[Mike Collins]

This peak is in the Enchantments and is the highpoint of Temple Ridge. This ridge includes Prusik and The High Priest. It is also the summit upon which Stefan had his recent accident. A party of four hiking friends climbed this peak to retrieve his belongings which were left behind during the helicopter rescue two weeks ago. It was an energetic outing leaving trailhead at 0700 and returning at 2000 after 7,300 feet of gain over 17+ miles roundtrip. Park your car at the Snow Lake trail parking area off Icicle Creek road. Hike up the trail to Nada Lake. On the west side of the lake, about 400 feet past a double-log bridge will be a trail on the right that initially goes to a toilet but continues through talus, slide alder, and then slabby granite to reach a forested area adjacent to a stream. This is the same stream which flows into Nada from the west. At times you will be looking at the ground like an cavalry scout to see where people have walked before as the route can be very difficult to follow. Eventually you get to a saddle at 7,200' and Temple Ridge reveals itself to the south. It is hard to figure out which crag is the true summit. A helpful clue is that Mt. Temple lies directly above what appears to be a cannonball hole in the rock. It is shaped like an "L" (think Leavenworth). The route to that notch is easy to figure out. We used a single rope with a small rack for the ascent from the notch and used a double roped rappel for the descent. There is a tricky three foot overhang eight feet below the summit anchor which made it a more difficult rappel. All of us had reflective thoughts when we read the name of Georgia Bakke in the summit register from Sept 22, 2001. It was one of her last peaks climbed as she died tragically in an avalanche in late January, 2002. The sun's low angle cast my shadow on the granite walls across Temple Canyon. I mused about the permanence of the rock and the transiency of the occasional visitors to this tranquil area.

[Dean]

Any luck on finding the broken sling that Stefan used?

[Allison]

I don't think that there has been any conclusion that there was a broken sling. Let's focus our good thoughts on the recovery of our boy Stefan, and of the excellent partnership of his partner Mike T. Thanks for the report, Mike. I spoke with one of your partners in crime today, and it sounds like you guys had a pretty good day, all in all.

[IBEX]

As viewed from the Peshastin area along the Wenatchee River, the Temple Ridge outline skewers the western skyline like the twin towers of an ancient European cathedral. Yet to scramble amongst the pure granite blocks that seemingly teeter on the sharp ridge tops, rings even more like a religious experience.

[Tom]

Nice shot IBEX. So does that illustrate Class 3, 4, or 5?

[Mike Collins]

CascadeHiker...I can certainly appreciate your interest in the mechanics of "What went wrong?" Review of events and comments are how all of us learn regardless of our discipline. Climbing is no exception, however at this juncture examination and critique so future accidents can be prevented will have to rest with Stefan when he has the energy to devote to that task. As Allison stated, our principle interest should be in helping Stefan get through this new physical challenge. I had the opportunity to visit him today and he is in good spirits. It will be a while before he is "on his feet" and even longer before he can go out hiking. His confidence and determination are tremendous assets he can tap into when his bones have healed enough to allow for walking.

[Mike Collins]

IBEX...Are those climbers on Mt. Temple? It looks like it might be The High Priest which is on the same ridge. Mt. Temple looks like only one person could fit on the top but it has enough room for maybe six people if they didn't do jumping jacks.

[Ice Girl]

Hey, i think it was great for you guys to go and get his stuff back for him. Two cheers for you.... Ice Girl

[Allison]

From everything I have heard from the two guys who were up there, it's safe to assume that the sling failed in one way or another. Whether it broke, came untied, or slipped off, well, as far as I know the sling has not been recovered, so we may never know. Climbing has its inherent risks, and having a simple piece of gear like a sling fail is not unheard of. I respect people's desire to know what went wrong that day, and certainly I've asked my fair share of questions in this vein about other accidents. But, for me, it all comes back to this: Stefan's welfare and recovery are way more important. I speak also from my own experience. As many of you know, I similarly broke both my ankles in a climbing accident. After it happened, I was asked, and to this day, continue to be asked, what happened? The details of my situation were equally likely, nothing unusual failed. My personal welfare was, well, frankly, sh##ty, for many, many months, and I continue to suffer to this day from the result of that fateful day. I was isolated and depressed, scared, and in pain, and yet....everyone wanted to know how the accident happened. So, do this for me, or more importantly, do this for Stefan: Send him a card or an email, call him if you know him, or go visit, watch Oprah with him or if he feels up to it, take him to the park. When he feels better, rub his ankles or pay for a massage so they can do some lymphatic drainage on him. Offer to babysit the little one. Reach out to him in any way you can. He's going to need all of the support his friends can give him.