mneagle

Has anyone climbed this tower via the 5.9+ route described in Becky? I've climbed Clean Break and was wondering if it is comparable in quality/worth doing. Thanks.

So has anyone called about getting the key to the gates? How far is the hump if the gates are closed?

Will a Fixe 10mm bolt fit into a hole made with a 3/8 inch drill bit? I know that 10mm = .39 inches and that 3/8 inches is .375 inches, but I'm wondering if that small difference means a tighter fit or whether the bolt just won't sink.

Does anyone know anything about Rawl hex-key bolts (the ones tightened by allen wrenchs)? I'm wondering if they are as strong as the hex-head bolts and whether the tapered head configuration is acceptable on anchors and hangers.

Check Out: http://www.myccr.com/SectionShopping/Food/Bauly.htm Also, I bought a whole bunch of bulk freeze dried food from Mountain Home.

First of all insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are the bitterest of enemies. The goal of drug companies to sell only expensive brand name drugs vs. the goal of insurance companies to give generic or no drugs are completely at odds with one another, and I couldn't care less about either of their motives when I'm taking care of patients. I'd have to say most doctors are not behaving in the way you describe and I suspect I have a better view of the front lines than you. My biggest motive is to be my patient's best advocate Preventing, treating and comforting when past all that and I don't feel alone. I agree that preventative medicine should be all of our first priorities but I often feel paralyzed by the overwhelming enthusiasm people seem to have for an unhealthy lifestyle. I don't think it takes "alternative ways of thinking" to see that being obese, smoking and keeping poor sleep habits for example are going to adversely affect your health. If a naturopath can motivate someone to just live a healthy lifestyle then power to them. But I don't advocate using unproven methods, any of which may turn out to be harmful. Western medicine used to do this all the time until evidense based methods came along and told us we were klling/harming people. The present system which you describe as "bogus research on the human lab rats in America" I would describe as the most essential step in determining the effectiveness and preventing harm from existing or potential treatments. Studies can be gravely biased which is why they are published in peer reviewed journals and why we are taught in medical school to be brutal in our review and interpretation of them. If you think doctors are hard on alternative medicine, you should show up at a journal club. You would be surprised how fast they are to call bullshit on bullshit when they lay eyes on an unethical or biased study. And the reason we do it? It goes back to my primary motive, to be the patient's best advocate. So here's my bottom line: WE ARE NOT THE ENEMY.

From a scientific basis there is no data to support it. Even Pizzorno's Textbook of Naturopathic Medicine (which I refer to on occasion to understand what some of my patients are talking about when they come in complaining of "systemic candidiasis", "leaky gut syndrome" and "acetaldehyde poisoning") doesn't mention it. I did find an obscure Norwegian journal that published a few articles on it, but the abstracts appeared to be refuting any supposed benefits. The global distribution of blood types definitely would not support the idea that blood types are related to available food sources. If this was true then what should be present is a distribution related to distance from the equator. Instead what we see is a distribution based on goegraphic isolation, which would best be explained by migration and a founder effect. When the average American is 3 times more likely to believe in the virgin birth of Christ than evolution it's no wonder that people are taken in by ideas like this. A lot of people don't like science mucking up there perfectly explainable world based on common sense and teleology.

Susan, you lurker you. Congrats on finally making your first post. I posted this thread just after we climbed it back in 2001. That was a good time. http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB8&Number=60807&Forum=All_Forums&Words=borderline&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=60807&Search=true#Post60807 It really is a great line. Don't miss it.

I have a Wild Things bivi bag and I think it's great. The whole thing is made of sympatex so there's very little condensation. The mosquito netting is effective at keeping the bugs out and is large enough to allow for adequate ventilation as well. It weighs in at 15 ounces.

Your experience was very similar in some ways to my first attempt on Constance. I knocked a grapefruit sized rock loose that went bouncing down pinball style and by an unbelievable probability, perfectly threaded the needle between 2 large rocks hitting one of my friends who had hid behind it. It nailed him in the shin and sent him a foot in the air. After ice and ibuprofen, we decided to keep going. After blindly making our way across the "terrible traverse" we decided to call it quits as the wind/snow picked up and my friend's leg began to significantly swell. We went to the urgent care department that was connected to the hospital I worked at. My friend asked me who the attractive nurse practitioner was who examined his leg. I said I didn't know. He said I should find out and date her. Long story short, I'm now married to her. THREE CHEERS FOR THE LOOSE ROCK ON THE SOUTH CHUTE OF MT. CONSTANCE!!!! (She and I had a much better ascent up the North Chute in winter. Pics in Alpine Gallery.)

Anybody used these? I'm wondering if there is any difference in performance between the standard and the alaska picks. I'd be using them mostly for waterfall ice in the lower 48.

The North Chute in winter is a great route when in shape. The "terrible traverse" is much more solid on good snow than scree and topping out on the verglas covered summit rocks is awesome.

20% off all Black Diamond Camalots at shoreline mountain gear. www.shorelinemtn.com

I bought an Olympus Stylus 300 a few months ago and have been thoroughly impressed. It's the only"weatherproof" camera on the market, very compact, has a tough metal body and gives great pictures w/ decent options for a point and shoot. I haven't had any problem w/ shutter lag but I have not tried any action shots. The battery life has been really good. On a recent trip to Wyoming I shot 50 pictures or so any didn't have to change to the spare battery for the entire week.

The rhetorical answer: Replacing old bolts with larger ones by drilling out the old holes is fine but adding new bolts is a big no-no. Climb somewhere else if it's too scary. (Exit 38 e.g.)

One of the biggest differences is in the length of the routes and the sustained nature of the climbing. You have to seek out rests and milk them for all they are worth before launching up again. The best comparison to WA climbing is probably Tieton. If you can climb 5.9 or 5.10 there you can probably get up it at Devil's Tower, although to get the redpoint you'll need good endurance.

My wife and I just got back from our first trip to the area as well. Incredible rock and a paved approach trail rather than a bushwhack through slide alder and Devil's Club! We connected Broken tree with Assemblyline on the first day (6, 10a, 9, 5) and then Belle Fourche Buttress with the direct start and the Peterson variation to finish (9, 10b, 10a, 5). The handcrack on Assemblyine and the finger crack on BFB are unreal. We also stopped through Fremont Canyon and Dome Rock for some excellent granite, solitude and stiff grades. Tons of BLM land and free camping out there. Note: The KOA in front of DT shows Close Encounter's of the Third Kind seven nights a week on an outside screen. And for a real return to your childhood, go across the street and buy a pack of Close Encounter's trading cards, complete with stale gum.

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB3&Number=53831&Forum=All_Forums&Words=baring&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=53831&Search=true#Post53831

Matt_Anderson climbed Burdo's big project a few years ago. When we climbed the North Face of Baring a few years ago there hadn't been any ascents logged in the register for several years. Does anyone know whether the right side variation of the North Face has been repeated?

Anyone know of a good online company that can convert digital images to prints for the photo album?

http://colonialsuperior.com/bearmace.htm

You are correct. NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen, relafen, etc are anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. Tylenol is analgesic only. Naproxen is stronger per weight than ibuprofen but causes some people more GI troubles. Being well hydrated does protect your kidneys, but if you have normal kidneys to start with you have little to fear from a short course of high dose NSAID's. I usually carry a vial of Toradol (an NSAID) and a small syringe to give an intramuscular shot for fast and very effective pain relief in case of a major injury. Narcotics make me puke my guts out.

Reminds me of one time at the VA hospital when a vet had a recurrence of a pneumothorax and I got called emergently to the bedside with his blood pressure in the toilet and impending respiratory failure. I told him, "this is going to suck." He made an effort to flop to the side and lift up his arm and said "go...for...it..." with a gasping voice. With no anesthesia at all I cut the old sutures out, stuck my finger through his chest wall and got the tube in. I thought the med student in the room was going to pass out. The guy let out a little groan but mostly just dealt with it. Vets rock.

The winter is really the best season to visit the olympics which creates a lot of access problems. Many of the best routes are chossy scrambles in the summer but sweet alpine routes when the snow and ice hold everything together.

It sounds most likely that your friend had a spontaneous pneumothorax. This occurs most commonly when a congenital bleb ruptures at the margin of the lung, releasing air into the chest cavity. Tall thin individuals are the classic owners of such blebs. There is no association with high altitude but there is an association with heavy exertion (e.g. weight lifters). It's interesting that your friend only experienced significant symptoms after descending. Usually what we worry about with altitude and pneumothoraces is when you are ascending. At lower atmospheric pressure the gas trapped in the chest expands and collapses the lung more as you go higher. We typically don't let anyone fly for this reason for the first week after one has healed.