Comet Falls

The 320-foot Comet Falls in Mt. Rainier National Park.

Boom, LOUD... Road closed...

The bombing operation referred to last week went by without a hitch (i.e. no one was blown up). However, it didn't solve all of the threats to the road. Unlike a typical ski patrol operation where they mitigate the hazard regularly, the snowpack above the road to Paradise grew so large that it required larger amounts of bomb making material to blast the heck out of the slopes. Good thing too, because those bombs released a substantial amount of snow that was more than ready to slide... And as for the entire day, avalanche control with the use of bombs made for a really unique NPS experience!

The explosive activity took place in an area called "Washington Cascades." That's about 1.5 miles below Paradise and just above the "Canyon Wye" (where you turn right to visit Stevens Canyon, Box Canyon, and Ohanapecosh.) As you can see to the right, Chris Olson is strapping some blasting caps to a 50 lb. bag of ammonium nitrate. This is something of a new operation for most of us (not so new to Chris). Anyway, this explosive was lowered on a plastic sled (the type your kids slide upon) into avalanche terrain where they were ignited with a "shock tube." All in all, it was impressive and really effective. Last Friday, those bombs released a number of large slides in "Washington Cascades." The slides buried the road with debris and took care of the looming avalanche hazard that threatened the road crew operators.

At this time, the road to Paradise remains closed. But that's largely due to the frequent and thunderous slides that have occurred lower on the road (i.e. well below Paradise). The rain and warmer temps activated a number of avalanche slopes. In one area, the "Christine Hairpin", located just below the Comet Falls trailhead, a slide covered both lanes of the road with over 20 feet of deposition! As far as we recall, nobody has seen this sort of debris at Christine Hairpin in the almost 20 years. Above the Glacier Bridge, there are four other significant slide paths in what we call "Glacier Hill". Slides in that area also produced similar piles of wet, heavy snow. The NPS road crew is now scratching, digging, and plowing away at the massive mounds, but it's considered that the road to Paradise may not open for another 4-7 days. As you can see in this image to the left, the road is gone/buried. Nobody has ventured above Ricksecker Point, roughly 5 miles below Paradise since Monday. Hopefully, we will be able to ski up to Paradise tomorrow, dig out the telemetry site, and see what's going on.

When thinking about the avalanche threat, we are somewhat fortunate. Warm weather has started to consolidate the snowpack and things appear a little safer this week. There is some rain in the forecast for the next 24 hours, but probably not enough to produce the large slides that observed so far. The NWAC has dropped the hazard level from Extreme to Considerable/Moderate (below 7000 feet). Stay tuned, we'll keep you up to date on what's shaking. For now, don't rely on being able to visit Paradise over the President's Day weekend. Top image by Stefan Lofgren, second by Chris Olson "The snowcovered road above Glacier Bridge."

The Estate of Dederick Hoffman :: The Sale Bill

Sale Bill, page 1

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

The cover page shows that the sale bill was filed July 1st 1826.

A List of the property Sold on the 15th day of May 1826 by the Administrators of the Estate of Detrich Hoffman late of Columbiana County Deceased with the amount that the Articles was Sold for to wit

Samuel Hoffman	one Shue hammer & chisel	- -	20
George Holderreed	a hammer wedge & pinchers	- -	38
Christian Betz	one Square and hog tongs	- -	16
John Beevers	Mull rings and wedge	- -	38
Christian Betz	2 hay forks	- -	58
John Hoffman	Dung fork & Shovel	- -	47
Saml Hoffman	Dung hook	- -	50
Susanah Hoffman	one Spade	- -	12 1/2
Jacob Keckly	one Matick	- -	41
John Hoffman	one axe & Bell	- -	27
Saml Hoffman	one bell	- -	75
Thomas Minor	on Do	01	00
Saml Hoffman	one drawing knife	- -	25
David Gearinger	a lot of Augurs	- -	25 1/2
Christain Betz	one inch Augur	- -	40
Saml Hoffman	one hand Saw	- -	50
Abraham Hoffman	one axe	01	06 1/4
Jacob Stauffer	one mans Saddle	01	01
Saml Hoffman	one flax hackel	- -	39
Christian Myr	a curry comb	- -	06 1/2
Thomas Kitch Jr	one Grind Stone	- -	46
Henry Bricker Jr	one pair of hems [?]	- -	40
Saml Hoffman	one cow chain	- -	14
Do Do	Do Do	- -	28
Do Do	Do Do	- -	25
Thomas Minor	a halter chain & coler	- -	94
Wm Baker	one lot of traces chains	- -	62 1/2

Sale Bill, page 2

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

		D	C
Henry Bricker Jr	Skillet & lid	- -	74
Saml Hoffman	one Griddle	- -	30
David Gochaneur	one pot	- -	90
John Hoffman	one Dutch oven	01	00
Frederic Betz	one Dough tray	- -	06 1/4
Abraham Mumert	one churn	- -	32
John Fry	one barrel	00	04
David Gocheneur	one Spinning wheel	- -	79
Do Do	two chairs	- -	35
Saml Boots	a lot of upper leather	01	02
Wm Baker	one chest	01	50
Jacob Stauffer Jr	one feed trough	- -	26
Henry Miller	2 tow [?] bags	- -	63
Saml Hoffman	2 turilled [?] bags	- -	56
Abraham Mumertt	Do Do	- -	72
Frederic Betz	one Jack Screw	03	50
Saml Hoffman	one half Bushel	- -	18 3/4
Jacob Roller	one Riddle	- -	25
John Hoffman	one 12 gallon Kettle	03	12 1/2
Saml Hoffman	Do Do Do	02	65
David Gocheneur	one meet tub	- -	57
George Holterreed	one log chain	02	00
Henry Miller	a lot of tin ware	- -	06 1/4
David Gearinger	a lot of Spoons	- -	20
Henry Miller	a coffee pot dish	- -	14
Abraham Mumert	one pair of Sheep Shears	- -	37 1/2
Abraham Hoffmann	a German Sermon book	- -	25
Abraham Mumert	a pewter Dish	- -	22 1/2
Abraham Hoffman	2 German books	- -	27
Saml Hoffman	a German Bible	- -	75

Sale Bill, page 3

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

		D	C
Jacob Roller	8 knives	- -	30
Henry Miller	a tea Kettle	- -	27
Christian Meese	cups and Saucers	- -	12 1/2
Do Do	a lot of plates	- -	12 1/2
Do Do	a tin pan	- -	18 3/4
Andrew Altman	a lot of pewter	- -	59
Henry Bricker Sr	7 yds of Shirting linnen	01	57 1/2
Henry Miller	Do Do Do	01	82
Abraham Hoffman	8 Do Do Do	02	40
Isaac Baughman	10 yards of tow	01	82 1/2
John Hoffman	4 yds of Woollen cloth	03	00
Abraham Hoffman	one coggshell	- -	38
Saml Hoffman	one Steelgavel	01	04
Abraham Hoffman	one Rifle gun and exutrmer [?]	09	25
John Hoffman	a clock and case	05	80
Micheal Frederic	a Dresser	02	87 1/2
Saml Hoffman	a pot tramel		62 1/2
Abraham Hoffman	one mare	40	37 1/2
Christian Halderman	one Sow and pigs	03	07
Henry Bricker Sr	one Barrow	01	92
David Gocheneur	one ew and lamb	01	94
Do Do	one Do	01	31
Do Do	DoDo	01	45
Samuel Hoffman	one cuting Box	- -	75
Jacob Keckly	one windmill	05	15
George Holterreed	one pidea [?] Steer	05	03
Do Do	one black Do	05	00
Johnathan Tyler	on Cow	10	14
John Hoffman	one heiffer calf	03	25
Wm Betz	two crocks	00	14

Sale Bill, page 4

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

		D	C
Wm Betz	two crocks	- -	14
Wm Betz	two crocks	- -	12 1/2
Henry Bricker	6 lbs flax yarn	- -	96
Do Do	Do Do	- -	96
Frederic Swarts	one lot of rye	01	80
Jacob Roller	Do Do	01	89
Micheal Frederic	3 yr Bushels of buckwheat	- -	56
Do Do	2 crocks	- -	07
Philip Houtz	10 bushels of wheat	02	60
Joseph Frederic	Do Do Do	02	90
Henry Bricker Jr	Do Do Do	03	20
Frederic Betz	Do Do Do	03	12 1/2
Henry Hoffman	Do Do Do	03	12 1/2
Joseph Frederic	Do Do Do	03	12 1/2
Christian Meess	3 Do more or less	00	90
Frederic Swarts	10 bushels of oats	01	40
Saml Fox	Do Do	01	40
Do Do	Do Do	01	40
Do Do	Do Do	01	40
Henry Bricker Senr	one bed and beding	06	00
Frederic Betz	10 lbs of Sugar	- -	75
John Sheets	Do Do Do	- -	70
Do Do	Do Do Do	- -	75
Do Do	to Sugar	- -	12 1/2
Saml Hoffman	one cag	- -	25
Henry Miller	35 lbs of Becon	01	57 1/2
Do Do	32 lbs Do	01	12 1/2
John Hoffman	22 lbs Do	- -	70
Do Do	13 1/4 lbs Do	- -	67 1/2

Sale Bill, page 5

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

		D	C
John McConner	one lot of beef	- -	84
Frederic Swarts	one gig	- -	10
Frederic Betz	one Barel	- -	12 1/2
Samuel Butz	one chisel	- -	07
Saml Hoffman	one third of a lot of rye in the ground	06	85
Do Do	one third of a lot of wheat in the grnd	08	00

I do certify that the above is a correct list and amount of property Sold at the sale before mentioned.

Jacob Roller Clk [crossed out]

John Hoffman

Samuel Hoffman

Counting the hours to South Korea

Yep, we are counting the hours to our departure to Seoul, South Korea! However, I am not yet ready. So many last-minute stuff to do tomorrow at work and I now have a headache. I want to sleep! Anyway, I am afraid I may not be able to finish everything in time and may have to work a bit while on holiday. *sigh* (ugh)

Blue Magic - James Gunn

Beta alert! Look away if you want to onsight Blue Magic 8b.

Followers of johnjobrien on Instagram will know that I recently returned from another quick Chinese climbing and tofu and photo gathering expedition.

I met some of the finest people. They made me welcome amongst them. They shared their time and their snacks. And they climbed like machines possessed.

Here's James Gunn. One of the finest.




The day I set up for this shoot it was dull and cold. I got into position, the talent tied in and chalked up.

The second he laid a finger on the stone the sun unexpectedly cracked the gloom, plastering my shadow all over the wall. Not quite the plan.

But the effect was uplifting, one of those magic moments when I know there is no other place in the world I'd rather be. I like to believe that everyone at the crag felt the same euphoria.




James Gunn - on the send.














James and Tom make ready at Skull Mountain.

I made that up, it's White Mountain.










I love White Mountain. Despite my humble performance there.

It's a humbling and magnificent crag.

















The first couple of moves, watching through the lens, I'm thinking, "I could do that".

At about the second clip I'm thinking, "nah that's me done".















Lining up the first crux









"Catching the last move of crux #1"








"The rest" James seemed quite relaxed and centred. But in real terms, it not a rest.







James worked the route with Dave Van Den Berg and Tom Allen. He says he was psyched for it right from the start. There was no stopper move to contend with, but it didn't go down easy. Conditions on the first day were exceptional but he never got the same break again.






Tom.






"Exiting the rest into the final crux sequence"























Sun's out, Gunn's out.

James reckons his fav route is "Lost in China" at Getu, China.

Note to self: get the booking staff at jjobreinclimbing to schedule me a trip, say it is for photos or something.




He likes Mie Fun. I like Mei Fun.

He likes Drum and Bass. I like Drum and Bass.

He's a G.I.S. analyst/specialist for an engineering consultancy.

I like Mie Fun.




James told me what he did for a job, but I didn't understand. Very technical and important.

All I understood was that there are remarkable and surprising people out there. I continue to be amazed.

Talented, friendly, crazy strong and photogenic.




Find James on Facebook - James Gunn Auckland, New Zealand.




Cook your own Mie Fun




200grams rice noodles (thin)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 carrot, julienne cut, 1/2 cup onion, sliced, 1 1/2 cups cabbage, shredded

tofu pieces 2 large
eggs

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 cup bean sprouts,
1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon brown
sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce (to
taste)

salt, to taste, fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place the rice noodles in a pot of hot water and allow
them to soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. While the noodles are soaking, heat the sesame oil in a
large wok over high heat. Fry the tofu
pieces. Add the carrot and onion. Cook and stir until crisp tender. Stir in the
cabbage, cooking and stirring for 1 minute longer.

3. Stir in the ginger, bean sprouts and eggs. Once the eggs
are cooked, stir in the water, brown sugar and soy sauce. Cook and stir

4. Drain the rice noodles and add them to the skillet.
Season with salt, pepper or soy sauce, t o taste. Yum










jj




PS this post has been reconstructed after Google lost all the photo links. Sorry if it's a bit different.

Christmas at the Golden Gate

Well, I wasn't sure where I would be for Christmas... as luck would have it, I found myself in San Francisco on Christmas Eve. I spent the evening at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. I love the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was one of the things I was wanting to photograph again on this trip. Much to my surprise, when I arrived at the area overlooking the bridge I could see a few stars in the sky! I was certain that the city lights would be too bright to be able to see any stars, but thankfully I was wrong. I managed to make an image of the bridge with the constellation Orion visible in the sky above. It was the perfect Christmas gift.



Even though I was "alone" on Christmas, I felt like you were all with me. I received many emails from my friends, followers and supporters wishing me a Merry Christmas. Thanks to you all who took the time to send me a message. Your wishes were much appreciated and made me feel like I was home. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well!

SC II - first real ice routes of the season

Sunday we went to SC-II. It was seriously cold. Temps were below 0° and the wind was howling like crazy. It was Laura and I, Joel Toretti and PA Matt, CO Matt and his wife Rebecca. We were greeted by the howling winds at the Cliffs parking area. Upon hiking in, we found that the cold temperatures had locked up most of the water. There is still some water running and with the forecast calling for the lower 20's, the water will be flowing again in no time. Climbs are looking good. Laura and I climbed Called on Account of Security which was bonded much better than several days prior. The climb is a little thin at the bottom, but gets better as you go up. FYI There's a V thread backed up by a screw at the P1 Belay for lowering from there. P2 wasn't quite formed up yet. Joel tried to get on The Awakening, but the climb was very brittle and the temps were a little less than favorable for gear placement. They opted to drop a TR on the right central and run laps. Matt and Rebecca opted to head out earlier due to the cold. We ended the day around 3:00. It was a good day and we made some new ice climbing friends. I was glad to get up Called despite the temps and thin, brittle ice. Here's a few photos from the day.