Heather Lords climbing Jigawatt 5.11+ at the Portal in Pass Creek Canyon, Idaho

 It was a long, hot, and dry summer here in Idaho. Massive wildfires raged on during portions of August with little to no rain most of the month. Temperatures remained above average for July and August. Meanwhile, we did our best to chase the shade and climb. As September arrived, Heather and I concluded our new routing efforts at various local crags.

Well up here in Montana winter has come early and my autumn plans for rock climbing have been cut short.  Very frustrating but as the saying goes..... "it is what it is".  This got me thinking about my rock climbing trip to the Wind Rivers back in August.  With the crummy weather a perfect opportunity to share.

Mount Hooker had been on my hit list for years.  It has a massive north facing wall that rises 2000 feet off the valley floor.  It has a long history that starts with the first ascent in 1964, making it Americas first wilderness Grade VI.   It's a 15 mile approach to get to the wall so it requires a bit of logistics especially if you plan on spending some time.  I planed for a two week trip with Josh Wharton and John Dickey. We hired an outfitter to pack our loads as far as they could.  It was helpful but we still had to do a double carry from the drop site up and over Hailey Pass to set up for the week in our base camp. 

Recon on our first objective, a new route on this east facing wall off the shoulder of Mt. Hooker.

On foot: Mammut MTR 201 Dyneema On leg: MTR 201 3/4 Tights On body: MTR 201 Micro Jacket

One of the last trail runs of the season on Rainier before the snow! 

I took my Mammut MTR gear out for a late fall trail run around Rainier's Wonderland Trail. Washington state is filled with gorgeous peaks in the Cascade and Olympic ranges, but the beauty of our 14er Rainier is unparalleled. From the city of Seattle, you can leave the blue-green sea and salty air, drive through giant cedar forests, and be at the base of Rainier in less than two hours.

Fred Marmsater, a friend and photographer from Colorado, and I woke up before the sun rose, knowing it was going to be a glorious day. We started at the trail head as the light was just hitting the top of Rainier, the alpenglow was dripping down the mountainside and we sped up our pace.