[pct-l] Re; toe jams, ice ax, and making equipment

[bjensen4@juno.com (Birgitte Jensen)]

"Joann Lennox"  writes:
>Do you know where the aluminum ice axes that you mentioned, especailly
the
>Cassin, can be mailordered.( and if not mailorder, bought). I have 4 ice
>axes already, of different lengths, and have taught ice-ax self arrest
and
>climbing for the Seattle Mountaineers,

    Wow! And I thought I was Prepared for Disaster (sometimes
overprepared, sigh) with only one ice axe <VBG>, and a couple pushover
friends to borrow from. (Aughgh! don't tell 'em how dumb it is to loan
out your axe! I know I'd never do it. Either they trust me to confess if
I take a tumble, or they have my # as Wimp-Queen.)
     You're in luck, being  with the Mountaineers: all the axes are
available at stores in/near Seattle, like Pagan Mountaineering, Mountain
Gear, etc. I think Marmot distributes the Cassins (also the Lowe HL 250 -
not sure of the model, just trying to recollect - it probably doesn't
have the shaft-length you want, anyway). And literally-everything can be
mail ordered, nowadays. One of my New Year's resolutions was to toss the
mountain of gear catalogs; harder to do that than any feat of backcountry
derring-do!<G> Some of them were "collector's items" (altho most people
would call them trash); I had become very attached, even tho I never
seemed to order anything from them.

> If I am alone, or with others without a rope, and therefore not
belaying

    Have you tried the self-belay devices? Pricey and a hassle, but they
work. Sorry, this isn't really a Trail Hiking discussion; just got
carried away.... Since you're so obviously a serious Sierra peak-bagger,
you must know lots of SPS-ers and CMC-ers. They're full of information
about climbing technique/routes etc and are more-than-happy to offer
advice, as are the Mountaineers.     

> Do most thruhikers carry crampons, or are the stretches between passes
and >snowfields in 20 mile quotients - like stoplights inprogression.

   Well, of course the crampon-worthy snowfields are ON (not between) the
passes - north-facing slopes as a wild generalization, but a truism in
all northern hemisphere mountains. There may be snow/crud in between in
early-season, which can be nice ski-touring very-early spring, but most
manage those places nicely even in running shoes, trotting along on
crust, or postholing if they're unlucky. Certainly can't speak for most
thruhikers, but (depending on the year) some carry crampons, some don't;
it often seems to depend on whether a person already owns them, or is
pessimistic <g> rather than actual need - for MOST of the trip. IMHO,
some of the passes early-season are definitely crampon-material, but
you've gotta factor in the weight, etc,-issue and thruhiker
determination, which often overrides "routine" mountain travel practices
(see Running Shoes, above, for instance). Some people compromise with
those instep "crampons"....
    After all that Sierra Nevada climbing, you should be intimately
familiar with the topography, so I hope your not offended for me to
recommend the volumes of Wilderness Press's comprehensive guide, The
Pacific Crest Trail, which walks you through every mile of the entire
PCT, including the Sierra, and offers all kinds of handy information.
Can't remember the price, but it's a darn sight cheaper than a fifth ice
axe <VBG>, and alot more useful!           bj
    
   bj

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