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Happy summer from Oregon! It's July and it is time
to get outside!
This is the July 2006 Oregon Peak Adventures
Newsletter. In June we did rock and alpine climbing
and waterfalls hikes. We are gearing-up for Mt.
Adams climbs and round-the-mountain backpacks, rock
climbs and a Mt. Margaret Backcountry trip for this
month.
Oh, and did we mention: MT. ST. HELENS OPENS FOR
CLIMBING ON JULY 21 and we have a climb
scheduled for, you guessed it, July 21! You can
climb on the first day it's been opened since
September 2004!
Here are the trips and training scheduled for July:
Introduction to Traditional Rock Climbing: July 8 &
9
Mt. Adams South Spur Climb: 11-12 July (4 openings)
St. Helens Monitor Ridge climb - July 21 (9
openings)
Mt. Margaret Four-day Backpack - 21-24 July (1
opening)
Mt. Adams Mazama Glacier Climb - 28-30 July (6
openings)
We hope you can join us for your next adventure.
As
always, our intent is to send this newsletter only
to people who wish to receive it. If you don't want
it, please click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom
of this email. There you will also find a link which
allows you to send this eNews to a friend or
colleague. We invite you to take a trip with Oregon
Peak Adventures. You may sign-up by e-mailing us at
info@oregonpeakadventures.com, calling us at
(877) 965-5100, or using our
secure form.
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MT. ST.
HELENS STATUS
The low level volcanic activity continues at
Mt. St. Helens with very little change. The
new dome/fin is still growing and occasional
steam clouds are observed when the hot lava
comes in contact with the glacier in the
crater. Daily updates are available at
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/CurrentActivity/.
The Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic
Monument Managers have announced that
climbing will open on July 21, 2006. As it
happens, we had reserved climbing permits
for that day and plan to climb. We have nine
spots open, so please
sign-up if you want to go.
The climb will be much the same as in the
past, except for a different view from the
summit rim. Even though we believe that the
risk level is very low, we will institute
some additional protocols. The Forest
Service will rely on the US Geological
Service to monitor conditions and will close
the mountain if they believe the risk level
is unacceptable. As a precaution, each
climber will carry a climbing helmet, and
the guides will carry a filter mask for each
party member. Climbers should also carry a
bandanna and goggles.
We had to prepay when we reserved our climb
permits, so we would greatly appreciate it
if you would climb St. Helens with us!
We are not allowed to lead climbs on
weekends between April 1 and October 31. The
days for which we have reservations follow.
If you want to climb another week day,
please contact us via
e-mail or call 877 965-5100 and we'll
work to get guides and permits for you.
2006 St. Helens Scheduled Climbs:
July 21
August 4, 18, & 25
September 8, 22, & 29
Women Only - September 6 & 13
Prices: 1 person - $300, 2 persons - $250
each, 3-4 persons - $200 each, 5-10 persons
- $150 each.
You can observe St. Helens at the
VolcanoCam.
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FEATURED HIKE - LAVA CANYON
OPA makes it exceptionally
convenient to go on a hike. We pick you up,
feed you, and can tailor a hike specifically
to your comfort level and interests. We
usually include some general sightseeing
stops as well. Check out the
hiking pages on the OPA Website and let
us know what you would like to do.
Lava Canyon Hike
Lava Canyon is on the east side of Mt. St.
Helens and is a startling contrast of
scoured ancient lava and rushing waterfalls.
The entire canyon was swept clean by the
powerful lahar that roared off St. Helens
when the heat of the eruption melted out an
entire glacier. In addition to hiking along
the canyon and crossing the suspension
bridges, we visit Ape Cave, a 3+ mile long
lava tube and a tree mold area created by a
2,000 year-old eruption.
This is a great hike for families with
children as it is so varied and doesn't have
to involve a lot of hiking be quite
interesting. This is a unique area of a
unique mountain.
Price: 1 person - $150, 2-4 persons - $100
each, additional persons (Up to 10 total) -
$90 each. Includes guide, door-to-door
transportation, entry permit, trail snacks,
and lunch.
Scheduled hikes with folks booked to go
on them are posted on the OPA Website.
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MT. ADAMS CLIMBING
At 12,276 feet, Mt. Adams is the
second highest mountain in the Pacific
Northwest (after Rainier [14, 410']) and the
third highest in the cascade Range (after
Shasta [14,162']) and a very fun place to
climb and hike.
We climb three routes: the
South Spur, the
Mazama Glacier, and the
North Ridge.
South Spur
We have three climbs
 scheduled
for the South Spur: July 11-12 (four spots
available), August 14-16 (five spots
available) and a women only climb September
20-22. This is a non-technical three-day
climb with two nights at the Lunch Counter
(9,000'). This is suitable for the novice
climber. The 2,500' glissade back to the
Lunch Counter is outrageous!
Mazama Glacier
We have a Mazama Glacier climb scheduled for
July 28-30. Since the Mazama Glacier is on
Tract D of the Yakima Indian Reservation, we
can do this three-day climb over the
weekend.
This is a steeper, exceptionally scenic,
roped climb suitable for the intermediate
climber who has had the equivalent of our
Alpine Mountaineering Training Class.
North Ridge
The North Ridge route is a rocky scramble
followed by a traverse over the summit snow
cap. It is an exceptionally scenic and
interesting, if strenuous, climb suitable
for the intermediate climber. We don't have
a climb of this route scheduled, but can
make arrangements if you would like to do
it.
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MT. MARGARET BACKCOUNTRY
We continue to have access to the Mt.
Margaret Backcounty Join us on a unique
adventure to one of the most special places
in the Pacific Northwest. We have three
four-day, 30 mile Mt. Margaret Backcountry
trips scheduled for this year: July 21-24
(one spot available), August 18-21 (three
spots available), and October 20-23.(three
spots available).
 The
backcountry is just north of Mt. St. Helens
and was in the direct path of the blast when
St. Helens erupted May 18, 1980. The effects
are still evident in blown down trees and
still standing ghost forests killed by the
intense heat. But also present is lush green
regrowth, pristine lakes, elk herds,
startling scenery, huge huckleberries, fish,
and - no people.
 After
being closed to camping for 19 years, access
is strictly controlled with a maximum group
size of four. We stay at reserved campsites,
each of which has a solar toilet!
Oregon Peak Adventures is the only guide
service permitted to operate in the
Backcountry. For complete information
click here.
The price is $450 each. Don't miss this
unique opportunity - it's a very cool trip
and one of my very favorite places.
MT. ADAMS ROUND-THE-MOUNTAIN
The Mount Adams Round-the-Mountain trip is
scheduled for August 10-14.
 We
take five days to backpack 34 miles. Day one
we ascend to spectacular Sunrise Camp at the
confluence of the Klickitat and Mazama
Glaciers on the east side of Mt. Adams. Day
two we cross the Klickitat Glacier and make
our way to Avalanche Valley where we connect
with the Highline Trail.
At the end of day three, we camp at a lovely
lake and hook-up with our resupply porter
who will carry in the rest of our food and
carry out our glacier crossing gear. Days
four and five, we continue around the
mountain with great scenery at every point.
For a more complete description
click here.
We have one backpacker signed-up. The price
for two is $700 each, 3-4 persons - $650
each, 5-6 persons - $550 each.
MT. ST. HELENS ROUND-THE-MOUNTAIN
We believe that trails previously closed at
St. Helens will also open when the climbing
route does. Based on that assumption, we are
scheduling a four-day backpack trip around
Mt. St. Helens for September 15-18,
2006.
This trip is appropriate for backpackers in
reasonable shape. We hike 30 miles in four
days starting at June Lake on the relatively
unaffected area on the south side of St.
Helens and travel counter clockwise to the
north through the blast zone and back to our
starting point.
There is no other backpacking experience
like this.
PRICE: 1 person - $750, 2 persons - $600
each, 3-6 persons - $500 each.
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Introduction to Traditional Rock Climbing
We still have space on our
Introduction to Traditional Rock Climbing
course on July 8 & 9. The class is an
overview of how to climb rock outside.
If you were looking for something fun to do
this week end, please give us a call at 503
297-5100.
The first field session is at Rocky Butte in
NE Portland on July 8, with a full day at
Horsethief Butte on the Washington side of
the Columbia River Gorge just northest of
The Dalles, OR, on July 9.
 We
cover the basics of rock climbing gear,
knots, moving on rock, belaying, rappelling,
and rock climbing technique.
Price is $200 per person which includes
instructors, transportation to Horse Thief
Butte, ropes, helmets, harnesses, and rock
climbing equipment.
We can also do just the half-day Rocky Butte
as a fun introduction to rock climbing.
 This
is a great family activity as we can
carefully structure the entire activity for
all the members of the family. Price is $50
per person ($100 minimum). If you would want
to this for a larger group please call us.
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TRIP SCHEDULE
Most of our
scheduled trips are posted on our
website. You can view the schedule by date or by
trip. The
2006 Schedule of climbs, backpacking trips, and
training activities is updated on the Website.
Please contact us if you are interested in a private
trip or would like for us to post a trip for another
date that works better for you. |
INTERNATIONAL TRIPS
Galápagos/Machu Picchu - May 2007
We now are able to accept reservations for the trip
to the Galápagos and Machu Picchu 7-25 May 2007.
Specific details are on the
OPA Website. This is a 19 day trip with stays in
Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, the Galápagos and Quito.
The inclusive price is $4,815 which includes all
taxes and all fees and round-trip airfare from
Miami. This is an extraordinarily reasonable price
for an interesting and inclusive trip. Joe
Whittington, owner of Oregon Peak Adventures (and
author of this newsletter) is the trip leader.
Overseas Adventure Travel will be handling the local
arrangements and reservations. They are a highly
regarded and experienced company who have the
connections and volume to provide this trip at an
amazing price.
To reserve your spot:
Call OAT at 1-800 597-2452, press option #2
Tell the representative you want to book with the
Oregon Peak Adventures trip, Group number G7-20835.
A $500 deposit is required to hold your reservation
OAT can also make flight reservations from your
departure city to Miami if you so wish.
Nepal Trek - September/October 2006
We are cancelling the Nepal Trek for this year due
to several commitments for our trip leader. We will
consider rescheduling for next year, so please stay
tuned.
Want to Plan a Trip?
If you have a group of folks who would like to go on
a trip, we would be pleased to work with you to put
it together. Most trips end up consisting of a core
of friends and family, with some additional
compatible people.
Often we consider going somewhere cool, but, when
confronted with planning and making the
arrangements, the idea dies and we end-up not ever
going anywhere. So where do you want to go? Send us
an
e-mail or give us a call at 877 965-5100 and we
can discuss it. |
TIPS
FUEL
Eating well and drinking fluids is critical to
maintaining energy during your outdoor adventure. We
like to eat well for our camp dinners and supply
lots of snacks and trail mix when we are on the go.
Many folks swear by the "Gu" and "Powergel" packs
for an added energy boost. I've used it occasionally
and it does seem to help. We had one lady who bonked
on the descent from St. Helens, and we were
challenged to get her to eat anything. I gave her
one of the "Gu" (vanilla flavor) packs and she not
only ate it, but peeled it apart and licked it
clean. When we reached the trail, we could barely
keep up with her. So I guess it works well for some
people.
TRAIL MIX
One of our Adams climbers wanted to buy 10 pounds of
the OPA trail mix. Rather than also get into that
business, here's the formula:
2 Handfuls of deluxe mixed nuts (Costco)
2 Handfuls of rice crackers with nuts (Costco)
2 Handfuls of peanut M&Ms
2 Handfuls of jelly beans
2 Handfuls of licorice mix
Add chocolate-coated coffee beans if you need a
caffeine hit. |
INTERESTED IN SETTING UP AN OUTING?
Please give us a call if you are interested in
setting up an outing for your work group or family.
We handle all the arrangements including
transportation and food at a reasonable price. If
you are coming to Portland for a conference or
convention, we would be delighted to set-up outings
for your attendees. Just let us know when.
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