orange. For anyone visiting New York, I recommend having a look at those, in addition toAdeline AdelineandHudson Urban Bicycles (HUB).






Aside from bicycles, Adeline specialises in exquisite accessories the likes of which you might not find elsewhere: the latest in bicycle bags, jewelry, books, unusual clothing. HUB on the other hand, boasts an entire show room of vintage bikes in refurbished condition, including loads of pre-1970s English 3-speeds - some with original lighting! I enjoyed visiting both shops, and will be posting reviews of the Achielle, Retrovelo and Jensen bicycles soon.

Classic Spring skiing in the PNW.

Skiing theMuir snow field into the Nisqually chutes and lower Nisqually glacier to the bridge is a Cascadeclassic. The bridge is seen in the distance@ 3900'. The picture was taken from around 5000 feet. Muir is at 10,000'. 5 mile and 5000' gain on the skin upfor less than an hourrun down on moderate terrain early in the season.




Perspective on the size of things..










photo courtesy of unknown author via the internet






Below, looking back at the upper half







and down the Nisqually Chutes,mid section of the run.









and looking back at the majority of terrain skied from bridge level......likely close to 6000 vert showing here.








Likely as closeas you'll get to The Vallee Blanche off-pisteski routein the CONUS. Starting from the Aiguille du Midithe Vallee Blanche is 17km long with a vertical descent of 2800m. Muir down is 9km and 1900m. Addthe summit of Columbia Crest and you get 13km and 3200m to the bridge. Easy enough to make some comparison by those numbers.



Even on a busy day, skiing Rainier will seem likea wilderness and the food dismal in comparison to the Vallee Blanche. Either way both runsare well worth the effort. Different for sure but fun in their own ways. Be a whole lot less folks skiing the Vallee Blanchewith out the Midi tram.

Cosma

Black Fungi

I took a couple of exceedingly bad photos of a small black fungus growing in the grass.



It's possibly Craterellus fallax, or Black Trumpet, a type of Chanterelle.



A black jelly fungus:



Looks like the same type that's in many Chinese soups.

I'm not sure enough about either ID to try to eat them, though.

Greetings from California – Again!

It was a roundabout route, but I made it back to California on June 5th and have been visiting with my first cousin, David, who lives in Southern California. The last time I saw Dave was in the spring of 1992 when the company I worked for sent me to Los Angeles for some computer training. He said I don't come to see him very often! But I've seen him every year I've been to California since he moved out here! Anyway, it has been great seeing Dave again after all these years!


And now, I'm going to Jamboree! I'm so excited that I'll be able to meet some of my fellow genea-bloggers. Of course I'm planning to attend "a few" of the sessions too! It's not my first conference but it will be my first Jamboree. I remember last year wishing I could be there. It looked like everyone was having so much fun and I'll admit to being a little envious, but not this year 'cause I'll be there!

After Jamboree, I'll play “ketchup” with a few posts on where I was during the last week of May and the first week of June... Coral Pink Sand Dunes (again!), the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Lee's Ferry, Lake Powell. No big adventures though; mostly just taking is easy.

After the Storm

We had an awesome storm pass through the area last night, hopefully with not much damage though at this time I don't know. Plenty of Thunder. Lightning. Wind. And about 2" of rain in an hour or so. I was looking out the window after it was all over and saw that the entire sky was an eerie orange-pinkish color. Then I saw the rainbow and grabbed the camera...





Half of the rainbow in the eastern sky.



It was huge! This is the "southern" end of the rainbow.



The view to the north.



And a magnificent view to the west.



All photos were taken between 8:45 and 8:55 pm on August 4, ...

Meeting Elvis

Cute little stuffed dog?



No, he's real!



My sister's family got a Bichon Frise puppy for Christmas. A white powder puff of a dog.



Vicious puppy attacks shoelaces.



My sister and her new baby.

-----

For you garden enthusiasts, that's my Mom's really nice St. Augustine grass in the background of the outdoor pics.

Northern Hawk Owl

For the past couple of weeks a Northern Hawk Owl has been hanging around near the Grand Portage Trading Post. I have seen him several times, but until today he was always perched on the power lines (not the best for photos!). Today I spotted him in the trees and promptly reached for my 100-400mm lens. I watched him (or her? I'm not sure how to tell the difference in owls) for close to half an hour. During that time the owl flew to 4 or 5 different trees, and from each tree was listening for sounds of mice down under the snow. Every now and then he would swoop down towards the ground, but he never did catch anything while I was there. He sure gave me some nice opportunities for photos today though!

Yard ArtLawn Darts ..

After sadly not going out on Sunday due to the forecast rain and not seeing any rain in Seattle, I convinced Adam to do a one day trip to Leavenworth. I was hoping to get a lot of climbing in, but the forecast was against us. (40% chance of rain after 2pm) So we drove into the Icicle and headed straight for Peek-a-Boo Tower to do the three star route Yard Art, but finish with the four star Lawn Darts.

Adam starting the first pitch

It was partly sunny as we hiked up, but we quickly donned jackets for the climb, and I ended up in my shell before leaving the ground. Adam led the first pitch which was varied 5.7 climbing and mostly gear. (I found the crux of the pitch to be a chimney like feature about half way up.) I came up to the belay and got confused by the guide's description of the second pitch. "Scary moves off the belay" was not exactly true, as the first moves off the belay were not scary. Once you clip a bolt, there were some delicate moves (crux of the pitch) left before making a few moves upward where you are able to grab a large crack and the difficulties ease off for the rest of the pitch. I led up this pitch and brought Adam up.

Adam coming up the second pitch

Adam said he'd give the next pitch a go, but balked a bit a few moves from the third clip. He started to down climb a move and I didn't like what I saw and locked him off just before he slipped and fell. He shook himself off without any injury and got back on. He started to do the same moves again but admitted his head wasn't in it after the fall. He backed off and gave the lead to me. I cruised up the spot where he peeled, and made the few delicate maneuvers to reach the next bolt and continue to the top. When I got to the anchor, instead of proceeding to the base of Lawn Darts, I stopped and belayed Adam up. There was a wet patch on Lawn Darts, and I wasn't sure it was possible to do, so I wanted to look at it while I belayed Adam.

Adam cruised the pitch on top rope, and we briefly assessed Lawn Darts from the belay. We agreed the water did not appear to affect the route, and I belayed Adam over to the base of the climb, where he brought me up.

We put the trad rack in our pack, and I counted enough draws to make it to the top. Then I proceeded up. This long pitch starts easily and then reaches a small overlap where I slipped after clipping the bolt. (I did not fall.) That shook me up as I was just standing there, and I think it really messed with my head. I hung for a bit before getting back on. The rock near my feet had a high quartz content, and was quite slippery. I had to work for good foot placements before stepping up onto the overlap, where traction got better. A few moves higher up and there were larger features and eventually some cracks/holes that made the climbing much easier through that section. Around this point, it started to rain slightly. Not enough to make the rock wet yet but enough to make me notice.

Adam at the base of Lawn Darts

The crux of the route comes surmounting a roof. It is easy to get halfway up and clip a bolt above the roof, but I found the next move right to be difficult. In my head I just wanted off the climb, and with the slight rain, I just couldn't motivate to figure out the correct sequence and eventually grabbed the draw to move over. Once in my new position I used some "bigger holds" to gain upward movement and continue to the top. I didn't find the upper section that difficult, but my mind was pretty fried and that always makes climbing feel difficult. At the top I set up a belay and brought Adam up. He hung to rest his calves, and then fell twice at the move right above the roof. Fortunately the rain waited to come down harder until he was at my side. Then we started our rappels.

Rapping in the rain

While we rapped quickly, the rain started coming down harder. By the time we were on our final rap, the rock was wet, and we were getting a little more wet too. We packed up and the rain subsided, only to return again harder about the time we reached the car. Our hopes for other climbs faded, and we headed home to Seattle where it was raining heavily on the west side of the Cascades.

A few interesting items of note. One is that I have been noticing the weather forecasts to be spot on lately. The forecast for Seattle the other day said showers until 11am, and I think they may have lasted until 10:30 before tapering off. Today on route, the rain arrived around 2pm just as forecast. This is interesting, but I have made a new policy of going out to Leavenworth as long as the forecast calls for less than 50% chance of rain. Not sure if I'd apply that same rule to the west side or mountains yet. The other item of note is that Lawn Darts is completely within my capability and I did not climb it that well. I started off with a good head for the climb, but the impending weather and generally lackluster day wore me down. As well as my unexpected slip. I'm not sure there is anything I can do about climbing in weather, but I'll try to be more conscious of my deteriorating head space in the future.