He keeps saying its the best trip of the year, and in 2008, with help from Bucky, I joined Ram for a few days of Cascade madness. Wow was it good. Wow was it hard. This year, various obstacles allowed me to duck out honorably, but... well, the pics were really good and the story of another superb adventure in the Cascades was volunteered for the Rave. - Tom

Story by Ram. Photos by Steve and Aaron Ramras. Formatting & photo editing by Tom Jones.

To wake up early in Colorado and deal all the transitions to where you are starting up a peak in Washington by 4:15 that afternoon, one that involves 3,000 feet of ascent and a couple of pitches of rock to 5.5........We hate travel days and as such we squeezed in the South Arete of South Early Winter Spire. We hooked in with Courtney, DB, their pal Andy, Sonny and his pal Mark, several of them joining us for the climb

The weather was rainy over in the western mountains, in the area we like best, with its true alpine flavor. But when it does rain there, we can usually find fine fare to amuse ourselves on the east side, here up around Washington Pass. We call it "alpine light." Sometimes the rain spills out far enough east. It did the 2nd day. We were on the South Buttress of Cutthroat Peak. This 8 pitch 5.8 is not sustained, but with wet rock, it was plenty interesting. a serious day.

The next day most of us ran the ridge from Copper Mt., to Pika Peak and then beyond, over a 1 mile knife edge, toward Blue Lake Peak. All summitted two peaks. Andy was swift enough to get to the third peak, before the lightning, thunder and hail chased us off the ridge, just 100 feet below the summit. Aaron felt and heard his ice ax humming on his back. Not good!! Still it was a grand day, as we got soaked to the bone, on descent.

We could see from our summits, that the weather was clearing to the west, so we ran up Wallaby Peak the next morning, before transitioning west, to the heart of the range.

Mark Peterson with a cloud-covered Cutthroat in the background, on S Early Winter Spire.

Class 4 scrambling on the South Arete (II 5.5)

Mark on the knife edge

Ram doing a dance. Sonny Lawrence awaiting his turn.

Sonny - the man, the myth.

Topping out on S EW Spire

some kind of Lily that Ram thinks I know the name of

some kind of Lily that Ram thinks might be a Tiger Lily

It's wet up in the Northwest (Lupine).

Approaching the South Buttress of Cutthroat (III 5.8)

Ram on the crux pitch...Yes he is on a rope!

Notch diving...

Aaron on point.

Sunscreen?

Approaching the 5.8 off-width crack on the summit block

Looking back the other way

Sonny always has a good time, even when stuck with the big pack!

Come on up!!!

Knife edge descent on the west ridge

A room with a view

South Buttress of Cutthroat (5.8 III).

It comes with a cost...

North ridge of Copper Mt. (class 3 my butt!!!)

Courtney on Copper. Wallaby, Silverstar, and Kangaroo in background from r. to l.

OH NO!!! Hail and lightning on the way

Andy negotiating complex and exposed country

Ram on the edge, Copper Mt. in the sun. North Ridge (our route) on the left skyline.

Low fifth class free soloing. Racing the weather.

The weather caught us...

July?