Month: March 2021

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Jim Hill Mountain Ski Tour

A sunny end of March Saturday in the PNW, low avalanche conditions, and plenty of good snow on the ground? That sounds like a great day to get a ski tour in. My friend Walt and I discussed several different options and settled on trying a tour at Jim Hill Mountain along Highway 2. Jim Hill Mountain is known as a great moderate ski tour that had been on his list for a while. I was looking to continue to expand the area in which I tour and just generally get more skiing in to build up my skills as I am still in the gumby phase.

We started the tour at the Lanham Lake trailhead which is also where the Nordic Center is. There is two separate parking lots so make sure and park in the correct one before the gates so you don’t get locked in. Also, be respectful of the nordic trail that you have to cross over. Soon we were headed up and making good time to Lanham Lake.

The ridgeline to the left is where we were headed. Jim Hill Mountain is the second peak to the left.

The real fun started though once we started up the ridgeline where the goal was to gain the saddle at 5520 ft of elevation. The skin track that we were following was cut aggressively and had slightly frozen so both of us had a terrible time making forward progress. We were both regretting not having ski and split board crampons with us as we burned far more calories than we should have skinning up.

From the saddle we finally could see what we had worked so hard for.

Finally we hit the saddle and rewarded ourselves with lunch. The sun continued to shine which lifted our spirits and also meant an application of sunscreen. Soon we hit the trail again to gain the last 1000ft of vertical to the top.

Glacier Peak just barely visible through the clouds

Our optimistic plan was to go for the summit of Jim Hill but as we got closer we had a decision to make. The true summit required a slight deviation from the line we wanted to ski and involved us going for the saddle in this photo then climbing the ridge to the left. It was getting late in the day and crossing underneath all of the snow blasted trees under the summit that had been getting sun baked didn’t seem wise. We had expended a lot of energy gaining the ridge so we also would have been slow in a place where we needed to be fast. Agreement was made to not go for the summit and just chase the pow instead.

Jim Hill Mountain is the peak on the left with the saddle we would need to gain in the center.

Soon we were at the eastern saddle where most people drop in to ride the lines heading north east. We did a quick detour to the false summit as the views were too good to pass up as you can see.

Another skier putting in the work on the uphill track
Mount Stuart dominating the view to the south
Big Chiwaukum to the east. If you look closely you can see the skin tracks of someone that skied the right side couloir.

We quickly strapped in though and prepared to get some turns in. I snagged a couple of photos of the other split boarders as they dropped in and they came out great. I definitely did not look as excited dropping in as they did as it was a little steeper than I liked.

I survived though and found a safe spot to get shots of Walt getting some great turns in.

After all that fun we made it back to Highway 2, which we then had to hike back up .5 miles to get to the vehicle. As you can see a very solid day from my Strava track though for some reason I ended up with way more vertical gain than it was. It should be right around 4k in vertical gain.

I will definitely be coming back to tour this one again. Though next time avoiding the Lanham Lake trailhead to start and just directly coming up the Henry Creek side would be my recommendation.

As always check out my Photography Website for some of my favorite photos from my adventures.

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Alpine Stewards Recommendations

Here are a few of the my favorite places to go for knowledge, inspiration, and/or to learn some new things. This is very much a work in progress so many more updates to come.

Blogs

Tim Ferris I read 4 Hour Work Week way back in 2015 on a trip to Patagonia and it still stands as one of my favorite books ever. Tim has continued to grow and explode in popularity and it’s been fun to watch.

Clipping Chains Finance and Climbing in one place?! I have found some great info here and love to see the journey they are on.

Will Gadd is a world renowned climber and has some insightful posts on training and climbing. He has also been increasingly focused on the environment as well and recently went back to Kilimanjaro to ice climb on what remains of the glacier there.

Alpine Vagabonds is the blog of Priti and Jeff Wright, two local PNW climbers that is filled with inspirational posts and climbs.

Peter Attia has a world class podcast that while very technical I have been able to glean some amazing information about sleep, diet, exercise, everything. His three part podcast he did on sleep with Mathew Walker completely opened my mind about sleep.

Books

Essentialism This book goes deep into how to declutter your life.  It’s about getting your time back, about focus, about learning how to say “no” and focusing on what gives meaning.

Climbing

“Steph Abegg is a beast” has often been words out my mouth and the other’s that know of her. Her website chronicles her amazing climbs and photographs in the Puget Sound and around the world. If you are a climbing or a mountaineering prepare to devote hours to this page.

Climber Kyle is another fantastic blog about climbing and adventures in the PNW.

Random Knowledge

Atlas Obscura is a website I always go to when traveling in a new area. I will say some of the more touristy spots are starting to pop up in there now but if you are looking to get off the beaten track and maybe see some weird local spot check this page out. How else would I have found out that Portland, Oregon has a liberal arts school with a nuclear reactor ran by liberal arts students?

Coffee

Ever have a question about coffee? James Hoffmann and his YouTube channel is amazing. Be prepared to spend hours here too.

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My favorite locations and photos from Death Valley National Park in 2021

From it’s lowest point at 282 feet below sea level to 11,049 feet above sea level Death Valley certainly has its extremes. It is commonly thought of as the Hottest, Driest, and Lowest National Park in the United States and one devoid of life. In March 2021 I was able to spend several days there and here are a few moments from that trip. So what are the best places to visit in Death Valley? Here are a few of my favorites spots and photos though I know there is so much of the park left to explore.

Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin is the lowest point of the park at 282 ft below sea level and also the lowest point in North America. One of the coolest things to see here was that a little bit of water remained here at the spring fed pool and several birds were there looking for food. The water is not “bad” per the name but just really salty though life does exist here. Surprisingly enough there is actually a unique snail that only lives in the water and plant called pickleweed. There is a “trail” that you can walk along that can take you several miles out on to the salt flats to see the amazing geometric salt polygons that form naturally there. I was only there during the day but have seen some amazing milky way shots from here so staying for the night shots is recommended.

Life lives even in the water at the “Badwater” spring.

Random Factoid of the Trip: The lowest point of dry land in the world is actually the shore of the Dead Sea which is approximately 1411 ft below sea level! Wikipedia

Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie is a popular sunrise point in Death Valley, partially I think due to how close it is to Furnace Creek where the majority of the camping in Death Valley is. I ended up spending two sunrises there to try and find a composition I liked. Check out some of my favorites below. It was certainly a challenging place to photograph and having a zoom lens helped a lot to get creative with different compositions. Taking the time to explore some of the other paths and trails definitely paid off and was well worth the effort of hiking around.

The final evening was spent on the sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells. Many of my favorite photos from the trip ended up being from here. The lighting was great and there were so many great leading lines that the dunes created. If you are looking for the best place to photograph in Death Valley I recommend these dunes. The hike out there did take some effort and bring plenty of water with you but it was well worth the effort. My best recommendation though is to get ice cream at the Stovepipe Wells General Store as it is a great reward after the hike and a fitting end to the day.

On the final day I headed out and took the Trona Wildrose road towards Trona and was shocked to see wild burros'(donkeys) alongside the road. I got a couple of good photos and of course checked out the internet to learn the story behind these animals. Sadly they are an invasive species brought over by settlers and miners during the gold rush. There population has continued to grow with no native predators and are actually causing detrimental effects to the native bighorn population from over eating. NP Info

Driving in Death Valley

The climb up to Towne Pass on State Route 190 is no joke, from below sea level to 4963 ft took it’s toll on the van so beware and go easy on your vehicle if driving through Death Valley. The grades can range from 6-9% for several miles so make sure you vehicle and it’s brakes are in good working order! Next time I visit I plan on coming in my truck as there are several places I want to visit that require 4 wheel drive and high clearance.

Now this was just a small taste of the beauty in Death Valley and barely touched the surface of what to do there. Next on my list of place to visit in Death Valley would be, The Racetrack, Telescope Peak, Eureka Dunes, and Dantes View.

Further reading of some of the lesser known history of Death Valley

Edna Brush Perkins

Timbisha Shoshone Tribe

Thanks again for following along on my journeys! If you loved any of these photos and would want to get them printed check out my photography gallery here.

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Grand Canyon National Park

The next adventure brought me to Arizona again and for a brief period of time the beauty and splendor of the Grand Canyon. The time here was short as the main destination was further to the west but even then, a sunset and sunrise was enough to get a small taste of the sublime. But no where near enough time to even begin to relish the sheer vastness of the park.

Our stop was at the south rim of the canyon where most visitors start their visit as well. As always we were racing to catch the sunset but first had to grab a campsite. Due to the pandemic and still being the winter season we were able to drive right up and grab one of tent sites right in the park. From there we headed to the rim to look for a spot for sunset.

After checking out a few locations we settled on what looked to be a good spot and headed out. After coming from Seattle the clear skies and views of the sun had been amazing but a small portion of me was wishing for a few clouds for sunset. None appeared but the golden light hitting the walls of the canyon left me with no reason to complain.

Just because it was sunny didn’t mean it was bitterly cold though as the wind whipped up the canyon walls. It was definitely still February and certainly still winter. One of the amazing things about the Grand Canyon is the temperature difference at the south rim compared to the bottom and then compared to the north rim. There is over a 1000ft of difference in elevation from the South and North Rims and temperatures can be up to 20 degrees warmer at the bottom from the rim.

After sunset we headed to the surprisingly very well stocked grocery store near the Park Headquarters which also had a small clothing section full of Patagonia apparel. I definitely was not expecting that but I’m sure visitors unprepared for the cold would be happy to see it. Having purchased a few groceries for dinner we headed back to the campsite, had dinner, played some Catan dice, and headed to bed with early alarm clocks set for sunrise.

Sunrise on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

As always, the alarm clocks came way to early and we tried to quietly get ready and quickly leave the campsite without disturbing our neighbors too much. We tried out a new spot on the rim for sunrise and for the most part liked the perspective but the Grand Canyon is just really hard to capture it’s shear size. Soon our time here wrapped off and we headed off to our next destinations of Death Valley and the Eastern Sierra’s.

I can’t wait to return to Grand Canyon National Park though as there is still so much I would like to see there. The North Rim is an eventual destination, hiking to the bottom and back, maybe even a Rim to Rim…… I do know visiting Lookout Tower Hill the highest point in the park is also a must do for me to keep working on my highest points of the national parks list.

If you loved any of these photos check out my gallery site where you can see them in full size and even purchase if you love them. Thanks for the reading!

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The best ways to repair your outdoor gear and keep it lasting longer

Have a backpack that is starting to wear out? Puffy jacket with a small rip and leaking some feathers? Asking yourself “How do I repair my ……..?” Here is your go to place to learn about different do-it-yourself gear repair options and other commercial services.

Why repair your gear?

1) $$$, outdoor gear is expensive and you can save hundreds to thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime keeping gear alive longer.

2) It’s better for the environment. A ton of outdoor gear is made from plastic based material and we all know less plastic is a good thing. By repairing gear and not buying new you can significantly reduce how much lifetime plastic you consume.

3) I personally enjoy knowing the many adventures that my gear has been on me with and take pride that some of my stuff looks a little beat up. It’s also great to learn another skill to maintain the things you own.

Repair Tools and Materials

Shoe Goo is a staple for short term repairs on both my climbing shoes and regular hiking and mountaineering boots. It it is really easy to use and for my climbing shoes has definitely extended the time in between getting them resoled. I end up using it on the toes a lot as I still somehow seem to drag my toes while climbing.

Here you can see where I have applied the Shoe Goo on the toe to keep any slight dragging from wearing down the toe further. Eventually I will have to get them resoled but this allows me to use them longer till then.

Tenacious Tape by GEAR Aid is my second most used gear repair item. It is also extremely easy to use. Simply clean the area around the rip, apply the tape, then stick down. GEAR Aid also has precut round patches available as well. If you have any questions on which one to use GEAR Aid has a great page here to determine the best one for your application. There are also some fun precut patches available as well in outdoor themed shapes.

Here you can see the patch on my Mountain Hardware South Col 70 backpack that I bought used. The only thing wrong with the backpack was a small rip there, I patched it after purchasing and it has held up for over 3 years now through some serious abuse.

Seam Grip by Gear Aid is also another amazing tool to have in your gear repair kit. This is used for sealing the seams on your outdoor gear to restore it’s waterproofing. They also have a model that works for your tents as well to keep them lasting longer. The seams are generally the weak area where water will intrude first so this is a great way to fight that.

Outdoor Sewing Kit by Gear Aid, once again Gear Aid has a nice and compact kit with almost all of the essentials on sewing together any of your gear. The only thing it doesn’t have is something heavy duty enough to punch through some of the really thick material out there. That is where the next tool comes in handy.

Speedy Stitcher is the best tool for sewing when the material gets really thick. This kit also includes several needles and course thread. One small tip I also found online is that you can also use dental floss for a thicker and potentially longer lasting sewing material.

Leather conditioner for gloves, whether this be for ski gloves, climbing and belay gloves, or any regular leather gloves. Hestra Leather Balm is a great option but I have even been known to use some regular kitchen olive oil to keep the leather supple on my scrambling gloves.

*Years ago I found the Chasing Mastery website while looking on the internet about how to repair my gear. Sadly the website is no longer still up but many of the ideas I found there live on in this post.

Don’t feel up to repairing it yourself? Check out my other post here where I list out some of the great privately owned gear repair shops around the country. Also if you have any other go to products to keep your stuff lasting longer let me know and I can add it to this post!

Reach out to me at alpinestewards@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list to be updated when new posts come out.

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