Christmas - 12/25/09

My first Christmas ever and it was very fun. Katie's family was extremely generous and provided an excellent time. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/christmas-12_25_09/

Hydro Electric Dam Production - 12/23/09

Katie and I got to shoot a production of a hydro electric dam model.

Yakima Valley - 12/03/05/09

She Said Yes!!! Katie and I got engaged this past weekend during our three day bike wine tour through the Yakima Valley. We were able to do a 25 mile bike ride on the first day through freezing temperatures and saw four wineries. After which we drove to the top of Two Mountain Winery where I proposed to Katie. The next day it was even colder out and we decided to drive instead of bike. It was such a wonderful vacation and we are both so happy and excited. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/yakima-12_03_09/

New York - 11/24-30/09

I went home to New York to visit my family for Thanksgiving. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/travel/2009/newyork-11_24_09/

Hyak BC Ski - 11/22/09

Katie and I went up to Hyak for our first BC ski of the year and Katie's first ever. The snow was pretty darn crappy, but Katie had lots of fun anyway. No pictures were taken.

First Date Anniversary - 11/19/09

Katie and I celebrated the anniversary of our first date. We visited some spots of our actual first date and well as eating dinner at the Tamarine Tree. No pictures were taken.

Kiyomi, Joe, and Jonah Family Portrait Session - 11/14/09

Katie and I did a wonderful family portrait session. Pictures can be found at http://katieandjoshua.com

GCW HGTV Resume - 11/13/09

Katie and I got to shoot a production for Garret Cord Werner to make a resume for HGTV.

First Met Anniversary - 11/09/09

Katie and I celebrated the anniversary of the first time we met at the Ballard Outdoor Market. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/firstmet-11_09_09/

Spokane - 11/06-08/09

Katie and I took a break from unpacking our new house and headed over to Spokane with Matt Peters for Jon Jantz's gallery showing at the land council. His photography is awesome and you should definitely go check it out. We met up with Katie's sister, Emily, and stayed at her place on Friday and Saturday night. On Saturday, Katie and I headed over to the Palouse for some photography of our own even though the light was fading fast.

Pictures of Jon's gallery showing can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/jon-11_06_09/

Pictures of the Palouse can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/palouse-11_07_09

Halloween - 10/30-31/09

Katie and I enjoyed two really fun Halloween parties on the 30th and the 31st. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/halloween-10_30_09/

Betsy's Maternity Shoot - 10/25/09

Katie and I had an excellent time visiting Ralph and Betsy down in Olympia. We spent the day doing a maternity shot with Betsy, eating wonderful food, and playing wii rock band. Pictures can be found at http://katieandjoshua.com

Lake Washington Bike Loop - 10/11/09

Matt and Emily joined Katie and I for the first the southern portion of the Lake Washington Bike Loop. Matt and Emily had somewhere to be so returned on the I-90 trail, while Katie and I finished the northern portion. It was Katie's first time doing the entire loop and we got back a few minutes before dark and cold.

Magnolia Bike Loop - 10/10/09

Katie and I did the always fun Magnolia Bike Loop through Discovery Park down to the Waterfront and back to Ballard.

Table Mountain - 10/04/09

Katie and I spent the day up at Table Mountain. We originally were going to do the Chain Lakes Loop, but arriving at the lower parking lot we discovered lots of fresh snow and the road to Artist Point was closed. After hiking up to Artist Point and attempting to traverse below Table Mountain, we abandoned those plans and hiked up to the top of Table Mountain. After that, we spent the rest of the day eating hundreds of blueberries and taking pictures of the lakes below Table Mountain. We then stopped at the ever so popular Reflection Lake to take the most photographed picture in the world of Mount Shuksan. There were many intense photographers there jockeying for elbow room. It was very serious and we decided not to stay for sunset due to the strong winds which was destroying the great reflection. Any trip up north would not be complete without a stop at Tacos Guaymas in Burlington. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/table-10_04_09/

I-90 Bike Ride - 10/03/09

Katie and I rode out on the I-90 bike trail to 405, but ran out of time and returned the same way.

Blue Ridge Bike Loop - 09/26/09

Katie and I rode from Wedgwood to Ballard up Blue Ridge to Greenwood and back to Wedgwood for a nice evening bike ride. No pictures were taken.

Mason Jennings - 09/25/09

Katie, Megan, Brandon, Adrienne, Katie's parents and I all went down to the Showbox Friday night to see Mason Jennings. It was an incredible show as he swapped between his hallowed out electric guitar and acoustic guitar and old songs and new ones. Great times mate! No pictures were taken.

Bothell Bike Ride - 09/22/09

Katie and I rode the Burke up to the River trail up past Bothell on Tuesday. No pictures were taken.

Leavenworth - 09/20/09

Katie and I headed to Leavenworth for an afternoon and hiked up to Givler's Dome to climb Givler's Crack. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/leavenworth-09_20_09/

Seattle Around Town Bike Loop - 09/13/09

Katie and I did the Seattle Around Town Bike Loop which was 31 miles. It goes from Ballard to Magnolia to the Waterfront up Jackson to Seward Park and back via Lake Washington. After that we went to Discovery Park and pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/discovery-09_13_09/

Def Leppard Concert - 09/12/09

The Wine and Wii crew made a trip out to the White River Amphitheater to see Poison and Def Leppard. It was loads of fun and all of the guys got to wear makeup. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/defleppard-09_12_09/

Kevin & Bridgette Wedding - 09/05/09

I attended Kevin and Bridgette's wedding with Katie and her family. It was suppose to rain all day, but the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/kevinbridgette-09_05_09/

Jamaican Family Vacation - 08/25/09-09/02/09

Katie and I joined the rest of my family in Jamaica for a week long trip. We stayed at Beaches in Boscobel and we all had such a great time. It was also wonderful for my family to meet Katie, which meant so much to everyone. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/travel/2009/jamaica-08_26_09/

Britton Portrait Session - 08/24/09

Katie and I had a great portrait session photographing Britton at the Arboretum. Pictures can be found at http://katieandjoshua.com

The Tooth (South Face) -08/23/09

Katie and I enjoyed a wonderful day on the tooth. The hike up went really fast, but with the usual Bandit shenanigans it took us 3 hours to reach the base of the climb and we had to leave Bandit below a gully. When we got to the base, we noticed that we were about to be a part of the biggest cluster the tooth has ever seen. There was a group of six climbers all tied together by half ropes simul-climbing the tooth at one time. One person led the climb and five others climbed after him, but were all tied together. Just to reiterate, a six person simul-climb for a three pitch route. I asked if I could climb around them, but they were not into that. Nobody was moving and it felt like an eternity. One of the climbers mentioned that this was the best way they thought of and it should be faster than a party of three, but I don't know what he was talking about. Eventually after an hour or so, the sixth climber got on the wall and I led out right behind him. I would make a few moves then have to wait, and then repeat. Then all of a sudden a group of two, who were apparently in front of the group of six, started going down and threw their ropes over mine. Great times mate! I definitely acted like a big jackass when I was yelling down to Katie and asking her if she would like to join my tea party. Eventually we got to a place where I can sort of pass this mess and on lead, I spotted the sixth climber while he climbed with lots of slack in his line. Once to the left of the mess, the rest of the climb went off without a hitch and we were standing on top of the tooth in no time. Luckily we were able to rappel down before the party of six. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/tooth-08_23_09/

Exit 38 (Club Paradiso) - 08/22/09

Katie and I spent an afternoon up at Club Paradiso and climbed 3 routes.

Lush 5.8
Luscious 5.9
Just Because You're Paranoid 5.8

Exit 38 - 08/16/09

Katie and I took advantage of the nice weather, but unfortunately so did the rest of Seattle. Most of the climbs we wanted to do were extremely busy, so there was no time for a warm up. For the first climb, I lead a 10a which was very pumpy. Katie styled the climb even though if she fell that meant she had to redo the crux. Oops. Then Katie led the 5.7 which was very slippery at the start and I slipped off of it while following it, which definitely scared me. Everyone was alright though. Great times.

Led:
Lovey-Dovey 5.10a

Top Roped:
Rug Monkey 5.7

Rachel and Jon Wedding - 08/15/09

Katie and I attended Rachel and Jon's wedding in Whidbey Island. It was a great celebration and they both looked beautiful. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/racheljon-08_15_09/

Phish and Vantage - 08/07-09/09

Katie, Matt, Emily, and I drove to the Gorge for two nights of Phish and two days of climbing. We also met up with Matt's brother Brian and his girlfriend.

Friday night's Phish show was the first show I have seen in about 10 years and it definitely brought back the memories. They played many new songs which I have never heard before, but still plenty of the classics. The first set opened with Down With Disease and also included Stash, Possum, Destiny Unbound (a first for me), the ultra classic Sneakin' Sally Thru The Alley, and ending with the every funky Cavern. The second set opened nice with Moma Dance and included Taste, Fluffhead, Bathtub Gin, and Harry Hood. They also encored with Slave! After the show we drove back to the Feathers to camp and found people climbing at midnight with an insane lighting setup and huge speakers. It was quite annoying, but Emily got them to kill the music.

We were all pretty lazy Saturday morning, but eventually we got in some climbing at the Feathers in the shade. I led a 5.7 to warm up on and everyone climbed it, even Matt. Then Katie led a really fun 5.8 in style (her second 5.8 lead) and then I led a 5.9 to finish off the day. It was overhanging for a short section and got me nervous, but was not that bad. We were all pretty hot by then so we drove down to the river and had a great refreshing swim.

After the swim, we drove back to the Gorge, made some dinner and relaxed. The second night was also very good and I was able to run into my old friend Matt Owen during set break. The first set opened with an old tune, Mango Song. The first set also included excellent songs such as Tweezer, It's Ice, YaMar, Wolfman's Brother, and Antelope. The second set did not include alot of songs, but each one was extremely long and equally insane. The set opened up with a 23 minute Rock and Roll which went into Makisupa. We even got to hear our YEM. What a great night.

We had another lasy start to the day on Sunday, but eventually we got more climbs in. Katie led two 5.8's (her 3rd and 4th 5.8 leads) again in style. I am definitely proud of her and how fast she is improving and how her confidence is building. I then chickened out on leading a 5.10a, but waited till the 5.9 was open and climbed that one. Katie then ran up the climb after me. After feeling more confident, I attempted a different 5.10a, which looked easier than the other one I didn't climb. Of course it turned out to be harder. It was steep, pumpy, and sustained. And about half way through the climb my arms were exhausted and I couldn't hold on to anything which made the rest of the climb pretty scary. I hung on a bolt for a long time and thought about bailing, but Katie, Matt, and Emily kept their faith in me and I finally finished it. After that climb, it was getting late and we were again very hot. So we drove down to the river for a swim before the long drive home to Seattle. Lucky for us, there was a 1-2 hour traffic jam at Cle Elum to make the drive longer.

Climbing pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/vantage-08_07_09/

Led:
Altar of Sacrifice 5.7
Shin Smasher 5.9
Satan's Little Helper 5.9
Blood Blister 5.10a

Top Roped:
Jesus Saves 5.8
The Uprising 5.8
Don Coyote 5.8

Exit 38 - 08/05/09

Katie and I went climbing at Substation. Katie started us off by leading a 5.7 and which allowed us to top rope the 10b. She then led another 5.7 and I led the 5.8 variation off of it. We finished the day with the overhang pumpy 5.9, which Katie styled up. Another great day.

Led:
Glob Don 5.8
Hurly-Burly 5.9

Top Roped:
Turf Safari 5.7
Bwana Be Your Man 5.10b
Glob Job 5.7

Mount Townsend - 08/02/09

Katie and I joined her parents for a beautiful hike up to the top of Mount Townsend. It offers great views of Port Angeles, Sequim, the Puget Sound, Hood Canal, Mt. Constance, and the Brothers. It was quite hot out, but the breeze on the top cooled us off. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/townsend-08_02_09/

5218 8th Ave. NW - 07/30/09

Katie and I were meeting up with her friend Laura to discuss shooting their wedding next summer. We both dressed up nice and took some great photographs. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/5218-07_30_09/

Hidden Lake Peak Lookout - 07/24-26/09

After much deliberation, Katie and I decided on Hidden Lake Peak Lookout. With major threats of thunderstorms and high temperatures, we both didn't want to do any alpine climbing and with mosquitoes and flies at their peak, we both didn't want to hang out by a lake. We got a late start from Seattle on Friday afternoon and then ran into lots of traffic on I-5. Finally the traffic eased and we were on our way to the North Cascades. After stopping in the Marblemount Ranger Station, we found out that there was already a party of 4 and a party of 3 up there and the chances of us getting the lookout that night were slim. I did get a backcountry permit in case the lookout was full and we wanted to stay at the lake.

After some quick organization at the trail head we were on our way and making great time. However, our first bump in the road occurred just as we left the woods when it started to rain. After getting on our pack covers, our second bump in the road occurred when Katie realized she left her camera in the car. Because the main focus of this trip was photography and that we were only 700 feet above the car, we decided that we would go back and get the camera. Now that it was raining hard, we had to decide to either drop the packs, retrieve the camera, and continue hiking or hike back to the car and sleep at the trail head. All of a sudden the rain slowed down and there was some sun in the sky. We then dropped our packs in the woods and ran back down to the car. Soon after we were hiking back up and nearing our packs when it started to rain again. This time it was followed by thunder and lightning. We were definitely not going to hike in lightning above treeline so we found a small campsite in the woods and set up our tent.

After a half hour or so, the rain stopped and were hungry so we got out and made some dinner. Refueled, we discussed heading up more to camp or staying put and leaving very early the next morning. We knew the lookout was out of the question for tonight, but wanted to be in a good position to get it for the second night. Eventually we decided to stay put and as I was brushing my teeth, I saw two more people hiking up through the woods who were walking extremely slow and had huge packs. They knew they wouldn't make the lookout, but decided to go as far as they could. Just as they were out of sight, it seemed silly to us that we were camping in the woods so we packed up our things as quickly as we could to get closer to the lookout than them. At this point, it is almost 8pm and we knew we would be hiking in the dark.

After quickly packing up, we were hiking again out of the woods. Now the tall plants in the meadow were dripping and we were soaked in a few minutes. After 15 minutes we passed the couple and kept heading up the trail along Sibley Creek. In no time, we found ourselves crossing the creek and making our way across the long traverse below Hidden Lake Peak toward the lookout. It was very peaceful hiking across the traverse at dusk, watching the storms in the distance. Once we started slowing down due to the darkness we put on our headlamps. We were getting tired and I kept on trying to find places to camp, but there was no spots as the terrain is very delicate. We were on track until we didn't notice that the trail turned uphill, as there was still a trail going straight and tracks in the snow beyond that, and when we lost the trail. Pretty soon thereafter, we are scrambling and downclimbing hard snow and big boulders. It was definitely getting sketchy and eventually I made it onto a snow slope which was extremely thin and had gaping holes in it above boulders. After calming myself down I retraced my steps back to Katie and we decided to go back to where we lost the trail. I climbed above the first snow slope and looked down and was on the trail. We were psyched and back for some more hiking. A half hour later, I noticed a spur trail which led to two small campsites, which was such an awesome site. We setup our tent and chowed lots of food as it was after 11pm by this point. Once we were relaxed, we actually did some night photography capturing star trails before going to sleep.

The next morning I woke up to such an awesome sunrise. I walked around a bit to see what was going on and once I realized the photo oppurnities, I went back and woke up Katie. She was glad I did so and we took tons of excellent photos for a few hours. There were great clouds, colors, reflections, flowers, etc... Once that was done, we filled up our water bottles and were prepared to make some breakfast when all of a sudden Katie saw a party of three coming down from the lookout. They walked right by our tent and notified us that there was nobody else up there. Katie and I looked at eachother and without saying a word, we stopped thinking about breakfast and instantly started packing up. Within a few minutes we were on the trail headed to claim the lookout.

Just as we started hiking, the clouds started to get dark and I informed Katie that we were about 800 feet below the lookout and that hopefully it won't rain in the next half hour. Within minutes it started to drizzle and slowly started to rain harder. I then mentioned that hopefully it won't start to thunder and lightning in the next 15 minutes. Then just as we got to the ridge between Hidden Lake Peak and the lookout, it started to pour with sideways rain. We were getting hammered and instantly were freezing. The rain actually was penetrating our ear canals, which was pretty weird. After some suffering, we were soon opening the door to the lookout. We quickly put on dry clothes and hung up all of our wet clothes. A few minutes later, another couple came inside the lookout, also drenched, and mentioned how they have no tent and would like to stay on the floor with us. They were both Russian, and the woman spoke no English and has only been in the US for one month. He was dressed in a full camo outfit with a mesh tank top underneath and a large knife, which was slightly disturbing. He then expressed his anger with us that since we did not sign the courtesy trail head sheet saying that we were staying at the lookout, that they did not bring a tent. He also said that he used to work for the Forest Service and said that you can't stay in the lookout without signing the sheet. He had no clue and I didn't believe that for a second. We get their first and he is lecturing us. I don't know what this guy was talking about, but he wouldn't drop it. I don't have to sign anything, besides the form was totally full and there was no place to write anything, and I did get a backcountry permit from Marblemount. I don't know why he was mad at us, he should have been mad at himself for not taking responsibilty for his situation as well as partners, who had no clue about backpacking. Neither of them changed into dry clothes and began to eat this huge meal.

The sun did come out and Katie and I went outside to warm up and dry out all of clothes. Soon enough, day hikers made it up to the lookout and we were chatting with all different people for hours. We then located the number one voted outhouse in the Cascades and took pictures of wildflowers. Back at the lookout we found out that the Russian woman didn't feel well and then they both took a very long nap. High clouds started to form and day hikers began to leave to beat the afternoon thunderstorms. The guy told us again that she was still not feeling well and that they decided to hike out and not stay the night. Of course because such a skilled ex Forest Service employee, he waited to leave just as the rain came. Another great job of taking care of a woman who doesn't know a thing. Way to go mate!

They left and we were totally psyched as we had the lookout to ourselves. And then the real fun began as for the rest of the afternoon and evening, thunderstorms pounded all of the ridgelines all around us. There were high clouds, so we could always see the peaks, but the photography session that insued was one of the best I have ever been a part of. Because we were in a lookout we were the lucky ones to be able to witness the crazy storms up high without fear of being caught in it. A total lookouters dream and Hidden Lake Peak did not let us down. All of a sudden as we were taking pictures, we heard some buzzing and then our hair stood straight up. We quickly ran for the lookout. For the first time, the storm was over the lookout and for about an hour, we got pounded by rain, constant rolling thunder, and lightning. When that ended, the clouds parted and we went back outside for some more storm watching. As night fell, we got tired and went to sleep.

the next morning we enjoyed a lazy start. But once the sun came out, it got hot out and day hikers started to arrive. We chatted with all of the nice people and eventually made it back to our wildflower spot for some more photography. Around 1pm, we packed up and slowly made our way back to the car. We definitely wanted to beat the storms and get home at a reasonable hour for Katie. Lots of bug bites later, we were taking off our boots and heading back down the Cascade River Road. No trip to the North Cascades is complete without stopping in Burlington for some Tacos Guaymas. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/hlp-07_24_09/

Exit 38 - 07/22/09

Katie and I went to Exit 38, but it was so hot we decided on heading to Neverland so we would not have to hike long. We setup at the Lost Boys area and did two multi-pitch routes. The first was a two pitch 5.9 and the second had a 5.9 first pitch and a 5.10a second pitch. Both were extremely fun and we had a great time. No pictures were taken.

Led:
I Wanna Go Home (2p) 5.9
The Plank (2p) 5.9, 5.10a

New York - 07/16/09-07/20/09

I flew back home to visit my family in New York for 5 days. My grandmother also flew up to New York from Florida. It was a great time relaxing with all of my family. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/travel/2009/newyork-07_16_09/

Emily and Chase Wedding - 07/10-12/09

I joined Katie to attend Emily and Chase's Wedding over on the Kitsap Peninsula. I took an afternoon ferry and made it over to Katie's parents house just in time to take a quick shower before the rehearsal dinner at the Silverdale Brewing Company. After the dinner, we went over to the wedding site for the actual rehearsal. The next morning while everyone was getting ready, I went on a solo bike ride of about 40 miles from Silverdale to Port Gamble and back. It was a great loop, although very hot and I was pretty dehydrated. Once back, we had a few hours to relax before heading back to the wedding site. The actualy wedding ceremony and reception was beautiful and tons of fun. I was even able to practise some wedding photography and took many photographs. The next morning we went out for breakfast in Poulsbo and took an early afternoon ferry back to Seattle. It was an excellent weekend and wonderful to meet all of Katie's family. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/emilychase-7_11_09/

Exit 38 - 07/09/09

With many chores needed to by on Wednesday, Exit 38 was out of the question. Luckily I was able to find a partner, Jackie from the UWCC, to go climbing with on Thursday. We headed to the Far Side to escape the crowds and settled on the Gunshow area. We warmed up by both leading a 5.8. After that we ventured up the two pitch 5.9, where I led the first pitch and Jackie led the second pitch. It was a really fun climb, where the first pitch was steep and the second pitch was slabby. Good views from the top. Next I tried my hand at a 10b, but had to lower. Jackie then tried it and didn't get past where I stopped. So after she lowered, she led the 5.8 to the left of the 10b and was able to set up a top rope and retrieve our gear. I then top roped the 10b and was able to climb it after some flailing. No pictures were taken.

Led:
GS-6 5.8
Elation At The End Of Eternity pitch 1 5.9

Top Roped:
Elation At The End Of Eternity pitch 2 5.9
GS-4 5.10b

Olympic Coast (3rd Beach) - 07/03-05/09

Katie, Megan, and I spent the July 4th weekend on the Olympic Coast. Katie of course does not have the holiday off and we left early Friday afternoon. After stops including long ferry lines, dropping off Bandit in Silverdale, bumper to bumper traffic at the hood canal bridge, getting permits in Port Angeles, we finally made it to the 3rd Beach trailhead around 8pm. Just like the coast always is, it was sunny the entire drove over and got cloudy at the trailhead. Luckly the hike to 3rd beach is only 1.5 miles and we were quickly setting up camp and cooking dinner. Fire roasted smores and whiskey topped off the evening. The next morning we woke up to misty conditions. With that we decided not to move our camp and we day hiked it out to Strawberry Point. Tons of pictures were taken along the way including misty overland forests, bald eagles, and driftwood. At Strawberry Point we decided we had enough and soon were making our way back. All was going well until I ran into Evan Jewett, a fellow UW climber. We spoke for a while and eventually Katie and Megan had enough and went ahead without me. Evan then mentioned if we knew about the car accident that took place early that morning. Of course we didn't. A guy in a truck, pulling a boat, fell asleep and caused a 5 car accident in the trailhead parking lot. His description sounded like where we parked and I quickly took off to catch up to Katie and Megan. After telling them what had happened we booked it back to our tent and then Katie and I went back to the parking lot to see if her car was hit. Unfortunately, her car was hit, although it was not totalled and 3 others were. The cops deemed it driveable and it was not towed when the accident occured. She had front and rear bumper damage, possible frame damage and fluid leaks, hood and back door alignment issues, etc.. We couldn't do anything at the moment given the day and time so we hiked back to our camp and tried to relax as much as possible. The sun eventually came out and we enjoyed a few hours of lounging around in the sunshine, eating mushroom risotto, and drinking loco cocoas. We decided to wake up early to take care of the car. After stops at the Forks police department and the Mora ranger station, we were finally on our way home. Because the back door was screwed up, we were unable to get Bandit and he had to stay in Silverdale for the week until Emily's wedding. After days and days of dealing with insurance companies and staying patient, Katie was finally able to obtain a rental car and drop off her car at the Jeep dealer. Hopefully the frame isn't damaged and will be able to be fixed. All in all, a very typical trip for us when we wanted a mellow weekend without vertical gain. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/3rdbeach-07_03_09/

Exit 38 - 07/01/09

Katie and I headed to Exit 38 under blue skies for the first time in weeks which was very exciting. We headed to the Far Side up to Eastern Block at Interstate Park. We warmed up on two .8s and felt up for Ellie's Sweet Kiss. It was a fun pumpy climb over a few roofs, but actually was very easy for the grade. We were both excited bout climbing it and then wanted Katie to work on her leading. She make quick work of the .7 feeling very strong and confident and was up for her first .8. We found a good climb and she made quick work of that as well pulling over an overhang. Excellent job mate! No pictures were taken.

Led:
EB-3 5.8
EB-2 5.8
Ellie's Sweet Kiss 5.10a

Top Roped:
Kiss Of The Crowbar 5.7
EB-6 5.8

Goat Wall Attempt (Prime Rib) - 06/28/09

After climbing SEWS the previous day, neither of us were into slogging back up to the alpine and we decided on heading to Mazama to attempt Prime Rib on Goat Wall. It is an 11 pitch sport route up to 5.9 with plenty of bolts. Our toes were still hurting pretty bad and the long talus and scree approach were not well suited for our chacos and sandals. We also picked a bad time to start as there were two other parties starting to climb the route as we got there, however we did not have to wait long. Soon enough we were climbing. The route was fun, although there was alot of wandering and rope drag and everything was pretty over-bolted. We all had a great time enjoying the views of the Methow Valley, nice temps, and great company. After 5 pitches, we decided that we have had enough and wanted to get back to Seattle at a reasonable hour. Katie also got in her first multipitch leading. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/primerib-06_28_09/

Pitch 1 - 5.3 (Katie)
Pitch 2 -5.7/5.8 (Ralph)
Pitch 3 - 5.6+ (Joshua)
Pitch 4 - 5.7/5.8 (Ralph)
Pitch 5 - 5.6 (Katie)

SEWS (Southwest Buttress) - 06/27/09

Ralph was up in Seattle for work on Friday and I "convinced" him to join Katie and I for some climbing at Washington Pass for the weekend. We decided to give the Southwest Buttress on SEWS a go on Saturday and Sunday was TBD. We arrived at the Blue Lake trailhead with a ton of other climbers, luckily nobody was on our route. My platypus leaked in my bag on the drive over, so I had to go with one nalgene (something I was not comfortable with). I had heard about the avy blowdown before we got there, but still could not find a good way through the mess. Finally we were on snow and straightlining it for South Early Winter Spire. There was only one problem. Bandit got his first glimpse of some goats and he took off after them. He basically made it up to the start of the Northwest Corner route on NEWS. He didn't come down until he knocked down some rocks on himself which scared him. We finally got to the base of our route and then Bandit took off again cornering another goat. Katie had to go and collect him and tie him down on his runner. As Ralph started climbing the first pitch, goat after goat came down on the rocks and stared at Bandit. There must have been six by the time Katie and I started climbing. The first pitch was long and awkward at one point, but soon enough we were at the sandy ledge with Ralph. I felt strong and went to lead the flake off-width. I had a good balance of being scared and confident, which worked out well. It was very amazing after pulling the mantle on top of it. Katie and Ralph made it up very fast although I made Ralph crawl way back into the crack to retrieve the #5. The next pitch went very fast, except for making an anchor below the slab. Ralph then cruised the runout slab and the infamous bear hug. The slab was interesting for the follower as there was no directional at all. Katie did well to stay composed and handled the wind and exposure very well. Then came more runout slab on an arete which had some good exposure and was very fun. After that Ralph lead a full rope length of scrambling until Katie and I thought he was still climbing. I quickly told Katie about simulclimbing and we were off even though shortly after we realized Ralph had us on belay. Then I did the airy traverse around the rabbit ears to below the summit. I belayed Ralph over to me and then he soloed up to the summit. I started belaying Katie over, but she was struggling to get the cam I placed. Of course it was in the worst place possible, right in the middle of the airy traverse. She finally got the cam out and all three of us were soon standing on the true summit. After lounging around for a little bit, we decided to downclimb the South Arete route. There is some exposure on the upper part of the route, especially when windy, but the climbing is easy. Katie did awesome and handled it like a pro. Eventually we made it to the chimney and made two raps off the spire. Unfortunately an angry goat was waiting for us and we got the rope stuck. Ralph had to solo back up the first pitch and free the rope. More goats came over to us and forced us to walk all the way around them which was pretty painful as all of our toes were killing us. After some scree surfing in rock shoes, we made our way back to Bandit and our packs. A quick jaunt down and we were putting up our tents and making dinner. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/sews-06_27_09/

Pitch 1 - Long 5.8 (Ralph)
Pitch 2 - 5.8 flake (Joshua)
Pitch 3 - 5.4 double cracks + 4th class ramp (Joshua)
Pitch 4 - 5.7 runout slab + 5.8 bear hugs (Ralph)
Pitch 5 - 4th class ramp + 5.5 runout slab (Joshua)
Pitch 6 - 4th class to rabbit ears (Ralph)
Pitch 7 - 4th class traverse (Joshua)
Pitch 8 - 5.2 crack (Ralph)

Exit 38 - 06/25/09

Katie and I again ventured out to Exit 38 with good chances of afternoon showers. It started to rain at exit 32, but stopped just before exit 38. We decided to see what the rock was like because we drove all the way out there. We Did Rock was a little wet, but was able to find some dry rock on Write Off Rock, which was also a good place for Katie to practise leading. She lead the unnamed route next to the right of Knife In The Toaster, which I then lead next. Then we both led the 5.7. It was good to get out and a great decision to risk the weather because we never got rained on. No pictures were taken.

Led:
Knife In The Toaster 5.9
Bottoms Up 5.7

Top Roped:
Unnamed Route left of Burger 5.6/5.7

Silverdale / Poulsbo Loop - 06/21/09

For Fathers day, Katie and I visited her parents in Silverdale. There was a good chance of showers, but we decided to go for a bike ride anyway. We did a 26 mile loop from Silverdale to Poulsbo and back to Silverdale. We did run into some showers, but were able to dry off with some warm beverages in Poulsbo. Everything else went off without a hitch except for when Katie got a flat tire about 5 miles from her parents house. At least it stopped raining while we were patching her tire. Dry clothes and an excellent meal rounded off a wonderful day. No pictures were taken.

Exit 38 - 06/20/09

We only had one free day this weekend, so Katie and I made it out to Exit 38 for some weekend cragging. The weather was pretty iffy so we figured that would keep the crowds down. Because the weather was not that great, we decided on a short hike up to Deception Crags. We started at Deception Wall and I lead a 5.7 and then we top roped a 10c. After that we headed over to We Did Rock. The left side was crowded, so we stayed on the right side. Katie led the 5.7 and 5.7 and then we top roped the 10a and the 10c. Katie did a great job leading and styled the harder climbs. Another great day out. No pictures were taken.

Led:
Jiffy Pop 5.7

Top Roped:
Side Dish 5.10c
Easy Street 5.6
Your Sister 5.7
My X Wife 5.10a
The Joke 5.10c

Starbucks Gallery Showing - 06/19/09

I had my Gallery Showing at the Starbucks on the Ave. / North. Everything went really well and I will have my prints on display as well as for sale from June 19th - July 17th.

More information as well as all of my available images can be found on my website, http://joshuasternphotography.com/starbucks.php

Exit 38 - 06/18/09

Katie and I moved our weekly Exit 38 climb to Thursday because of stormy weather. Some dark clouds and very bad traffic forced us to climb close to the car and we headed up to Deception Crags. We Did Rock was very crowded so we continued over to Hall Creek Rock. I started off on a 5.8 that said if you miss either of the 3 bolts you can ground. Great times mate! Just after I left the ground, Bandit started barking like crazy. I have never even heard him bark before and it definitely effected me on the rock. I was all out of sync and really was not a fan of the last two moves to the chains. It was a great feeling to be off of that route and Katie felt the same way. Eventually we got Bandit to relax and we headed over to Hall Creek Middle to climb an overhanging arching 5.8 and then top rope a 5.10a. After Katie followed the 5.8 we noticed that the 5.10a chains were just to the right of the chains for the 5.8. Katie was feeling confident and wanted to move the chains herself. So she clipped into the next bolt for the 5.10a and then climbed up and took down the 5.8's anchor, downclimbed back to the other bolt and then proceeded to lead the last two bolts up to the 5.10a's anchor. She did an amazing job and everything was done perfectly. I am not that good with ratings, but those moves were probably around 5.8, which is awesome for her first bit of leading. We both were extremely psyched for her and then we proceeded to top rope the harder climb, which she even busted out a heel hook on. After that it was pretty late and we decided to drive home, with a stop at Taco Time of course. No pictures were taken.

Led:
Erectile Dysfunction 5.8
Rhino Vista 5.8

Top Roped:
Rhino Rave 5.10a

Prusik Peak Attempt (West Ridge) - 06/13-14/09

After much deliberation Katie, Jon, and I decided to brave the 50% chance of thunderstorms and headed for the Enchantments to climb the West Ridge of Prusik Peak. I had already climbed this route 4 years ago with Ralph and Ben, but did not lead a single pitch and was excited to do so. Katie and I met Jon in Leavenworth and were quickly making our way up the valley. There were some threatening skies throughout the day, but there was also enough blue to keep us motivated and positive. As we approached Snow Lake, the weather turned a little sour and it began to sprinkle. At this point, we picked up the pace and made it to the far end of Snow Lake without getting wet. Our plan was to camp at Lake Viviane in order to make the second day shorter, but we didn't want to get soaked doing so. We figured we would wait (a constant theme for the trip) at the lake and see if it cleared at all to ease the hike up. All of a sudden it started to rain harder and the tents went up. Dinner, photos, and relaxation all sounded great anyway. Later in the evening the clouds began to clear and we had thoughts of packing up and hiking to the plateau, although by that time we decided to stay put. We woke up at 4:15am and made quick work of the hike up to Lake Viviane. The slabs were mostly dry and if there was snow, it was mostly firm. After a refill at the lake, we straightlined it for the south face of Prusik and then to Prusik Pass. The sky was still blue and we knew that todays weather was suppose to be better then yesterday. We were all feeling the alpine stoke and felt confident about the climb. Soon we were racking up and off climbing. Jon lead the first two pitches which got us to just below the ridge crest because we were climbing on 2 30m strands. The climbing was blocky and mostly easy although Jon struggled with rope drag pretty bad at one point. Things were going well, except that the weather was starting to deteriorate. I took the next lead and brought us up onto the ridge proper and to the base of the 5.7 crux untprotectable slab. The climbing was easy but the exposure was wild. At the base of the slab it started to rain, but still not that bad. We all decided to wait again to see if it would pass or get worse. We were at a good bail spot anyway. Lots of photos and stories later it looked like it was clearing as there was blue sky over our head. I took off to lead the crux slab, although I was pretty nervous. All week in my head I was saying that I would just destroy the slab, but when you are standing there it is scary. After a few up and downs, I finally went for it and after a few unprotected moves I was gladly holding a big hold and placing a cam. As Jon climbed the slab, the thunder again picked up, but still not horrible. After more ridge traversing, I got to just below the summit block and we were close. Unfortunately the thunder started to really boom, followed by four strikes of lightning, followed by an intense hail storm. Within seconds, we were all soaked to the bone and shaking uncontrollably. Good times! We had to bail asap. I led off on a long slippery traverse searching for the rappels. Just as I was running out of rope, I spotted the raps under the summit. I was pretty psyched. I brought Katie and Jon over and we started rapping. During our first rap, it was hailing so hard that it was just to cold to be out exposed. Jon found a cool cave for all of us to wait out the hail. Great times! After a while, the hail turned to rain and then the rain turned to mist. We pulled the ropes and we made another rap. Soon after the rain stopped and it began to warm up a bit, but we were still shaking. A few more rappels and some sketchy snow traversing brought us back to our packs at the balanced rock. We changed out of our wet clothes and scrambled off of the peak. Then just like it always happens, the sun came out, the clouds disappeared and it got really hot out. It never got cloudy again that day, oh well. Now comes the best part, an extremely long 10 mile slog out back to the car. We got back to our car at 10:30pm and the only thing that was open was the Safeway. There is nothing like pulling off ticks and eating food in a parking lot at 11pm. Katie had to be at work in 4 hours, so we had to go home. There was construction on Highway 2 and I began one of the scariest drives I have taken up 97 to 90. It is never a good situation when you are counting mile markers for two hours. Eventually we made it back to Seattle safe and sound. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/prusik-06_13_09/

Exit 38 - 06/10/09

Katie, Rachel and I went up to Interstate Park expecting good weather. Unfortunately on the drive over we noticed dark clouds in the mountains. Trying to beat the weather we hoofed it up to Headlight Point. Soon after roping up we heard the first round of thunder. It was Rachel's second time out on real rock and we started mellow. However during the second climb it started to pour. Within seconds everything was soaked and the trail was flooded. After Katie cleaned the anchors we ran back to the car. It was definitely a tease and we did not get in our rock fix for the week. No pictures were taken.

Led:
In The Middle Again 5.6

Top Roped:
Light Headed Again 5.8

Leavenworth Rock Fest - 06/06-07/09

I met up with Jon at Leavenworth Saturday morning for Rockfest. After a while of checking out the clinics and gear demo at Barney's Rubble, we headed out for Pearly Gates. All of the good cracks had many parties on them, so we headed to the right side for some slab climbing. We encountered a huge cluster f**k (not our fault) and things took way longer than expected. Because of this we only climbed the two easier slab climbs on the far right. After rappelling down, we noticed that everyone cleared out and we headed back left for the cracks. I climbed an easier crack in order to top rope Celestial Groove. That climb was amazing. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/leavenworth-06_06_09/

Led:
The Dog Ate My Topo 5.7
The Scene Is Clean 5.8
Cell Phone Posse 5.7

Top Roped:
Celestial Groove 5.9+

We got back to camp late and missed both the raffle and free dinner, but made it just in time to scarf down some of our own dinner before the slide show. After that bonfires and beers continued into the night. The next morning we also missed the breakfast because it started an hour earlier than we were told. We were 0/2 on the whole free dinner and breakfast thing. A slow morning and the heat led to climbing close to the car and Alphabet Rock fit the bill. We climbed Dogleg Crack, the sport climb next to it, and Meat Grinder, which were all loads of fun and tough on the hands. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/leavenworth-06_07_09/

Top Roped:
Dogleg Crack 5.8+
Hind Quarters 5.10-
Meat Grinder 5.10a

Exit 38 - 06/03/09

Katie and I tried to escape the heat by going to the Cascade foothills. Obviously this did not work. We opted not to climb at Gunshow to avoid the sun and went to Overhaul Wall. We first went to the Slabbage Patch area and was pretty unsuccessful. I went to lead Party Girl, a 5.7, and downclimbed after the first bolt due to me not wanting to take a ground fall. There was a chopped bolt and I must have missed the other second bolt, because my second bolt was a long way up from the first. After downclimbing, I traversed into the gulley to climb the 5.9, but that was extremely ugly with lots of moss and spiderwebs. I downclimbed that and went to the other 5.9 which traverses around the rib. After the first bolt I got on the other wall, but it looked super crappy with more huge ground fall potential. After all this, we packed up and headed back downhill to the Motherland area. There were climbers on the better routes there, so I jumped on this traversing 5.8 climb. It totally sucked. It was a huge traverse, lots of rope drag, some running water over rocks and it felt like climbing steep boulders, not a continuous wall. After all of that, it cooled down a bit and we decided to hike to Gunshow to try Endless Bliss. There was nobody there and we cruised both pitches, which definitely made up for the earlier climbs. No pictures were taken.

Led:
On The Outskirts 5.8
Endless Bliss 5.10a 2p

Exit 38 - 05/31/09

After a mellow morning, it was off for another half day of climbing at Exit 38. Katie and I again headed to the Far Side, but this time up to Interstate Park. More great times were had except when I watched my new camera tumble down a gully. That was not fun and it took me a while to get my head on straight. No pictures were taken.

Led:
Impartial Eclipse 5.8
Tunnel Of Love 5.8
Eating Rocks 5.6
Insomniac 5.8

Top Roped:
Space Face 5.10d
Lip Service 5.10c

South Lake WA & Mercer Island Loop - 05/30/09

I went on my first extended bike ride since hyperextending my knee back in April. It felt great to ride 50 miles and I had no discomfort at all. The only problem was keeping up with Yaniv, Matt, and Emily. Margaritas and a bbq cured all after the ride. No pictures were taken.

Exit 38 - 05/27/09

Katie and I decided to return to Gritscone after work to finish all of the routes there. Another great day in the shade free from the crowds. No pictures were taken.

Led:
Pete's Possum Palace 5.7
So Funny I Forgot To Rope Up 5.7

Top Roped:
Chica Rapida 5.10a
Booty Squirrel 5.10c
A Girl's Best Friend 5.11a

Exit 38 - 05/25/09

Climbed at Exit 38 for the first time this year. Deception Crags was way to crowded, so Katie and I headed to the Far Side. Gritscone was empty and good enough for us. It was nice to be in the shade and away from the crowds. No pictures were taken.

Led:
Needle Magnet 5.7
Magnetic Anomaly 5.9
Lucky Arms 5.6
Snaffle Baffler 5.7
99 Grit 5.9

Lookout Mountain Bivy - 05/22-24/09

Jon, Katie, and I wanted to get away for the 3 day weekend and Lookout Mountain in the North Cascades was the perfect choice. LO Mountain had it all: A mellow hike to test my knee, excellent mountain stoke, dog friendly, and plenty of time to sit, spin, nap, reflect and take lots of photographs. 3 days and 2 nights in a lookout was just what the doctor ordered. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/lookoutmountain-05_22_09/

Leavenworth - 05/17/09

After hiking in Black Canyon I drove to Leavenworth. Katie met me at 8am and we headed down the Icicle. We warmed up at X-Y Cracks. After that, we hiked up to 8-Mile Buttress to do the Tree Route. After a hour relaxing on top and some scrambling back to the road, we went over to Barney's Rubble for one more climb. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/leavenworth-05_17_09/

Led:
Middle X-Y Crack 5.5
Left X-Y Crack 5.7
Tree Route 5.6 3p
Right Crack 5.6

Black Canyon / Umtanum Ridge Loop - 05/16/09

My knee was feeling much better and the wildflowers were still good, so back to Ellensburg I go to hike the Black Canyon Umtanum Ridge Loop. The balsamroot was in full bloom and was everywhere you looked. Getting there at 3pm, I had the entire hike to myself and had no rattler sightings. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/blackcanyon-05_16_09/

Conor Byrne Gallery Showing - 05/09/09

I had my Gallery Showing at Conor Byrne. Everything went really well and I will have my prints on display as well as for sale from May 9th - June 12th.

More information as well as all of my available images can be found on my website, http://joshuasternphotography.com/conorbyrne.php

Summer Search Spring Event - 05/06/09

I teamed up with Jessica to shoot Summer Search's 2009 Spring Event. It was a wonderful experience and I learned so much from the kids.

Umtanum Creek - 05/03/09

Jim, Katie, Kathleen, Amy, and I headed out on a wildflower hike. This would be my first hike since hurting my knee and was only able to stay by the creek. Therefore, I walked alone while the others gained Umtanum Ridge. It was a great time and definitely needed after weeks of being in the city. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/umtanumcreek-05_03_09/

Katie's Q Cafe Gallery Showing - 05/02/09

Katie had her gallery showing at the Q Cafe. It was a complete success and her pictures look amazing. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/katie-05_02_09/

UW Campus Cherry Blossoms - 04/19/09

I met up with Jessica to photography the Cherry Blossoms at UW. We definitely were not the only people who had this bright idea. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/uwcampus-04_19_09/

Parents Visit - 04/09-13/09

My parents visited me in Seattle for 5 days. It was a great time relaxing even though we could not be very adventurous because I had hyperextended my knee the night before playing soccer.

Pictures of Golden Gardens can be found at
http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/goldengardens-04_09_09/

Pictures of the Tulip Festival and Whidbey Island can be found at
http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/tulips-04_10_09/

Pictures of Snoqualmie Falls and Gas Works Park can be found at
http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/snoqualmiefalls-04_11_09/

Pictures from Kerry Park can be found at
http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/kerrypark-04_12_09/

Fairy Meadow Hut BC Ski - 03/28/09-04/04/09

Matt, Emily, and I were lucky enough to head up to Canada for another week of backcountry skiing. However, this time were were extremely lucky as we were able to book a spot in the Fairy Meadow Backcountry Hut, which stands at approximately 6700 feet and is perfectly situated next to the Adamant Group, the Gothics Group, and the Nobility Group in the Northern Selkirks. We were able to meet up with some excellent folk including Shane, Dale, Fraser, Chris, Kevin, Lisa, and Alistair. We spent day after day of skiing the excellent Selkirk cream, while spending every night eating fine cuisine and playing poker. It was such an amazing trip and was seriously depressed for a few weeks after returning to civilization.

Day 1: We flew into the hut and went skiing on the practise slopes. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/fairymeadow-03_28_09/

Day 2: We practises some crevasse rescue and went to the summit of Sentinel Peak. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/fairymeadow-03_29_09/

Day 3: We set out for Mount Sir William, but ran into a total windstorm of extremely high sustained winds and was only able to ski around the Granite Glacier Moraines. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/fairymeadow-03_30_09/

Day 4: We set out on the Granite Glacier and made it up to Pioneer Pass. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/fairymeadow-03_31_09/

Day 5: We set out for Sir William again, but whiteout conditions forced us to head to Unicol and we lapped the Granite Glacier. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/fairymeadow-04_01_09/

Day 6: In order to find good weather, we went over Friendship Col and summitted Pioneer Peak and then lapped Friendship Col. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/fairymeadow-04_02_09/

Day 7: We took it easy and messed around Friendship Col and the practise slopes all day. It was great to spend a mellow day taking lots of pictures and video. Shane even busted out the helmet cam. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/fairymeadow-04_03_09/

Day 8: We quicly got done with our chores and lapped the practise slopes until it was time to board the helicopter out. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/fairymeadow-04_04_09/

Dave Trims His Beard - 03/22/09

I went to Dave's house to borrow his portable batteries as I did not know how long my new Canon 5D Mark II would hold its charge. Eight days of backcountry skiing from the Fairy Meadow Hut and I did not want to take any chances. As per usual with visiting Dave, I ended up hanging out for hours and eventually Dave got goaded into trimming his beard. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/dave-03_22_09/

Mercer Island Loop - 03/21/09

Katie, Yaniv, and I went for a nice bike ride around Mercer Island. Always a fun ride. No pictures were taken.

Kendall Mountain BC Ski - 03/15/09

Jim, Tim, Matt, Emily, Yaniv, and I all went skiing on Kendall Mountain. It was a good day out with great friends and wigs. However, the insane amount of wet snow falling lead to miserable conditions. Soaking wet clothes, tree bombs, and extremely deep snow made the day end early. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/kendall-03_15_09/

Boulder, CO - 03/05-09/09

I had a great 5 days visiting my good friends Ralph and Betsy in Boulder. I have never been to Colorado and I can see why so many people love being there. Mountains are everywhere and the climate is very dry. We went climbing at the Flatirons and Boulder Canyon, walked around Pearl Street, and hiked the Lumpy Ridge Twin Owl Loop. But mostly it was very relaxing and great to catch up time with great friends. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/travel/2009/boulder-03_05_09/

Kendall Mountain Circumnavigation BC Ski - 02/28/09

Matt and I completed the Kendall Mountain circumnavigation and even got in a sweet second run through the south side's powder. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/kendall-02_28_09/

Cougar Mountain Bike - 02/21/09

Emily, Yaniv, and I went on a great ride up Cougar Mountain. You definitely feel the thousand feet or so climb up Tolt Hill. Good times though. No pictures were taken.

Rogers Pass BC Ski - 02/14-18/09

Matt, Emily, and I headed up to British Columbia to ski for 5 days at Rogers Pass. Being a big backcountry skier, I have heard of the legendary Rogers Pass, but have never been there. I was super psyched when they invited me to join them this year. The access is excellent, starting up very high, and the terrain is huge and perfect for ski touring. Not to mention the Selkirk creamy snow.

Day 1: We went skiing below Mount Sir Donald on the Vaux Moraines. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/rogerspass-02_14_09/

Day 2: We did a huge traverse over Little Sifton. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/rogerspass-02_15_09/

Day 3: We had a mellow day up at Balu Pass. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/rogerspass-02_16_09/

Day 4: We set out for our biggest day and did the Young's Peak Traverse. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/rogerspass-02_17_09/

Day 5: Another mellow day before our drive home at the NRC Gullies. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/rogerspass-02_18_09/

Slot Couloir BC Ski - 02/01/09

After reading on TAY that the conditions we found at Rampart Lakes was localized and people were finding excellent conditions in the Slot Couloir, Matt and Emily convinced me to join them. I have to admit I was pretty scared to ski the slot and looking at it from above did not help the situation. But Matt and Emily would not let me chicken out and soon I was making my way down it. I was pretty tentative at first, but was able to open it up and link turns. It was such an amazing ski and very glad to have done it. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/slotcouloir-02_01_09/

Rampart Lakes BC Ski - 01/31/09

Matt, John, and I ventured up Gold Creek to get a glimpse of Alta Mountain. We decided on Rampart Lakes and had to skin up some pretty steep forest. Once at the lakes, we found sketchy avy conditions and as well as high sustained winds and very cold temperatures. We checked out the lakes for a little bit, but soon headed back down to the car. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/rampartlakes-01_31_09/

Seattle Bike Loop - 01/19/09

Went on a nice bike ride around Ballard, Magnolia, Elliot Bay, Wallingford, and Greenlake. No pictures were taken.

Eightmile Mountain BC Ski - 01/17/09

Jim, Matt, John, and I walked the road and ventured up Eightmile Mountain. After a long slog like this, I often state how I will never walk the road again, but here I was again, walking up the road. Like always, it was definitely worth it and the views of Mount Stuart were amazing. The temperature inversion was really crazy. In the valley, it was below freezing, but above the trees it was in the 70's. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/eightmile-01_17_09/

Kathleen Edwards - 01/15/09

Katie and I went to see Kathleen Edwards at the Snoqualmie Casino to celebrate Katie's birthday. No pictures were taken.

Kendall Mountain BC Ski - 01/10/09

Matt, John, and I headed up Kendall Mountain in search of some good turns. We found some good powder, although there was not a lot of it and it was covering snow runnels. It felt like hide the mogels. Great times mate! Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/kendall-01_10_09/

Arrowhead Mountain BC Ski - 01/04/09

Jim, Ben, and I ventured out into the deep, deep Northwest powder and went skiing off the summit of Arrowhead Mountain. We found excellent powder in very stable conditions. Great times were had by all and a good way to send off Ben. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/arrowhead-01_04_09/

Lake Sutherland NYE - 12/30/08-01/01/09

Jim, Yaniv, and I joined others to Lake Sutherland on the Olympic Peninsula for a three day New Years bash. Hot tubs, all night sing-a-longs, game room, excellent meals, eye of the tiger jam sessions all lead to such an amazing time. Pictures can be found at
http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2008/lakesutherland-12_31_08/