Alasdair

Some of you might appreciate this pic from the prolog a couple of weeks ago.

I am not saying your wrong, but they dont tend to use heavy machined iron on aircraft, and never have.

If you are talking about very small shards of plastic and metal then it is from howitzer shells used for avalanch control. I noticed a shit load of this type of debris when I was on those slabs.

I have a few more here... http://www.nwclimber.com/climbing/trips/pickets/pickets2003.htm

I have a few here that you are welcome to use for your class as long as you give photo credit. http://www.nwclimber.com/weather/weatherphotos.htm

Sounds to me like your climbing partners made the right decision. If there is one place that is likely to have shitty weather it is the eldorado, boston basin area. And in case you haven't seen it the weather is going to suck this weekend.

Well you would not want to fall over backwards, because you would probalby slide a long way. It is a pretty good route, I enjoyed it.

Ade dont you have a picture of that section?

New beta band, the Streets & RJd2

Here is another picture of the girth. This is shot from the ledge below where the dificult climbing starts. It is very loose and crappy below where this was shot.

I wore tennies all the way to the end of the lake last weekend.

I had a pretty good look at Dragontail. Serpentine would go no problem, buy there is snow getting up to the 5.8 section. The backbone looked wet, and would probably be quite hard right now.

Yep that was me.

Climb: Colchuck-NBC Date of Climb: 5/15/2004 Trip Report: Drove to leavenworth Friday night, set alarm for 3, but it ran out of batteries over night and woke up at 4:45. Was on trail at 5. Route is in good shape, nice solid snow conditions. Made summit at about 9:30, where I met a couple of guys from the east side of the state. Headed down to colchuck col and started up to tag the summit of Dragontail. After about 100 ft decided my legs hurt too much and headed down to the lake. Back at car around noon. All and all a great day out. Gear Notes: I used two tools but one is all that is needed. I just like climbing with two tools. Approach Notes: Used running shoes all the way to the end of the lake. It was light enough to travel without headlamp by 4:45.

Ok here is more info than you need to know... I belive the Prius 2 battery pack is $800 retail. Toyota are giving an 8 year guarantee. That pack price includes some anciliary cooling structures that are needed No one knows what the true cost is Taht battery is NiMH. it is generally agreed that that is dead end technology. it works but ti will nevere be the cost effectove solution. The great hopes are Li Ion and Li polymer These are running on sample vehicles and of course are used on laptops. Energy density is about twice NiMH. power density not much different. Life unknown NiMh is a fairly safe technology. Not much to go wrong in an accident. Over or undercharging generally not a problem at least as far as safety is concerned Lithium in either from has safety isues. It can burn quite viciously, but I guess no worse than gasoline. It can explode if a short circuit happens in an accident, and it can be violent One of the main issues is working temperature. Below freezing the battery must be heated, above 120 the battery must be cooled. Sadly this takes a large amount of energy, which will end your great gas consumption. Unless any battery is recycled properly it will definatly cause enviromental problems. They are not something you want to dump at the side of the road. Luckily the material batteries contain have monetarty value even when the battery is done, so recycling incentives are not a problem. You want to save money, go look at a Golf TDI.

No I dont really have a problem with you just the war in general. I dont really have a need to PM you either. Glad your comming home, can you bring everyone else with you?

Could it be that part of the problem is the US is sending troops that have absolutly no education or respect for the local culture in the areas which they are being sent. Rather than sitting you guys down and explaining that describing muslims as "Fucking towlheads" is not acceptable and is racist. You clearly have no respect for the people of Iraq, the culture, or their religion, and that is very very sad. Why dont you take a little time while you are over there pick up a book and learn a little bit about the history and culture of where you are. Most likely because your superior will then call you a traitor and have shoveling shit somewhere.

This is not possible! Every good global warming drone knows that record temperatures are only NOW being set... in the period that began January 2001. What is this 1913 nonsense? Please go back and re read your EarthJustice handbook and repeat the litany again, and again, and again. The sky is falling, the Earth is warming. Man is the cause! Man is the cause! (Repeat) FYI: EarthJustice is a great organization, and currently is doing some of the most important work to stop bush's reversal of environmental protection policys. They have won numerous lawsuites this year alone against the govenment, and will continue if funding continues. Dont get them confused with Earth First. Thanks for bringing up their name. You can help their cause by going to www.earthjustice.org I choose to do my part by giving to environmental nonprofits who do work that agree with. This year it has been Earth Justice. Last year The Peregrine Fund

just a slight exageration... Try about 120+ "the record highest temperature ever measured in the U.S (134 degrees F at Death Valley, CA in July of 1913), and the hottest temperature ever recorded anywhere on the globe (136 F at Al' Aziziyah, Libya in September of 1922)" When you are standing next to a thermometer in the hot sun and the damned things says 141 you tend to believe that. I believe there is a difference between the actual temp and the temp as it is affected by humidity. So if it is 90 degrees the dew point can be a certain level and the actual feel is 100. Something about refraction of light through water molecules. I'm not a scientist, ..... No shit... I couldn't tell. But I love the attempt at science, it kind of made me smile, or shudder one of the two. No i dont want to see it for myself. No americans should be there, and when they reinstate the draft and my name gets called up Canada here I come. Fuck the US if the draft is returned. I am too old anyway. Have fun in Iraq.

Actually most get more like 50. The current trend for motorcycles the last few years is bigger engeins. Have you looked around lately? It is hard to find a bike with less than a 750cc motor. Mine is 750 and it get 45-50, depending on how fast i ride it.

Most other countries in the world are reducing their dependance on North American wood by cutting down russian forrests instead, why should we not do the same with oil.

Well not exactly. Vegtable fuels will very quickly end the life of diesel injectors they way they are currently designed. Do you think the auto manufactures are going to change the design so that people wont have to use fossel fuels?

No so hard for us urban folks, but what about those in Eastern Oregon or Washington who have 60-70 mile commutes? What about all deliveries going up in price? Not that simple... Yea I know, but I dont really want to think about it early on a friday morning, and I just wanted to waste some time at work. One questions though. Why does everybody in eastern washington have to drive a vehical that get less than 10 mpg. They could start by buying a honda accord, or a golf TDI. It would cut their gas bills by more than half.

The end of friends. WHO GIVES A SHIT... TV SUCKS

I say add another $1 tax on top of the price of gas, and people will actually start to use mass transit. SUVs will become a thing of the past. YEA!!! If you are really that concerned about the price of gas the ride a fucking bike, bus, or walk. I think higher prices on gas are a good thing, especially if it gets rid of bush. I would pay $5 a gallon for that.