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Bronco

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Posts posted by Bronco

  1.  https://methowvalleynews.com/2020/08/26/local-climber-encounters-mysterious duffle-bag-containing-suspicious-substance/

     

    According to a press release at the time, AMO agents witnessed the pilot toss several bags out of the plane into the wilderness. However, the story does not end there.

    Responding Deputy Anthony Coble performed a quick drug test on the bag the climber found in July, after he returned the bag to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s office, and determined the substance was not drugs. The North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force (NCWNTF) collected the bag for evidence the next day.

    So, if you happened to lose a duffel stuffed with a white crystalline substance portioned into individual Ziploc bags near Mazama, feel free to contact the task force to collect your valuables.

    • Smells bad 1
  2. Home prices and cost of living would be significantly less expensive in Driggs.  I think the home pricing in Bozeman is comparable to the suburbs around Seattle.  That being said, Bozeman has a lot more going for it for restaurants and events.  I don't know how important that is for you and your wife but they're both towns worth checking out.  Bozeman has a good hospital and airport as well.  

    Might check out Dillon MT while you're in the area.  Skiing, fishing, some climbing close by and pretty low cost of living.

  3. 14 hours ago, tanstaafl said:

    In contrast, all four climbers on Total Soul were wearing matching long sleeve hoodies with the hoods *on* all day long.  Maybe they were all from Arizona or something and found 70 degrees to be cold?  

    There's these new fangled "sun hoodies" that are advertised to keep people cool and are kind of a replacement for sunscreen.  Always get the matching set with your tech bros, duh!

  4.  

    https://www.opb.org/news/article/grizzly-bear-reintroduction-north-cascades-give-up/

    U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt told a meeting of community members in Omak, Washington, that his agency will not conduct the environmental impact statement needed to move forward with the plan.

    “The Trump Administration is committed to being a good neighbor, and the people who live and work in north central Washington have made their voices clear that they do not want grizzly bears,” Bernhardt said in a news release.

    “Grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction, and Interior will continue to build on its conservation successes managing healthy grizzly bear populations across their existing range,” he said.

    The decision was hailed by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, who represents the region in Congress.

    “Homeowners, farmers, ranchers, and small business owners in our rural communities were loud and clear: We do not want grizzly bears in North Central Washington,” Newhouse said. “I have long advocated that local voices must be heard by the federal government on this issue.”

    The Department of the Interior began planning the environmental review process in 2015 under the Obama administration.

    The recovery of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states is an amazing success story, the agency said. Most of the efforts have focused on six areas of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and eastern Washington state.

    The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has been the primary focus of grizzly recovery efforts to date, and grizzly populations have increased to about 700 bears there since the animals were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1975.

    The environmental group Conservation Northwest was disappointed by the decision, but did not think it was the final word on the bears.

    “We are still confident they will be restored there,” spokesman Chase Gunnell said.

    Gunnell said 80% of the people who provided public comments on the bears supported growing the population by bringing grizzlies to the back country in and around North Cascades National Park.

    Gunnell said it was false that local residents overwhelmingly oppose reintroduction of the bears.

    “This is not an issue that has just west side support,” Gunnell said, referring to more populous and liberal western Washington. “Public support is strong.”

    Fewer than 10 grizzlies are thought to live across 9,800 square miles anchored by North Cascades National Park, Conservation Northwest said.

    Given their isolation from other grizzly populations, the low number of bears, their very slow reproductive rate and other constraints, the North Cascades grizzly bear population is considered the most at-risk bear population in the United States, the environmental group said.

    Grizzly bears were listed as a threatened species in 1975. They have slowly regained territory and increased in numbers in the ensuing decades, but they still occupy only a small portion of their historical range.

    An estimated 50,000 bears once roamed the contiguous U.S. Government-sponsored programs led to most being poisoned, shot and trapped by the 1930s.

  5. 10 hours ago, Benzo said:

    Going down it was, like, 40ft visibility from 7500-9000ft which was pretty concerning - this was the day that lost hiker at Paradise went missing, so I'm assuming it was due to the whiteout (we personally ran into a dude who got separated from his wife and kid - who it turns out decided to descend without telling him???). And good golly, we were seeing people still coming up in tshirts, shorts, and tennis shoes with no supplies! One group tried going up this steep snowslope before Panorama without even microspikes! The degree to which some people are so cavalier with their lives is mind boggling.

    Sounds like a routine day around Paradise.  At some point you have to laugh and hope nobody gets hurt or lost.  The tourists come from all over the world to walk in the snow up there.  

  6. Just a heads up, there is a temporary traffic light installed on HWY 530 between Arlington and Darrington for some fish passage work.  I think it cost me 30 minutes headed East on Thursday night and 45 minutes to an hour coming West last night. Sedro Wooley route to HWY 20  recommended until this project is done.  The detour around the rockslide on HWY 20 is pretty insignificant by comparison.

  7. Some good news (in these unprecedented and trying times).  It looks like they plan to give it to USFS to preserve access.

    The 11-acre private property includes Alphabet Rock and the Icehouse Boulders, as well as the initial access path to Givler’s Dome and outlier crags on adjacent USFS lands. Together, these granite cliffs and outcrops feature more than 40 historic cracks, slabs, faces, and hueco-filled roofs, ranging in difficulty from 5.7 to 5.13, as well as dozens of challenging boulder problems. The prominent 250-foot Givler’s Crack, Dogleg Crack, and Meat Grinder are just a few classics that have attracted climbers since the 1970s.

     

    https://www.accessfund.org/news-and-events/news/access-fund-purchases-climbing-areas-outside-leavenworth-washington

     

    • Thanks 1
    • Rawk on! 1
  8. I'm in total agreement with vetting partners.  When I was still pretty new, I had a brand new partner freak out 2 pitches off the deck at Index.  I had lead up to anchor #3 and he was terrified of an undercling traverse under a roof and refused to attempt it.  I had no clue what to do.  The wind was blowing and of course a train went by while we were trying to communicate which just added more stress to the situation.   I had to figure out how to lower him back to anchor #2 and rappel back down to him.  Fortunately it was a shorter pitch so he was able to stay tied in to the end of the rope while I rapped over the roof and made a big swing in under the roof and grabbed the anchor. 

    I have a couple of other experiences with new partners that were lucky to get out of without an actual epic.  It is challenging when you're new and assume everyone else must be more proficient and capable.  

  9. Came across this Youtube channel and found some really interesting stuff.  This one in particular caught my attention as I have some older dyneema  slings.  Surprising how much more quickly the strength degrades compared to nylon (he tests some 30 year old nylon slings in other videos).  I know 10kN is still pretty strong but slings are cheap.

     

     

     

    • Like 1
  10. Message from Olympic Mountain Rescue

     

    I had high hopes of ticking off some climbs this spring and summer but decided to forego technical alpine climbing for the time being.  With the crisis overloading our healthcare system, we all really need to be staying well within our skill set and not taking any unnecessary risks. You do not want to be taken to a hospital full of Corvid-19 patients.  Stay safe out there.

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
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