[lisina10]

I just got back from my first in a long time trip to the Olympics and I'm excited to plan more for next year. I've started doing some light research on the Bailey Traverse and thought perhaps this group could answer some initial questions. First, can the traverse be done (assuming later season in a hopefully more normal year than this year) without technical gear (e.g., axe, crampons/spikes, helmet)? Second, my risk tolerance threshold has been decreasing with age (is that called wisdom?) and it's hard to get a sense from other people's trip reports the level of 'pucker factor', since everyone has a different threshold. On my recent trip I did the Cameron traverse (Cedar Lake to Cam pass) and found parts of it stressful and nerve-wracking, but it didn't cross my 'not worth the risk - I'm turning around' line. For people who have done both, I'm curious how the challenges of the Cameron traverse compare to what you'll find on the Bailey. I'm strong, not afraid of physical challenge, and have a decent bit of off-trail experience in other places, but I don't love lots of exposure. Third, given my questions above, are there Bailey-lite alternate routes I should research that might avoid certain difficulties? Thanks y'all!