On September 28th the Northwest was warm and sunny under a high pressure cell that felt unseasonably warm, but one does not question nature's gift of fine weather when winter is just around the corner, so we were off early Sunday morning for Three Fingered Jack. The north side of the mountain was a towering monolith of solid rock that revealed the solid core of an ancient, eroded volcano. It was a beautiful day to practice anchor placement, rock climbing and rapelling. Even the late afternoon sunlight was warm in the high elevation of TFJ's upper ridges as we descended, and I knew this couldn't last long.

The following weekend while on a trip to southern Oregon I took a side trip to the area east of Mt. McLoughlin starting from the trail head at Four Mile Lake. The weather was distinctly different with a chill wind blowing even at the elevation of the trail head near 6000 feet, and as I glimpsed the summit to the west partially obscured in cloudy mists, I realized the peak was already covered in fresh snow only a day or two old. I only had time to climb part way up the east ridge during this trip, but it was enough to convince me that in only a week's time the Cascades had started their metamorphisis into the pure crystalline giants which make their remote reaches impossible for most humans to experience.

From the sun baked rock monolith of Three Fingered Jack to the first snows of winter on McLoughlin, the Cascades always amaze with the ancient consistency of seasonal cycles. During this time I continued to work on the Virtual Cascades 10K edition, and I hope to infuse the site with even more of the spirit and essence of the Cascades for the world to experience. Coming soon, I will upload fresh images of the Three Fingered Jack climb, South Sister, Mt. Jefferson, and more. Enjoy and Climb On!

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