I've been making stickers with self-deprecating awards for climbers, especially new trad leaders, such as "didn't freak the heck out on a 5.7," "only got a little off route," and "made it home." This reflects the nature of the learning process. For most people, starting to lead (especially trad, especially in a remote, "alpine" setting)... Continue Reading →
I'm writing about 100 mountains I think are neat. The full list is here. Westy and I go on a lot of weeknight hikes, as we have both more evening free time and more restlessness than most people. Sometimes, we get ambitious, and climb the Tooth or get lost on a longer trail until 2... Continue Reading →
Before I'd ever thought about climbing Dome Peak, the only time I'd ever heard it mentioned was in the stories my friend Chelise told me about this rescue on a Mountaineers trip that took place there. I knew it was pretty far from any road, which is why the incident, in which an ice climber... Continue Reading →
Loowit (Mt. St. Helens) is not made of beautiful rock spires. It is not (in the summer, at least) covered in snow with dramatically windblown icy slopes leading to the summit. Loowit is made of dust. For anyone (like me before moving here) that missed the memo, this is because it is a volcano that... Continue Reading →
If you're not from Seattle, the familiarity of the mailbox is probably lost on you. But when I first hiked it on a visit to Seattle, before the new, less steep trail even existed, it was so steep my sedentary college body felt overheated, and I laid on the floor for a few hours. The... Continue Reading →
I'm writing about 100 great peaks in the northwest. The full list is here. There's a special type of rock in Wenatchee, towering and dramatic walls of solid granite that are as beautiful as they are solid. This climber's playground is filled with precariously balanced rocks and pillars that look like castle turrets. So much... Continue Reading →
I'm writing about 100 peaks I think are rad. Here's the full list so far. Also, for examples of other subtle sexism, this is hilarious and eye-opening. When I was first reading about Sahale, I saw multiple forum posts where it was called a "girlfriend climb" or something similar, implying it's easy to take your... Continue Reading →
When we got to the top of Mt. Stuart last year, we were basking in the excitement that we could climb something so prominent in one day and with no technical skills. Climbing something so obviously massive, the 6th highest peak in Washington, as inexperienced climbers, seemed to make all of us feel like we... Continue Reading →
It was dark, and Westy was digging out a rock in the ground with his ice axe. He scraped around with his hands to find the edges. It took ages to shake loose a toaster-sized rock in the way of the front tire. I tried to stay out of axe-to-head range and looked again at... Continue Reading →
