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That's cause nobody understands it. It sure looks like a condescending put-down of somebody, but how can we respond if we're not really sure which fringe of the left fringe you are maligning? I think this Canadian terror plot is a good impetus for us to send our entire WA National guard contingent to patrol our border up North. I sure has hell don't want any damn terrorists humping 3 tons of Canadian govt. supplied ammonium nitrate through the unguarded Pasayten! It would be a great way to keep our National Guardsmen closer to their families and further from Iraq! Why the hell isn't Gregoire jumping all over this?

A good reason to get a piece in just before topping out at Tieton.

Road is totally open now (no 4WD or high clearance required).

Climb: Mt. Stuart-West Ridge Couloir Date of Climb: 6/3/2006 Trip Report: Mark_L and I climbed Stuart via the West Ridge Couloir on Saturday. We left the Long's Pass TH around quarter to 7. Snow was fairly continuous from where the Ingall's Lake/Long's Pass trail brannches off, and hard enough that we actually used our crampons getting up to Long's Pass. Luckily the sun had already hit the other side of Long's so we got to glissade back down the Ingall's Creek side. The West Ridge Couloir was straightforward crampooning and had great coverage. We only needed to climb over rock for I think 3 short sections. We made it to the notch about 1pm. We found the South side bypass that let us avoid any climbing on the colder, snowier North side of the West Ridge completion. At the little headwall above the notch where the usual route jogs onto the N side, skirt around the right on any easy ledge to the South side. Once around the corner cut back left and up back onto the West side and do a short exposed traverse which gets you back to the regular easy route. Summitted around 3:30, nice weather held out all day. We boot skied pretty much down the entire Cascadian Couloir. Nice snow all the way down to the meadows. Back to the truck around 8:45. This turned out to be a great way to get up and down Stuart quickly this time of year. Gear Notes: Crampons, axe. Skinny rope, small rack (~12 nuts/hexes, 7 draws) Approach Notes: Road to TH clear of snow

Nice job and good pics. We climbed the West Ridge Couloir that same day, and arrived at the notch around 1pm. There looked to be the debris of a large avalanche down below your couloir. Was that there when you began?

Thanks a lot!

Anybody been up the Teanaway River Road yet? That is, anybody have any information about whether or not one can drive to the Long's Pass TH?

I think he means hardest route of given grade, not easiest.

I guess it could conceivably not be contradictory because it sounds like the giant hogweed toxin doesn't hurt you unless you combine with sunlight. Eatin' stuff basically puts it where the sun don't shine. That said, I have eaten Cow Parsnip raw (many times). I had to peel off the outer stringy stuff thus probably contacted the sap with outer parts of my body, and I did not do all this stuff in a darkroom. So anyway, my conclusion is: Cow Parsnip is probably safe, though if I ever choose to eat some in the future, I am going to be extra critical in the identification of said plant.

Them tender young shoots on Cow Parnsip is good eatin'! But it looks like Hogweed would not be

Yes, I think so. It's the extra insurance you can opt for (for which you have to pay more), that covers more than the piddly amount (funeral expenses basically) covered by the default coverage.

No climbing exclusion as far as I could tell (I specifically asked the benefits people at the UW). I did have to get a blood test and fill out a medical-history questionnaire.

Went up to The Tooth yesterday. You can still drive to the upper Alpental Parking Lot. Snow still extends to the parking lot. I skied (from Pineapple Pass), so it is verified that you can still ski all the way to your car, but the snow is such that it appears you could walk all the way in there without much, if any, postholing. No cornice problem at Pineapple Pass. South Face totally snow free. Three majorly fixed pieces (2 cams and a pinky). There's a cairn on top now. No booty for me, besides a plastic pink spoon. Just thought someone might be interested

The thread of the pre-schooler avatars! Over 40 or under 4?

If rapping down possibly on top of people, then yes, you should yell "rope" once or twice, AND wait for replies. If you hear anybody yelling at you to wait, then you probably should. Wouldn't want to knock a leader off. With respect to Condomorphine Addiction, it is quite easy to make one single-rope rap (or just downclimb) off the back into the gulley, then walk down climber's right. If you choose this method, you might consider bringing your shoes to the top (clip them to your harness with a locker).

"shots" fired, likely from air hammer

Could be that they've all got the goods on each other, and if one goes, they're all going like a big house of cards.... and right now as we type, Bush's team is going through all of their offices after they were all shooed out by a bogus "shots fired" call. the plot thickens swatting at them copters

Sounds like some of same top-notch diagnostic work one can expect at our local hospitals! (meant as a dig at local doctoring, not your friend)

But why now? They've been bending over for the Prez for years now. They were on the verge of removing the fillibuster provision. They've done nothing about his signing statement bullshit. They've done nothing about imprisoning and torturing people without a hearing in any court. But now? Has the writing gotten so clearly on the wall, that they've decided it's prudent to actually try to do something about the president following the constitution? Why make the stand now with a case that the voters will find so weak. Something must be going on that they just can't wait. I guess the obvious answer is that he's got some pretty damning stuff in his office, but that still doesn't make that much sense. I mean, what could you have in your office that would be so incriminating that could not just be destroyed tonight? Anyway....

That could be a good song lyric/route name/barroom threat "You play with fire, you're gonna get burned. Play with dynamite, gonna get dead!" (yes I know noone died, yet, but "dead" worked better than "a fractured eyeball")

Hastert at odds with justice department over raiding a Democrat's office How weird is that? Now he's accusing someone in the executive branch of leaking that he's a target in the Abramof scandal to shut him up? There's gotta be more going on here...I mean, to the regular joe, it seems like these guys are totally idiotic defending a DEMOCRAT who was caught on videotape taking a $100,000 cash payment then hiding it in his freezer. Why are these guys who have laid down for every sleazy move that Bush has taken, now suddenly committing political suicide over a crooked Democrat? Something weird is going on here that we don't know about yet (and may never!) whoomp whoomp whOOmp WHOOMP (<- sound of black helicopters )

Truly a borderline case it seems. Though probably closer to Ivan's Normandy Beach scenario than Matt's on the Colchuck Glacier. I have no illusion that I can understand the full seriousness of life up there from my office desk, but it certainly seems reasonable for people to believe that he was basically already dead. Though the writer of that article states that apparently the first rule of First Aid was not applicable (assisting would not have endangered rescuers), I think that conclusion is far from clear. Who knows what's going to happen further on down the mountain? In a mountaineering situation it's always prudent to give yourself margin for error. If you spend the 30 extra minutes of oxygen you expect to have on sitting next to a frozen dying man, or dragging him down to the first steep spot, who's to say that you are not endangering yourself? That said, every one of those climbers were also endangering themselves more by continuing to the summit instead of turning around right there. Truly an impossible case, at least for me, to judge from afar. I definitely think that if you are going to rail about this, you should at least not employ hindsight that the climbers did not have at the time they made their decisions. My guess though is that I'd consider this "excusable" but perhaps not "justifiable" in the nomenclature described by the article's author. Without the first hand experience it's impossible for me to judge these individuals, but it does seem reasonable to philosophize on the general culture that allows shit like this to happen. It seems like currently, that coming upon a dead or dying climber has to be considered not just as a tragedy but a very likely objective hazard. It's something that might ruin your summit bid, and that you should probably plan for it. How weird is that?

The responses to another thread got me thinking. It seems there must be some essence of what makes PNW climbing great, if people feel that some climbs aren't what makes it great. What is that essence? What are the qualities indicative of climbing in the PNW that you really appreciate? Or if you want to be more concrete ... say you are acting as climbing tourguide for an out of state friend or anonymous internet hookup; where would you take that person to show of our great state/region? Lists would be cool. Reasons for your choices even better. Finally, since negativity is what often seems to get the posting juices flowing around here, what climbs would you specifically discourage, and why?