Bronco

I'd recomend a warmer bag and a solid tent. I was at Costco over the weekend and noticed they have a 0 degree down bag by Kelty for $80.00. I don't know how much it weigh's, but the box listed 2 lbs of fill, so probably around 3 lbs.

cut those stupid political threads everytime! BTW - you missed one! Thank you moderators!! I hate that stuff!

I thought it looked familiar. I need some more coffee!

quote: Originally posted by STORER: My friend came up with a good idea for a cheap bivy bag. For those of you that don't know what "house wrap" is, it's a breathable but wind/water resistance "paper like" material used to wrap houses that are being built. You can probably score a piece of house wrap by going to a construction site and asking the contractor for a piece. You probably only need a piece 7' X 4'. Fold the piece in half and staple/bond the bottom and part way up the side. The idea was to make a bivy sack for a couple of bucks, so I know it isn't as good as an Outdoor Research bag for $100+. What do you guys think? Steve I have worked with that stuff in construction and it is bomber. Ask the contractor for a 10' piece of the tape you get with the rolls to seal the seam properly. I'd venture a bet that it would come in at around 1lb too. Seems to me Willstrickland or someone met a guy who made a back pack and bivi sack out of that suff for the Appalachian trail and it worked ok, but, you'd probably be performing major repairs on it after each use. Definetly test it out in your backyard before going up Mt. Rainier with it. Let me know how it goes if you do, I thought about doing the same thing, but wimped out and purchased one at MEC.

Way to get after it Rob! Some of those photo's are excellent, but your partner looks grumpy in most of them. Did you make him carry the beer or something? Good call going east of the crest, that weather you saw on Stevens was in the mountains around here all day Saturday.

quote: Originally posted by erik: quote:Originally posted by kellyclimbsnow: At lest thay dont police my spelling Whats up Dave Shculdt, I want to go to Static Pt. What routes are you into? I can driv, not legaly thouhg. I do not have a telaphone so all info via Pm. YEAH!!! UR MY HEROESS.....DONT DRIVE LEGALLY AND NO PHONE!!! WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!!!

I'm not really a boulderer, but there is only one significant (big) boulder at Zekes boulder. I am sure there could be more in the area, but much of it is private property. Get out there and wack those bushes young man, you'll find em if they are there!

check out these guys Mr. Parker. http://www.cands.net/harnessintro.html I like the full strength spectra gear loops and general crazyness.

do you have the poop tube?

Beuty, eh!

something tells me Caveman and Trask are....

Don't do it Alex, you wild and crazy microsofties!

I've been getting spanked in the mountains this year. A LOT! My quarterback rating would be somewhere around .03 if I was one. I really felt the need to "redeem" myself this weekend so I passed on the Rope up festivities in hopes of getting E. Wilmans Spire off my back on my 3rd attempt. Good forecast all week turned to crap Friday afternoon So much for getting another notch in my holster (ego). Being rained out of our original plan (again) me and my buddy Brian decided to scramble up Mt. Baring as it was reputed to be a nice hike and we wouldn't need rope and pro or much of anything exept a jacket and lunch. We summited the N. Peak shortly (in a cloud) and with time to kill (and being bored) decided to scramble up the "Class 2"* gully to the South Summit and see what that was all about. It started steeply but, with only 50' of visibility we figured the angle would change once we were beyond the initial 10' rock step. We just kept going, rock step after rock step, with 60 degree cascade sponge bush (heather) in between, passing 2 rap slings. After 300' or so, we were having a hard time, but, reached the final difficulty of a rock step to the summit. And another rock step and another. Whoops, looks like the summit's over there. Peering thought the cloud we saw another lump in the distance could it be higher? better check it out. It Definetly was not higher. Oh well, now where was that gully we came up? Hmmmm.. follow 3 wet brush filled gullys to large cliffs. Brian's starting to get that "look" like he is wound up and ready to snap. I nervously glance around at 10 different possible gullys and announce "there it is, oh now I see it, heh heh" trot over praying that it is it and dreading telling him it isn't. What's this? a nice blue rap sling? Hooray! now we just have to down climb the entire thing but, it's no problem since it's only "class 2"* To my surprise, Brian had replaced the "look" with a big assed smile (full of Copenhagen) and even let a few "Yee haw" slip out as he swung down soaking wet rock slabs on small protruding roots of nearby trees. I thought maybe he had lost his mind. He finally admitted that the event reminded him of "hunting" trips turned into mountain exploration sesions years ago. We laughed about the rap slings verifying our suspicions of the "class 2"* gully and discussed the prospect of climbing it in the winter, with a rope! By the time we reached the truck, I had forgotten that Mt. Baring wasn't worthy, or hard enough, and the sucky, wet weather. We just had a great time in the mountains rediscovering why we all climb in the first place, it's kinda hard and scary but fun at the same time. You know. *per CAG vol.2 BECKY!

quote: Originally posted by mattp: For those who can't find the gallery, here's a picture of this weekend's ALPINE BUDDY: Who's the buddy, the beer or the dude? The beer looks delicious.

nobody talks the smack like you mofo! I thought all you pansis would be over at the rope up pube club by now.

quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: satellite phones with a gps are the best

I generally do carry a phone but it seems like it rarely works in the mountains. I realize everyone has their own taste for risk, and I am certainly not suggesting one would be irresponsible if they chose not to carry a beacon, but, I believe I would be interested in one when they are available. Kinda like carying a hand gun, you may never need it, but, if you do ever get into a situation where life is threatend, it sure is nice to have.

Yeah, you could think of it in these terms - you are on a ledge watching cerebral fluid leak out the ear of your partner who just cratered on the 10th pitch of the N. Ridge of (insert favorite mountain)he may or may not survive the night. Do you say - a. "call in the calvary" and activate your beacon or b. "good thing we don't have one of those pussy rescue beacons, any last words dude?" I really don't care to die in the mountains and if the thing isn't huge enough to hinder speed and they are proven effective, I will seriously consider picking one up. You could also carry it when you go to pub clubs incase you get lost and need diro's.

I thought Ted Kennedy was the devil? Can I play? I have never played but I can drink beer and I heal fast. I always thought rugby looked like the real deal. I did play that game most guys play right after high school. You know, it resembles football except no refs or pads or rules. Oh yeah, and I only want to play if it's raining, muddy and cold.

From The Everett Herald Satellite system soon to locate those who get lost in the wilds By David Ho Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Hikers, mountain climbers, hunters and others who could find themselves lost or hurt soon will have a new way to call for help: a hand-held device that signals the same satellite rescue system that has watched over pilots and boaters for two decades. Information about the satellite rescue system can be found online at www.sarsat.noaa.gov/. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which runs the rescue system, plans to announce the new program today. The "personal locator beacons" will be available to the public starting at about $300 on July 1. "We're going to see a lot of usage among those who spend a lot of time in the outdoors, who go into really remote places where cell phones just don't work," said Lt. Daniel Karlson, a NOAA spokesman. Karlson said outdoor outfitters will sell or rent the beacons. People taking long car trips would be better off with cell phones, he said, but they also could carry beacons in case emergencies occur where phones don't work. The beacon sends an electronic SOS to satellites, which relay the distress call through an NOAA control center in Suitland, Md., outside Washington, D.C. NOAA then contacts local rescuers. Australia, Canada, Russia and several European countries already allow broad use of personal beacons. Use of the beacons in the United States has been limited to planes and ships because the agencies involved weren't ready to coordinate a nationwide rescue system on land, Karlson said. The few exceptions included personal beacons used by U.S. Forest Service rangers and in the escape kits of NASA astronauts. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission approved the use of personal beacons on land. The agency said the devices will make rescuers' jobs easier, saving lives, time and money. A test program in Alaska, which has allowed the use of personal beacons since 1994, has resulted in hundreds of rescues. "It takes the search out of search and rescue," said Randy Crosby, who directs rescue teams in Barrow, Alaska. In its 20 years of operation, the satellite rescue system has helped save close to 14,000 people worldwide, including about 4,300 in the United States. One was Mike Ryan, 46, a stunt driver from Los Angeles. In 1985, the small plane he was flying crashed, leaving him with crushed feet and ankles in a remote area of New Mexico. The crash set off his plane's beacon, and rescue crews found him 17 hours later. He said it was just in time: "I had enough blood for maybe another hour." The satellite rescue system was born in 1972 after a plane carrying two congressmen crashed in a remote part of Alaska. A massive, 39-day search found no trace of House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, D-La., or Rep. Nick Begich, D-Alaska. Congress responded by requiring every U.S. aircraft to carry a transmitter that would broadcast a homing signal after a crash. Ultimately, the United States, Canada, France and the Soviet Union created the satellite rescue system. The operation now involves 32 countries with ground stations around the world. There are no penalties for accidental false alarms, but people who deliberately misuse the devices can be fined $250,000, imprisoned for six years and made to pay rescue costs, Karlson said. He said the government works to educate beacon owners so "someone doesn't go out there and stub their toe and trip this thing off." "We want this as a last resort," he said. ______________________________________________ Seems like cheap insurance to me, I wonder how much they wiegh?

A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: 'My friend is dead! What can I do?' The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: 'Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.' There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: 'OK, now what?'

After another day of angst at the office, I knew I needed to climb last night. Something tough, and solo. Problem was, I needed to clean the gutters on the ole' homestead and to make matters worse, it was getting dark and cold, fast. I quickly decided to hang the hose from my back pocket and launched into the overhanging start to the climb. As I mantled onto the eve of the garage roof, I remembered that I had made one potentally fatal mistake. The Hawks were on Monday Night Football for the first time in 2 (pathetic) seasons. I lowered off and cranked up the radio. Things looked bad, they were down 10 - 0, but I must climb. Back on the roof of the Garage, I searched for the key to the second floor's gutters. Smearing and Liebacking up the downspout was making black marks all over the side of the house, in the intrest of going light, I had left my crampons at home, so I settled on aiding that section with my "8-step" aider, which put me in reach of another difficult mantle and belly flop onto the summit. With the gutters sparkling, I reversed the mantle onto my aider, threw down the ladder er aider and went to pull the hose, which was still on the upper summit. Pull and nothing. Must have wrapped it around a flake (vent) before I came down. Flipping and yanking the hose got me no where. I'd have to go back up. Hand over hand up the hose, I made the edge of the roof. One easy flip of the hose freed it from the obstruction and I dropped back down to the lower roof. As I gave the upper summit one last glance and dropped to the driveway, I decided to name the new route in honor of a CC.com legend. Cleaning the Gutters or Dwayner's Directissima, V1, A1(or free at 5.6 if you are hardcore), Grade 1.

I like how she uses pink lipstick to try to look more "feminine".

This is my attempt to "strong arm" the PUBE CLUB to Monroe. Nobody ever shows up in Redmond anyway. You guys suck. Have it in Monroe, it's our turn anyway and the last time we had 3 entire people show up. Dont mess with me or I'll use my strong arm (pictured below) to crush you. Just kidding. See you there. [ 10-14-2002, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: Bronco ]

quote: Originally posted by Greg W: I responded to the same offer, ChucK. When my bill came, I wrote "CANCEL" across it in big letters and sent it back. Haven't heard a word. They usually give you these instructions in small print, otherwise they start billing you. Ditto for me, 3 times in the last 2 years. They usually send me the previous month's issue. I don't buy them just because they are so dang expensive and seem to mostly be filled with advertising. You can look at the Tech tips and gear reviews on thier website anyway.