tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24625169362535831532024-03-13T09:57:10.588-07:00Brendan's BackpackPhotography, Climbing, Food, Machine Learning, ...Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-41873646709548724012010-02-27T09:16:00.000-08:002010-02-27T10:21:55.600-08:00Packing for Travel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/S4laU4QqYdI/AAAAAAAAQ7c/aVdp2zJiTJw/s800/20100227-gear_overview.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: left;">I was digging through some older photos this morning (working on a photo book), and came across some pictures I took from packing for our trip to India and Italy in 2006:</div><div><div><div>
</div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxFeSEmSvVmm4QTNRH2IaPZ-bNsoYW5-XeLolUnh0wIkeOSwuTbPhjf_O0PAP1Hp8saG_wnm3ccNzGAmOBxGw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div>
</div><div>The first picture makes this look like a lot of stuff, but it's exaggerated because everything is exploded out and piled up. Given all the stuff we wanted to do, and the gear I had at the time, it would have tough to go much lighter.</div><div>
</div><div>When we went to Norway this past summer, we did a lot of hut-to-hut hiking and almost no backtracking, so a lot of the time we had everything with us. That kind of travel makes going light particularly important. Technology helped, as I just brought a handful of compact flash cards instead of two portable hard drives for backing up photos. We also didn't do any camping, so I didn't need to carry a sleeping bag (I had one in India for the trekking in Sikkim). The Granite Gear backpack I took to Norway weighed about half of the Gregory I used in India, and I cut down on the smaller things as well: one reading book instead of two, a smaller first aid kit, slightly fewer toiletries, etc. Without food or water, my Norway bag probably weighed only 20 pounds or so.</div><div>
</div><div><div>The picture below shows everything I brought on the Norway trip. Top row: With the fully packed bag. Basic clothing, red puffy jacket, water bladder, gloves. (I lost my hat in Jutenheimen). Middle row: Tripod and other stuff sacks, camera case, day pack. Packed essentials. Footwear.</div><div>
</div><div>Everything in the bottom row is also in the middle row, these pictures just show what was stored in the red mesh pouches, camera case, and ziplock bags of maps and books. </div></div><div>
</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/S4laU4QqYdI/AAAAAAAAQ7c/aVdp2zJiTJw/s800/20100227-gear_overview.jpg"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/S4laU4QqYdI/AAAAAAAAQ7c/aVdp2zJiTJw/s800/20100227-gear_overview.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 800px; height: 666px; " /></a>
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</div></div>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-39798702166822310462009-08-29T10:08:00.000-07:002009-08-29T10:30:22.038-07:00Mt. Maude - Spider Gap - Cloudy Pass - Image Lake - Buck Creek Pass Loop Backpacking Trip<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">This isn't really a trip report, more of a collection of notes. I wanted to write down some thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind, and didn't feel inspired to actually put them together into coherent prose.</div><table style="width:194px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/SpiderGapBuckCreekPassLoopBackpack?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/Spi60UvTvAE/AAAAAAAAHWs/uookkcgIc2Q/s160-c/SpiderGapBuckCreekPassLoopBackpack.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/SpiderGapBuckCreekPassLoopBackpack?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Spider Gap - Buck Creek Pass Loop Backpack</a></td></tr></tbody></table>
</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;">Also, check out the route using Picasa's </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=brendan.mcmahan&aid=5375251563349785601#map">map view</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;">.
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</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Sunday, August 16</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">No insoles in my boots! (Expletives deleted). Time to improvise. Cut insoles from the felt/rubber liner sheet in Amy's trunk. These insoles actually worked quite well --- my feet were definitely a bit sore after the last long downhill day, but no major problems.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Hiked from Phelps Creek <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Trailhead</span> (3500') to Leroy Basin (around 6000'), maybe 3.5 miles on the main Phelps Creek trail, then another couple of miles up the unmaintained high-route trail. Set up camp. Climbed Mt. Maude (9082') via the standard southern route, first over the pass towards Ice Lakes then up gentle scree from there. Fairly straightforward. Descended by a more direct route on much looser scree. There would be danger of rockfall if multiple parties were on this descent, but otherwise not bad and saves quite a bit of time. But I wouldn't want to go up it. No mosquitoes.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Saw some deer in the basin in the evening while having dinner.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Dinner: Tuna Mac (angel hair pasta, packet of tuna, packet of cheese from a mac&cheese box, olive oil, powdered milk, spices). Could have used more spicing as the tuna wasn't marinated, but still quite good.</li></ul><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Monday, August 17</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Back down to the main trail, a pretty brutal descent back to around 4100', then up to Spider Gap (7100'), down past upper Lyman Lakes and Lyman Lake (5500'), and up to Cloudy Pass (6438'). Probably around 10.5 miles and about 4000' elevation gain in total.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Took a bunch of pictures of small marmots in the basin in the morning, and also saw a very large rockfall (one horse-sized boulder and friends) come down into the meadow, in a line close enough to me that I took off running.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Bad flies in Spider Meadows, where we had lunch. </li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Took a good rest near some beautiful campsites just below spider gap -- apparently Larch Knob.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Mosquitoes at the upper Lyman lakes. We hoped wind would keep them down in Cloudy Pass, but they found us there in good numbers as well.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We camped quite close to the actual pass, but better views can be had by moving up the ridge closer to Cloudy Peak. We got in fairly late in the day (it was a long one), so we took the closest appealing option. The views were still great.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Fat marmots around Lyman Lake, the first of many such sitings.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Dinner: Freeze-dried Mexican beef & rice with tortillas and cheddar cheese. Chocolate-caramel pudding for dessert.</li></ul><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Tuesday, August 18</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">A short day: from Cloudy Pass (6438') through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Suiattle</span> Pass (5893') along Miners Ridge to Image Lake (6056'). Probably around 6 miles total.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Pumped water at the lake outflow, had a good snack and rest, went for a swim. Walked around the lake in bare feet in wonderful mud. Highly recommended.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "> </span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The views from the walk along the ridge above Image Lake are spectacular in all directions, and should be considered a mandatory part of any visit to the lake in my opinion.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Dinner: First course of instant <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">thai</span> ginger soup (rice noodle based, from Fred Meyer, quite good), followed by mushroom & herb coos-coos mix with olive oil, sausage, and lots of pine nuts. A square of good dark chocolate for dessert.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Some bugs at the lake and at camp, but overall not too bad.</li></ul><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Wednesday, August 19</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We traversed the ridge above Image Lake northeast to the highpoint around 6800', then followed the ridge spur south to rejoin the trail. Back along Miners Ridge, down across Miners Creek, and up to Middle Ridge, then the spur trail 1 mile farther to Sheep Camp (around 6400'). About 9.8 miles (plus another 0.5 mile to our camp).</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">A few patches of blueberries along Miners Ridge about a mile from Image Lake were perfectly ripe; we picked a bunch.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We actually camped on a bench overlooking the main basin at Sheep Camp. It's a beautiful spot, complete with a perfect square flat granite rock for a kitchen counter.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Dinner: Instant everything-flavored mashed potatoes with an added package of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pre</span>-cooked crumbled bacon, and cheddar cheese. Pistachio pudding for dessert.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Bugs weren't bad when the sun was high, but the mosquitoes got mean as the sun went down. Each time I would try to make a loop to tie a knot for the bear bag, two would land on the back of my hand and start stabbing before I could finish, necessitating a swat and hence starting the knot over.</li></ul><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Thursday, August 20</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">From our site on Middle Ridge (6500'), down to Small Creek (~5100'), up to Buck Creek Pass (5900'), and up the old High Pass trail to the saddle south of Liberty Cap (6400'). Climbed up Liberty Cap (~6700') looking for good campsites, but didn't find anything great. Back to the saddle, I went downhill and found water. We set up camp there, hung the bear bag, and continued towards Triad Lake on the trail. It was much smoother going than we expected, and we were at the saddle above Triad Lake in about 30 minutes ... I wish we'd set up camp in that area. Climbed to point 7625'. About 5 miles to the camp, and maybe another 4-5 miles of other hiking.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Heavy haze and smoke in the sky in the morning caused some concern about wildfires. </li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We saw a black bear climbing over a very steep rock ridge just below point 7625'. We waited until we were fairly certain the bear had descended the far side before climbing up that way. We also saw a large hawk of some kind soaring at about our level over Buck Creek.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Breakfast: Granola with powdered milk and over a cup each of wild blueberries, picked the day before at Image Lake.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">A few drops of rain, and lightning in a large thunderhead North of us in the evening. Temperature dropped in the night, probably the coldest of the trip (still pretty warm) by morning. </li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Dinner: Freeze-dried turkey <span style=" ;font-family:Arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">tetrazzini</span></span>, mint-chocolate pudding.</li></ul></div></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
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</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Friday, August 21</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">From our camp south of Liberty Cap (6400'), back through Buck Creek Pass, and down to the trinity <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">trailhead</span> (2800'), about 11.3 miles, then another 2-3 miles for me to do the car shuttle, back to the Phelps Creek <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Trailhead</span> (3500').</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">In the morning the tent, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">bearbag</span>, and vegetation were all quite wet. I'm not sure if it was a light rain or jut condensation.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Milkshake and cobbler (very good) and pulled pork and salmon burger (pretty good) at the 59er dinner just back on Hwy 2.</li></ul></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>General notes:</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;">About 49 miles hiking with our packs plus another 10 or so miles of day-trip hikes, and about 14,200' of elevation gain. (I computed elevation gain by comparing our high points and low points, it doesn't account for the smaller ups and downs in the trails).</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Pack weight:</li><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Food: about 21 lbs of which I probably carried (and ate) 55%, so 11.5 lbs initially. For a 6-day trip this was a little less than I would normally carry (I usually figure 2 lbs per person-day), but it ended up being fine; I could certainly have eaten more, but I was also never really hungry.</li></ul><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Camera gear (5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">dmkII</span>, 24-105, 70-300, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Slik</span> Sprint Pro tripod), about 8.4 lbs.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Group gear carried (stove, fuel, kitchen gear, most of tent): 4.77 lbs</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Personal gear, including pack: 10.7 lbs (plus 1.7 lbs worn). </li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Average 2L water carried, for 4.4 lbs</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Total: about <b>39.7 pounds</b></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The above was all calculated in excel from a gear list ... actually weight is probably a bit heavier for some stuff sacks and other random things not included in the above total.</li></ul><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Our trash weighed about 253g (8.9oz) at the end of the trip, not counting the 2 large <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Aloc</span> Sacks we used to store the food, the bear-bag stuff sack, and 3 or 4 small <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">ziplocks</span> that still had some food left. So packaging weight is somewhat significant. Note that this was after almost complete repackaging into light-weight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">ziplocks</span>, typically holding two portions of food each per meal.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Bear bagging required some tricky engineering using multiple trees, and still didn't always produce hangs up to the full recommended specification. As much as I'd hate to carry the extra weight, I'll seriously consider bear canisters next time I'm on a trip where most of the camping will be near treeline.</li><div>
</div></ul></div></div></div></span></div>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-64042136510078846942009-06-13T07:35:00.000-07:002009-06-13T07:52:22.818-07:00Two Short Backpacking TripsLots going on lately, Amy and I are packing up our things in Pittsburgh and preparing to move to Seattle. And in between leaving Pittsburgh and arriving in Seattle we have a trip to Norway to plan. I did have the chance to get out for a couple of extended-weekend backpacking trips, though. No full trip reports, but the Picasa albums have captions and you can use the map view to see where I was.
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<tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/EnchantedValleyBackpack?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/SjO3Hat--RE/AAAAAAAAGYo/RtVVG001jdc/s160-c/EnchantedValleyBackpack.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/EnchantedValleyBackpack?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Enchanted Valley Backpacking</a></td></tr></table>
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/ZionBackpacking?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/Sf-ZYDdKs2E/AAAAAAAAGFo/nBRyvndOb8s/s160-c/ZionBackpacking.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/ZionBackpacking?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Zion Backpacking</a></td></tr>
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Also, a fun 3-day climbing trip down to the Red River Gorge:
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/RedRiverGorge?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/Sh4RDO5I1kE/AAAAAAAAGQ4/TImPh__PTgg/s160-c/RedRiverGorge.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/RedRiverGorge?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Red River Gorge</a></td></tr></table>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-11155128160416887792009-03-14T06:38:00.000-07:002009-03-14T07:14:16.646-07:00Kalalau Trail Backpacking Trip<div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: right; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);"> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dLtS81Tfik75TIsxB4fwFw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/SXTT8BAZexI/AAAAAAAAFfM/iHZXZbtglDM/s144/370_Kalalau_CRW_1794_resize.jpg" /></a> <div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Kalalau Beach. </div></div>
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<b>Sunday, December 28:</b> We got up early in Honolulu, drove to airport, and easily caught the 7:38am flight to Lihue, Kauai. We checked our two backpacks with all our food, but no water or fuel (when you check backpacks, ask to have them placed in large plastic bags). I carried on my camera and our two RidgeRest sleeping pads rolled together, Amy carried on a small book-bag with a clean change of clothes and some toiletries for each of us to stash at our hotel. We landed in Kauai around 8:15am and picked up our checked bags. It turns out the Lihue - Hanalei bus doesn't run on Sundays, so after failing to bum a ride at the airport we walked out to the Kapule Hwy (51) and hitched a ride to Kapa'a after about a 15 minute wait. We ended up hitch-hiking for the rest of our transportation on Kauai, and 15 minutes ended up being the longest we ever waited --- a big thanks to all the friendly locals and visitors who helped us on our way. We got another ride to Hanalei, where we picked up a fuel canister (the larger 8oz size, unfortunately) and dropped off our clean clothes at the Hanalei Inn. Another couple of rides got us to the trailhead, and we started hiking around 12:30pm. <div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: right; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);"> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OMidwcEBV0XhZskgwsDk0Q"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/SXTRutwo3AI/AAAAAAAAFao/d9Mzu4A_JPQ/s288/020_Kalalau_R0012909.jpg" /></a> <div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Amy on the (muddy) trail, day one. </div></div> We took our time, stopping at the beach at Hanakapiai and some of the other great viewpoints along the way; we arrived at Hanakoa camping area just as it was getting dark (around 6pm).
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<b>Monday, December 29</b>: We had a leisurely morning, broke camp, and then hiked up to Hanakoa falls, an easy trip from the campground, then proceeded to Kalalau. Again we took our time, arriving at the beach a little before 5pm. After ditching our packs and walking around a bit to get a feel for the place, we picked a great little camp site under a tree a bit closer to the beach than the rest. There was just enough room to pitch the tent, and a little rock path down to the beach, with some larger rocks perfect for setting up a kitchen. At least, perfect until the sun goes down and the cockroaches come out ... but I can't really complain.
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<b>Tuesday, December 30:</b> Yet another leisurely morning, this time on the beach. Around 11:30 we got motivated and started a hike up the Kalalau Valley trail. When we returned to the beach in the late afternoon, we could see a big squall farther down the coast slowly rolling our way.
<div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 15px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: left; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);"> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6bKmMJhl5lhQeDlFzo_geQ"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/SXTU0ymFcdI/AAAAAAAAFg8/ayAOpCf4rew/s288/500_Kalalau_CRW_1908_resize.jpg" /></a> <div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">By a beautiful small waterfall in the Kalalau valley.</div></div>
We managed to get water from the waterfall at the end of the beach and have dinner with only a few raindrops falling, but once we were in the tent it rained most of the night, quite hard at times.
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<b>Wednesday, December 31</b>: My watch alarm went off at 6am, as we wanted to get an early start on the long hike out so we could enjoy ourselves and still have time to relax in Hanalei. Since it was still sprinkling, we packed up and had breakfast in tent. There was some light by 7am. We finished breaking camp and (rather accidentally) took a detour through some of the higher campsites (including "Honeymoon Suite") above the beach, hiking in earnest by 8:30am. Heavy rains caught up with us 2 or 3 miles from the trailhead at Haena, which turned out to be more refreshing and fun than anything else (though some of the surprised day-hikers we passed didn't seem to think so). The rivers were up slightly from the previous night's storm, but still very manageable. We reached the trailhead around 3:45pm.
<div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: right; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);"> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yJGCbT4lR-dYP1rYdPKfQg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/SXTVTXd1G7I/AAAAAAAAFiY/Pnxulu9-75c/s288/600_Kalalau_R0013097.JPG" /></a> <div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">On the way to the airport, Jan. 1 </div></div>
<br><br>
<h3>What worked:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Cook system: pocket rocket stove, 1.3L titanium pot, 2 ziplock 3-cup round bowls: quick, light, and easy.</li>
<li>Our REI Quarterdome tent survived it's first real test in a hard rain. When we took it down we found a puddle under the floor, but we stayed dry inside.</li>
<li>I used my old Asics running shoes with medium-weight socks and short gaiters, which worked well. A better sole would have been nice in the mud, but the shoes were adequate, they drained quickly and so hiked fine even after getting totally submerged.</li>
<li>Convertible pants: The trail is overgrown at places, especially beyond the first two miles. If your skin is sensitive to brush rubbing against it, you may want long pants, but if it's hot and humid you may want shorts --- convertibles let you decide (and change your mind) while on the trail. </li>
<li>Camera gear: A polarizing filter is very handy for cutting the glare off plants and the water, it's amazing how much richer the greens come out when using one. My Slik Sprint Pro travel tripod also worked well ... it's not nearly as sturdy as a heavier rig, so I sometimes use it with the self-timer, but having good camera support opens up a lot of options.</li>
<li>There is risk of leptospirosis in the fresh-water sources on the Kalalau trail. Filtering alone is not enough, as the tiny bacteria will pass easily through filters with a pore size of more than 0.2 micron (which happens to be the filter size on our SweetWater filter). [<a href="http://www.leptospirosis.org/topic.php?t=15" id="j972" title="leptospirosis.org">leptospirosis.org</a>]. We filtered and then added a sodium hypochlroite solution (and/or boiled), but I haven't been able to find an authoritative reference that recommends this (though MSR did confirm it should be sufficient over email, and we didn't get sick). If going again I'd probably leave the filter and just use iodine tablets. </li>
</ul>
<h3>Things to reconsider for next time:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Sleep system: We each brought a light silk sleeping bag liner, a RidgeRest 3/4 length pad, and we shared one synthetic sleeping bag as a comforter. This worked okay, but we could have gone lighter and been more comfortable with different gear. RidgeRest pads are cheap, light, and durable, but they just aren't very comfortable. I can sleep on my back on one reasonably soundly, but there isn't enough padding on my hip when I sleep on my side, so I tossed and turned a lot. We did need some extra warmth beyond the sleeping bag liners, but the sleeping bag was overkill. The surf is also surprisingly loud if you're camping near the ocean, and while you can get used to it, some might want earplugs.</li>
<li>The trail can be hot, humid, sticky, and muddy --- some babywipes for the face would have been a nice luxury, though there is also fresh water to wash in.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pictures</h3>
I recommend going directly to the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/KalalauTrailBackpacking?feat=directlink">Picasa album</a> and using the full-screen slideshow.
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.comhttp://lh5.ggpht.com/s/v/46.19/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/KalalauTrailBackpacking?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/SXTRpOp5wFE/AAAAAAAAFjE/QCOMkQBE67U/s160-c/KalalauTrailBackpacking.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/KalalauTrailBackpacking?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Kalalau Trail Backpacking</a></td></tr></table>
</div>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-58022004729322880032009-03-08T16:06:00.000-07:002009-03-08T16:19:10.224-07:00I spent most of the morning ordering a new camera and accessories, but given the unusually good weather, it would have been wrong not to actually take some pictures as well. So, I took "the small camera" (a Ricoh GX100) for a walk this afternoon, with the intention of just playing around with the manual-focus macro mode and different aperture settings. But the last few days of good weather appear to have tricked a few flowers into coming out, and I got some interesting shots.
Unfortunately my Gorillapod broke yesterday, it would have been perfect for the kind of shooting I was doing. Most of the shots used a 2 second or 10 second self-timer, with camera support improvised with a bag of kidney beans in a ziplock bag (or just setting the camera on the ground). Depending on the support, 2 seconds may not be long enough for vibrations to damp out, and so a 10 second delay seems to give better results (assuming the light doesn't change). <div>
</div><div>The Ricoh is great for this kind of work, because it's small enough you can position in the scene without disrupting things. Unfortunately, such camera placements often make it pretty hard to evaluate the composition. It would be awesome to have a direct feed from the camera's sensor to a laptop or other nice detached screen, especially with support for 100% zooming in to support manual focus. A focus-bracketing mode would also be great. Hopefully someday you'll be able to buy cameras that are open for software development (like Android phones)---it would open up some really interesting possibilities for digital photography.
</div><div>Picasa Album:
<table style="width:194px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.comhttp://lh5.ggpht.com/s/v/46.19/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/AroundTheBlock?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Vf6Lm7vtSv0/SbRLkX7cYqE/AAAAAAAAF0w/1OKPJn_r4wA/s160-c/AroundTheBlock.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/AroundTheBlock?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Around the Block</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-53443446333101929562008-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:002008-10-11T08:57:48.837-07:00Fairview Dome and Central Pillar of FrenzyI took two days off from a work trip to meet Stewart in Tuolumne. We climbed the Regular Route on Fairview Dome (5.9, 12 pitches) and the Central Pillar of Frenzy on Middle Cathedral (5.9, 5 pitches)
Pictures are up on Picasa:
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fbrendan.mcmahan%2Falbumid%2F5255919609058096737%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>
<div id="q5qp" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div id="q5qp" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Here are my notes:</div><blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 40px; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dashed; border-right-style: dashed; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-left-style: dashed; "><span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;">Tuesday, 9/30</span>
</blockquote><blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 40px; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dashed; border-right-style: dashed; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-left-style: dashed; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=tufaregu" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Regular Route, Fairview Dome.</a> 5.9, 12 pitches. We started around 9am, after hesitating a bit due to some suspicious moderately puffy clouds building in the sky. They didn't look too bad, but the weather report I had yesterday suggested a 40% of rain (though not thundershowers). In the end we decided to go for it, bringing an extra rope so we could bail quickly if needed; we figured we could come back the next day to retrieve gear if needed. There was one party ahead of us on the route, they were at the top of the 1st pitch when we started. We swung leads, with Stewart taking the crux first pitch, which probably went at 5.9+ given the wet conditions. Stewart took a fall at the crux, got it the second try, and continued to the higher belay at the tree. That gave me the (now short) second pitch; Stewart got the beautiful third pitch, and I took the 4th, bringing us through the 5.8 pitches (though after the first pitch, the other 3 felt easy). From there, Stewart led a long pitch, I led another pitch (which we finished with some simuling), and then Stewart led a long simul block to the summit. The other party was moving at about the same speed, we passed them at the very top when we were simul-climbing and they were still pitching it out. We summited around 1:30pm, so about four and a half hours climbing ... not bad for a 12 pitch route.</span></li></ul></blockquote><blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 40px; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dashed; border-right-style: dashed; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-left-style: dashed; ">
<span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;">Wednesday, 10/1:</span>
</blockquote><blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 40px; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dashed; border-right-style: dashed; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-left-style: dashed; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=yomccent" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Central Pillar of Frenzy, Middle Cathedral</a>. 5.9, 5 pitches. Super classic, five pitches of 5.8 - 5.9 cracks of all sizes. Easily one of the best routes I've every climbed. <a href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/198354/central-pillar-of-frenzy.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">More beta and some good pictures</a> from summitpost. I led the first pitch, which worked me a little bit, but the rest was a blast. The 5.8 "offwidth" on p3 isn't bad at all, cupped hands and a few fist jams with good feet, only one short awkward section --- you do probably want 4 or so pieces in the 3.5 -4" range to protect it well, you could possibly get by with a couple fewer if you are willing to run it out or walk them up.</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=yochbish" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Bishop's Terrace, Church Bowl</a> (2 pitches, 5.8, climbed as a single 200' pitch). Another beautiful line with a little bit of everything. Amazingly we didn't have to wait in line for this one. Stewart led this last time we were in the valley, so this time I got the sharp end. Only key beta: make sure you save a #2 BD for the last 15' of perfect hands, and save a #4 for the wide section at about 2/3rds height. There are solid rests every 10-20', and plenty of good gear options. If doing it as a single pitch you probably want to solo the first 15' step, then you can cover another 20' of easy ground before placing gear.</span></li></ul></blockquote>
My apologies for the crappy formatting, btw, ... pasting into the blogger edit window from Google docs works (how to put this?) ... poorly. And it's nice outside and I don't feel like wrestling with blogger to get it to look better.Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-1131505926020029832008-09-16T18:37:00.000-07:002008-09-16T18:55:38.991-07:00Climbing and Mountaineering Resume<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;">As a member of the program committee for the <a id="inkn" href="http://www.pittecp.org/schools/mountaineering/" title="Explorers Club of Pittsburgh Mountaineering School" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Explorers Club of Pittsburgh Mountaineering School</a>, I was asked to prepare a climbing resume. I ended up having a lot of fun putting it together, and since this is the web and all, I added lots of links to pictures, trip reports, and route information; since that might make it interesting to other people, I figured I'd go ahead and post it here as well.<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><h2 style=" ;font-size:14pt;">
</h2><h2><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Climbing and Mountaineering Resume</span></h2><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">I've been hiking and scrambling in the mountains as long as I can remember. I grew up in Oregon, and my family made regular excursions into the wilderness throughout my childhood years. When I was six years old, my father, an accomplished climber himself, began teaching me basic mountaincraft, including how to plunge step and use an ice axe. During a three-week Outward Bound mountaineering course during high school, I gained an increased appreciation for the rhythm of being in the wilderness and the rewards of facing challenges in the mountains. Through the rest of high school and college I did occasional climbs with friends and family, but it was during my year-off before graduate school that I began climbing some of the larger Cascade volcanoes, including Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier. During graduate school at CMU in Pittsburgh I made regular trips back to the West Coast, where I often climbed with my good friend Stewart. While I had done occasional rock climbing for many years, I began climbing more seriously and learning to lead climb in the fall of 2003 at Seneca Rocks. The same year I was a student in the ECP Mountaineering School, where I learned basic ice climbing and did my first rock leads in winter conditions. I have returned as an instructor in the Mountaineering School every year since then. For the past few years my personal climbing goals have focused on technical alpine rock routes, with climbs in the North Cascades, Rocky Mountains, High Sierras, and the Bugaboos. In addition to mountaineering, I enjoy travel, backpacking, and canyoneering as other ways to experience the wilderness --- but usually such trips turn into at least an opportunity for some good scrambling.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><h2 style=" ;font-size:14pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Alpine Climbs and Long Rock Routes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; font-size:13px;"></span></h2><h2 size="14pt" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; font-size:13px;">In reverse chronological order</span></h2></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Spring 2008</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Red Rocks, Black Velvet Canyon, <a id="s-1w" href="http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=reblepin" title="Epinephrine" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Epinephrine</a> (15 pitches, 5.9), with Stewart (<a id="yyxn" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/RedRocksWithStewart#" title="pictures" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">pictures</a>, <a id="duj7" href="http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Main/58548/Number/784642#Post784642" title="trip report" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">trip report</a> from Stewart).</li></ul></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Summer/Fall 2007</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="y0oc" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155734/se-buttress.html" title="Cathedral Peak, SE Buttress" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Cathedral Peak, SE Buttress</a> (II 5.6), with Amy. </li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="e_08" href="http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=tumctrav" title="Matthes Crest, Traverse from South to North Peak" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Matthes Crest, Traverse from South to North Peak</a> (5.7), with Amy. We didn't summit the N peak due to lack of time.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="v6_t" href="http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=tutenort" title="Northwest Buttress" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Tenaya Peak, Northwest Buttress</a> (14 pitches, 5.8 finish variation, mostly simul-climbing), with Amy. (<a id="ftwu" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/TuolumneMeadowsJune2007#" title="pictures" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">pictures</a> from these climbs)</li></ul><div>
</div><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="pvwm" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/160492/north-ridge.html" title="Spearhead, North Ridge" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Spearhead, North Ridge</a> (III 5.6), attempt, with Amy. Bailed (4 rappels and some scrambling) in rain and hail (<a id="wxjz" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/ColoradoTrip#" title="pictures" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">pictures</a>).</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="p0as" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/158688/the-keyhole.html" title="Longs Peak, Keyhole Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Longs Peak, Keyhole Route</a>, attempt to within 500' of the summit (with Amy and Jeff Parker). Turned back due to icy conditions and lack of appropriate gear.</li></ul></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Petunia Peak Ridge Traverse, Olympic Mountains. Three days of scrambling and ridge walking, including an exposed 4th class route on the Southeast side of Petunia Peak (<a id="e5vm" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/OlympicsRidgeTraverse#" title="Olympics Ridge Traverse" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">pictures</a>, short <a id="jk63" href="http://brendansbackpack.blogspot.com/2007/10/i-visited-seattle-in-early-october-and.html" title="blog post" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">blog post</a>, <a id="b87_" href="http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=6&Number=735035&Searchpage=1&Main=55149&Words=&topic=1&Search=true#Post735035" title="trip repor" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">trip report</a> from Stewart)</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Summer 2005</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="r4nu" href="http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=yoraroya" title="Yosemite, Royal Arches Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Yosemite, Royal Arches Route</a> (16 pitches, 5.7), with Amy</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="ota-" href="http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=yomceast" title="Yosemite, East Buttress of Middle Cathedral" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Yosemite, East Buttress of Middle Cathedral</a> (IV, 11 pitches, 5.9 A0), with Stewart.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="scgc" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/309641/liberty-crack.html" title="Liberty Bell, Liberty Crack" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Liberty Bell, Liberty Crack</a> (V, 11 pitches, 5.9 C2), with Stewart. <a id="ldxu" href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mcmahan/trip_reports/liberty_crack/index.html" title="Trip Report" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Trip Report</a>.</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Winter 2004-2005</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="pxw6" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/156668/south-gully-huntington-ravine.html" title="Mt. Washington, South Gully" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Washington, via the South Gully</a>, with ECP Mtn School.</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Summer 2004</b></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Pictures from these climbs and some of the other earlier ones below can be found on <a id="u_wq" href="http://gs164.sp.cs.cmu.edu/pics/Hikes_Climbs_Travels/Climbs/index.html" title="my old pictures site" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">my old pictures site</a>.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="mx1." href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/156932/west-ridge.html" title="Prusik Peak, West Ridge" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Prusik Peak, West Ridge</a> (II 5.7), with Stewart (<a id="bhum" href="http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=369087" title="trip report" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">trip report</a> from Stewart).</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="op2p" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/159394/southwest-face-the-beckey-route-.html" title="Liberty Bell, Beckey Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Liberty Bell, Beckey Route</a> (II 5.6), attempt with Stewart. Bailed due to hail and thunder.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="lh33" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/156360/emmons-winthrop-glacier.html" title="Mt. Rainier, Emmons Glacier" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Rainier, Emmons Glacier</a>, with Amy, Bill Baxter, and Brian Wolovich.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="i1r1" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150189/mount-hood.html" title="Mt. Hood" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Hood</a>, <a id="detw" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155408/south-side-hogsback-.html" title="South Side Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">South Side Route</a>, with Amy.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="ite-" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/153346/bugaboo-spire.html" title="Bugaboo Spire" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Bugaboo Spire</a>, Kain Route (III 5.6), with Amy. Running out of daylight, turned back 2 pitches from summit.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="op2p" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/159394/southwest-face-the-beckey-route-.html" title="Liberty Bell, Beckey Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Liberty Bell, Beckey Route</a> (II 5.6), with Amy.</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Winter 2003-2004</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">"Pineapple Pinnacle" (sub-peak next to The Tooth), with Stewart.</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Summer 2003</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="y:3j" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151586/mount-constance.html" title="Mt Constance" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt Constance</a>, West Arete Route (?), with Stewart.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="s7g5" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/158870/south-face.html" title="The Tooth, South Face" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">The Tooth, South Face</a> (II 5.4), with Stewart.</li></ul><div>
</div></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Summer 2002</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="o3g8" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150360/mount-saint-helens.html" title="Mt. St. Helens" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. St. Helens</a>, with Brent, Marianne, Teresa, Matt.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="i1r1" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150189/mount-hood.html" title="Mt. Hood" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Hood</a>, <a id="detw" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155408/south-side-hogsback-.html" title="South Side Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">South Side Route</a> (solo).</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="uslx" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151837/cruiser-mount.html" title="Mt. Cruiser" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Cruise</a>r, Regular 5.0 route, with Stewart. His first alpine trad lead, and my first time seconding trad.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="kkb4" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155624/blue-glacier.html" title="Mt. Olympus, Regular (Blue Glacier) Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Olympus, Regular (Blue Glacier) Route</a>, with Stewart.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="p0as" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/158688/the-keyhole.html" title="Longs Peak, Keyhole Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Longs Peak, Keyhole Route</a>, with Jeff Parker.</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Summer 2001<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a id="r4o4" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155670/disappointment-cleaver.html" title="Mt. Rainier, Disappointment Cleaver Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); "></a></span></b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul><li><a id="r4o4" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155670/disappointment-cleaver.html" title="Mt. Rainier, Disappointment Cleaver Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Rainier, Disappointment Cleaver Route</a>, with Jeff and Jon
</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Summer 2000</b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="i1r1" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150189/mount-hood.html" title="Mt. Hood" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Hood</a>, <a id="detw" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155408/south-side-hogsback-.html" title="South Side Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">South Side Route</a>, with Jeff and Jon.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="qiw1" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/152494/mount-fernow.html" title="Mt. Fernow" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Fernow</a>, Regular Route from Copper Basin, with Noel.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="pi20" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150198/mount-adams.html" title="Mt. Adams" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Adams</a>, <a id="sinf" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155590/south-spur.html" title="South Spur" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">South Spur</a>, with Brent and Jeff.</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Winter 1999-2000</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="i1r1" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150189/mount-hood.html" title="Mt. Hood" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Hood</a>, <a id="detw" href="http://www.summitpost.org/route/155408/south-side-hogsback-.html" title="South Side Route" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">South Side Route</a>, Winter attempt, Whitman College Climbing Club. Spent a night camped in full conditions, one party member became hypothermic, which we were able to effectively treat in the field.</li></ul></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b>Early Scrambles and Climbs (1992-1999)</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">In the Oregon Cascades:</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="gmxr" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150472/mount-bachelor.html" title="Mt. Bachelor" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Bachelor</a> (9065’)</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="o_eh" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150578/diamond-peak.html" title="Diamond Pea" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Diamond Peak</a> (8744'), Pioneer Ridge. Three ascents; this was the closest big peak to our home in Cottage Grove, OR.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="ac22" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151273/mount-yoran.html" title="Mt. Yoran" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. Yoran</a>, North Peak, via the South Col (7100’)</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="dyjd" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150504/mount-mcloughlin.html" title="Mt. McLoughlin" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mt. McLoughlin</a> (9495’), East Ridge</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="xvge" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150455/south-sister.html" title="South Sister" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">South Sister</a> (10,358’)</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="sawy" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150448/middle-sister.html" title="Middle Sister" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Middle Sister</a> (10,047) Solo traverse.</li></ul></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">In the North Cascades, on Outward Bound.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">"Kangaroo Temple", Kangaroo Ridge, North Face Standard Route (5.4?). My first alpine trad climb.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a id="f2wz" href="http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151304/golden-horn.html" title="Golden Horn" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Golden Horn</a></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Some other 2nd and 3rd class scrambles.</li></ul></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b><span style="font-size:130%;">Rock Climbing</span></b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Traditional lead climbing (5.10a on a good day) and sport (to 5.11b or so), at locations including Seneca Rocks, the New River Gorge, Stone Mountain, Linville Gorge, Red River Gorge, Joshua Tree (<a id="xo_b" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/FromRedRocksToJoshuaTree#" title="pictures" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">pictures</a>, more <a id="e3iy" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/JoshuaTree#" title="pictures" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">pictures</a>), Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, Owens River Gorge, Lover's Leap, Squamish, City of Rocks (<a id="vkr_" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/Idaho#" title="pictures" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">pictures</a>), Eldorado Canyon, Lumpy Ridge, and Red Rocks.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
<b><span style="font-size:130%;">Backpacking, Canyoneering, and Other Trips</span></b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul><li>Spring 1998: Five day backpacking trip in the maze district, Canyonlands NP, Utah. Some rappelling and scrambling.
</li><li>Summer 2000: Backpacking with Dave Shelly in Alaska (Rabbit Lake, Dixie Pass, McCarthy). Five day solo backpack in Denali National Park.
</li><li>Fall 2000: Hikes in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah during cross-country road trip.
</li><li>Summer 2001: Hikes, scrambling, and exploration in the Swiss Alps, Siberia, Mongolia, and China.
</li><li>Spring 2003: Canyoneering in Southern Utah: Pine Creek, Peekaboo, Spooky, Brimston, Egypt 3, and Zebra canyons.
</li><li>Spring 2006: Nine days on the <a id="hhfu" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goecha_La" title="Goecha La Trek" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Goecha La Trek</a>, below <a id="wo1-" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangchenjunga" title="Kanchenjunga" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Kanchenjunga</a>, Sikkim, India.
</li><li>Spring 2008: Five day descent of Death Hallow Canyon, Utah. <a id="hkb9" href="http://brendansbackpack.blogspot.com/2008/05/death-hollow-backpacking-trip.html" title="Trip Report" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Trip Report and pictures</a>.
</li><li>Summer 2008: Five day backpacking trip in Pasayten Wilderness; several 2nd-3rd class summits.
</li></ul></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">
</div></div></div></div></div></span>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-48980740770964002172008-07-10T19:46:00.000-07:002008-07-10T20:08:13.174-07:00IdahoPictures from Amy and my trip to Idaho for Nathan & Tenaya's wedding (and some climbing at City of Rocks) have made their way online:
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/Idaho"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brendan.mcmahan/SHbIWPp1uFE/AAAAAAAADTM/1E1uVaVyvmU/s160-c/Idaho.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/Idaho" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Idaho</a></td></tr></table>
We had a great time at "the city," we mostly climbed the classic easier trad routes -- awesome rock, fun moves, and a spectacular setting: definitely hard to beat. The high afternoon temperatures (into the 90s) forced us to take the afternoons off from climbing, but we still got in some great routes:
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday 7/1</span>
<a id="na36" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/the_breadloaves/105854664">Twilight</a> 5.6
<a id="t.we2" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/the_breadloaves/105741617">Adolescent Homosexual (aka Adolescent Humanoid)</a> 5.7
<a id="t.we4" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/king_on_the_throne/105838058">Double Cracks</a> (aka Carol's Crack) 5.8/5.8+
<a id="xv5s0" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/the_breadloaves/105741011">Intruding Dike</a> 5.7
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Wednesday 7/2</span>
<a id="o_bu" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/parking_lot_rock/105740948">Norma's Book</a> 5.6
<a id="f-d21" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/parking_lot_rock/105740951">Batwings</a> 5.8/5.8+
<a id="o_bu1" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/parking_lot_rock/105740945">Delay of Game</a> 5.8 sport
evening:
<a id="yqk20" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/lost_arrow_spire/105740972">Lost Arrow AKA Classic Route</a> 5.7
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday 7/3</span>
<a id="cjrs0" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/steinfells_dome/105741557">Theater of Shadows</a> 5.7
evening:
<a id="hq6u0" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/elephant_rock/105740981">Rye Crisp</a> 5.8
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday 7/4</span>
<a id="t80h" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/morning_glory_spire/105740963">Skyline</a> 5.8
<a id="j9eg0" href="http://mountainproject.com/v/idaho/city_of_rocks/bath_rock/105740984">Private Idaho</a> 5.9Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-40174227549957545532008-05-26T05:36:00.000-07:002009-03-14T07:19:46.927-07:00Death Hollow Backpacking Trip<span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary:</span>
<span style="font-family:courier new;">
Dates: Sunday, May 18 - Thursday, May 22, 2008</span>
<span style="font-family:courier new;">Trailhead: "Upper Death Access" on Hells Backbone Road
Exit: via the Boulder Mail Trail (BMT) to Escalante, UT</span>
Photos: <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DeathHollowBackpackMay2008"> Picasa Album</a>, <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DeathHollowBackpackMay2008/photo#map">Terrain Map (with pictures)</a>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Travel Day</span>
We landed in Las Vegas around 11am on direct flight from Pittsburgh, rented a car, and stopped by REI. The weather was hot, and the forecast said it was likely to stay hot. After to talking to someone at the BLM office at Escalante and Mark from UtahCanyons.com, we decided to abandon our <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=101299181644746071885.00044d0044cfdf2ac275b&z=12">original itinerary</a>, which would have involved a lot of walking in hot, open country, and instead head for Death Hollow. We'd originally considered that route, but earlier had dismissed it as likely to be too cold and full of water from spring runoff. And it sounded a bit intense in the guidebook:
<blockquote><em>
Death Hollow, one of the most spectacular canons in southern Utah, should be on every hardcore canyoneer's tick list. The operative words here are death and hardcore; this canyon is difficult throughout and many epics have unfolded in its deepest recesses. [...] It is a canyon one aspires to, a reward for building skills and gaining experience over many seasons.
</em></blockquote>
<br><br>
But so far the spring rains had avoided the Escalante area, and so we looked to have a lucky weather window: hot weather before the water levels had a chance to rise. We provisioned food at an Albertsons in St. George, UT, and bought toy inflatable innertubes at Wal-Mart to float our packs. The best deal on rental wetsuits we found was from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.zionrockguides.com">Zion Rock & Mountain Guides</a>; they only charged us for the 5 days we used them (rather than the 7 days we had them), but the rentals still cost almost $200 (more than our rental car for the whole trip!).
<br><br>
From Zion we headed east past Bryce Canyon, finally stopping to sleep maybe 30 miles west of Escalante, parked off a dirt road near some kind of irrigation pond.
<br><br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Day one</span>
We rolled into Escalante around 9am, feeling remarkably well rested. We first stopped by the Utah Canyons store to chat with Mark and buy a few things: 60L SealLine drybags (<a href="http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/dry_sacks_comparison_testing.html">useful review</a>), poison ivy block, and an annotated map. After getting a great cinnamon roll and coffee at <a href="http://www.escalanteoutfitters.com/">Escalante Outfitters</a>, we drove the 20 or so miles (about an hour) up Hells Backbone Road to the trailhead (marked by a small pullout on the left and a large information board labeled "Upper Death Access"). We made final gear decisions, packed our backpacks, and hit the trail around noon. Well, there isn't really a trail, but a decent use path leads down the steep ravine. After 30 minutes of scrambling we reached a dry stream bed, the waterless headwaters of Death Hollow. After following this for a ways, the angle eases and the stream bed begins to meander. The canyon widens into a broad rolling plateau, and we favored the more-direct left (east) edge, climbing or descending occasional slopes and crossing side drainages in an effort to stay on relatively flat benches. Pine trees, prickly pear, small bushes, and dry grass predominate, making for hot and dusty walking, but not bad as off-trail travel goes. <div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 15px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: left; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);">
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DeathHollowBackpackMay2008/photo#5205242130502184882"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brendan.mcmahan/SDy8I55677I/AAAAAAAACPM/QWqh-BlkMsU/s288/04_death_hollow_R0011619.JPG" /></a>
<div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Open benches on day one.
</div></div> Eventually the basin narrows again, near several large sandstone domes (ancient dunes frozen in time?), and the channel of Death Hollow swings back to the western slope and enters a short section of narrows. We weren't sure these were on the main channel initially, and so bypassed them via slopes on the right. After this section, the canyon opens slightly again, revealing a short cliff band on the left that guards a hanging bench. A rust-colored water stain on the cliff points to a grassy area containing a pool. The spring wasn't flowing, but we found somewhat putrid water in the pool at the base of the streak, and better water and an excellent slick-rock campsite on the bench above (a quick 4th class scramble is required). We started getting water and setting up camp around 6:30pm, after about 6 and half hours of total hiking time … not bad at all for 11 off-trail miles. We enjoyed a delicious meal made from pre-broken quick-cooking angel-hair pasta, one pack instant cheese (Annie's brand), 1/3C strong re-hydrated cold milk, one large foil pack of tuna packed in oil. We watched the moon rise as we ate.
<br><br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Day two
</span>
We expected cool shaded narrows with plenty of swimming in the coming section, and so opted for a lazy start. Before breakfast, I hiked up the bench with the cameras, eventually scrambling to the summit of a broad sandstone formation just south of our camp --- excellent views in many directions, exploring in this area is recommended. I re-joined Amy in camp, and we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast (instant coffee mixed with hot chocolate, and instant oatmeal fortified with powdered milk and a little instant cream of wheat, topped with dried fruit, nuts, and a few M&Ms). We started down canyon around 11am, only carrying a couple liters of water each as we expected to find more relatively quickly.
<br><br>
The route proved hotter and drier than expected. Even in the narrower sections the high hot sun usually pierced to the canyon floor. We down-climbed or lowered packs past several chockstones; I took a short falling swing into the canyon wall while on rappel (failure to appreciate how easily the webbing could slide along a polished chockstone), but otherwise the scrambling was mishap-free . Soon after we donned wetsuits for a 20-30 foot swim. Expecting more swimming, we hiked in the wetsuit bottoms for another 20 minutes before stripping them off. In retrospect we didn't need them at all this day, the water was warm enough and the air was hot (highs in the 90s?). After the first section of narrows, we took a longish (1/2 mile?) cairn-marked bypass trail on left (eastern) edge of the canyon.
<div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 15px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: left; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);">
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DeathHollowBackpackMay2008/photo#5205242469804601458"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brendan.mcmahan/SDy8cp568HI/AAAAAAAACQw/jbARRaXKlfs/s288/21_death_hollow_R0011699.JPG" /></a>
<div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Brendan below several
volcanic chockstones.</div></div> This skips some additional technical chockstone drops and maybe some swims, substituting bench walking --- still, the canyon it bypassed looked pretty, and if doing the route again in hot weather I'd consider staying in the canyon for this section. A few scrubby trees provided the only shade on the bypass, and while the use trail was initially clear, it become muddled in the vicinity of several small drainages that empty (over cliffs) into the main canyon. After a bit of scouting we continued on a bit farther and found a descent back into the main canyon. A much shorter bypass (maybe 150 yards) on lower and initially exposed ledges took us around a (double?) chockstone, bringing us to the confluence with the Right Fork of Death Hollow at about 4:45pm.
<br><br>
Earlier in the day, I'd taken some weight from Amy's pack since her knee was bothering her, and by this time heat, exertion, and dehydration had gotten to me. Descending the chockstones, changing in and out of the wetsuits, and rigging our packs for flotation had taken more time than expected as well. We found reasonably clear water in a pothole just up the right fork, and despite having hoped to get farther, decided to make camp and recover before continuing the technical narrows. It took me a few hours to start feeling myself again, I think I may have had some mild heat exhaustion. But by the time the sun was setting, the shade, rest, and water had me feeling much better.
<br><br>
For dinner, we started with Alpine Aire "Wild Tyme Turkey." To save weight and volume we had removed it from its foil bag and packed it in a light ziplock sandwich bag; we rehydrated/cooked it in one of our bowls, which worked well (my hat served as a good pot cozy while it sat rehydrating). In the other bowl we prepared some instant potatoes I'd pre-mixed with garlic, salt, and spices. We had been hoping to mix up some concentrated onion soup to use as a kind of sauce on our bagels for the next day. This idea did not work, it didn't thicken up at all, so we added it to the potatoes. This produced potatoes with way way too much salt. We had some, and saved the rest to use on the sandwiches the next day. That worked okay.
<br><br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 3</span>
Not wishing to repeat the previous days miscalculations, we got an earlier start, filtered a full supply of water (3.5L for me, 2.5L for Amy), and carefully packed and rigged our bags for flotation and easy lowering. I was comfortable down-climbing all of the chockstones in the next sections un-roped, and none dropped directly into water (though we did have a few swims). We made good time, never donning the wetsuits, and efficiently descending the obstacles.
<div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: right; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);">
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DeathHollowBackpackMay2008/photo#5205242547114012834"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brendan.mcmahan/SDy8hJ568KI/AAAAAAAACRI/5yW3TuvtHzU/s288/24_death_hollow_R0011714.jpg" /></a>
<div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Narrows, day 3.
</div></div> We reached beaver-cut small trees and continuous (perennial?) water flow after 2 or 3 hours. Deep pools and channels were common, often requiring pack flotation and either full-on swimming or delicate stemming on slick submerged rock. We progressed steadily, but in retrospect not particularly fast – finding the best routes through or around the pools sometimes required backtracking or at the very least careful footwork in the dark waters. The truly awesome beauty of this remote canyon demanded frequent photographs, and so I spent a lot of time retrieving and then stowing the large camera in our small drybag (it barely fit). The steep and narrow canyon walls revealed beautiful new vistas continually; the canyon rarely went more than 100 yards without a bend that revealed new views.
<br><br>
I don't think my photos can do this canyon justice --- the soaring multi-colored walls, vibrant green spring foliage, peaceful flowing water, and complete feeling of solitude make it unlike any canyon I've visited before. But that tranquil and meditative solitude carries with it a somber undertone. The terrain surrounding us was unforgiving as well as awe-inspiring, and being several days journey from any assured human contact or even communication carries with it risks not usually faced in everyday life. The rewards of descending such a canyon for me far outweigh the risks, but I have too much too live for to make it a stress-free enterprise.
<br><br>
As the day stretched on, clouds began to supplement the shade provided by the canyon walls, and a strong cool wind began to blow. At a short stop on a sandbar, I realized in a moment of panic that the small yellow drybag was gone ... I had attached it to my pack with some loose bungees hoping to make accessing it less cumbersome, and had failed to clip it in to a backup attachment. Stupid mistake. I did some swearing. Fortunately the cameras weren't in the bag, but it contained our lunch and my bag of small important items (headlamp, compass, knife, first aid items, etc). It had been at least a half-hour since I'd seen the bag. Amy pointed out I could still go back and try to find it, something that hadn't immediately occurred to me for some reason. I headed back up the canyon. Moving without my heavy pack, on known terrain, and with the motivation of self-directed anger, I backtracked in 10 minutes ground that had probably taken us 45 minutes to cover initially; I found the yellow drybag floating happily in a deep pool near an overhanging tree that had probably clawed it from the top of my backpack. Breathing a sigh of relief, I grabbed the bag and headed back down canyon.
<br><br>
I'd splashed through some deep pools in the retrieval effort, and the constant transitions from cold water to the now windy and overcast canyon had left me shivering noticeably (though not uncontrollably). We both put on our wetsuits and enjoyed a lunch of bagel sandwiches and gorp before undertaking a long (100 yard?) windy swim down canyon. With the wetsuit on, I warmed up fairly quickly.
<br><br>
After the beaver dams and perennial water flow, the next landmark mentioned in the guidebook was Sulpher Spring. But the guide's description was purely olfactory, and the distinctive smell never emerged. Normally I check my map regularly or at least have a good intuition about how far and fast I have traveled; the lack of any route-finding decisions made frequent map checks unnecessary, and I neglected them; the unfamiliar terrain with constantly changing features and widely varying travel speeds made tracking distances difficult. By mid-afternoon we realized it would be quite nice to know where we were in order to start planning a camp, but by this point we had no good idea how far we had come, and the limited features visible from the canyon floor made matching our location to the map difficult. We started tracking turns in the river and looking for landmarks, but came to no useful conclusions. Around 6:30pm we found a relatively unvegetated scramble up to a series of benches on the east side of the canyon. The lower bench had a floor of dirt and dried grass, but a short scramble higher brought us to a beautiful and flat slickrock campsite, maybe 100 feet above the river, offering great views and fine camping. We set up camp. The gusty wind unforuntanetly somewhat spoilled our dining experience. We made a burrito mix from a combination of instant black bean and tortillas soup, plus sausage and cheese. It would have been excellent, but fine blown sand made a less than desirable condiment.
<br><br>
While there was still light I climbed moderate slabs above the campsite to get a better view (you might be able to fully escape the canyon here with some low 5th class climbing), and then began to pour over the topo map. Before too long I had a good guess for our location; based on our presumed speed and travel time, earlier in the day we had guessed we had gone past Moonshadow canyon without correctly identifying it. But now I estimated that canyon joined Death Hollow another ¼ mile down river. This was a disappointing realization to have just before bed, considering how long and strenuous the day had felt, as well as the distinct sense that the weather was changing. We planned another early start with the anticipation of a long day.
<br><br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 4
</span> We had pumped enough water for dinner and breakfast before climbing to our camp the previous day, so our hydration bladders were empty as we set out.
<div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 15px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: left; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);">
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DeathHollowBackpackMay2008/photo#5205242723207672066"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brendan.mcmahan/SDy8rZ568QI/AAAAAAAACR8/_JqFUI8y-ds/s288/30_death_hollow_R0011785.JPG" /></a>
<div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Heavy pack, lush vegetation, cold water.</div></div>
But being hydrated from breakfast and eager to confirm or reject my hypotheses as to our location, we opted to enjoy our light-weight packs and hike downstream for a while without water.
<br><br>
We traversed the benches on which we had camped, finding another convenient ramp down to the river at their southern end. This time I kept my compass out. By the end of the day, I was using the following technique to track our progress, and it seemed to be working well: rather than counting both left and right bends in the river, I'd look at the map and mentally note the general direction of the river as well as the number of "bumps" on a single side formed by bends over the next ¼ to 1 mile. I'd then make mental note of passing these points when we reached the apex of the corresponding curve. Once we reached the last one, I'd check the map, confirm our current location, and count the next sequence of bends to track.
<br><br>
After about 15-20 minutes of wading we reached the junction with Moonshadow canyon, clearly marked by a huge (200+ feet) live pine tree leaning against the left-hand wall of the canyon as you look up. A large darkly colored pool marks the confluence; brush choked the shoreline, with the exception of a large square rock platform that provided a convenient exit. We hiked up the canyon just far enough to be 100% sure it was Moonshadow. While the guidebook recommends exploring further, the sky was dark and the wind cold, and so we decided it would be prudent to continue down canyon quickly. At this point we began to frequently find good use trails that bypassed meanders of the river on dry land. We followed one of these along the left shore, past a large drainage entering from the east; we stopped to pump water at the point cliffs forced us back to the stream. A chilly wind and darkening clouds continued to threaten. We donned our full wetsuits preemptively and continued to wade down canyon, moving as quickly as was safely possibly --- the most treacherous sections were the shallower ones, where a 6 to 18 inches of water sometime covered jumbled stones and hidden branches. Before long I though I was feeling a few raindrops, and soon thereafter a light but distinct rain began, made unmistakable by the multitude of concentric ripples on the water.
<br><br>
It seemed clear that the light sprinkle would have little immediate impact on the flow of water in the canyon, but it suggested the distinct possibility that a harder rain had already been falling for some time higher in the drainage. Having no way of knowing how conditions would develop or the likelihood of a flash-flood, we began taking extra note of escapes to higher ground, which thankfully were plentiful at this point.
<div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: right; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);">
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DeathHollowBackpackMay2008/photo#5205243002380546434"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brendan.mcmahan/SDy87p568YI/AAAAAAAACTA/c1S1ERUuHp0/s288/38_death_hollow_R0011849.JPG" /></a>
<div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">It doesn't get better than a stretch
of easy <br>walking in a beautiful canyon.
</div></div> Easier terrain and the urgency imparted by the weather helped us make much better time than the previous day, and we reached the point the eastern segment of the Boulder Mail Trail (BMT) enters the canyon around 11:30am. Around this time we also started to see copious amounts of poison ivy along sections of the shoreline; on several occasions we chose to stay in the stream rather than taking trails overgrown with the stuff. A short time later we arrived at the steep ridge where the BMT climbs out of the canyon to head west to the town of Escalante. We had both decided at this point that we should return via the BMT rather than continuing down Death Hollow to the Escalante river; even if the water level did not rise, the colder temperatures and windy overcast conditions made continuing to wade and swim down-river seem less than appealing. We didn't see any good campsites along the river (though there may have been some a little frather down), so we climbed maybe 300 vertical feet up the BMT, where we found more excellent slickrock camping and outstanding views. After resting and snacking and setting up camp we took our hydration bladders, 3 Gatorade bottles, and our 1.3L cooking pot back down to the river to filter enough water for dinner and the next day's hike.
<br><br>
The rain had subsided by the time we reached the BMT, and we stayed dry in our camp, but we could see hard rains falling both to the north and the south of our camp, giving the distinct impression of being in the eye of a storm. A hard, cold wind picked up the powdery sand and depositing it in our tent, cameras, and anyplace else it could find a sheltered but open space.
<br><br>
We enjoyed our last camp dinner in the mid-afternoon: A "2 person" Richmoor Thai Chicken dish in one bowl, a side of spiced instant mashed potatoes (with powdered milk) in another (both supplemented with a tablespoon or so of olive oil --- it makes all the difference), and a Richmoor freeze-dried apple cobbler for dessert (surprisingly excellent). The sandy wind made staying out unattractive, so we climbed into the tent for an afternoon nap, emerging around 7pm to find beautiful light streaking in under the clouds, lighting up the canyon walls. We took a short walk to enjoy the views before retiring for the night.
<br><br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 5
</span>Temperatures dropped to their lowest levels of the trip that night (maybe down to the high 30s?), but we had both brought enough gear to stay warm. Once I got moving, the morning didn't feel to chilly. Storms and rain again swept the land in several directions, but we had no precipitation as we broke camp. Knowing we had a fairly straightforward 9 or so mile hike back to Escalante, but wanting to make sure we were moving before weather hit, we packed up camp efficiently if not hurriedly.
<div style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 15px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; color: black; float: left; background-color: rgb(214, 206, 183);">
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DeathHollowBackpackMay2008/photo#5205243088279892418"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brendan.mcmahan/SDy9Ap568cI/AAAAAAAACTg/jx6zRozzwYw/s288/42_death_hollow_R0011868.jpg" /></a>
<div style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Camp Four, above
Death Hollow on the BMT.
</div></div> We started the walk out in perfect hiking temperatures, maybe in the high 40s or low 50s. After climbing up slick-rock benches to the sandy juniper-covered plateau above, we were surprised by nothing less than a small flurry of snow; no accumulation, but distinctive flakes filtered down to dot the trees and our clothes before melting away --- what a contrast to the cloudless skies and oppressive 90 degree temperatures that had begun our trip.
<br><br>
We took several stops for pictures and a nice lunch above Antone flats, but otherwise moved fairly quickly. After descending towards Escalante we followed the trail along pine creek and then along the Escalante River to just before the trailhead, where we cut west to join the most direct road into town. We hiked straight to our hotel, the Prospector Inn (fine, though we might check out the just-renovated Circle-D next time), checked in, and then got a ride to retrieve our car from the trailhead --- I was concerned the rain and snow we had observed to the north might have made the gravel road impassable, but the retrieval mission went without incident, and we were back in town in time to shower and get pizza and beer at Escalante Outfitters.
<br><br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Other Info and Links Online</span>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hikes/Utah/Escalante/Escalante12.htm">Detailed Info and Some Pictures</a>. From "Todd's Desert Hiking Guide."
</li><li><a href="http://www.synnatschke.de/gast/peter/death/death.html">Trip Report (in German)</a>: Includes a few nice pictures.</li><li><a href="http://www.australianaddiction.com/Visit_DH.html">Another Trip Report</a>. With pictures. From 2005.
</li></ul>
<br><br>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Gear Notes:</span>
This isn't a complete list of what we brought, just some notes on items particularly relevant to this particular route in the conditions we found it.
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">65 feet of 1" tubular webbing:</span> Great, but heavy when wet. Probably could have gotten by with no harnesses and only 30'. Webbing was great for hip belays and hand-over-handing, probably better than thin static line. We kept it tied off on top of my pack, with 45' left coiled, then tied off to the hall loop on my pack, then 20' accessible. Our system for descending moderate drops: Drop packs. I detach the 20' of webbing, and sit behind the chockstone, anchoring with a hip belay. Amy descends the chockstone with scrambling and/or hand-over-hand on the webbing (for the tougher sections we tied loops for better handholds). I pull the webbing, attach the free end to Amy's pack, then lower. She detaches, I pull webbing. Then lower my pack on the pre-tied knot and drop the free end of the rope. I would then down-climb the chockstone with a spot from Amy; if needed we would anchor a loop of the rope rappel-style so I could use it, then pull (but be careful of the constrictions where chockstones touch the canyon walls --- the will snag the webbing very easily.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">BD Shadow 55 pack</span>: Barely big enough. Fabric suffers some abrasion and damage on lowers. Strap system worked well for attaching dry bag, sleeping pad, and wet suit on the outside.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wide-brimmed sunhat and sunglasses:</span> Essential on the first couple of days and for the BMT. Sunscreen too. I probably could have used a bandanna or a shirt with more of a collar to get a little more neck protection, though I never got burned.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">$2 Wal-Mart inflatable innertube:</span> Some form of pack flotation is essential, I wouldn't do this route without something like this. These were light and cheap ($2), and held up OK. Amy did put a hole in hers on day four, fortunately after our need for flotation had passed. Still, if I was going all the way to the Escalante it would probably have been good to have something a bit more robust --- otherwise extra care is needed around branches./li>
</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">old REI yellow vinyl dry bag</span>: Heavy but reliable. Big camera (Canon 10D) in case barely fits, a pain to stuff in and out. Lost once, had to backtrack ¼ mile to retrieve --- always backup connections to stuff attached to the outside of the pack!</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">3/4 length Ridge Rest sleeping pad</span>: Great: lightweight, excellent for added pack flotation, can suffer significant abuse and just keep working. Dried out quickly. Not particularly comfortable, I especially feel my hip bones when sleeping on my side on rock. Folding over the bottom to get double coverage under the hips helps some. The wetsuits also make a good supplemental pad once they had dried.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vargo Titanium 1.3L pot</span>: Great. Really only boils about 1L or so of water at a time (maybe a bit more, but you risk spillage). But that's just enough for 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 small hot drinks in the morning, or two dinner portions each requiring a couple of cups of boiling water.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">MSR Pocket Rocket stove:</span> Used a single large (8oz) fuel canister. Probably only boiled about 9L or so of water, had plenty of fuel left. I used a stiff-foil windscreen and small stuff-sack to pack this, wrapping the windscreen tightly around the stove --- lighter than the supplied hard-plastic case. I was a bit worried about sand getting in the stove or the fuel canister connection, but were apparently careful enough to avoid any problems.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ziplock snap n' seal bowls</span>: Hold about 3 cups if totally full, a good size for dinner portions, tight fistting lids make cleaning easy: add some water, attach lid, shake vigorously, drink, wipe clean. Tolerates boiling water well, we re-packaged our freeze-dried dinner into ziplock sandwich bags, and just rehydrated them in these bowls --- worked well. My warm hat plus the stove wind screen made a good pot cozy to keep these warm while cooking.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">REI Quarterdome 2p tent:</span> Light, held up well to high winds. The full bug-netting upper tent body did let in some fine sand when the wind was up … a higher bathtub floor or a fly that reached closer to the ground would have been preferable in this situation. Length is just enough for me to sleep comfortably stretched out, but if it was really wet and I wanted to avoid touching the tent walls at the top and bottom I'd have to curl up a little bit.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wet suits:</span> <a href="http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2219&src=froogle&refer=2219">NRS 3mm Farmer John</a> plus 3mm jacket. Probably not needed on this route in guaranteed hot weather when water is low. But on Wednesday, when the clouds came in, temperatures fell, and the wind was up we would have gotten very cold without them. If doing more canyons we'll probably just buy wetsuits, as you can probably buy a pair on <a href="http://sierratradingpost.com/" target="_blank">sierratradingpost.com</a> for about the price we rented them if you watch for a good deal.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">La Sportiva Exum River shoes:</span> Approach-shoe style, sticky rubber, all synthetic materials (they don't stretch when wet), and good water drainage. I wore them all five days, and if doing it again wouldn't have brought the light-weight pair of auxillarly tennis shoes --- I'd planneed on using them for camp, and for hiking if the exum river's gave me blisters, but our camps were all on slickrock where going barefoot felt great (just watch for cactus on the perimiter!. These must run fairly small, as I am about an 11.5EE shoe size, and a size 13.5US fit me well. Here's a <a href="http://backcountryblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/la-sportiva-exum-river-canyoneering.html"> good comparison to 5.10s Canyoneer shoe.</a></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thoughts on stuff we didn't bring:</span> A tarp tent or other non-enclosed shelter would probably have been unpleasant in sandy windy areas. Trekking poles would be useful for some of the first day, and some of the less deep wading sections later in the trip, but would get in the way for the narrows and the more rugged scrambling. Suitable walking sticks were readily available, however, and we made use of them on the first day, and Amy used one on day four. Keeping the camera dry was either a pain or risky given our available systems --- a pelican-style plastic case affixed to the pack in a convenient location would be ideal for a small camera. I'm still not sure what the best system for protecting an SLR would be, but a dry bag that can easily contain the full kit would be a good start. For route finding, you usually only need a mile or so coverage from the topo map, so making laminated cards maybe 5"x7" with the relevant map sections and keeping them clipped close at hand would have worked very well. Having my compass on a lanyard would also have been nice (I would prefer a shirt with a Napoleon pocket, but didn't have one suitable for this trip).<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thoughts on stuff we brought but didn't need: </span>Bug juice – we saw a few mesqitos, but they weren't biting much and we never put on the DEET. Still, in other seasons/conditions the bugs might be worse. I probably could have skipped my light-weight synthetic jacket, substituting the wetsuit top if it got really cold … less comfortable, but would save 14oz or so. I brought convertible pants, but never ended up using them as shorts … the brush and scrambling and poison ivy made long pants the perfrable choice for almost the whole trip … if it had been warmer, shorts might have been nice for the hike out on the BMT. I brought 6 titanium and 2 alluminum tent statkes, but we only used one tent stake the whole trip, and that was to heat up and poke holes in the bottoms of our packs so they would drain water --- we anchored the tent on the slickrock with "snares" that held medium-sized rocks.</li></ul>
</div>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-73666094861515987202008-02-10T06:59:00.000-08:002008-05-26T05:40:03.424-07:00The Real Threat to Americans (link)<span style=""><span class="a">Stpeteforpeace.org has a nice chart of <a href="http://stpeteforpeace.org/what.kills.americans.july07website2.jpg">what really kills Americans</a>. It's not new, but it summarizes some facts that somehow don't seem to make it into the national policy debate nearly as often as they should. I'm not suggesting these should be top government priorities, but it's good to put things in perspective . I hadn't heard of </span></span><span style=""><span class="a">stpeteforpeace.org before, but they provided source information for every number on the chart --- clearly putting this page in the top tier of internet materials.
Bonus link, on the brighter side: the full video of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13eNRTCwDc&feature=related">Queen's "Live at Wembley" concert</a> on youtube (in segments). What a fine rock & roll performance.
</span></span>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-24251343242415998832007-10-28T07:44:00.000-07:002007-10-28T08:23:05.493-07:00New Pictures / New CameraI've posted some pictures (link below) from a fun walk Amy and I did yesterday on the <a href="http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/district3/html/southside_slopes.html">South Side Slopes</a> (thanks to Brian and Sarah for the idea).
This is the second outing where I've used my new small camera, a <a href="http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/caplio/gx100/">Ricoh GX100</a> (the first was my <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/OlympicsRidgeTraverse">Olympics Trip</a> with Stewart). I wanted to replace my older Canon S400 with another pocket camera with better image quality and a wider-angle lens; I still have my Canon 10D for dedicated photography trips, but it's heavy and impossible to use with one hand, making it poorly suited for light-and-fast backpacking trips, photography while climbing, and random outings where I probably won't take pictures but might if something interesting comes up.
The compact digital camera market still has relatively few offerings with a wide-angle lens, good manual controls, and quality optics. I'm particularly disappointed in Canon; it seems clear that they are trying to force "serious" photographers into their DSLR line. And everyone is using small sensors with too many pixels, leading to poor low-light performance. It's frustrating.
I considered the Panasonic LX2, but dismissed it due to especially poor high-ISO noise. I've been pretty happy with my S400, so I looked at the newer SD800 (a very similar camera, updated with image stabilization and a wider lens), and the Ricoh Gx100. The Ricoh is about twice the price, so before committing I ordered both cameras from Adorama, and spent a few days walking around taking comparison shots. The Ricoh won out thanks to notably better optics and excellent manual controls. In particular, the gx100 had much better edge sharpness at the wide end and much better control of chromatic aberration. The manual controls are natural to someone coming from a DSLR, and the customizability is great (for example, I can store 2-second self timer / ISO 80 / no image stabilization as a custom setting on the mode dial to quickly switch to my preferred tripod settings -- I wish I could do that on my 10D).
An added bonus is the outstanding macro capability on the GX100, far superior to the Canon. For examples, look <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/OlympicsRidgeTraverse/photo#5123815818147390306">here</a>, <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/OlympicsRidgeTraverse/photo#5123814606966612162">here</a>, and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/OlympicsRidgeTraverse/photo#5123815697888305954">here</a>. The capabilities of the camera are complemented nicely by a flexible mini-tripod (I have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vanguard-41-VS41-Flexible-MiniTripod/dp/B00009RUCH">this one</a>). The camera still fits in my chest pocket with the tripod attached, and the small size of the camera makes it much easier to maneuver for macros than a full DSLR setup. Many of the landscape shots I've taken so far have also been with this tripod.
<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/SouthSideSlopes"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/RySAlX_KBzE/AAAAAAAABZM/sYNMgtA-8K4/s160-c/SouthSideSlopes.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/SouthSideSlopes" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">South Side Slopes</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-12471311580628502522007-10-21T08:52:00.000-07:002007-10-21T08:55:57.065-07:00Olympics Ridge TraverseI visited Seattle in early October, and Stewart and I were lucky enough to get three days of beautiful weather in the Olympics for a fun traverse of the the Petunia Peak Ridge. Pictures are now on Picasa, and topozone has <a href="http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=47.8396&lon=-123.18803&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG25&size=l&s=100">a map of the area</a> (link centered on Goat Lake).
<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/OlympicsRidgeTraverse"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/Rxtx8Ocz4CE/AAAAAAAABRs/0qG79Bd9iKY/s160-c/OlympicsRidgeTraverse.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/OlympicsRidgeTraverse" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Olympics Ridge Traverse</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-80272780934680926532007-08-25T14:50:00.000-07:002007-10-28T14:26:57.653-07:00Questions for an alpine rock climbAmy and my trip to Tuolumne this past June got me thinking about ways to improve my abilities on alpine rock. This led to the following bit of writing, which I'm finally getting around to posting here:
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Questions for an alpine rock climb</span>
Competency in the fundamental skills of technical climbing and mountain travel are pre-requisites for success on alpine rock, and books like "Freedom of the Hills" do an excellent job of illustrating them. But these skills are only the basic ingredients; it is the art of selecting and combining them that often separates success and failure in the mountains. While much of the art of alpine decision making can only be learned through experience, maintaining a full awareness of the situation is a necessary first step. Often, the key to awareness is asking oneself the right questions.
With this in mind, I have tried to compile a "cheat sheet" of important questions. Masters of the craft probably never ask such questions of themselves consciously, as habit blurs the questions and their answers into a continuous flow of thought guiding movement. But as an intermediate climber striving to improve, I found it useful to write down an explicit list. Many of these questions are here because experience has taught me some consequences of not asking them; others, because experience has shown me some of the benefits. This is far from a complete list, and I welcome suggestions and discussion.
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;"> When Preparing for a Climb</span> </p> <ul><li> Do I have the appropriate gear (including maps and topos), and do I know how to use it? </li><li> What are the expected conditions? What is the weather forecast? </li><li> Have I talked with my partner extensively about the climb? Do we agree about our goals? about gear choices? about scenarios that would warrant retreat?
</li><li> Do we have a system in place in the event we can't communicate after someone leads a pitch? What if the rope gets stuck in the middle and we can't communicate? If someone gets injured?</li></ul> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;"> During the Whole Climb</span> </p> <ul><li> Am I staying hydrated? Am I eating enough? Am I managing my temperature so I'm not too hot, not too cold, and not sweating too much?</li><li>How is the altitude affecting my partner and I? (Thanks to <a href="http://blog.summitpush.com/2007/09/questions-for-a.html">Dan</a>).
</li><li> How are my mental and physical strength holding up? Have I asked the same questions about my partner? And asked explicitly if I have any concerns?
</li><li> Are we moving faster or slower than expected? How is the weather developing? How much daylight is left? Do we need to consider retreat, a bivy, or a change of route? </li><li> What are the biggest risks we are currently facing: rockfall or icefall? weather? slipping while unroped? leader fall on runnout terrain? making a rappel mistake? hypothermia? </li><li> Am I asking these questions out-loud? Does that mean my partner now thinks I'm crazy? And if so, does that help or hurt our chances? </li></ul> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;"> When Approaching a Climb</span> </p> <ul><li> Can I see the route? Can I see the descent? Have I compared these to the maps/topos I have? Am I scoping out bail routes and possible bivy sites as well as the main route?
</li><li> If the descent is the same as the approach, am I turning around frequently to see what it looks like going the other way? Am I making mental notes of critical junctures? Will I be able to retrace this route in the dark? Am I on the lookout for water sources we can use during the climb?</li></ul> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;"> At the Base of the Climb</span> </p> <ul><li> Have we double-checked our gear, water, and food?</li><li>Do I have my helmet on? How do the route conditions look up close? Is there snow or ice that presents a hazard? (also from Dan).
</li><li> Is my harness on correctly, and am I tied securely into the rope? What about my partner? </li><li> Have we decided who is going to lead what? Do we need to finalize a turn-around time? </li></ul> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;"> When Building a Belay</span> </p> <ul><li> What protection is available here? Is it adequate? Should I downclimb to a better belay (a comfortable belay ledge can lead to a much faster transition than an awkward hanging belay)? Should I climb on (possibly simul-climbing?) to a better belay? </li><li> How should I rig the belay? What is the most comfortable stance that will allow me to belay efficiently and contribute to the strength of the anchor (especially if gear isn't totally bomber)? </li><li> Where will the second clip in and belay from? (esp. if leading in blocks, how will the second efficiently transition to a good, anchored belay?) </li></ul> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Before Leading a Pitch</span> </p> <ul><li> Have I surveyed the pitch? Have I visualized and mentally prepared? </li><li> Leading a trad pitch (esp. alpine) can present at least three types of challenges: the actual climbing, protecting the climbing, and route-finding. Have I gathered information about all three of these from the belay? </li><li> Have I looked at the topo and thought about where the next belay will be? </li><li> Is the climbing immediately above the belay easy? Is it possible I will want my belayer to simul-climb if I run out of rope on this pitch? Have we communicated about this? </li><li> Generally, have I answered as many of the "when on lead" questions (see below) from the belay as possible? </li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;"> When on Lead</span> <ul><li> Where is my next protection opportunity? </li><li> How run out am I? Is there ground/ledge fall potential? </li><li> Am I placing protection to protect myself and my follower on traverses (a 20' fall on a traverse away from a corner can be worse than a 20' lead fall to a ledge, because the impact with the corner will be a blow to the side of the body, instead of to the feet and legs). </li><li> Am I planning ahead for protection, route-finding, and the climbing? </li><li> Am I staying calm, breathing smoothly, and making precise movements? Am I over-gripping? </li><li> Is the rope running smoothly and straight? Are there sharp edges, constrictions, horns, or other features that could snag or cut the rope (be particularly wary of sharp inverted-V slots behind flakes that can snag a rope). Are there loose rocks that the rope could dislodge if not routed carefully? </li></ul> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;"> When Rappelling</span> </p> <ul><li> Should the ropes be thrown, or flaked on a sling and carried by the first person?</li><li>Do I know what my next rappel looks like? Do my ropes reach that point? What are my options if they don't? (also from Dan).
</li><li> Even if two ropes are available, should a double or single rope rappel be performed? What is the best knot to join the ropes? Which end of the rope are we pulling? Are there obstacles that could snag the rope when it is pulled? Are there loose rocks that could be dislodged? </li><li> Is the anchor solid? Have fixed gear or slings been carefully inspected? Have they been backed up for the first person? Is the rock or tree the anchor is based on solid? Is the rope threaded correctly, with the middle of the rope at the anchor? Is my belay device correctly attached to the rope and my harness with a locking biner? Is my harness still properly secured (doubled-back, etc)? </li><li> Are there knots in the end of the rope? Is a rappel backup needed? (An auto-block for the first person can save significant time if it lets them more efficiently untangle a snagged rope.) Should the belay device be extended? Is a chest harness needed?
</li><li> When on the ground: What is the best direction to pull the rope?</li></ul>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-50902446442865407142007-08-25T13:51:00.000-07:002007-08-25T13:57:11.584-07:00Reasons to go back to SquamishI was in Vancouver for a conference in July, and so I went up to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Squamish</span> a few days beforehand to climb. It rained the whole time, unfortuantely, so I didn't get any actual climbing done. I did walk around the base of the Chief to check out some interesting routes for next time. They start at the campground wall, and can all be reached by just following the trail along the base of the Chief, working north towards the Apron. It's probably 20 minutes of walking to cover the whole distance, though I took about an hour and a half with stops to admire the fine lines, check the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">guidebook</span>, etc. I didn't take any pictures, but I found some shots online that I've linked below.
<a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/international/canada/british_columbia/105842934" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">Slot Machine (5.9)</a>
I didn't <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">actually</span> scramble up to look at this, but it looks really good from the picture. Maybe a good <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">warm up</span> for some of the others.
<a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/international/canada/british_columbia/105842913" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">A Pitch In Time</a> <span><small> 5.10b</small></span>
Looks good, short, good pro, steep for the grade.
<a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/international/canada/british_columbia/105842909" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">Rainy Day Dream Away</a> <span> <small>5.10c</small></span>
Don't remember this too clearly, but I think it looked pretty do-able with good pro. Slightly less than vertical.
<a href="http://www.matthewbuckle.net/climb/gallery/galleryphoto.php?photoname=arrowroot" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"> Arrowroot</a> (10b)
Looks really great, excellent pro.
Rutabaga (11a/10b)
Right next to arrowroot. The first pitch has chains and is 10b. Looks excellent. The broken crack at the bottom means pro a little more limited than arrowroot.
<a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/international/canada/british_columbia/105886110" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><script><!-- D(["mb","Apron Strings\u003c/a\> \u003cspan\>\u003csmall\>5.10b\u003cbr\>\u003c/small\>\u003c/span\>Sustained 10b liebacking.\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mountainproject.com/v/international/canada/british_columbia/105806955\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\nExasperator\u003c/a\> \u003cspan\>\u003csmall\>5.10c \u003c/small\>\u003c/span\>\u003cbr\>Good pics: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.matthewbuckle.net/climb/gallery/galleryphoto.php?photoname\u003dbecsexasperator\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>Exasperator\u003c/a\>\u003cbr\>Two (short) pitches, .10a then .10c. Probably the right thing to do is link them with a 60m rope. Looks really, really good. Great pro.\n\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mountainproject.com/v/international/canada/british_columbia/105979707\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>Seasoned in the Sun\u003c/a\> \u003cspan\>\u003csmall\>5.10b\u003c/small\>\u003c/span\>\u003cbr\>Good Pic: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.matthewbuckle.net/climb/gallery/galleryphoto.php?photoname\u003dseasonedinthesun\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\nSeasoned in the Sun\u003c/a\>\u003cbr\>Just another mega-classic, great pro perfect splitter face crack.\u003cbr\>\n",0] ); //--></script>Apron Strings</a> <span><small>5.10b
</small></span>Sustained 10b <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">liebacking</span>.
<a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/international/canada/british_columbia/105806955" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Exasperator</span></a> <span><small>5.10c </small></span>
Good pics: <a href="http://www.matthewbuckle.net/climb/gallery/galleryphoto.php?photoname=becsexasperator" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Exasperator</span></a>
Two (short) pitches, .10a then .10c. Probably the right thing to do is link them with a 60m rope. Looks really, really good. Great pro.
<a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/international/canada/british_columbia/105979707" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">Seasoned in the Sun</a> <span><small>5.10b</small></span>
Good Pic: <a href="http://www.matthewbuckle.net/climb/gallery/galleryphoto.php?photoname=seasonedinthesun" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"> Seasoned in the Sun</a>
Just another mega-classic, great pro perfect splitter face crack.
<script><!-- D(["mi",8,2,"113f5488cb138371",0,"0","Amy Betz","Amy","amy.e.betz@gmail.com",[[] ,[["me","brendan.mcmahan@gmail.com","113f5488cb138371"] ] ,[] ] ,"Jul 23",["Brendan McMahan \u003cbrendan.mcmahan@gmail.com\>"] ,[] ,[] ,[] ,"Jul 23, 2007 6:52 PM","Re: some good squamish routes i looked at yesterday","",[] ,1,,,"Mon Jul 23 2007_6:52 PM","On 7/23/07, Amy Betz \u003camy.e.betz@gmail.com\> wrote:","On 7/23/07, \u003cb class\u003dgmail_sendername\>Amy Betz\u003c/b\> <amy.e.betz@gmail.com> wrote:","gmail.com",,,"","",0,,"\u003c9c9ccb640707231552k4b2a3ec5j69e36f35fd43ea4d@mail.gmail.com\>",0,,0,"In reply to \"some good squamish routes i looked at yesterday\"",0] ); //--></script>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-81888030121509128242007-07-29T08:37:00.000-07:002007-07-29T08:39:53.175-07:00Tuolumne Pictures<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tuolumne</span> pictures are now on Picasa. Climbing and hiking including Cathedral Peak (Southeast Buttress), <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Eichorn's</span> Pinnacle (North Face), <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Matthes</span> Crest (partial traverse from South to North), Stately Pleasure Dome (West Country), backpacking to Young Lakes, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Tenaya</span> Peak (Northwest Buttress).
<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/TuolumneMeadowsJune2007"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/Rqyu86s05dE/AAAAAAAAAqo/E8AmwPorTIQ/s160-c/TuolumneMeadowsJune2007.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/TuolumneMeadowsJune2007" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tuolumne</span> Meadows, June 2007</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-5239356779150432682007-04-15T12:31:00.000-07:002007-04-15T13:09:50.526-07:00Pictures from DarjeelingExactly a year ago today I arrived in Darjeeling, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">India, </span>so I guess it's about time for me to post some pictures. Trying to take photography "seriously" seems to have greatly increased the latency in actually doing anything with my pictures.
I took some of my favorite photographs from my whole India trip during my 4 days in Darjeeling. It's a small enough place that after a few days of wandering around I felt like I started to get to know it --- at least <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">more so</span> than with the other cities I visited in India. Three themes in particular captured my attention: the challenges of getting water to a hill town, the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">spectacular</span> flowers, and the bountiful markets.
Darjeeling is perched on the crest of a hill that rises thousands of feet above the surrounding valleys, and the people of Darjeeling have demonstrated extraordinary creativity in finding ways to bring water to their homes. There are brilliantly painted heavy-duty water tankers, old pickups with cisterns or tanks strapped to the back and sagging with the weight, braided conglomerations of small-gauge water pipe running on the ground or even hung like <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">power lines</span> between <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">buildings</span>, and hand-carts loaded down with huge water jugs. The one thing I didn't see was any kind of centrally-controlled municipal water supply or pumping system.
I was also inspired by the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">prevalence</span> of growing things, especially flowers. It seemed that every porch and banister and window of every house was lined with beautiful, overflowing potted flowers and other plants. There were even cages on the sides of buildings in the city where people would grow their flowers, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">padlocked</span> behind chicken-wire-screened doors.
No visitor or photographer should miss the markets and street vendors. Stalls piled high with grains, fruit, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">vegetables</span>, spices, dried fish, not to mention every grade and preparation of Darjeeling tea imaginable. I visited some of the touristy sites, but my favorite memories are of strolling along the back roads and through the markets, pausing frequently to sit back and observe the colorful, unfiltered, and vivid life of this city.
<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DarjeelingAndVicinity"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/brendan.mcmahan/RiJ89GxNtXE/AAAAAAAAAVE/q6h_RvpgIoE/s160-c/DarjeelingAndVicinity.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/DarjeelingAndVicinity" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Darjeeling and vicinity</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462516936253583153.post-63920894992890249012007-03-31T08:10:00.000-07:002007-03-31T08:14:07.944-07:00I've posted some pictures from my recent trip to Puerto Rico for AISTATS and the Learning Workshop.
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/PuertoRico"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/brendan.mcmahan/Rg52TkTbDKE/AAAAAAAAAPU/vPSCBEWjAq0/s160-c/PuertoRico.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brendan.mcmahan/PuertoRico" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Puerto Rico</a></td></tr></table>Brendan McMahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10773293133520770165noreply@blogger.com0