Doug H. had recorded his first trad climbing lead! The effort took place at Tieton's Royal Columns on a popular climb called Western Front. Doug placed gear and got to the top - way to go Doug! Some photos can be found here, at Doug's climb of Western Front.

Doxey joined Rob and Randy K at the Gunks in New York state during week of September 13. Had a great time. Photos comin' up.

Wow, Snowking is so beautiful! Doxey, Laurie, Carla, Chris K., Randy and Katie - plus Logan the Wonder Dog - scrambled up Snowking on Saturday. Great fun, despite the rain. Those lakes are sublime, and the company was fantastic. Good times! Lots more photos soon!

Steve M. and Jane visited the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Hiking in the Bugaboos and other areas, they were impressed with the mountains for sure. This photo of a big horn sheep was taken on the road - the sheep is saying Hey, get off my highway buster!

Doug H. and Chris H. did a rock climbing trad lead class with the good folks at Mountain Madness this weekend. Doug said they had a good time and met some great folks, and learned a bunch too. They climbed at Clamshell Cave in Icicle Canyon, and climbed Midway on Castle Rock. Way to go, guys!

Katie and her pal climbed the North Ridge of Adams a few weeks ago. Kaite says, "Hiked up the loose volcanic scree up spine of the Adams north ridge, taking in awesome views of the very-crevassed Adams glacier, and Mt. Rainier and Mt, St. Helens in the distance. The last mile of the hike is the summit ice cap with an easy grade of snow and ice to the summit. Mark is a geologist so I learned a lot about fumaroles and the cooling patterns of lava. The summit was socked in but all in all it was an awesome climb!" Lots more photos soon!

John G. is hiking the hills. A solo climb of Daniel a few weeks ago, followed by Three Fingers. Of Three Fingers, John says, "Maybe my new favorite hike in the Cascades!" Asked where the photos are, he replied, "Totally forgot my camera." Drat!

On Sunday, Snoqualmie Mountain and Guye Peak were climbed by Laurie, Carla and Logan the Wonder Dog. Looks like they had a great day!

On August 27, buddies Seth and Doxey climbed Castle Rock. The pair climbed The Fault and Catapult on Lower CR, then after lunch tackled the historic Midway. Seth did all the leading except for one pitch - way to go Seth! Afterward, Doxey reported, "We clumb it."

Seth, Anna, Jim and Phil climbed the West Ridge of Forbidden - hey, impressive! Everyone had a great time and agreed the famous west ridge was an awesome climb. Says Phil, "The ridge climb was solid and very fun, with only one crux section that really tested our rock climbing skills. The rest was very low fifth class and the weather was perfect up there, -short sleves, sunshine and a mild breeze to cool the heat."

Seth and Steve did a photography outing to Hannegan Peak. This is a nice hike overlooking Ruth Mountain and Shuksan, and the north unit of North Cascades National Park. Seth got these beautiful scenics, as well as a shot of Steve hiking into Devils Club - yikes!! For more of Seth's photos, visit PollackPhoto.com.

Seth and his buddies Craig and Matt made an attempt on Cutthroat Peak in early August. Said Seth, "We had a good time, made it one pitch from the summit on the South Buttress before running out of time and starting the descent." Here's a couple nice photos from Seth of their adventure - thanks for all the photo's, Seth!

Carla, Laurie and Logan the Wonder Dog climbed Kaleetan on Sunday August 8. Carla said they had a great time up there, but practically jogged the whole way due to time constraints. Wow, thats a big workout!

Fred and his team went to the summit of Eldorado on weekend of August 1. Joe, Doug and Randy rounded out the fine team. Said Joe, "The actual glacier climb was pretty mellow. I liked the ridge up at the summit though. It was just enough to get the adrenaline going bit! Great weather and great climbing buddies made it a great trip!" Fred has written up a trip report, find Fred's Eldorado trip report here.

Mario and his team were successful in their climb of Mt Challenger! The team consisted of Kevin Hines, Jim Merrill, Nate Zilz, Seth Pollack, and also Seth's brother Ethan who came all the way from New York to climb the peak. Mt Challenger was apparently unimpressed and beat up on Ethan some. Nevertheless, the group kept together and went to the top - way to go guys! Click here for Seth's Challenger photo essay!

Perry and his team went to the summit of Mt Baker - yay! The trip was organized by Perry, and the climb was led by the indefatigable Stephanie. The team included Adam, Perry's bro Larry, Shauna, and Felix. Says Perry, "It was a great trip--weather, people, route, solitude, etc. That Cragview is a special place - I really enjoyed being there." Perry has written up a trip report, click here for Perry's Mt Baker trip report.

We love Mount Rainier! Carla led the climb from Rope Up Rock to the summit - good job Carla! On her rope team were Laurie, Emily and Lisa, while Randy led the rope team including Joe, Scott and Doxey. We had a great time on the Emmons Glacier - lots of cracks and not many rest stops - a tough hike for sure. But it was certainly rewarding to visit the summit with friends. Click here for Emmons Glacier Photo Article.

Steve D. is getting out to the mountains! He and his good friend Paul climbed The Tooth. Says Steve, "Paul and I climbed the South Face of The Tooth yesterday. We alternated leads, with me leading the 1st pitch and Paul leading the infamous Catwalk. Boy, that Catwalk certainly is airy. It was a great climb on a beautiful day." Nice job Steve and Paul!

Dateline July 13: This news just in - Large Pack Tries to Kill Climber! Click thumbnail image for photograph!

That photo and this one was taken this past weekend on Mount Rainier's Kautz Glacier route. Chad formulated this successful adventure - way to go man! The team was Chad Carla Frederic Phil John and Katie. Click here for Frederics Kautz Glacier Trip Report.

Doug Y. and Chris K. met Steve S. in California for a climb of Mount Shasta. Says Chris, "We are back! It was a good time, we were on the summit at 10:30 Saturday morning." Doug said, "Shasta was GREAT, got some good pics (I hope) and saw a few new things. In particular, there was a troop of scouts climbing with homemade ice axes!" Hey, I gotta see that - photos!!

Jim and Phil visited the Goat Rocks and bagged a few picturesque peaks - nice! Phil has written up a trip report which you may find here soon. An excerpt: "I woke a few hours later and witnessed the amazingly bright 3/4 moon wending its way along above the ragged peaks of the Goat’s Head, and Big and Little Horns. It was one of those calm moments when you feel more than you can describe, the joy of being out in the mountains."

Recent course graduate Michael F. attempted Mount Shuksan this weekend with friends, but was turned back by foul weather. Says Michael, "Just after we set up our tents, it started raining. It was pounding our tent and dumped about 6" of hail on us in under two hours! At 4:00 in the morning, it was still raining and visibility was horrible, so we scrapped the summit attempt. At noon, it was still a total whiteout, but thanks to some newly acquired map and compass skills we were able to navigate our way off the mountain without any trouble. Felt pretty good to put that knowledge to use already." Sounds like a healthy turn-around decision. Says Michael, "Its not a volcano, so I know for a fact it will still be there next year!"

For some, the weekend of July 10 and 11 was another weekend of cragging. This time Doxey Cynthia Wendy and Amy put up a couple routes at Mazama's Fun Rock, while the pups Logan and Stilly patrolled the grounds. On Saturday Amy led a tricky little 5.10a number, while Doxey led an airy 5.8. Cynthia was feelin' the exposure but climbed all the way to the top. On Sunday Doxey led a short 5.7 crack to Sun Bug Slab ledge, then Amy led the wide crack/chimney to the top. Great fun but no camera! Thanks for putting us up Wendy!

July 4th weekend - great for cragging in Icicle Canyon! Doxey Cynthia Seth Anna Frederic and Ester (and Woody too) climbed on Bebop Rock and Barneys Rubble. Dox and Seth put up the famous Givlers Dome. Good times!

Same weekend had Steve D, Mario, Doug H, Stephanie and Chris H. visiting the Boston Basin area of the North Cascades. They climbed Sahale' Peak as well as explored the area around Sharkfin Tower and the beginning of the Ptarmigan Traverse. All said they had a good time - way to go folks.

Steve D says, "For inclusion in the newsletter: Bushwhackers Steve D., Mario M., Doug H. and Stephanie A. climbed Silver Star via the Silver Star Glacier on June 21. The four camped in the basin below Burgundy Col and enjoyed a quiet evening of good food and conversation before setting out for the summit the next morning." Thanks for the news tip Steve!

The Bushwhacker Climbing Club inaugural Basic Glacier Climbing Class is officially wrapped up! Everyone involved agreed it was a lot of work but worth the effort! The students had fun, learned a lot, and most importantly survived the adventure. Click here for Glacier Course page!

Doug, Mario and Stephanie made an effort at Pugh. Though I'm not certain about the story, it appears that Stephanie got "off route" looking for the trailhead! Doug and Mario waited then went ahead without her. Later they found her tracks where she had tried to catch up. Anyway, the weather and the snow conditions on the scramble were a little much, so the bunch backed off. Good decision, folks!

Amy and her friend Jeanine visited Yosemite for some rock climbing - they said it was great fun. Here are a couple photographs!

On weekend of June 19, Carla, Laurie and Logan the Wonder Dog got high on the slopes of Pugh. The scramble was a little extreme so they stopped short. They said it was beautiful and had a great time. Carla said, "Didn't see a single other person on a beautiful Sunday."

On weekend of May 23, Trevor and Chris did some exploring of the approaches to Morning Star Peak. Says Chris, "Trevor and I have been "brushing up" on our bushwhacking skills lately. We did a recon of the northern routes into Morning Star and DelCampo this weekend... There are no easy ways into these peaks from the north and Morning Star in particular is rarely visited." Very cool!

Dateline May 17: The Bushwhacker Climbing Club basic course is underway! Wow, great students and the groups worked really well together. This is going to be a lot of fun! A couple photos are attached here from the first outing, a team building day at Mt Si.

Doug Y., Steve H., and Chris K. made a dash for Vesper during first weekend of May. Although short of the summit Doug said they had a great time. Hey, where's the photos??!!

Mario vs the volcano! Mario put together another effort for Mt St Helens on weekend of May 1 and 2. Although the rest of the team made the summit, a recent bout with the flu had Mario waiting in camp - drat! sorry Mario. Next time, eh? In the meantime, congrats to your team!

Doxey led a large group on another Leader Surprise outing. This time it was West Cady Ridge, with a summit of Benchmark Mountain. Everyone made the summit - Doxey, Doug, Jackie, Kevin, Carla, Frederic and Alvin, as well as Logan the Wonder Dog. Big views and good times!

Wow, Denali National Park is awesome! A big group of Bushwhackers visited the Ruth Amphitheater for skiing and touring, and basically partying in the mountains. Doxey, Seth, Anna, Steve, Doug, Jackie, Sandy and Randy enjoyed big views and great company at the Sheldon Mountain House - thanks Roberta! See Ruth Amphitheater 2004 Photo Essay.

In other news, I just obtained Wilderness First Responder certification. A great group - good times! The instructors and facility at Rescue Specialists in Leavenworth were fantastic - recommended! A fellow graduate of the class sent me these photos - thanks Ben!

Four Bushwhackers visited the summits of Gladys Mtn and Henderson Mtn in the Olympics - wow, fantastic weekend! Doxey, Carla, Alvin and Doug kicked steps in spring like conditions to glorious views. Great group, and Summit City!

Wow, the Bushwhacker Climbing Club KickOff Party was a blast! Thanks to everyone for coming out! A big, big thanks to Dina and Mario for inviting us into their home, and to Stephanie for the refreshments!

You may now find the application for the Basic Glacier Climbing Course on the Club Stuff page of the Newsletter. See the sidebar Club Stuff, or click here. Please send your application in to the address on the application. If you have trouble opening the application, please email me.

Steve M put together another great outing to Mazama. Cross-country skiing, skate skiing, and partying - good fun. Part of the group even made an ascent of Sandy Butte, which stand 4000 feet above the valley floor - nice! Thanks Steve!

Doug said that a group climbed Mt Pilchuck at the end of February. Chris and Trevor, as well as Jackie and Keith and Hilarie make the trek in great winter climbing conditions. Photos! We want photos!!

Another Bushwhacker group visited Happy Lake Ridge! On February 20 21 and 22, Carla Laurie and Frederic snowshoed the ridge. They followed tracks left by the first party to vistas of the surrounding area. Fun times! Yay, we love the snow!

A group of Bushwhackers visited the Olympics on February 6 7 and 8. Doxey, Stephanie, Phil and Jim went up on Happy Lake Ridge. Didnt quite make it as far as Lizard Head Peak but had a good time trying. Wow, what a moonrise! Good times!

Just heard from our pal Rob. He and Ethan are working hard on their expedition to Mexico. It appears that the group has gotten off route, as there are no mountains and no bushwhacking in these photos. The ice axes are missing, as are the backpacks, and Rob appears to be glissading on a plank in the water. There is one good sign though. In the second photo Rob appears to be consulting his compass - good job, Rob.

A group of four Bushwhackers went to have a look at the Noisy Creek approach to Bacon Peak. Doxey, Carla, Laurie, Patrick and Logan the Wonder Dog were doing okay with the steep bushwhack but were turned back by chossy, mossy cliffs laced with downed logs - yuck! The group put several miles under their boots and slept in tents in the rain. Good times!