A PNW Summer – Part 2

By:  Sam
September 8, 2011


This is Part two of my summer in the PNW:

July: As the 4th rolled around, I headed up towards Ruth with Kat to try to get some 4th of July Turns. We got a few. And a lot of hiking on the way in to the snow.


The valley was still incredibly filled in.


Count ’em!


Still smiling after 8 miles of slogging.

Allen has been working as an arborist for the last year (anyone in NE need some tree-work done?). Despite having climbed some rather tall trees in Bellingham, he’d wanted to climb some of the taller old-growth trees up the valley for a long time. He set out on the fourth to find the biggest tree in the forest(/Monty Python voice)


Looking down from over 100 feet up.


Is that a booger?


Seriously, there are some HUGE trees here.


When we arrived home from our outdoor pursuits, the dog was very excited to see us. (At some point during the summer, our junkie neighbors stole the lawnmower that our landlord provided. The landlord didn’t provide another so the lawn got quite tall.


Happy Birthday USA!

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Read about the author:   Sam

Related Stuff:

  1. A PNW Summer- Part 1
  2. South Early Winter Spire
  3. A PNW Summer – Part 3
  4. Northwest Couloir Climb
  5. TR: Nortwest Couloir Climb
  6. Updated: Summer Series: Weekend of July 16-18th

3 Comments

  1. Harvey44
    wrote on September 8th, 2011 at 9:48 pm  
    1

    Some great pics Sam and Allen. The tele shot rocks. I dig the philosophy of the last paragraph.

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  2. bushman
    wrote on September 9th, 2011 at 6:29 am  
    2

    morning….very nice shots…thanks. liked the shadow silhouette photo. great idea. when i was at Ranier july 19 most of the hiking trails were closed due to excessive snow, glad you took advantage.
    changing gear, drove to Jay at top of VT last weekend. saw lots of wiped-out roads, bridges, even a section of interstate 91 was under water SB in northern MA thanks to Irene’s 6″ of rain in a compressed peroid in the hills which turned streams to monsters. but also saw lots of people helping people they didn’t know, coming from all over, dropping off water or food and slogging mud out of basements, pulling out soaked rugs, thrying to salvage houses. even VT National Guard rebuilding roads to restore access, had to borrow 6 choppers from ILL NG as VT’s are in Afghanistan. Very cool to see this, lots of backwoods climbers, skiers and riders doing the work and jawing about last winter’s snow and where to find hidden stashes while carrying 5 gal pails of mud, helping people cope. very cool. saw some mudslides on stateside of jay P but only one trail. could have been worse, but Irene pounded lower and mid VT the worst.

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  3. Ben
    wrote on September 9th, 2011 at 4:12 pm  
    3

    I agree with the climbing philosophy sentiment, even though I have spent (and continue to spend) plenty of time projecting harder sport routes. At the end of the day sport climbing is fun and great exercise, but it is the long days spent alpine climbing that stand out as the most memorable climbing moments in my memory. That’s not to say there’s not room for both – in the same way I can have a great time skiing everything from days long backcountry trips in BC to skinning up or even riding lifts at Whaleback, NH – but alpine climbing really does a great job reminding you exactly what you can do with those rock skills.

    Great shots!

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