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mambwe wrote:

Vitaliy M. wrote: No point in this thread IMO.

This was more of a logistical question.

Things ALWAYS look bigger in the West, and distances are always greater.

One time I wanted to focus on some of the Cascade "scrambles" in western Washington, and ended up staying there for 8 years.
(Which panned out for me, because I ended up going to college.)

I'm sure things will CLICK for you once you get Rainier under your belt.

Ok, easy scrambles. Here are some suggestions for the North Cascades leg of your trip. I would give myself a couple of days after your NC trip ends before starting your Rainier trip to let your legs rest. If you have never climbed in an alpine range, it will all blow your hair back.

North Twin Sister: West Ridge. Fun scrambling, great position and views, velcro like rock.

Sulphide Glacier on Mt Shuksan: A really straight forward glacier and a class three summit scramble.

Ruth Glacier on Mt Ruth: Again, a straight forward glacier with fantastic views. A Corgi had summitted without any special equipment, so it is really not that difficult. Traverse to Icy Peak for a bonus peak.

Silverstar Mountain: Easy scramble with great views into the impressive Wine Spires and the Early Winters group.

Black Peak. Can't remember the route, there is a couple of scrambly routes on it. Great position.

Eldorado Peak: East Ridge. Easy glacier travel to a cool knife edge summit ridge with great views all around.

The idea of a summit in the Tatoosh makes sense - less driving, easier summit. Pinnacle Peak, Lane Peak, Castle Peak all have scramble routes and afford amazing views back towards what you just climbed.

Josh Lewis wrote:

Vitaliy M. wrote:No point in this thread IMO.

If they are as strong as "the average hiker" than I would say it was worth asking.

+1. I don't think people who haven't climbed a Cascade volcano appreciate how big they are and how much more strenuous it is to climb several thousand feet of snow or ice vs. hiking up a similarly high peak in Colorado or the Sierra.

+1. I don't think people who haven't climbed a Cascade volcano appreciate how big they are and how much more strenuous it is to climb several thousand feet of snow or ice vs. hiking up a similarly high peak in Colorado or the Sierra.

Do not agree with that. There were trips in Sierra that whooped my ass 10x more than Liberty Ridge on Rainier or day-hiking/over-nighting any of the 6 different routes I did on Shasta...All of it is condition dependent, and depends how far deep in (sierra) one is willing to travel.

Vitaliy M. wrote:Do not agree with that. There were trips in Sierra that whooped my ass 10x more than Liberty Ridge on Rainier or day-hiking/over-nighting any of the 6 different routes I did on Shasta...All of it is condition dependent, and depends how far deep in (sierra) one is willing to travel.

I'd buy that. I've done trips in the Casacades that worked me 10x harder than Liberty Ridge.

ExcitableBoy wrote:

Vitaliy M. wrote:Do not agree with that. There were trips in Sierra that whooped my ass 10x more than Liberty Ridge on Rainier or day-hiking/over-nighting any of the 6 different routes I did on Shasta...All of it is condition dependent, and depends how far deep in (sierra) one is willing to travel.

I'd buy that. I've done trips in the Casacades that worked me 10x harder than Liberty Ridge.

WHAAAATT!!!? I thought there was only one mountain in the Cascades, and rest of them were easy "peaks?!" (heavy sarcasm, sorry)

I heard that stuff in pickets range defeats many on the approach!

Vitaliy M. wrote:

ExcitableBoy wrote:

Vitaliy M. wrote:Do not agree with that. There were trips in Sierra that whooped my ass 10x more than Liberty Ridge on Rainier or day-hiking/over-nighting any of the 6 different routes I did on Shasta...All of it is condition dependent, and depends how far deep in (sierra) one is willing to travel.

I'd buy that. I've done trips in the Casacades that worked me 10x harder than Liberty Ridge.

WHAAAATT!!!? I thought there was only one mountain in the Cascades, and rest of them were easy "peaks?!" (heavy sarcasm, sorry)

I heard that stuff in pickets range defeats many on the approach!

Many locals view Rainier as a tourist peak and spend their time in the North Cascades, or doing the genuinely harder routes like Curtis or Ptarmigan Ridges or the mountain in winter. The entrance price to the Pickets is steep.

I'm not saying every Cascade volcano is bigger than every Sierra or Colorado peak. The Cascade peak that probably whupped my ass most was Mt. Baker North Ridge (and it's not even 11K' high!) due to the nasty conditions we had on the route. Shasta was a piece of cake and Liberty Ridge not that bad (though we took our time doing it), and I've also done more exhausting climbs in the Sierra and Colorado than either of those. But I am saying that if you never done a glaciated volcano it's hard to a good feel for how much effort it is, especially if you have only done walk ups in the Sierra or Colorado or other smaller ranges.

Like I said, if this is the OP's first trip to an alpine range, it will all blow his hair back.

ExcitableBoy wrote:Like I said, if this is the OP's first trip to an alpine range, it will all blow his hair back.

I think it will blow MORE than his hair ... most definitely will blow his mind ..

Not to make light of a serious subject, but it most certainly blew my mind the first time I stepped foot on ... Times Square in New York City in 1978.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q7Vr3yQYWQ[/youtube]

mambwe wrote:I'm attempting to climb Rainier in August using IMG. The climb with them is Wed-Friday. We are flying back to NY on Saturday taking the red eye leaving Seattle at 11pm. Is it possible or doable to drive to Mt Adams on the Friday we get down from Rainier then drive to Mt Adams for an attempt Saturday? AND then make it to Seattle airport in time for our flight? I doubt it, but I figured I would see what you guys had to say. Of course, there is aways the possibility that we won't be able to walk after Rainier. We would be attempting the South Spur Route.

No.

Vitaliy M. wrote:No point in this thread IMO.

Vitality, you are behaving like Chief. If the guy isn't from the area he might not have a clue as to how long it takes to climb Adams, how bad the traffic is in Seattle on Saturday, how long of a drive it is from Rainier to Adams (because we all know Mapquest accounts for the slowest possible driver), etc. Give the guy a break he just wants to make the most of his trip. Though I would offer this advice, I have found that normally after the highlight of the trip you don't really care about other peaks at that point. You would probably find your motivation for Adams to be higher before Rainier than after. I would think after Rainier, you would realize that Adams would not compare in terms of excitement on the same trip, and you would feel as though you were forcing yourself to go peakbagging.