Northwest:
–Luke Wilhelm, a respected and loved climbing guide, died in an personal climbing accident on Colonial Peak earlier this month. Climbing posted a very nice obituary and you should read the whole thing, but here’s a highlight: “Luke, who was living in Bellingham, Washington, was a mountaineering guide for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI), out of Ashford, Washington. He found home wherever the next skiing, climbing, alpine objective, or hammock spot was. This past year one of Luke’s clients, Tim Morris, requested a special commendation (which he termed a Medal of Honor) from RMI for him, writing: ‘Luke’s ever-positive attitude, patience, and genuine servant’s-heart is observable without exception, while consistently maintaining leadership candor and decorum, ranking him as exemplary among his peers and reflecting great credit upon himself, RMI, and the Guided Mountaineering Industry as a whole.'” To read about Luke, click here.
–The National Parks Traveler is reporting that, “Past problems with flooding have the National Park Service at North Cascades National Park proposing to relocate the Graybeal Hiker and Stock camps along the Brush Creek Trail. There’s also a need to construct additional backcountry camp accommodations for the Pacific Crest Trail long-distance permit holders along the Bridge Creek Trail. The Graybeal Hiker and Stock camps were hit by flooding from Brush Creek in 2003, 2006, and 2017. Moving campsites out of the floodplain zone prevents further damage to the camp sites and eliminates entanglement with this natural process, the Park Service said in explaining the need to relocate the camps. Capacity at these camps will remain the same.” To read more, click here.
Sierra:
–Snowbrains is reporting that, “Another large boulder fell off of Echo Summit Wednesday morning and crashed down onto the Highway 50 mountain pass in El Dorado County, blocking traffic in both directions, the California Highway Patrol reported. The six-foot-high boulder fell off the summit shortly after 8am.” To read more, click here.
–Gear Junkie is reporting that, “As concern over Yosemite Valley’s increasing traffic problem mounts and construction projects pile up, park officials responded with a new permit system. From May 20 to Sep. 30, 2022, everyone visiting Yosemite from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. will need to make an online reservation. A few notable exceptions to the new system exist (more on that later).” To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
–UK Climbing is reporting that, “a Ukrainian guiding company has announced that it will not accept Russian clients, while mountaineers worldwide are calling for a blanket ban on Russian expeditions and clients this upcoming season – and potentially beyond.” To read more, click here.