u/FishScrumptious

Just coming to vent with folks who can understand...

I was signed up for a 6-day mountaineering seminar at Rainier. I did a guided summit attempt on the DC route two years ago, and a similar seminar last year on Baker (but didn't really get to practice anything with rope or rescue setup after it, though, other than knots at home). I got through day 1 (gear check, knots, intro to glacier protection/anchors/rescues), and day 2 (cramponing technique, team and self arrest, rope management), and felt like I was really solidifying what I had learned previously to a different state of understanding, where I'd feel confident in my own practice.

And then I rolled my ankle on the hike down Skyline. On the dirt trail. Badly. After a little first aid with the guide (props to Kat at RMI), they took my pack but I was able to walk out (very slowly, and to a shortcut to the road) on my own power.

But it got extremely swollen. Initial x-rays (props to Orting's urgent care) showed no fracture, but I'm hypermobile and it feels different than a regular sprain, so I'm waiting on my usual foot/ankle ortho (yeah...), but it's a three week wait (not props).

So, I will miss the last four days, including the practice with anchors and rescues, and a decent chance (in myself) at a summit. After being unable to summit the other two years, I'm just super bummed. And I may have to give up ONP permits for two different trips later this year, not to mention a Baker attempt (which this was in preparation for), and a South Sisters trip, and more. (I'm a busy mom; summer is the vast majority of when I can get out.)

I'm super sad. Yeah, it's all a part of being outdoors, but definitely in "sad mode" at the moment.

The weather situation this week is maddening - I may not be able to use my Adams permits for Fri-Sun, due to the thunderstorms Saturday and the logistics of getting back to work/school by Monday morning. (I got weathered out of Helens on Memorial Day as well.)

So, as a backup, I'm looking at the Enchantments for Sunday. The most recent beta I can find from WTA, AllTrails, and NWHikers is over a week old, and we had some good sun in the meantime. (The forecast doesn't expect it to get much snow in this coming storm.)

So, I'm wondering if anyone has been up there in the past week and can give me the lowdown, particularly when it comes to gear (other party member's only got spikes, and currently no axe - though we can rent one and they've practiced with mine at Muir for Adams) and risk of post-holing into rock crevasses. I feel pretty confident on route finding in the snow myself.

I expect the reported downed trees on the slog out of Snow Lake will still be there, of course, but I'm mostly looking for a snow/ice safety check for the core.

Bonus if you've got beta on Little Annapurna, but that's probably a pipe dream.

Also bonus points for suggestions of other similar peaks that are accessible for the party member that doesn't have much snow/ice experience or complicated gear. (WTA has one report for Vesper, but I worry that the post-holing into rock problem will come into play there, and about the risk going up a snow-covered Hedlee with minimal self-arrest experience, even if we do rent an axe.)

Thank you!

What apps/sources do you like to use to evaluate weather conditions for your mountain adventures?

I've got to make the decision tonight on my Helens climb on Monday, and I've been watching the forecast evolve for the past five days.

Weather.gov is telling me "A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 8am, then a slight chance of snow showers between 8am and 11am, then snow showers, possibly mixed with rain after 11am. Some thunder is also possible. Snow level 6700 feet lowering to 6200 feet. High near 43. Very windy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 26 to 31 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 44 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible."

Mountain-Forecast.com is telling me winds around 60 mph Monday morning and afternoon, wind chill in the single digits or low teens, and snow in the afternoon.

I'm fine going in the former conditions, but will nope out of the latter. But how to choose?!

So, can you share your other resources you use to check weather on local mountains? I know there are a few others, but I've forgotten the most popular ones, and I'd like to know your personal experience with how reliable they are. (My recollection is that mountain-forecast often over states the severity of summit weather, and that weatherdotgov can understate it when it doesn't overstate snow, but I haven't paid close attention this year.)

Anyone have any tips about switching the auto toe bails for the toe baskets? My single boots (Lowa Cevedale) have a heel welt, but not a toe welt, and I'd like to use my shiny new crampons with them this weekend on a training hiking up St Helens before some other stuff this spring.

I watched the video they have posted for holding the spikes in a vice and using the strap to pull one side of the bail steel out of position, but when I tried this, I simply couldn't pull enough to get clearance through the hole. I ended up stabbing myself on the spikes trying to loosen the vice!

Any extra tips you've got?

I'm heading up this weekend, camping one night and summiting next day. The conditions report on MSHI note that the snow line is around 4700ft. I'm looking to camp around 3700ft, where the Swift Creek Trail out of Marble Mountain Snow-Park intersects with the Loowit Trail. Satellite imagery suggests that there's a grove of trees at that intersection, and the tiny looping trails on CalTopo make me think this is an established camp location.

If you've been up there in the past week or two, can you confirm if there are trees that can be hammocked from? Is there actually water near by to the site for filtering? What does the bug situation look like at this elevation?

I'll take the winter route up in the morning, but hoped to toss up a hammock here since I'll be coming in mid-evening.

Thank you so much for your help!