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I soloed by a bunch of Mounties on Sherpa Peak one time and all I got was compliments and adoring looks. You just must look sketchy.

Happiness = reality minus expectations When someone (mountie or other) gives me shit about not being properly outfitted for my grueling ascent of the Tooth, I actually find it fun, amusing and pleasurable in a smug, condescending, but polite way. It's similar to being carded. I find it delightful to be mistaken for some stupid kid, not offensive. Water off a ducks back, water off the back.

I don't think there is anything wrong with letting somebody know when you think they are doing something that could get them killed. In fact, I might even go so far to say that it would be wrong not to. Now, there is the issue of how this is done. Almost any time you do this you are going to ruffle some feathers. Some people may be better at this than others, but truth is, it takes high art and a bit of luck to be able to tell a stranger that they are fucking up without them feeling "chastized". Minx, I think you should lighten up. Lookit you. You just critized the safety practices of Mounties in your numbers 3, 5 and 6!

I understand where all you sourpusses are coming from. It's painful when you are rightfully proud of all the excellent climbing we have in our area and a touring climber is gravitating toward a quite unrepresentative and what many think is mediocre climb. It's like showing a traveling friend around your fair city and taking them to dinner at Wendy's. However, I will say, that Infinite Bliss can be a good experience, and even show off a bit of what WA state has to offer. The climbing is long, mostly effortless, and fairly varied; slick slab, featured slab, steep featured slab, low-angled grassy slab, a heavily bolted chimney, and the finale is a pitch straight out of Leavenworth! (which, of course, is more featured slab ). And most importantly for showing off our area to visiting climbers: the views down into the Middle Fork Valley are really top notch. And for a bit of gravy, the Edgewick Road Truck Stop area has got a weird Twin-Peaks-like vibe to it. Anyway, to summarize...Eliza, you could do better, but you could do worse.

No lie on that! ~20 raps, mostly on low-angled rope-snarling terrain (plus the downclimbing sections). What a PITA! Allow about 3 tedious hours for the descent. WA Pass is also where I would send a climbing visitor to WA state, but it doesn't really fit the "sport climbing" criterion (unless you're including Mazama under WA pass). What about Marblemount? Is that currently open to climbing? However, I don't quite get what she means by "not enough time for trad". If they are pinched for time, the approaches for many WA pass climbs may fit the bill, but the drive from Seattle wouldn't.

I climbed it again the other day and had FUN! What a bunch of sourpusses you guys are. The cautionary notes are in order though. Easy to get lost starting at the pitch on the topo labelled "Easy 5.1, 1 bolt". Bring helmets. There is spontaneous rockfall on that route (and more if someone's above you). For other sport climbing that these curmudgeons would deign more worthy you might check out "the Country" area at Index If you're looking for a longer route or two check out Jacob's Ladder on Exfoliation Dome or other stuff in the Darrington area.

There's a lot of middle ground between coddling and the condescending hindsight name-calling you chose to employ.

I hate it when that happens! Sobering read. Glad that it ends with you returning (relatively) unscathed.

Seattle School District's running something like a 12 million dollar deficit and they're planning on closing 11 schools. You might be able to get a job if you're willing to go for undocumented worker wages

Jeezus! Calling someone "dorx" doesn't seem to the be best way to get good information. You better hope those guys have zero self-respect.

cjoo1f Fuck you

Fuck if I know. Second wash sounds correct. Mossy and 2 pitches of 5.7x does not. Blueberry Route is the yellow line. Note the rectangular rock scar just to its left.

Second wash is the one! (unless I have always missed one )

So, from your response it appears that you agree that it is OK for the government to peruse the phone records of members of the press without a warrant? You see no need for the checks and balances over illegal search and seizure and privacy rules that have served us so well for many years? Or do I just misunderstand you yet again?

Are you sure you went up the correct wash? That is, did you head up the second wash that crosses the road or the first? I'm saying this because the Granite Sidewalk is pretty damn clean. There may be sticks and sand on it from the winter, but there's not really much moss. The only place where there is moss is right at the very start, but your report indicates you encountered this stuff above the first section of slabbage.

Jay, Who would that inpector general be? Does he/she read the papers? Has anything at all been done about the Bush administration's illegal wiretapping of phones and cataloging of domestic phone records? A related, but non-rhetorical question. Would you support the impropriety alleged in the above-linked article? That is, the use of NSA domestic surveillance data to profile with whom members of the press were talking in order to help the government pinpoint whistle-blowers and leakers?

Not just the poll numbers... using the domestic spying data to muzzle the press

Best in NA is certainly overreaching for an area that has basically five popular lines, but those lines are all pretty damn good. Cue semi-regular ode to Static Point... Fuddhat -> KDW is a really stellar line. It's sustained (5.8, 10b, 10a, 10a, 10b/c), fairly well-protected but enough distance to add some spice, has a tough-pitch finale, and it's somewhat varied (for Static Point standards) with the KDW pitches featuring featured face and the lower pitches involving more traditional slab climbing (p2 really stands out). Shock Treatment has an excellent sustained third pitch that all slab fans should check out. The rest of the pitches are also high quality, but not in the same league (difficultywise) as the third pitch. I guess you can also continue further with a later addition in the 11+ range, but I'm not qualified to comment on that. Lost Charms is killer for the grade (5.9), is a rare SP gear route, and much of the climbing breaks from the SP slab focus (even a low-angled tips crack!), though the cruxes are definitely classic slab moves (one fairly run out, one protected with a crappy bolt). Other good stuff too. Go check it out before it gets too hot! Sign in at the guard station and indicate that you are rock climbing (stand up and be counted!). "Great Flake" pitch on Lost Charms

I'll bet it's dry as a bone right now. I was up in the area on Tuesday. I wasn't at the FDW, but where I was there were no trickles or seeps anywhere. They're putting the finishing touches on the new campground up there. I checked it out a bit. It's going to be massive! Probably 100 sites or so. Gonna be season-long campfire smog up there pretty soon.

I just put a pointer up to let everyone know that you can listen to a current album by a rock hero getting all political, GRATIS! You chime in with negativity. What a wanker.

New Neil Young album is available to listen to on the internet. Right on! listen to new Neil Young album