View Full Version : Win! BLE Admins defy all odds and even the elements!


Ender
09-26-2004, 08:35 PM
But hey, it was a sunny day, so there weren't really any elements to contest. ;)

Hold on a second...I'm receiving a transmission now:

MMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

Translation: Drognos, Admiral of the Drognational starfleet of the planet Drognia, Earth Date: September 25th, 2004.

MmmbbbbBBZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIT!

Translation: Current Status - In orbit of planet Earth. Observation Deck 17, clear view of Earth Mountain known as Mount Baker on Earth, a place called Washington.

NNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGKUT!

Translation: No movement to be found on the mountain. Earth time in what is called the Pacific Time Zone: 6:30 am.

GGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUJJJJJJCK!

Translation: Current time: 10:00 am, 4 humans spotted approaching summit of Mount Baker via Coleman Deming Glacier Route. Status: WTF THEY SURE AS HELL GOT A LATE ENOUGH START!

JJJJJJMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBAZZZZZZZZZUKYT!

Translation: After watching recorded footage of previous time, it appears the humans left the trailhead at 7:00 am on Sept 25, 2004 Earth reckoning. Current time: 4:30 pm, the 4 humans have summited the peak.

JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJKKKKKKKKITTTTTTTTTTTTTTMMMMMMMMMBZT!

Translation: Camera happy humans dely group, Darkness has enveloped Mount Baker, 4 humans still descending glacier.

LLLKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKITHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMUTHAFOCKER!

Translation: Earth time, pacific time zone, 11:00 pm, 4 humans reached trailhead. Total climbing time 16 hours. Those suckas are outta shape!

End Transmission.


********


So there you have it. We got a late start, and had to descend most of the trek in the freakin dark due to a couple camera happy members of the team. ;)

Lotta fun though - pretty hairy in some parts; Dave nearly fell in a hidden crevace (got his foot stuck in it) on the way down...scariest thing about that was that the spot where that crevace was is the same spot that we had stopped at on the way up to eat lunch - figuring by the shape and outside appearance (with some other tools of knowing what's below you) that it was a safe spot. The crevace was about 5 feet from where we had lunch. =/

Some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen to be sure. But man oh man did I have to work for it. It took us 16 hours round trip from the trailhead in the morning and back- which is too long. It shouldn't have taken that long judging by other trip reports, but none of the 4 of us had been up before, and we weren't in the best shape. One of the last major ascents (and easily the most difficult) is called the Roman Wall. Holy Shite was it hard as hell to get up and over! It got to a point where we'd take ten steps and stop. Sooooooooooooo steep and the snow was too soft due to the really warm day so going up was very slow. It took us about 1 - 2 hours to get up that part, and only 15 minutes to get down it. :p

There were a lot of other issues as well. Due to the late start, coming down was extremely sketchy because the snow was too soft and we'd sink in too far for comfort. Crossing the crevaces in those conditions was unsettling to say the least...you might say it had a lasting impact on some of us. It also made going up a lot slower. Plus were still had a long ways of the glacier to go down when the sun dropped behind the horizon, which slowed us down a bunch. Only 3 flashlight for 4 people, with 16 feet between us, that meant one person (which turned out to be me) couldn't see jack.

But we did it, all in a day's work for the BLE admins, and it was a great experience. Had a lot of fun, took a lot of pictures (soon as their developed we'll post 'em), and scared the hell out of each other many a time. Not to mention brought ourselves to the brink of total exhaustion. ;)

But in the end, there's only one thing to say: WE WIN! :woot:

Verbal
09-26-2004, 08:46 PM
lol sounds like you guys had fun, even though I utterly despise hiking. :p

Actually I like the uber xcountry variety of hiking... like the creek behind my house! lolsoup Dan knows what I'm talking about... the higher you go, it's like walking over the creek on trees. :p it's pretty tight up there... you like expect a little Ewok named Wicket to hop out at any moment and offer you a foot massage.


:erm:

Itsmeee
09-26-2004, 08:47 PM
:spank: nobody said the admins were gone for a day :mad:

good jeaorb manz! You both get 10+ cool points and proceed to level 2 with an extra life each! :D

I get the feeling from your post that there were a lot more stories in there about people smashing themselves up! Who were the other two insa...brave souls that went up with you and disque?

Expunge
09-26-2004, 08:56 PM
Nathan did you forget to push Dave into the volcano at the top?

ghrogels
09-26-2004, 09:16 PM
Nathan did you forget to push Dave into the volcano at the top?
lol, u LOSE!
;)

Chuwawah
09-26-2004, 09:31 PM
snowboard or hang glide back down!! :yes:

Ender
09-26-2004, 09:33 PM
Nathan did you forget to push Dave into the volcano at the top?


Course not! ;)

As for who else went with us, my aging pops (he's 64) and my oldest brother Mike (35ish and our lead man).

Expunge
09-26-2004, 09:52 PM
Check Your Pms Goose Head.

<3

DiscoDave
09-26-2004, 10:07 PM
:spank: nobody said the admins were gone for a day :mad:

Oh, I see how loved we are...we take off for a full day, and nobody even notices. :mad:

And I disagree on the crevace thing...the scariest thing about that was the realization that my leg had, in fact, fallen into a crevace instead of just sinking in the snow. Screw having lunch right there, I knew I survived that. ;)

Damn good way to spend a Saturday, though. :woot: Pictures should be coming in a few days...including proof that Enduh threw me into the volcano. :mad:

Ender
09-27-2004, 11:10 AM
snowboard or hang glide back down!! :yes:


actually - I wish I had my snowboard, but that just would have been more weight which would have made the trip up even longer. But the snow on the way down the Roman Wall was real nice Corn style. :rup: Would have been a blast. It was pretty much that way until it got to be dark, but had I had the board, then I would have been able to get off the glacier long before dark. :rup:

DiscoDave
09-27-2004, 11:41 AM
...had I had the board, then I would have been able to get off the glacier long before dark. :rup:
Oh, I see how it is. *sniff*


;)

Ender
09-27-2004, 11:44 AM
Hey Dave-O, what's the ETA on your pics?

DiscoDave
09-27-2004, 11:54 AM
I'll take them in for developing today. Probably get them back on Wednesday, or something.

Dr. Deezee
09-27-2004, 12:22 PM
I was walking near Mount Baker and I swear I heard it say "GG BLE."

Tha[\]atos
09-27-2004, 01:14 PM
Wait a minute, I'm gonna need to see pictures before I believe this one. I was up on artist's point looking at Mt. Baker yester day and I didn't see anyone on the mountain. (ok so maby I wasn't looking very hard :p )

Congradulations on surviving the climb, and I can't wait for the pics (someone should have brought a digital camera)

Ender
09-27-2004, 10:43 PM
bah! My dad has a nice old fashioned one that takes fantastic pics - those will be really nice. Dave's on the other hand...why don't you have a digi cam? ;) I guess I should have brought mine, but I don't have a memory card so I can only get 9 pics out of it. =/

DiscoDave
09-28-2004, 09:15 AM
Dave's on the other hand...why don't you have a digi cam? ;)
:mad:

Because I'd invariably drop it in a crevasse.

Ender
09-28-2004, 11:11 AM
Here's my brother's write up on one of the summit log websites: http://www.peakware.com/wsl/logs/baker.htm

DiscoDave
09-28-2004, 05:37 PM
A few crappy pictures.

Apparently I'm a cruddy photographer when everyone is waiting for me and I'm really tired. ;)


http://www.bellinghamlan.com/pictures/baker_crevasse.jpg
http://www.bellinghamlan.com/pictures/baker_crevasses.jpg
http://www.bellinghamlan.com/pictures/baker_narrowtrail.jpg
http://www.bellinghamlan.com/pictures/baker_sunset.jpg

SuperDude
09-28-2004, 06:14 PM
Can we get some better pics? How can we know those dots are really you???? HMM>>!!!

DiscoDave
09-28-2004, 06:16 PM
Enduh's dad has a REAL camera...hopefully his turned out better than mine.

Expunge
09-28-2004, 07:56 PM
Enduh's dad has a REAL camera...hopefully his turned out better than mine.
So modest.

I think they're good pics :p

Ender
09-28-2004, 10:06 PM
Are those the only ones that you think turned out well? DIdn't you take like 26???

DiscoDave
09-29-2004, 10:24 AM
Yea, I took a ton...those were the best ones. I've still got the others I'll show you next time we meet up, but I don't wanna scan 'em all in.

Sky
10-04-2004, 12:18 PM
Nathan did you forget to push Dave into the volcano at the top?
You didnt?????????? bad ender :spank: