while I'm not sure I agree with the (frequently used by Washingtonians) viewpoint that the N Cascades are THE best area in the lower 48 for "alpine mountaineering/climbing," so much of that statement just depends on how you define that (height, amount of snow climbing, amount of mixed climbing, amount of glaciers, steepness, ruggedness, ease of access (or lack thereof, ...), that it just depends on what you mean). Regardless, they are some of the most rugged mountains I know of (& certainly some of the hardest to get to!), & a beautiful bunch for sure. Glad to read about your adventure- sounds like it was a blast! Climb safe & keep having fun!
Diggler,
Yeah I know how much goes into that statement. Everyone has a slight bias and I know both of us have spent lots of time in all of the mountains in the lower 48 so I understand there is room for different opinions. The Wind Rivers in Wyoming certainly rival anything in WA. Alpine mountaineering IMO is defined by having glaciers, ice/rock climbing, long approaches/deep wilderness, weather (or the lack of), ruggedness (ie...even mountain passes are very difficult) etc. For me elevation doesn't mean as much (unless it's over 20k feet). Thanks for commenting. I will for sure continue to have fun climbing!
I used the same camera for the whole trip...my Canon SD 500 point and shoot. To make the panos, I take multiple photos in a row and stitch them together with a program on my computer at home. As for Josh's shoes, he carried plastics for the glaciers and those shoes he had in the photo were his approach/rock shoes. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for the post, the pics remind me of my times in the Southern Unit of the Cascades. Buckners North Face photo is impressive, and, as always, the black diamond summit of Forbidden.
JoelSkok - Sep 15, 2012 8:24 pm - Voted 10/10
Great TRMost intriguing thing was how stunned you were to unexpectedly get up Boston. Great job, great pictures
Snidely Whiplash - Sep 23, 2012 6:06 pm - Voted 10/10
Wow!Simply wow! What a great climbing excursion with some amazing conditions with superlative photography to document it. Fantastic job, guys!
Matt Lemke - Sep 23, 2012 6:14 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Wow!Thank you for commenting! It was a fantastic trip indeed
kylenicolls - Sep 30, 2012 1:23 pm - Hasn't voted
Nice.Pretty wild snow bridge you passed on. I keep hoping I find a job in WA after reading TR's like this.
Matt Lemke - Oct 2, 2012 12:59 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Nice.Yeah it was a pretty sweet bridge! Thanks for commenting. The mountains here are nothing short of spectacular!
Diggler - Oct 2, 2012 8:08 pm - Voted 10/10
nice TRHey Matt,
while I'm not sure I agree with the (frequently used by Washingtonians) viewpoint that the N Cascades are THE best area in the lower 48 for "alpine mountaineering/climbing," so much of that statement just depends on how you define that (height, amount of snow climbing, amount of mixed climbing, amount of glaciers, steepness, ruggedness, ease of access (or lack thereof, ...), that it just depends on what you mean). Regardless, they are some of the most rugged mountains I know of (& certainly some of the hardest to get to!), & a beautiful bunch for sure. Glad to read about your adventure- sounds like it was a blast! Climb safe & keep having fun!
Matt Lemke - Oct 3, 2012 12:23 am - Hasn't voted
Re: nice TRDiggler,
Yeah I know how much goes into that statement. Everyone has a slight bias and I know both of us have spent lots of time in all of the mountains in the lower 48 so I understand there is room for different opinions. The Wind Rivers in Wyoming certainly rival anything in WA. Alpine mountaineering IMO is defined by having glaciers, ice/rock climbing, long approaches/deep wilderness, weather (or the lack of), ruggedness (ie...even mountain passes are very difficult) etc. For me elevation doesn't mean as much (unless it's over 20k feet). Thanks for commenting. I will for sure continue to have fun climbing!
Matt Lemke - Oct 7, 2012 10:51 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Nice Photos and TRI used the same camera for the whole trip...my Canon SD 500 point and shoot. To make the panos, I take multiple photos in a row and stitch them together with a program on my computer at home. As for Josh's shoes, he carried plastics for the glaciers and those shoes he had in the photo were his approach/rock shoes. Thanks for reading!
kpthomson - Oct 10, 2012 12:28 pm - Hasn't voted
MemoriesThanks for the post, the pics remind me of my times in the Southern Unit of the Cascades. Buckners North Face photo is impressive, and, as always, the black diamond summit of Forbidden.
Matt Lemke - Oct 10, 2012 2:21 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: MemoriesThanks for commenting! Glad you liked the photos
Cheers