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pope

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Everything posted by pope

  1. Excellent trip report. The standard route is a popular hike and has been rated as "moderate scrambling" or "Class 2-3" in various guidebooks. Even allowing for ski boots and the presence of snow, calling this 5th Class might be pushing it a bit. He called it 5.2. Not sure the difference between 3rd class and 5.2 is worth debating, not unless down-grading somebody's scramble in ski boots gives you the sensation of having a big cock.
  2. There are a couple of climbs that can be done dry in heavy rain. An off-limits wall (the best wall at Fossil, now owned by the Nature Conservancy) averages about 95 degrees and is probably 100 meters tall. That wall has about ten feet of belaying area that never gets wet. As much as I hate sport climbing, I really enjoyed climbing on that particular cliff. Another dry area is under a 40-ft boulder, where routes (to 5.12) were "created" by chipping, drilling and bolting on holds. Those southern boys are way ahead of the times!
  3. I believe Jim Yoder and Marlene Ford wrote a guide. Jim and Mike Massey introduced me to the place, perhaps 20 years ago. The best wall out there features sport climbs to 5.13 and was developed by Mike, Jim, Ted Otto and others. Another Tacoma climber who knows the area much better than I, the only one I can think of who regularly participates on this site, is PhoQ.
  4. Cascades of rain-soaked snow have been launching off my metal roof all afternoon, producing thunder in the house when the heavy snow free-falls onto the lower roof. Shakes the whole house! At least I won't have to remove Christmas lights from the gutter outside our front room....they were avalanched off. Broken glass everywhere.
  5. pope

    Remembering FZ

    [video:youtube]bVWZMuSFxns&NR=1
  6. Instead of hiking the Snow Lakes trail, find a service road out of Alpental which always seems to be well-packed and could save you some effort getting into the valley. With a 50 or 60 meter rope, if snow is not well consolidated, you might find the second belay doesn't offer great anchors. I'm sure many options exist, but we found ourselves simulclimbing so the leader could reach good anchors. Probably stretching the first pitch would avoid these problems. For the descent, we belayed down a gully to the south. You may find a piton rap station. I've been up there a few times and never found spectacular snow and ice. On my first trip we climbed the east face and enjoyed perfect sticks with adequate ice screw protection.
  7. Gave the S.O.B.'s an ultimatum with a deadline. "Give me satisfaction by such-n-such date or else all future correspondence will be through our attorney." It worked. They called my wife and said, "We want to do everything we can to help you." Now I believe we have a case. I believe we can demonstrate that their exclusions do not apply. Otherwise, why would they be responding? The plan is to present to State Farm a couple of bids, which happen to be far more expensive than I ever imagined. Then we'll add quantifiable damages incurred as a result of State Farm's failure to act promptly to comply with the contract we signed. Then we'll tell them that the figure is not negotiable and give another deadline for payment. After which all correspondence will be through our attorney. Good plan? BTW, who knows a capable attorney willing to deal with smalish home-owners' claims? I've found an abundance of attorneys specializing in personal injury claims. MattP? Can you suggest somebody?
  8. Happened quickly, during high school. My geometry teacher was such a cool cat...guess he had a HUGE influence on me. I was getting into photography at age 16, so I joined the high school hiking club, which happened to be advised by my geometry teacher. Following his lead, I developed three of my great passions: mountaineering, mathematics, and teaching (probably in that order). I was so inspired by the idea of climbing Mt. Rainier...used to run 8 miles each day, finishing with a hill which when crested delivered a view of Rainier acorss the Sumner valley. I remember mail ordering Dachstein mits and the cheapest ice axe available (from REI) and a negative 15 bag from Slumberjack that Roskelly had supposedly tested on the Big E. I promptly had my Dad drop off me and two friends for a winter attempt on Gove Peak in MRNP, when it was 15 degrees F in Puyallup one winter. Joel still has discoloration on the back of his hands. My neighbor, Joel, was also in the high school hiking club. We later completed the Tacoma Mountaineer's Basic Course...they didn't seem to appreciate our youth and enthusiasm. Joel's family went on a road trip to Yosemite in 1983. He returned insisting that we should go wire-brush this big glacially deposited boulder up in Edgewood, above Sumner. We got some Converse basketball shoes, made some dust bags and swiped chalk sticks from a black board at the high school. The property owner was sympathetic until a friend drilled a top-rope bolt.....then we were ran out of there, denied some of the best bouldering available in the State. That episode helped to form some of my ideals about clean climbing. Joel and I met Chirp through the Mounties. We learned more about rock climbing after one weekend in Leavenworth with Chirp than in all of the Mounties field trips put together. Both Joel and Chirp remain great friends to this day. The only time I've ever been in the back of a police car was with Chirp and Joel, for climbing ice too close to I-90. No ticket was issued.
  9. [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXJquFTfB5I
  10. Thanks for caring, Bill. I've got these dickheads in a corner. I'll keep you informed.
  11. Thanks for the advice.....EVERYBODY! Even the folks I often disagree with jumped in offering good advice and encouragement. I've read the policy and exclusions carefully and I believe State Farm is obligated to deliver. Monday I will take it to the next level. Then I will promptly find other insurance.
  12. Where? If you have State Farm home-owner's insurance, don't expect to be helped with water damage. In their exclusions, they will not cover damage related to a "continued exposure to water" or damage related to mold and mildew. So when the inspector arrives and sees a little mold (which can form in 24 hours), or notices water has wicked up sheet rock (which is lined with paper), he'll tell you that "I'm going to attempt to cover you when I present your case but I'm a little doubtful because the evidence suggests the damage was caused by an on-going problem." When you call his manager, you'll find out that the decision to reject your claim was made by the inspector (not some review panel or higher authority) and that the inspector is an expert at making such judgements. Never mind how subjective and vague the language found in the exlcusions happens to be. Never mind that a dishwasher hose split half-way open and sprayed water under pressure all over your cabinets and floor, a machine newer than 2 years and still under warranty. Never mind that you've been a customer for 25 years and have never made a claim. Fuck you, State Farm. If you're "covered" by State Farm, you'd better read the exclusions. You'll find them to be vaguely worded and subject to interpretation, which in the end means your "good neighbor" will not be there when it's time to cut you a check. Fuck you, State Farm. And fuck you, LG Electronics. Life's good? Your P.O.S. does not make my life good, neither does the run-around I get from your customer service department. Similar comments to Home Depot and their extended warranty that I purchased. My house is a mess, my kids are sick, I'm sick. For comparison, a friend experienced similar damage (but more catastrophic). Her insurance had a mop-up crew out immediately. They completely gutted her home. They assigned a licensed, bonded contractor to install new cabinets, new floors, new plumbing, etc., etc., etc.....and they've put her up in a hotel while they take care of her home. And they're giving her a generous food allowance. She's not a policy holder with State Farm.
  13. pope

    Sean Alexander

    Do we miss him? 4 yds/attempt is a pretty good average!
  14. Agreed. In fact I completely admire the enthusiasm that many of you are able to generate for Beacon Rock climbing. Based on only one visit, I'm glad it's not in my backyard. It's encouraging to see all of the closet traditionalists defending the Castille. Yes, Damnation is slightly harder to protect than Classic Crack and we like it that way.
  15. You've got my endorsement. I should probably read it first.
  16. pope

    REJECTED

    Watching this, I was constantly haunted by two questions. When's it going to start? When will it be over?
  17. I second that emotion! And you know, nobody has really improved on these designs.
  18. Actual climbing content! I thought this was going to be more baseball B.S. But seriously, thanks for the link. That was a good read.
  19. Icicle Ridge (at 6800 ft) was nearly snow-free Sunday.
  20. Recall that I said Sharma has plenty of talent. Wasn't that nice?
  21. You may wish to read your contribution, where I've added emphasis to what appears to be an insult (you seem to relish knocking other people down), and then try to answer for yourself the very question you've directed to me.
  22. Goodness! Now there's some serious power in those hams. Bet she could squat a portly guidebook author who frequents this forum.
  23. Shut down. Plenty of talent, too much reefer. I talked to a guy who said his roomy knows the girlfriend of a guy who belayed Sharma one time! Anyway, according to the fella, Chris added an important variation on the sit start! Isn't this exciting? Looks like sport climbing's media darling is finding out what true hard climbing is.
  24. Is that how you talk to the guy who put a rope up on ROTC for ya? Is that how you talk to the guy who rated all the cracks for your U.W. Rock guidebook? My trips now are short and close to home, mostly scrambles in MRNP that you probably wouldn't care about. I still love the hills but I love my kids more, and so they receive most of my energy and time. But I did climb 300,000 feet on my mountain bike (no pavement allowed) in the last 11 months, and give me two weeks to get in shape and I'll bet I can climb your favorite boulder problem with a watermelon tied to my butt. You didn't enjoy the Tum-Tum report? That speaks volumes about you.
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