Mt Stuart, West Ridge, 8 / 25 / 01 - 8 / 26 / 01



I'd always wanted to climb Stuart, all you have to do is look at this mountain and you want to climb it.  I could never get anyone to go with me because they'd say the Cascadian Couloir is too boring.  Ryan, Bob, Joyce and I decided to climb the west ridge.  This route is famous for people getting very lost and doing an unplanned bivy on route.  The route goes just below the left skyline all the way to the prominent notch below the summit.  If you stay on route it is 3rd class all the way to the notch.  That's if you stay on route.  The gullies lower down are very solid granite and actually quite enjoyable.  A couple variations are possible as you traverse below the ridge.  The route is a veritable Machu Picchu as one continually sees rocks piled into small walls to make bivy sites as people ran out of daylight.  



This is not Long John Tower.  Repeat.  This is not Long John Tower.  



The summit block as you approach the big notch.  The route then skirts briefly across to the chilly north side before traversing right.  We descended the Cascadian Couloir.