gear lust, er ... list.

So part of this year's plan was to go lighter/farther/faster (faster will be tough, but I can definitely shoot for lighter and more remote). And along with that ideology comes a few new gear items for the year -

- Montbell Crescent 1 solo tent -

I've had my eye on this tent for a couple years now. Time to pony up for it - I say 'pony up' cos REI doesn't carry Montbell so I'll have to (*cough*) actually pay retail ... And I know - it tips the two pound goal for a tent at 2 lbs. 6 oz. (packed weight). But short of just tarping it, this thing is s-l-i-c-k. And I plan on doing at least one or two solo overnight trips this year (mostly for photography but also cos I tend to think it's good for the soul).

And ... paired with the GoLite pack below (1 lb. 10 oz.) and either my REI Flash UL 40 or Marmot Hydrogen 32 (both just over 1 lb.) bags - the three still add up to the ultra-light holy grail of under 6 pounds for the tent/bag/pack combo.

- Snow Peak Trek Starter cook set -

Yeah, this kit is wicked cool - holds the stove and a fuel canister inside the 700mL titanium pot (and an extra canister on top if needed). Weighs in at eight ounces for the whole deal. Uhh, yeah - eight ounces ... hot chocolate at night (along with a hot meal) and instant coffee (or white trash mocha) in the morning will always be on the menu.

- GoLite Peak pack -

Tried this puppy on one evening at the Seattle REI and shoved about thirty pounds in it - fit like a glove. Under two pounds (1 lb. 10 oz.). About 40L (size large). Check. Check. Check.

- Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z poles -

Okay, so this is probably the most exciting piece of gear I've discovered this year (the other three aren't new - this one is) - a pair of these carbon fiber poles tips the scales at a whopping nine ounces. Uhh ... that's about the weight ... of one carbon fiber pole. And (wait for it ... ) no camming device that will eventually break! No flick locks even - just whip 'em into place like a tent pole and never worry about them. I just ordered these - and cannot wait to try them out.

And from last year -

- Cascade Designs NeoAir pad (size regular 72" length) - 14 oz. - the most comfortable air mattress I've ever slept on in the backcountry and cannot feel the cold of the snow through it - this piece of gear is absolutely stellar - a rock star and well worth its minimal weight in gold as they say

- Black Diamond Raven Ultra Pro ice ax - 12 oz. - this thing is awesome, but I have to admit for the more technical climbs I've done I've wished for something with - well - a bit more heft to feel more secure (so for those I carry the lightweight Petzel Aztarex tool - the lightest ice tool out there)

- REI prototype single-wall 2-person Duet/Ace SW tent (put into production for a year I think before being pulled) - weighs in at 3 lbs. 15 oz. packed and stuffs down to nearly half the size of my next lightest tent, the REI Quarter Dome (which makes sense cos it's a single-wall without a separate rainfly and body)

Now just need to head out ... cannot wait. Just what'll be the first trip ... ?

fremont.

Today, Julian and I headed up to try again for the summit of Mt. Fremont on the northeast flanks of Mt. Rainier. Last year, on our way back from southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon, we headed up through Yakima over Chinook Pass and stopped at Sunrise for a hike after missing the mountains for a few days. Rainier was completed enshrouded, as we, too, found ourselves on the way up to Mt. Fremont – completely socked in, getting rained on and not being able to see more than twenty feet from the summit. The lookout tower was completely boarded up because they were remodeling, so we didn't stay long before heading back down in the pouring rain. We still had a blast all the same.

But I wanted to see the view from the place unobstructed, and the weather was supposed to be amazing so off again we went to Sunrise and up the Sourdough Ridge trail to Frozen Lake (which wasn't frozen and we joked we wanted our money back) where it splits five ways – off to the Borroughs Mountain summits, the Wonderland Trail, PCT, Fremont and (I think) Seattle Park and other areas in the northeast corner of the park. We headed up to Fremont, which is an amazing hike on the rocky terrain of the mountain, with incredible views to Mt. Rainier with Burroughs Mountain in the foreground.

I planned on getting a late start cos I wanted to be up there for sunset, and I think we got to the top around 6:00PM or maybe a little earlier. Nevertheless, when we crested the ridge with the lookout tower a couple hundred feet off my heart jumped as the Stuart range came into view! Without a doubt, the view from this little summit easily makes the Top Five views in Washington state. Of the places I've been, this is how I'd rank them ~

1. Sahale glacier camp – North Cascades National Park
2. Mt. Fremont summit – Mt. Rainier National Park
3. Washington Pass overlook – North Cascades National Park (I'd perhaps bet on the summit of South Early Winter Spire, but the day I climbed it we couldn't see squat – it's one of the impressive granite spires that you see from the overlook at the pass)
4. Mt. Daniel summit – Alpine Lakes Wilderness
5. Eldorado Peak summit – North Cascades National Park

The criteria being something in the order of a place where I could just spend forever.

From the summit, I could see a distant Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak, Cathedral Peak and others in the Alpine Lakes wilderness, the entire Stuart Range (Mt. Stuart, Sherpa Peak, Argonaut, Colchuck, Dragontail, Little Annapurna and McClellan – on which the other side I knew lie the Enchantments) and of course Mt. Rainier, whose northeast face and Emmons Glacier seem close enough to reach out and touch.

The lookout was complete, too – and idyllic. There were two beds, a pair of desks, a lantern, a large map and supplies and of course windows on all four sides. I stood outside the locked doors imagining myself with this view every evening, even those when there were no views and wind and rain pelted the glass surrounding me. I'd boil some water for hot chocolate, or under clear skies maybe toss some lemonade mix in my mug and just soak it up. Seriously, the thought of being in that place for longer than the hour and a half we were there made me crazy. It would be amazing. This place was totally incredible.

Finding myself on a rock, I pulled out my thin fleece as the wind whipped up and just sat there.

Julian, meanwhile, scampered off to climb to the true summit maybe a quarter mile away and I eventually got up and fussed with a Hasselblad 500cm I was testing. Someone coming up a little later shouted up to me was that my kid climbing off in the distance? I said he was. He asked was he OK? I said he was fine. Then lucky me, the Hasselblad locked up after the first frame (and I do mean that somewhat seriously – better to do that testing than in the middle of a four-day backpacking trip in the Winds). But the other issues included being retarded and not bringing a second battery for my G2 so it kept dying – I'd leave it rest for a few minutes, then get off one more frame. But eventually that, too, ceased to work and I couldn't take any more photographs despite the incredible sense of WOW I felt looking all around as the shadows lengthened and the nearly-full moon rose to the east. Oh, and my Soligor spot meter wasn't working either, even though I had gotten a new battery for it and the red LED was turning on when I depressed the button – just the needle didn't move (I since figured out what was wrong with the Hasselblad and took apart the spot meter and fixed it, too – although I'm not sure it's correctly calibrated .... )

But despite photo issues, the summit was incredible. Totally, completely incredible. And I had mobile service so I phoned my sister Kathy (my habit is to always try from a summit just in case I have service and call her). She was in her dining room under Ike's deluge while J and I climbed and soaked up endless views under cloudless skies across endless mountains. She was kind of jealous, and it would have been cool if she could have been there.

We finally left after 7:00, knowing it would take about forty-five minutes to make the 2.75-mile hike back to Oliver waiting patiently in the parking lot. The light turned from blue to orange to pink to lavender and the mountains all around us soaked it up. The moon rose and brightened to the east, giving us enough light for shadows and to leave our headlamps tucked away in my pack. I couldn't stop staring at Rainier and just watching the colour on the horizon deepen and fade and darken to dusk.

The day ended driving back home in the dark listening to Boards of Canada and stopping at the Pizza Hut in Enumclaw for supper. I told Julian this would be our tradition since this was the second year we've done this – a late-afternoon hike from Sunrise and stopping at Pizza Hut before getting home and crashing (I blame growing up in the Midwest and looking forward to family nights out at Pizza Hut for why I still find myself going there).

In any case, I think I needed this little day. It was pretty amazing.