A reminder that we are climbing on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Seattle Vertical World. We meet at 6:00am and go until about 8:00am. Join us! And click this link to see Vertical World story.

Dateline Saturday October 25: Wow, what a party!! Many thanks to Dina and Mario Moreno for opening their house to Milkshake Madness! Lots of people, lots of photographs, and of course, MILKSHAKES!! Thanks everybody - see ya next year!

Tieton Canyon rocks! Dox, M.J., Tim and Phil spent the weekend of October 18 & 19 climbing at the popular crag Royal Columns. A great time was had by all. Click to see Doxey's Tieton Cragging story.

Catching up with Steve D. is hard to do! Steve has been hiking with the new kid, Grayson. "I mangaged to get Grayson to the top of Skyscraper, Pilchuck and Esmeralda this summer. Not too bad for someone who can't even walk yet." Yeah, I'd say! Photos!

Seth and Anna have just returned from their visit to the Shawangunks area of New York state for a bit of rock climbing. Here is a photo of Seth leading High Exposure, 5.6. I asked Seth if he pulled this one off. "Oh yeah, I sent it. Great climb! My brother Ethan looked pretty wide-eyed when he topped out. ;-)" Wow, way to go!

Also from Steve, "Paul and I climbed Foggy Peak and Kyes Peak. The little pocket glacier near the top is really cute (can you call a glacier cute?) and the final part is fun scramble. It was a really hot day, so I was pretty wiped by the end. I stopped at the Sky and found a deep pool, stripped down and took a refreshing, if not somewhat numbing, dip. It was a great way to end the day."

During first week of September, Stephanie and Jim climbed Black Peak via NE Ridge! Both were thrilled with their success. Congratulations to you both!

Dateline September 28: Doxey has pulled off his first trad lead! Supported by friends above and below, and after practicing several times, Dox led the famous Classic Crack, 5.8+, on Icicle Canyons EightMile Rock. Afterward, Dox was heard to say, "Its Miller Time!" Seth was on hand to snap some photos. Click for Seth's Classic Crack photo page. Thanks for indulging me, everybody!

On the weekend of September 13, 14 and 15, a bunch of Bushwhackers enjoyed a weekend of cragging at Leavenworth's Icicle Canyon. The bunch visited XY Cracks, Hammerhead Rock, EightMile Rock, Barneys Rubble, and Carla and Amy even bushwhacked to Marley Crags. A great time was had by all! Click to view the Icicle Canyon Cragging outing.

The week before Labor Day, Rick and Carl, and their pal Doug, climbed to the top of Blue Glacier and nearly to the summit of Mt Olympus! Since the threesome have little rock experience they hoped another party would be around to help but they found themselves alone at the top. Says Rick, "Weather and snow conditions were close to perfect. The lower Blue was pretty much a lake in the afternoon. Routefinding was easy across to the back side of 5 fingers ridge with a boot path most of the way up. Did some zig-zagging to get around crevases, but all of the snowbridges seemed pretty solid. Views were awesome with only a few scattered clouds. If only the last 100' wasn't such steep rock!"

Doug Y. and his partner-in-crime Steve H. have been climbin' mountains! The pair completed the infamous Beat the Bulgers outing in August - ouch! Says Doug, "Steve House and I did the Beat the Bulgers, 12-1/2 hrs for the loop. The weather was cool and cloudy, no views from any of the summits. It finally cleared as we were coming down from Granite. The bushwhack up the east ridge of Bandera was no picnic, it had rained up there Friday night and every little bit of vegetation was like a sponge waiting to release on anything that touched it. We got soaked! My boots were drenched as if I'd been walking up a creek, I wrung water out of my socks at Bandera summit and again at Island lake." Perfect!! Thats what we expect from Beat the Bulgers!

Now on a roll, the pair joined up with Fred R. on a Tatoosh Traverse! Again Doug: "We did it! Steve House, Fred Redmon, and I tagged 7 peaks in the Tatoosh range yesterday. 11-1/4 hours to go from the Pinnacle Peak trailhed to Longmire. Lots of good scrambling, only two of the peaks would be what I'd call easy with minimal exposure. Several had significant exposure, but always with a fairly good path and lots of handholds in the steepish sections. Some decent views, but the weather never really broke for us. But it didn't crash, either, so that was good. I'll try to get a trip report written up and send along some summit photos in the next few days." Yeah, photos!!

Our pals Seth and Anna are on fire!! We'll need a whole Bushwhacker Newsletter edition just for them! In August the pair visited Yosemite - wowsa! Said Seth, "We climbed for 4 days with Ron Skelton, a friend of Anna's and a local who has been climbing in Yosemite for about 30 years. Now, at age 62, he is still a 5.12 climber - wow! Anyhow, he gave us quite a climbing tour of the park. Probably my favorite climbs were in the Lower Yosemite Falls Amphitheatre - beautiful steep crack lines right next to the falls." Click on the thumbnail for a photo of Anna on the fourth pitch of the classic 5.8 Nutcracker.

But thats not all! Our rock climbing correspondent has spotted Anna and Seth at Exit 38, Leavenworth's Icicle Canyon, and Index Town Wall. Seth says, "At Index I led Lizard - 5.8+ 4 pitches - scary!! Had to aid my way through the roof because I was shaking too much ;-) At Leavenworth I led Givler's Crack, a 4 star 5.7+ 3 pitch with an awesome hand crack. Sore fingers!!" Indeed!!

Seth & Anna were joined by Doxey and David P., aka "Mr. Pippie", on a weekend trip to Tieton. The foursome, when not fending off rattlesnakes, climbed several fantastic cracks, including the moderate Western Front, 5.4. As you can see in the photo, Mr. Pippie makes a breakfast an exciting event!

In other news, Doug and Keith climbed Castle Rock on August 11. The pair climbed the famous Saber route, 5.6, a Tumwater Canyon classic. Despite stirring up the hornets (ouch!), Doug said, "It was a hoot! It was my first trad climb and my first multi-pitch rock climb!" Wow, way to go guys!

On weekend of August 2 & 3, Phil S. and Doxey managed to stick to the sides of Slippery Slabs Tower. The two camped at beautiful Upper Thunder Lake on Saturday, then climbed the spire on Sunday. Its a short rock climb so we did two routes, the SE Face and the NE Face, both moderate class 5 climbs. Great rock leading by Phil - good times!

Also that weekend, Perry put together an outing to investigate the remote southern section of Glacier Peak. The intrepid foursome consisted of Perry, Adam, Phil S., and Frederic. I asked Perry what they found there. "A beautiful area, solitude, an abundance of wildflowers, but extremely low snow conditions and only the remnant of what was supposed to be a glacier along the climbing route. Instead of scrambling up rock and dirt slopes for much of the way to the top, we climbed the surviving portion of the White Chuck Glacier and opted to make that our "summit."

On weekend of July 26, our pal Mario finished some previously unfinished business - West MacMillan Spire! Says Mario, "Picketeers perseverence pays off. Kevin, Doug, Jim and I enjoyed picture perfect, blue bird weather in the Southern Pickets and got ourselves up West MacMillan Spire. Unbelievable views in every direction including a great view of our old nemesis Fury. I loved the last little bit of climbing near the top - an airy, easy catwalk with breathtaking exposure. Wow!" Wow is right - a Southern Pickets summit - way to go guys!

Also on that same weekend, Steve D. and his pal Paul climbed the elusive Mt. Spickard - wowsa!! Says Steve, "Man, what an awesome trip. Everything from the forest in the bottom of the Depot Creek Valley to the summit of Spickard was worth every ounce of effort." Steve has written a feature article on this terrific outing - click to see Steve's Mt Spickard feature article.

I heard rumors of a Bushwhacker climb of Mt Rainier. Doug Y. says that he was unable to participate but he heard Steve H., Shawn, Theron, and Josiah summitted July 29 in beautiful weather. Details once I'm able to speak with one of them.

Stephanie has published photos from the recent Bushwhacker attempt on Triumph and Despair in her MSN photo album site. Stephanie says, "Hours of bushwhacking interspersed with spectacular scenery. Friends and, er, whisky (came in handy on the "let's stay in the tent while it blows a hooey" day) and yes, it truly was a privilege to be there!" Here are Stephanies Triumph and Despair photos.

Got an email from our pal Roland who has moved to New Zealand. Roland says, " Greetings from Down Under! Haven't had much chance to do much hiking other than day hikes since I got here. Weather is getting warmer and brighter, but still a long way to Spring. My stuff from the US finally arrived, including my hiking gear, so hope to get out in the near future."

I saw David P. at the coffeeshop this morning. He is wrapping up his ninth season of leading kids on summer dayhikes. I've heard descriptions of these "hikes" and some are quite rigorous and, er, brushy. David says lots of Bushwhackers are in the making. And he reports that yes, the bus is still functional. Photos! We want photos!

Dateline July 17: Challenger 1, Bushwhackers 0! Thats the score, and the way it goes sometimes in the rugged Picket Range. Mario led Doug, Doxey, David M., Chris H., and Kevin on the infamous Eiley / Wiley Traverse, and after three days of strenous approach hiking the group came up just shy of the summit. A storm shut down the climb 900 feet from the top! It was a tough hike, but wow, a scenic wonder. It was great to spend time in such beautiful high country with friends.

Also on the weekend of July 12, a group led by Jim M. encountered the same weather on an effort to climb Triumph and Despair. Says Jim, "All in all, even though we didn't summit, it was a successful trip. The North Cascades and old man weather just foiled our aspirations slightly. It appeared we were the first people in to Triumph Pass this summer. It was a privilege to just be there." Hopefully Jim and his comrades Phil, Stephanie and Carla will release photos for use on the Newsletter.

Also that weekend, Steve D. and his climbing partner Paul managed to slip to the summit of Colfax Peak just before the weather arrived. Said Steve, "Luckily we left on Friday and returned Saturday so we avoided the heinous weather that set Saturday afternoon. If fact, as we signed out at the ranger station there was a loud clap of thunder and skies opened up." Sounds like they loved their high camp. "We camped at 7200' on Heliotrope Ridge. It's got to be one of the best sites on the mountain." Hey Steve, congrats on your climb!

Also successful that weekend was Rob D. Rob and his friends Ethan and Carl climbed Glacier Peak's Sitkum Glacier route in the rain. Apparently the group didn't see a thing the entire time but had a great time in the mountains together. Asked about the outing, Rob said, "Awesome. We got hammered but we made it."

July 4 weekend: Anna and Seth are makin' it happen! The two led a Bushwhacker Cragging outing to Icicle Canyon near Leavenworth that included Doug, Jackie, Cynthia and Doxey. After showing us the ropes at the beginner crags, the pair took off on their own. They swung leads up the "Tree Route" on Eightmile Buttress, a multi-pitch trad climb. However, it sounds like they weren't too impressed. Said Seth, "It got 2 stars in the book, and was recommended by 2 different people, but got 0 stars from us. We spent 2+ hours finding it because we were at the wrong buttress, thanks to the 'great' guide book. The climb had a few fun moves, but some dirty rock and a lot of just scrambling over blocks. Then a hard-to-protect, insecure offwidth crack finish. I wouldn't go back for that one!" In spite of that, everyone had a safe and fun time. Seth said, "All in all, the weekend was great!"

Chris H. is climbin' mountains! Chris led a group of his pals up the Ruth Mtn/Icy Peak Traverse over July Fourth weekend. Says Chris, "We had Ruth saddle all to ourselves the first night and didn’t see another soul until our departure on the 5th. It was the first time in my memory that I didn’t hear a firecracker on the 4th, but had a natural sound show that would put all others to shame. Large seracs thundered off of the Nooksack glacier literally all day long happening every 15-20 minutes. Definitely a cool sight! We ended up in a whiteout going up Icy, but navigated our way to the summit successfully. A pretty cool weekend all told!"

Steve D. has been climbing with his pal Paul. Over the Fourth of July weekend the two climbed Colchuck Balanced Rock - wowsa! Steve said, "Man, what a cool climb." Steve said they threw a rope over the rock and jumared to the get on top! Steve continued, "The summit is a flat platform about 10'x12', a great place to lounge in the sun and take in the views of the surrounding Stuart Range." Thats awesome, way to go Steve and Paul!

The same twosome climbed Eightmile Mountain two weeks ago in what sounds like full conditions. Steve said, "We topped out amidst wind driven snow whipping across the summit. We started getting snow around 5200' and it didn't let up until we hit that mark on the way back down. Great start to the summer. It was a good training day with about 12 miles and 4800'." Sounds like a tough hike - way to hang in there guys!

I hear tell that Jim, Phil, Stephanie and Randy completed the Ruth Mountain / Icy Peak Traverse - hey, great job! Phil says, "Yeeehaw! I love that Icy Peak climb!" Phil also said that the group watched a glacier avalanche down Icy Peak. "We saw the hanging glacier/ice fall on Icy Peak collapse and avalanche away. The sight was spectacular! It was a chunk of glacier about forty to fifty feet thick, the area of four football fields which suddenly just collapsed with a roar, and climax avalanched in an ominous white deluge all the way down to the valley floor about four thousand feet below. None of the four of us could believe our eyes. What was left behind was bare wet rock and destructed residue of pummeled ice blocks. Makes you think twice about frolicking in those happy summer meadows below the high mountains in Summer. What was one moment a peaceful heather meadow with bits of old avalanche snow was the next a massive debris field, burried ten or twenty feet deep!" Wow, thats incredible!

A group of six Bushwhackers climbed Mt Baker via Boulder Glacier, June 27 28 29. Wow, what a weekend, and what a route! Lots of cracks kept the team zig-zagging up the glacier all day. Eventually the team hit the summit and enjoyed glorious vistas in all directions. Led by Doxey, the team included Chris, Robin, Carla, Mike S. and Frederic. Great group, and Summit City! See Doxey and Frederic's Boulder Glacier photo essay.

Mario and David M. climbed Mt Thompson via the West Ridge on Sunday the 29th - wow!! Mario said "Thanks to David we were able to make it go. Airy and beautiful, a very sweet climb!" Indeed impressive, way to go guys!

Fred and Peter Redmon climbed Mt Rainier on the same weekend, with a large group of different backgrounds. Fred says, "We went up the Muir DC route. Left about 12:30 am. Peter and his team summited around 5:30. Our rope summited "later". Anyway it was great to be back on the mountain with Peter." Nice! Lets see those photo's, Fred!

On weekend of June 21, a group of four went to the eastside of the mountains to escape the rain, and encountered everything from snow and rain to bright sunshine. Doxey, Rob, Carla and Shannon attempted Robinson Mountain in the Paysaten Wilderness. The group turned around at the false summit due to whiteout, but had a great time exploring the area.

Steve Short is gettin' out! Steve climbed Ingalls East Peak with the Mountaineers on June 14. Steve said, "This was a bit more technical than the West Peak of Ingall's that I did June 14, 2002. For the East Peak we had great weather and the trek up to the peak was snow - made for an easier approach. The rappels were a bit interesting too with a little airtime." The first photo shows Steve on rappel from the summit. The second is the view from Ingalls to Stuart. Hey Steve, nice job!

Doug Hagen initiated a climb of Mt Adams via Adams Glacier, June 14 15 16. The group was Doug, Keith, Kevin, David M., and Jeff K. Keith said, "The climb was amazing - sustained 50 degree snow and ice with awesome exposure and big yawning crevasses. The icing on the cake occurred on the hike out when Doug and I lost the trail and had a glorious pacific northwest style 3 hour bushwhack back to the road. Wouldn't have it any other way." Adams Glacier! Way to go, guys!

Carla is goin' non-stop! On weekend of June 7 she and the gang from Sisters of Stone (SOS) rock climbed in Leavenworth. SOS is a womens climbing club organized at Vertical World. She said the weather was perfect, the climbing was great, and everybody had a great time. Yay!

On June 9, Jim and Doug climbed Dragontail, with their pet goat! They got back to their bivy site just in time for a big thunderstorm - yikes! Doug said, "The Enchantments are absolutely beautiful. It was really a blast!" Jim says, "Sublime. Snow climb virtually all the way, including a face to the slope down climb. Then a very friendly mountain goat at the summit, great glissades almost all the way to camp, a thunderstorm, and for me plastic boot hell on the trail out." Hey Doug, I hear you got photos! Photos! We want photos!

The Bushwhacker Newsletter Staff Retreat went well. The entire staff of the Newsletter climbed Barrier Peak in Mt Rainier National Park. A little bushwhacky at the beginning, the snow was certainly a welcome sight. Big views of MRNP - a nice summit!

Six Bushwhackers have returned from the Denali National Park's Kahiltna Glacier. Wow, thats some spectacular scenery! The group, Doxey Rob Carla Seth John and Shawn, climbed Mt Capps and Kahiltna Dome. More peaks were on the list but the weather thwarted our intentions. No matter - great group and good times. Thanks Alaska! Check out Doxey's Kahiltna Dome report - still under construction.

Doug, Jackie, Jim, Keith, Hillary and Brad scrambled up Hibox on June 1. Doug said they all had a great time. Keith says, "It is definitely a great one-day, relatively close-to-town outing with a fun scramble." Nice! Thanks for the photos, Keith! Have a look at Doug's Hibox trip report.

Steve Matera gave a great presentation at the Seattle REI, Thursday night May 15. Great photos, plus Steve's humorous dialog. Lots of Bushwhackers were in attendance - quite an event, really. Way to go, Steve!

Wow, great fun in Stehekin! Climbing during the day, burritos and beer at night! The group was Seth, Carla, Anna, Doug, John, Rob, Doxey and Logan the Wonder Dog. Click to see the Boulder Butte & Rainbow Mtn report.

This just in from Bushwhacker Newsletter Ski Correspondent Phil Smith: "Saturday May 11th. Ski-maniacs Randy, Jim, Shauna and I made our way out from Baker Ski Area on a gloriously sunny tour around Table Mountain via Herman Saddle to Artist Point. We all got plenty o' sun-burnin' and found lots of untracked terrain to carve tele-turns. The recent snow was still a bit unconsolidated and heavy at times, but the clear day and the rugged terrain made up for that. We made good time, and did the loop in five hours with only a minimal ammount of "hurry-up", which left us plenty of time to stop in at the Conway Tavern biker bar for burgers after!!" Nice job - way to go folks!

Heather and Stephanie climbed Mt St Helens, May 5, 6 and 7. Says Heather, "It was splendid! Awesome weather. Zero wind at camp both nights! Clear days! My nose is red from the sun, and Steph was very proud to get a t-shirt from Jack's store that says "I climbed Mt. St. Helens." Yay! Great job! Photos! We want photos!

Jen Schaeffer is getting ready for her PCT through-hike. We've been invited to hike with her in Washington when she arrives here - she expects it to be August. Good luck, Jen!

Bushwhackers are bustin' moves at the Seattle Vertical World climbing gym. Look for the gang there on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6:00am - yep, thats 6:00am. We go until about 8:30 or so. Join us!

You may also be interested in the regular Wednesday morning training hikes at Tiger Mountain. We use the Cable Trail, which we have renamed Tiger Couloir Directisima. Meet us outside the gate just before 6:00am - we are on the trail by 6:05. Round trip to and from the West Summit is usually about two hours. This is a fun way to get ready for the upcoming mountaineering season - hope to see you there!

Great group - too bad about the weather. On April 12, despite the rain, a big group of Bushwhackers hiked up Sourdough Mtn to Jeanita Knob - a bump along the route. Doxey, David P., Seth, Mary, Rob, Ethan, Frederic, Carla and Logan the Wonder Dog. The car camp at Goodell Creek was fun and the weather improved considerably that evening. But by morning the improvement was naught. Eventually the relentless rain doused the most stalwart flames of enthusiasm and a thousand feet above Pyramid Lake the group turned back and ran pell-mell down to the cars.

On another note, Doxey and "Madame X" are working hard to get in shape for the season. On Wednesday the 9th they completed their Triumphant Trilogy - first Tiger Mountain, then Mailbox Peak, then Mount Si - in a day! Thats 20 miles and 9400 feet! I just want to point out that this was Madame X's idea. She who is too shy to be recognized should be avoided at all costs lest ye be drawn into her evil vortex.

Bushwhackers are stompin' around their stompin' grounds! Doxey, Carla, Roland, Rob and Orla ventured to the valley of the North Fork Skykomish River and climbed Bald Eagle Mountain on April 6. The rendezvous was a complete pratfall, but once we started hiking everything went real well. Bald Eagle is a nice summit - way to go team!

We all remember our friend Roy Monier, who died on Equador's Cayambe volcano. The official word is that he died of "heart arrhythmias as a result of high altitude". In March I received a note from Karen Monier. She says, "One of the guides put a plaque on the mountain where he died. It is at a climbers hut where people spend the night before conquering the mountain. I think it was a great gesture and I know Roy would have loved it. The boys and I hope to go down there someday when the world situation calms down a little." The message included a couple of photos of the memorial (it was drizzling and there was a little rain on the lens.)

Doxey put together a trip to Stetattle Ridge on weekend of March 29. This ridge runs north from Sourdough Mountain in the North Cascades. Turned out to be a wet outing and snow conditions made avalanche hazard very real, so we turned back at the Notchy Obstacle. A fine time was had by all - Carla, Rob, Seth, Emily and Doug, as well as Logan the Wonder Dog.

Randy put together a "Social" outing to Mt St Helens, with Lisa, Alvin, Carla, Jackie, Dirk, Randy, Emily, Jim and Phil - the object was more fun and fellowship than climbing. Nevertheless the group made it to the top of Worm Flows Ridge. Says Randy, "In typical St. Helens fashion this time of year, the mountain greeted us with partial and complete white-out conditions, heavy snow, sleet, and strong winds at times. We made great time up to the top of the ridge, and returned early enough that Alvin and Dirk opted to pack out that afternoon. The rest of us relaxed in our tents, made dinner, and had a hootin' hollerin' time in Alvin's tent. Bottles containing spirits made several rounds before being emptied." Whoo-hoo! Way to go, Randy!

Carla, Doxey and Logan the Wonder Dog climbed Mt Pilchuck on Tuesday, February 25, in bright winter sunshine. Big views all around - yay, its great to get out!

Wow, kudos to Steve Matera for putting together a great trip to Mazama in early February. Lots of snowshoeing and cross country skiing, and lots of food and fun. Thanks Steve!

There was no winter sunshine on the Bushwhacker snowcave/igloo practice outing during weekend of January 25. It was raining as we left the cars and rained during the hike to Glacier Vista. It rained as we set up the tents and it rained all night. It rained as we broke camp and it rained all the way back to the cars and all the way home. Sheesh! All right already - we get the hint. Gee, I love you too, Mt Rainier.