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Retrosaurus

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Posts posted by Retrosaurus

    Stuart north ridge - solo

    in Alpine Lakes

    Posted

    quote:
    Originally posted by Dru:

    A "coney" is a rabbit, and a pika is a pika.
    [sNAFFLEHOUND]

    So does a coney have longer ears like a rabbit and a pika has the stubby little rounded ears?

     

    And which one makes that really high-pitched "EEEEP!" sound?

     

    This may sound a bit dopey, but I have been wondering about this stuff for years?

    Stuart north ridge - solo

    in Alpine Lakes

    Posted

    Dissappointment when my partner bailed on an outing to the Direct Northwest Face lead me to an alternate plan that I have often thought about: north ridge, solo.

     

    Pull the rack and slings out of the pack and the extra water bottles and most of the clothing and food. Crampons on tennies and an 3rd tool ice hammer for the glacier, an 8mm rope and light harness for the rappel. Good to go.

     

    Left the house in the morning when my wife left for work and was hiking from the Teanaway by 9am.

     

    Saw coneys or pikas (can anyone tell me the difference?) mounding up sprigs of lupine for winter. When the second one saw me he ran right up to me like he knew me or something. (Just thought that was cool.)

     

    Arrived at Goat Pass at about noon and fell into the moat (Dooh!) while stuffing ice into my lone water bottle. I was pleased with how well old strap-on crampons work on sneakers although with the straps on tight enough to be secure, they really hurt my downhill foot. (Maybe this is not a problem with a less primitive binding system.)

     

    I spent a few moments below the NWFace looking for the start of the direct route. Line diagram topos sure look a lot more straight forward than actual routes.

     

    Crampons off at the start of the couloir and rock shoes on near the upper part of the couloir where there is finally more rock than dirt. It felt good to be climbing with rock boots on solid stone.

     

    About halfway to the gendarme I noticed snow on the ledges off to the right. And yes, that was verglass. Hmm, 5.4 friction, verglass, a skiff of snow. I'm getting concerned. By the time I arrive at the gendarme I've had enough at looking at that dark, wet, icy chasm off to the right. I've never been down there either. The steep, solid, straight-forward 5.9 crack climbing on the gendarme looked inviting by comparison.

     

    A long runner stolen from the rap anchor wad rigs a hauling harness for the pack. Clip the rope to the pack and neatly stack the rope and bowline the other end to my waist.

     

    The first pitch was no problem, but when I reached the top of the pillar it was not one of those graceful mantle exits, but the grateful belly wallow/knees affairs. That said, it was not that tough and downclimbing the pitch would have been OK, although scary.

     

    Haul the pack and stack the rope again and up the second pitch. This pitch has some of the best fist jamming that I can remember ever doing. The only other time I was on the gendarme I exited left. I exited right this time which turns out to be a bit more direct and straight-forward. I was a bit concerned about the pack hauling over some of the lips on the rock. It came up just fine, but would not have without a hauling harness.

     

    I loaded the rope back into the pack and reached the summit at 5pm. Cloudless hazy vistas and warm sunshine. An orange and the rest of the water. Base of the mountain via Cascadian by 7. Longs Pass at 9. The truck at 10.

     

    I guess I can think about doing the complete north ridge next time.

     

    [ 09-12-2002, 06:57 PM: Message edited by: Retrosaurus ]

    Exit 38 bandit

    in Access Issues

    Posted

    quote:
    Originally posted by richard noggin:

    Big talk from a guy that goes around removeing hangers and chopp'in other climbers routes
    [Mad]

    Pretty socially irresponsible if you ask me
    [Roll Eyes]

    I have never stolen hangers. I think what you mean is removing bolts from irresponsibly bolted routes.

    A socially responsible act.

    Exit 38 bandit

    in Access Issues

    Posted

    quote:
    Originally posted by vegetablebelay:

    Maybe you'd get a better police response if you told them the bandits were stealing Trail Park Permits.
    [Roll Eyes]

    Maybe you deserve to get ripped off if you were socially irresponsible enough to buy a Trail Park Permit.

    i love slab climbing

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    quote:
    Originally posted by Peter Puget:

    Mitch you are the true wanker. Gratuitously slamming Scott. What's up with that?
    [Wazzup]
    Check out his site. (NWOG.org)

    [laf] wanker [laf] wanker [laf] wanker

    Like I said: wank-teryx.

    I really liked the Sabre TR. "Make sure to bring radios."

    And the rating system. Its got a lot of bolts and it's easy to top-rope. I give it an "8", pee pee.

    [laf] wanker [laf] wanker [laf] wanker

    i love slab climbing

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    quote:
    Originally posted by matt warfield:

    Leavenworth- The "alpine sport" climb on Condor Buttress is exceedingly well protected but has some nice 10- moves along with lots of easier climbing.

    Yeah, you can stand on one hanger and clip the next. I'm sure wank-teryx would love it if it was 5.6.

    NW FOREST PASS

    in Newbies

    Posted

    Mrs. R here,

     

    Well, I've been protesting fee demo, and I've stirred someone up. Last Saturday, I gave information to a forest service friend. She of course can't protest because she signed a thing that says she can't talk against the forest service without losing her job. She took the information to show to her boss. I also sent information to our local paper. The gal at the paper called me today and said she was doing an issue on 'Fee Demo'.

     

    So, on the front page is fee demo and all the money it's making [not taking]. Only 20% is going back to administrative costs. We're building new toliets, trails, etc.... They've quoted me on a few things. Nothing about ARC (American Recreational Coalition), nothing about losing our public lands. If I wanted Developed Public lands I'd go to Disneyworld, they charge too.

    They quote me, "With more money comes more roads and facilities, and more reasons to charge fees." But the next sentence says, "She has no argument with the way the money is being spent"--a little conflict here? What I didn't say in this article written was that the Forest Service budget is cut by the $amount$ that is brought in by fee demo. So where is the extra money from fees at?

     

    What about the issue of commercialization of our public lands. Here's the prime example: The ending of this article says "To comment on how the fees are being spent or to suggest future projects call a local ranger district or fee program coordinators Vladimir Steblina, (509) 662-4319, and Jim Archambeault, (509) 826-3573. They don't want to know what you think about fees. They want to get your opinion on how to spend them your way, to endear the fee program to the public. This is development,commercializing our public lands? This is the forest services sole agenda: money and development. To someone who hasn't researched fee demo, they would look at this and say "Oh, look the forest service looks like it's doing okay." Nowhere is there any mention of making a profit by selling off our basic right as American citizens to access our public lands.

     

    Well, I'm writing to the paper again. Do they ever reject opinions? I'll be somewhere in the middle of the paper, listing the facts. Get the information out to others, write congress, sign petitions, etc....

     

    Here is one you can sign right now http://www.PetitionOnline.com/feedemo/

     

    Thanks,

    Betty Merriman

    Omak Bouldering

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    quote:
    Originally posted by Mike Gauthier:

    sexual chocolate is right on... there is excellent bouldering and hundreds of trad routes (not one bolt in the entire place) in the area if you know where to go... it's all on private and and some blm land... the place is rather amazing... and it's virtually undeveloped.

    good luck locating it...

    Shut the fuck up Mike. You are obviously a moron and give not a shit about preservation and access. Why don't you publish an on-line guide. I can hear the drillheads lining up now. Then all access is gone. [hell no]

     

    sexualchocolate is a butt-pirate [Moon]

    trigger-wire replacement

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    Have you tried using nylon guitar string? I've got it on a bunch of my cams. Works great. Doesn't get kinked and is plenty strong enough. You'll never have to straighten trigger wires again. One string for about $1.50 will be enough for about one and a half cams. You will want the fattest string which is a G-string. (No, trask, your thong won't work.) I don't know why cams aren't made with this instead of cable&wire. I honestly think it is superior.

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