Bronco

you must not have read "the jungle" plenty of folks out there who have been out of work for a long time now who have a good attitude and skills. Not only have I read The Jungle, I worked in a (non-union) meat packing plant for one summer. I thought the conditions in the plant I worked at were worse than what was detailed in the book.

... or someone with discipline and good work ethic. As a small business owner I can tell you we don't hire contractors who are organized. We simply won't do business with them beause of this sense of entitlement, irrational and irresponsible behavior and inflated labor rates.

That is called "media sensationalizing" wherein they take liberties and graphically blow up and push the story so they can sell more advertizements. I believe it's more the norm and not that rare. If you can find someone who was actually there at an event like this, it is rare that they concur that a news story is factually correct. Add to that the fact that none of the longshoremen will ever be ad revenue while whomever owns the grain elevator might have 4 more company's and be spending shitloads of $ with this very newspaper right now. The papers and media rarely disclose that kind of thing. Are you suggesting there were arrests that were intentionally not reported by the media? I believe reporting of arrests would create additional "sensationalism". Why would they pass up that opportunity? I think this is a case of out of work guys being frusterated at not getting a job they were counting on. Times are tough but this is not an appropriate or acceptable way to react. Hopefully some of them take responsiblity for their actions.

I always thought the point of the unions was to provide collective bargining and level the playing field in negotiations. Vandalism and indimidation sucks when you're the victim of these goons. Interesting to me none of them were reportedly arrested. What's up with that?

From Here: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/129457903.html TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - A federal judge ordered union protesters to stop using illegal tactics Thursday as they battle for the right to work at a new grain terminal in Washington state. U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton issued a preliminary injunction to restrict union activity, saying there was no defense for the aggressive tactics used in recent days. Protesters twice blocked the pathway of a train carrying grain to the terminal at the Port of Longview on Wednesday, and early Thursday morning hundreds of them stormed the facility, overwhelmed guards, dumped grain and broke windows, police said. The dispute halted work at four other Washington ports, including Seattle, on Thursday as hundreds of longshoremen refused to show up or walked off the job. Leighton said he felt like a paper tiger because the International Longshore and Warehouse Union clearly ignored a temporary restraining order he issued last week with similar limits. He said he now wants to hold a hearing to determine whether the union should be held in civil contempt. "The regard for the law is absent here," the judge said. "Somebody is going to be hurt seriously." Six guards were trapped for a couple of hours after at least 500 Longshoremen broke down gates about 4:30 a.m. and smashed windows in the guard shack, Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha said. He initially referred to the guards as "hostages," but later retracted that after the guards clarified no one had threatened them. "The guards absolutely could not get out," Duscha said. "They feared for their lives because of the size of the crowd and the hostility of the crowd." No one was hurt, and nobody has been arrested - although Duscha said that could change if police are able to use surveillance video or other means to identify the protesters. Most of the protesters returned to their union hall after cutting brake lines and spilling grain from a car at the EGT terminal, Duscha said. They also pushed a private security vehicle into a ditch. The union believes it has the right to work at the facility, but the company has hired a contractor that's staffing a workforce of laborers from another union, the Portland-based Operating Engineers Local 701. Representatives of the engineers union did not immediately return a call seeking comment. In Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Anacortes, hundreds of Longshore workers failed to show up or walked off the job Thursday in apparent solidarity with the Longview activists, halting work at those ports. Union leaders said they had not called for any such actions. "It appears the members have taken action on their own," said ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees from union headquarters in San Francisco. He said some workers might have been motivated by a photograph of ILWU President Bob McElrath in police custody in Longview. Police arrested 19 protesters as they blocked railroad tracks on Wednesday night, allowing the train to finally arrive at the terminal. The protesters in Longview have portrayed themselves as being on the front line in the struggle for jobs and benefits among American workers in an economic downturn. But while union strife has flared up around the country - most notably in Wisconsin - the aggressive tactics seen in Longview have been a rarity in recent labor disputes. Labor activists insist that after receiving tax breaks and promising to create well-paying jobs at the new $200 million terminal, EGT initially tried to staff the terminal with nonunion workers. Following a series of protests by the Longshore workers this year, the company announced it would hire a contractor staffed by workers from a different union. "Today, the ILWU took its criminal activity against EGT to an appalling level, including engaging in assault and significant property destruction," the company's chief executive, Larry Clarke, said in a written statement. "This type of violent attack at the export terminal has been condemned by a federal court, and we fully support prosecution of this criminal behavior to the fullest extent under the law." Police from several agencies in southwest Washington, the Washington State Patrol and Burlington Northern Santa Fe responded to the violence to secure the scene that followed a demonstration Wednesday. One sergeant was threatened with baseball bats and retreated, Duscha said. "One officer with hundreds of Longshoremen? He used the better part of discretion." --- Associated Press writers Donna Gordon Blankinship, Doug Esser and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report.

8.5 hours seems pretty fast but no surprise there. Did you encounter any other traffic on route?

Trip: Mt. Goode NCNP - NE Buttress Date: 8/21/2011 Trip Report: Bonathanjarrett, Juan Sharp and I were second in line at Marblemount Ranger Station on Saturday morning when they opened the door. We obtained our permit for Goode Backcountry Saturday night, 2 Mile Camp in the Camp Creek drainage for Sunday night and we promised to hang our food. The ranger told us there would be no trees from which to hang our food where we intended to camp, so in order to appease her we accepted some extra blue bags and quickly scooted out the door. As we exited the Ranger Station, a paranoid hiker told each of us that there was “a lot of bear activity” in the North Cascades. We were so scared. Departing the trailhead at 8:40 am we cheerfully ate up the first several miles before spotting a black bear just below the trail. It glared and snorted in our general direction so we moved on. Reloaded with water at the suspension bridge, we reached the junction of the N. Fork of Bridge Creek and turned up valley. This trail was in great shape to Grizzly Creek Camp but became overgrown to the point we were just trying to follow the path of least resistance. This path eventually became choked with Nettles and Thistle. It was too hot to want to wear pants and a few nettles didn’t seem too intimidating. We charged through the gauntlet of thorny vegetation and kept fighting for what seemed like miles until we broke out onto the creek bed. Legs stinging and bleeding, we located a pair of large logs downstream and crossed into the slide alder choosing a slightly rising traverse to the right. We refilled with more water under the snow field. Contemplating our route and wondering if another party without a permit would be at the magic bivy, we made good time up the 4th class and brush arriving at the bivy at approximately 5:30 pm. We drank more water, spread out our sacks under the looming north face of Goode and enjoyed the view over dinner. Then we hung our food. From a tree. The alarms sounded at 4:30 am. We quickly ate breakfast noting the stars blinking out of a clear sky and rolled up camp. Leaving the bivy at 5:36 we gained altitude to the glacier. Juan found a direct ramp onto the glacier and we were soon assessing the various options for crossing the moat. Juan found one that would “go” and noted others as possibilities. Bonathanjarrett racked up and took the first lead of moderate 5th class (loose 5.5 that felt like 5.8 to me) and brought Juan and me up to a semi-hanging belay. Another half pitch brought us to easier climbing on the ridge. We agreed the youthful rope gun should continue in the lead with Juan and me simul-climbing until he wanted to relinquish the lead. This turned out to be never. We hung on like aging water-skiers behind the SS Jonathan as he motored up the buttress. What a treat! Which way do we go? UP! We stopped a couple of times to return gear but really didn’t encounter much sustained climbing over the rest of the route. Here's a rare picture of us with Johnathan on route. There were several short sections of fun moves on good holds. Near the summit, we encountered another team of three ascending the SW couloir route and they graciously allowed us to pass. No summit register to be found, just an empty sardine can. Was it Fred’s? It took our team approximately 4:50from the time we left the glacier to summit. Where's Waldo(Dave)? At the second rap station, we discovered a pair of cut ropes headed down the wrong descent gully complete with a ‘biner that had the REI price tag still on it. Looked like an epic. Whoever you are, we have your ropes. You can have them in exchange for the story. The "obvious dirt ledge" according to Beckey The descent was chossy and steep but we eventually made it to the timber and found our way down to the Park Creek Trail, arriving in 2 Mile Camp after an hour of walking. We reached camp exactly at sunset, 8:02 pm. The fire kept the bugs at bay while we ate and discussed the day’s climb while avoiding the ominous hike we faced on Monday. After dinner we hung our food and then went to sleep knowing that our ranger friend would be so proud. South Side of Goode from Camp Creek Monday morning was a little cloudy and we lazily hiked out of camp at 8:00 am arriving at Bridge Creek Trailhead as a sprinkle of rain turned steady. We figured it was about 17 miles and 9 hours of hiking. Probably a similar amount of time to return to the trail head from the regular bivy but eliminating the problematic descent through the Storm King Col. Most importantly to Juan, on the way out, he captured a small, male Rubber Boa on the trail. They are the only true boa that inhabits the Northwest and are seldom seen as they are nocturnal and generally hide in burrows. We took some pictures of Juan’s slithery little friend while it pooped on his hand. The Snake Whisperer eventually freed his rubbery soul mate and we pressed on Juan is also the proud recipient of the “tough-guy” award for not complaining about his blisters.

Nice!

Light boots will be fine, whatever's comfy and won't give you blisters is the primary concern. Have fun, don't worry about the jacket, sounds like you're set.

Are you renting plastic boots? I would consider them overkill this time of year on Adams. If that is your only choice, consider making the trek to camp in some trail runners or comfy hiking boots. My first attempt at Adams was my only climb with plastics, they were rental Koflach's from REI. Probably a good idea to wear trail shoes as much as possible as the rental boots may not fit very well and minimizing your feet's time in them would be good. We attmepted the climb in late May and had to walk several miles of road just to reach Cold Springs which was totally miserable in plastics and easily preventable by bringing some running shoes.

Hold on now, we don't even know what kind of food they dropped off. Crème Brulee and a spot of Brandy?

Using the Phantom Creek approach puts you back in Roscoe at the Grizzly Bar and Grill for dinner. Good food, typically slow MT service.

Trip: Granite Peak - SE Ridge/Face Date: 7/10/2011 Trip Report: In the weeks leading up to this climb, we strongly considered the South Couloir route that approaches via Cooke City but with the monster snow pack, accepted our mission to hike the Phantom Creek approach. This is likely one of the nicest most consistent grade trail I've hiked to approach a climb as should be evident by the smile on my partner's face. Reaching the Froze to Death Plateau took approximately 4 hours from the trailhead, intermittent post holing, scree and boulder hopping ensued across this wasteland. An additional 2-3 hours after reaching the divide between east and west Rosebud, we arrived at our high camp, next to a nicely flowing spring. I was ready for a break, not having been above 10k for a long time. Not another soul on the plateau, it is a pretty area in a giant gravel pit kind of way. No goats, one lonely marmot who kept his distance. The only other people we encountered on the entire trip was a father/son duo on the plateau while we were decending. They had broken up the West Rosebud approach into two days. We performed the usual camp chores and ducked into the tent for the afternoon thunder storms. Woke up to 30 degrees and starry sky at 4:00am. Left camp after a leisurely breakfast and coffee, finishing the hike up to where we'd drop into the Tempest/Granite Col. Granite looking good under blue skies in the morning light. We scrambled the rock ridge where possible, carefully route finding along the ridge to the SE face. Having carried a rope and small rack the entire way, we agreed to leave them in the pack for the duration of the climb as we didn't encounter any sustained climbing. I don't know how many of these "mid fifth" climbs I've carried a rope/rack the entire climb and not broke it out. I'd take it again because I'd want it if the rock was wet or icy and I'm just not that bold. Reaching the summit 4 hours after leaving camp, we took in the incredible views of the Beartooths and even spotted the Tetons in the distance. The peak to my left in the photo is the Beartooth Range's Glacier Peak and you can see the Becky Couloir route (5.7 AI3 Grade IV) up the prominent gully to the summit. I think Becky climbed it in '64. Taking notice of some suspicious clouds on the horizon, we down climbed the route and hurried back to camp where we scarfed down some lunch and broke camp. We took a more direct route across the plateau and made it into the Phantom Creek drainage just as a huge thunderstorm engulfed us. Taking a break at tree line, the rain caught us and kept it cool for the long hike out. Despite being in as good of shape as I've ever been, I was surprised and humbled with how physically demanding this climb was. Lot's of mileage and time above 12,000'. Having made the Huckleberry Creek approach on a previous attempt and my partner having done the standard approach from West Rosebud, we agreed Phantom Creek is the easiest considering the even grade and excellent maintenance of the trail.

ONP has issued this set of guidelines to avoid future goat attacks: http://www.nps.gov/olym/parkmgmt/upload/Mountain-Goat-ACTION-PLAN_2011_Final.pdf They should have a waiver included somewhere.

I would think durability played into his gear decision making as well. The potential for losing gear out of a damaged pack, ripped up pants or a broken tool would be totally unacceptable at that level of commitment.

Bandit Wine comes in a durable carton and pretty decent.

Nice! They have some pretty good box wine these days that actually tates fine after a long day on the trail. Good effort to pack the genuine Italian wine.

No more blogging??

Where's the TR from Burgundy?

My friend Jay and I used siege tactics on this route on Sunday, neither of us have rock climbed much lately (years for me) so we were a little slow. It’s a fun and worthwhile climb but I’d consider parking bikes at the top if I were to do it again. We were kind of surprised a how much loose rock is still present on the route considering how much traffic it gets so remember your helmet and be careful if rapping the route. The grades (Grade III+ 5.9) seemed a little over rated as compared a climb like the E. Face of Lexington Tower (also a Grade III+ 5.9)? How does a straight sport climb’s commitment grade differ from an alpine grade? Is there a difference?

I agree with Mattp. I had a Redwing years ago and while it is just fine for hiking, you'd probably not be satisfied with it for climbing. 50l is a good size. Second Ascent in Ballard is great for good deals (they have a ton of used packs) and their staff would set you up with a good climbing pack that fits your body. Getting a good fit is important.

Found a ring under a log on Sunday at the base of unibolter rock in Mazama.

Let's hope it stays that way. It seems to me this could potentially be a gray area. The pass is required for "lands managed by state parks dept". I guess we'll find out soon enough, signs are supposed to be installed in the next few days for any site where the pass is mandated.

Any other climbing areas included besides Beacon?

Extra points for matching shirts? Indeed!