I would say the majority of the peaks I climb here in CO involve some form of bushwacking, but they don't get any worse than B3 on your scale. CO is pretty wide open compared to the Pacific Northwest, but we do have our fair share of deadfall and scrub oak to deal with. So would this go as a B3?
I'm the girl in the video... yeah, in a sick kinda way there were tiny scarce crazy moments when I was glad to be hiking regardless of the nasty scrub oak. HOWEVER, I'd take a TRAIL anyday over bushwhacking!!! This section of the hike was B2 (open enough for a video), however, most of the hike was different... you had to use your whole body (esp hands) to "clear" a way through the brush that was above your head, and keep your distance from the person in front of you or you'd get smacked when they let go... you also could'nt really see the person in front of you! And poor Brian who was with us had on shorts and short-sleeved shirt... he was scratched all to heck!
is the one proper way to handle bushwhack problems, as well as problems with human travel impact off trail. Helps with wetland crossings and with boulderfields, too ;)
Excellent comment. Many Island bushwhacks can be avoided by going in early season - when the snow in the forest is consolidated and the weather is generally pleasant.
Of course, there is a certain cadre of folk out there who like beating themselves up in the bush. For them, and at least as far as Vancouver Island is concerned, human impact isn't really at issue. Only the dedicated few choose to take on such challenges and, even then, may do a chosen objective once or twice in a lifetime. The bush grows so well here that the passage of the (very) occasional bushwacker is of no consequence. That said, we're still careful to leave no trace of our passage.
how cryptobiotic soil ought to fit into the B0-B5 spectrum of travel on/through organic terrain. Easy as B0, unless you have any interest in avoiding environmental damage, in which case technique can range from some kind of hopping dance connecting the dots of rocks and sticks, to merely cringing with every step if there's nothing else to step on.
I think we'd have to give this one an honorary B4-B5 grading in that, in order to respect the delicacy of the terrain, the climbing party would have to carry up lumber and tools to construct an elevated platform above such a fragile area and take it all down again on the descent :)
You are missing Grade B6 - bushwhacking in vegetation so thick that you never touch the ground. I remember once the bush was so thick that we spent most of the time about 10-15 feet above the ground. We had to get a firm stance in the brush to throw our packs a few feet ahead of us. Then we'd thrash forward in the bush tops to get to our packs. The process was repeated over and over, moving forward 2-3 feet at a time.
Nice one. Reminds me of a trip up an Island peak several years ago. Vancouver Island is as well known for its weather as it is for its bush. On this particular trip we left the car in heavy rain and were into thick cloud with absolutely zero vis in no time. There was nothing for it but to keep on pushing gamely upwards following the compass.
We did this for hour upon hour and just when we thought we couldn't take another step the summit cairn appeared - 30 feet below us.
I tend to do some amateur prospection in search of mineral outcrops once trecking in the woods and let me tell you that apart from the fear of getting lost in some thickets just off the main road, a swarm of bugs are murder ! Occasionally a cloud of them just decides to adopt you as the main attraction, and there you are just hoping to find a lake (hopefully not full of leaches) to get away from them (if the kerosene doesn't work well enough to act as the dissausive perfume smell ! )... I means sometimes the biggest, meanest woodland critters (some as big as bubble bees)arrive in swarms in search of food... And then there is the occasional teddy which strangely enough wants to get friendly (or fiendly depending on how you judge the situation) . To be honest I personally was amazed by the curiosity of certain bears which may follow you for miles culminating the experience with a close encounter that is best tackled with that parting mooooooo !
And yes, I did end up in a pond full of leaches once exploring a cave in the Outaouais region of Quebec in relative proximity to the "La Flèche" caves which are a public attraction...
But anyways, no matter how you look at it, thank god mankind invented the GPS and the cell phone to really help ease the fear once something does happen even if the immediacy of the situation may render such devices somewhat useless for the task at hand !
suddendescent - I burst out laughing with your "cloud" of "biggest, meanest woodland critters" "arrive in swarms in search of food" and then you hope for a lake without leeches! So funny, but so true! I found exactly this 'perfect storm' in Maine, in Canada and in Minnesota so I know what you mean! They really make bushwhacking even more fun, don't they!
Thanks Larry. My sense of humour isn't to some peoples' taste but, if you're one of the (rare) exceptions, you might enjoy this TR or even this one - but not if you're of a religious persuasion.
...probably I got as far as B3/B4 at best. I suspect most people never reach B5, unless you count ... the dream in the night following a day at B4!
SpiderSavage - Jan 12, 2009 10:13 pm - Hasn't voted
Rating System Seconded
I hearby second the motion on your rating system for bushwhacking. I would like to add a "W" to the description so as not to confuse it with older bouldering ratings. BW0-5 is highly acceptable as a useful description. I've a lifetime of bushwhacking, including much BW5 (where you no longer touch the earth). Furthermore I propose we get sponsorship and start a glossy magazine, "Bushwhacker" and a book entitled "Top 50 North American Bushwhacks".
Too late Spider. Our local Alpine Club of Canada section publishes a newsletter called "The Bushwhacker" as well as an annual glossy compilation of section members' TR's of the same name. Guess what activity features prominently?
ibndalight - Jan 4, 2009 8:14 pm - Voted 10/10
AwesomeSweet!!!
vancouver islander - Jan 5, 2009 1:45 am - Hasn't voted
Re: AwesomeThanks mate. Glad you enjoyed the article.
shknbke - Jan 5, 2009 12:59 am - Voted 10/10
nice articleI would say the majority of the peaks I climb here in CO involve some form of bushwacking, but they don't get any worse than B3 on your scale. CO is pretty wide open compared to the Pacific Northwest, but we do have our fair share of deadfall and scrub oak to deal with. So would this go as a B3?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajG4DbxZiII&feature=channel_page
vancouver islander - Jan 5, 2009 1:29 am - Hasn't voted
Re: nice articleMany thanks for reading my article. Glad you enjoyed it.
Nice video. B2 I'd say. Shoulder/chest height and it looks reasonably open. Your friends seem to be having fun.
Cheers, Martin
ktiffany22 - Jan 5, 2009 11:16 am - Voted 10/10
Re: nice articleI'm the girl in the video... yeah, in a sick kinda way there were tiny scarce crazy moments when I was glad to be hiking regardless of the nasty scrub oak. HOWEVER, I'd take a TRAIL anyday over bushwhacking!!! This section of the hike was B2 (open enough for a video), however, most of the hike was different... you had to use your whole body (esp hands) to "clear" a way through the brush that was above your head, and keep your distance from the person in front of you or you'd get smacked when they let go... you also could'nt really see the person in front of you! And poor Brian who was with us had on shorts and short-sleeved shirt... he was scratched all to heck!
Dmitry Pruss - Jan 5, 2009 1:16 pm - Voted 10/10
Winter snowsis the one proper way to handle bushwhack problems, as well as problems with human travel impact off trail. Helps with wetland crossings and with boulderfields, too ;)
vancouver islander - Jan 5, 2009 1:45 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Winter snowsExcellent comment. Many Island bushwhacks can be avoided by going in early season - when the snow in the forest is consolidated and the weather is generally pleasant.
Of course, there is a certain cadre of folk out there who like beating themselves up in the bush. For them, and at least as far as Vancouver Island is concerned, human impact isn't really at issue. Only the dedicated few choose to take on such challenges and, even then, may do a chosen objective once or twice in a lifetime. The bush grows so well here that the passage of the (very) occasional bushwacker is of no consequence. That said, we're still careful to leave no trace of our passage.
seanpeckham - Jan 5, 2009 6:16 pm - Voted 10/10
I wonderhow cryptobiotic soil ought to fit into the B0-B5 spectrum of travel on/through organic terrain. Easy as B0, unless you have any interest in avoiding environmental damage, in which case technique can range from some kind of hopping dance connecting the dots of rocks and sticks, to merely cringing with every step if there's nothing else to step on.
vancouver islander - Jan 6, 2009 3:16 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: I wonderI think we'd have to give this one an honorary B4-B5 grading in that, in order to respect the delicacy of the terrain, the climbing party would have to carry up lumber and tools to construct an elevated platform above such a fragile area and take it all down again on the descent :)
Thanks for reading my article.
Cheers, Martin
rpc - Jan 5, 2009 7:09 pm - Voted 10/10
very nicefor some reason makes me nostalgic for summertime :)
thanks for the write-up Martin.
vancouver islander - Jan 6, 2009 7:08 pm - Hasn't voted
nostalgic for summertimeMe too? You must be getting the same sh***y weather down there as we're getting on the Island at the moment.
All the best, Martin
Sierra Ledge Rat - Jan 7, 2009 7:57 am - Hasn't voted
Grade B6????You are missing Grade B6 - bushwhacking in vegetation so thick that you never touch the ground. I remember once the bush was so thick that we spent most of the time about 10-15 feet above the ground. We had to get a firm stance in the brush to throw our packs a few feet ahead of us. Then we'd thrash forward in the bush tops to get to our packs. The process was repeated over and over, moving forward 2-3 feet at a time.
vancouver islander - Jan 7, 2009 11:10 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Grade B6????:)
Nice one. Reminds me of a trip up an Island peak several years ago. Vancouver Island is as well known for its weather as it is for its bush. On this particular trip we left the car in heavy rain and were into thick cloud with absolutely zero vis in no time. There was nothing for it but to keep on pushing gamely upwards following the compass.
We did this for hour upon hour and just when we thought we couldn't take another step the summit cairn appeared - 30 feet below us.
suddendescent - Jan 7, 2009 11:29 am - Hasn't voted
Bush wackingI tend to do some amateur prospection in search of mineral outcrops once trecking in the woods and let me tell you that apart from the fear of getting lost in some thickets just off the main road, a swarm of bugs are murder ! Occasionally a cloud of them just decides to adopt you as the main attraction, and there you are just hoping to find a lake (hopefully not full of leaches) to get away from them (if the kerosene doesn't work well enough to act as the dissausive perfume smell ! )... I means sometimes the biggest, meanest woodland critters (some as big as bubble bees)arrive in swarms in search of food... And then there is the occasional teddy which strangely enough wants to get friendly (or fiendly depending on how you judge the situation) . To be honest I personally was amazed by the curiosity of certain bears which may follow you for miles culminating the experience with a close encounter that is best tackled with that parting mooooooo !
And yes, I did end up in a pond full of leaches once exploring a cave in the Outaouais region of Quebec in relative proximity to the "La Flèche" caves which are a public attraction...
But anyways, no matter how you look at it, thank god mankind invented the GPS and the cell phone to really help ease the fear once something does happen even if the immediacy of the situation may render such devices somewhat useless for the task at hand !
silversummit - Jan 7, 2009 10:21 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Bush wackingsuddendescent - I burst out laughing with your "cloud" of "biggest, meanest woodland critters" "arrive in swarms in search of food" and then you hope for a lake without leeches! So funny, but so true! I found exactly this 'perfect storm' in Maine, in Canada and in Minnesota so I know what you mean! They really make bushwhacking even more fun, don't they!
Thanks for a good laugh.....
Kathy
Larry V - Jan 7, 2009 10:46 pm - Voted 10/10
Nice articleOne of the more enjoyable readings I've encountered on SP. Good sense of humor, thanks.
vancouver islander - Jan 7, 2009 11:18 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Nice articleThanks Larry. My sense of humour isn't to some peoples' taste but, if you're one of the (rare) exceptions, you might enjoy this TR or even this one - but not if you're of a religious persuasion.
Hydronium - Jan 8, 2009 6:59 am - Voted 10/10
nice one......probably I got as far as B3/B4 at best. I suspect most people never reach B5, unless you count ... the dream in the night following a day at B4!
SpiderSavage - Jan 12, 2009 10:13 pm - Hasn't voted
Rating System SecondedI hearby second the motion on your rating system for bushwhacking. I would like to add a "W" to the description so as not to confuse it with older bouldering ratings. BW0-5 is highly acceptable as a useful description. I've a lifetime of bushwhacking, including much BW5 (where you no longer touch the earth). Furthermore I propose we get sponsorship and start a glossy magazine, "Bushwhacker" and a book entitled "Top 50 North American Bushwhacks".
vancouver islander - Jan 12, 2009 10:54 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Rating System SecondedToo late Spider. Our local Alpine Club of Canada section publishes a newsletter called "The Bushwhacker" as well as an annual glossy compilation of section members' TR's of the same name. Guess what activity features prominently?
Visit this link.