pope

Although tents aren't designed to fly, given the proper wind direction and speed, they can put some kites to shame. (Jeff Renner: climber, skier, diver, flight instructor, and Puget Sound TV meteorologist)

Cavey's correct. The belays on top of the two 5.9 pitches are directly above their bottom belays, and it's not too difficult to pull a rope and throw it down, although there's some associated risks. I've done with them with a light pack, and the second pitch seemed more challenging, so that would be the one to haul. I also like Dru's suggestion.

I worked for Ron and Jeff Sharp about a decade ago. Those guys were damn competent, but I'm not sure the competence trickled down. I live out in Bonney Lake. Maybe I'll see you out at the Swiss this evening.

Brian, I've almost always lived within an hour of the MRNP, and I get up there whenever I can. My interests trend more toward rock work, but I did run ropes for Pierce College's climbing classes for a couple of summers. Not until this last week did I ever meet Mighty Lou, and I was genuinely impressed.

I shouldn't have implied he was your buddy...I'm just trying to make the logical jump between Abbey's characters and some of the terrorists you picked out of the blue. Don't mean no disrespect, no sir not me, sir.

Closer to Seattle would be the ice/caves at the base of Big Four Mountain. Haven't actually climbed there, but three years ago in October there was substantial ice and climbing looked like a possibility. Much of what you find down below Glacier Vista on the Nisqually this time of year is dirt, with a little bit of ice to hold it all together.

Brian, What Abbey espoused, and the fictitious acts of his fictional characters, aren't necessarily parallel. Furthermore, his characters typically harm construction equipment in an attempt to retard the "progress" of sprawl. I read most of those books in high school, but I don't remember Abbey's characters' blowing up any federal buildings during business hours. Civil disobedience always falls on a continuum of severity, and even the most benign acts meet objections. The environmental "geeks", which appear in a small sample of Abbey's work, might operate outside the law, but perhaps their efforts to protect our planet from those who would poison it in the name of a few dollars shouldn't be compared to the acts of your buddy Tim McVeigh. Your comparison amounts to extreme exaggeration of nearly harmless acts perpetrated by fictional characters, with the intent of condemning Abbey and his followers for giving a shit about clean air and trees, through an attempt to equate their efforts to the truly evil acts of mass murderers. When you don't really have an argument, it is sometimes better to think, then write, or better yet, just continue to think.

I've only driven buy it...I think Dwayner used to drop in there on his way to the methadone clinic.

Charlie's got a rainbow-colored license plate frame, and I'll bet Dwayner's got some daisies in his hair.

Yes, the alpine meadows certainly are showing off right now. Upon observing the enchanting floral displays on the slopes of Stevens Peak, Dwayner described Friday how he felt emotionally and spiritually transported, out of the Tatoosh Range and "...straight into a Julie Andrews movie." Whether compelled by the Salzburgian beauty of MRNP, or perhaps under the influence of the sixer of Mickey's he insisted on packing, Dwayner frolicked through the heather, lupine, lillies and paintbrush, all the while singing his favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein standards. "When you're sixteen, going on seventeen,..."

It would be nice for these things to cycle from one neighborhood to the next, and it seems like Tacoma is up next.

Dwayner and I are nearly certain we saw a wolf yesterday on Stevens Peak, MRNP. Also, I once watched three Norwegian girls running naked by moon light, through the sprinklers at the Hwy. 2 rest area near Lake Wenatchee. Hey Rob, remember?

Big Lou sighting: Dwayner and I stopped by the Whittaker Bunkhaus early Friday morning in order to bask in the ambiance, and to procure a bitchin' Whittaker Bunkhaus travel mug, which will be the prize for the second series of Eiger Sanction quiz questions. As an early Geburtstag's gift, Dwayner purchased for me a copy of Lou's autobiography. Dwayner inquired whether Lou had been seen around the Bunkhaus recently, and a self-confident, tan-faced, bleached-hair, RMI-guide/Big-Lou-groupee type announced that Lou was lurking around the Summit Haus. With an incredulous expression, Dwayner turned to the cute babe working the Bunkhaus espresso machine, and she uttered most reverently, "It is true. He whom you seek walketh among us." A commotion on the other side of the Bunkhaus parking lot compelled us to saunter in that direction. Assembled in front of the Summit Haus, a group of athletic men posed for a photographer, and in the middle of the huddle, towering above maybe fifteen mountain guides, with a silly grin and an alpine twinkle in his eye, stood Big Lou. Lou commanded his disciples each to raise one boot, while the photographer called out the cadence, "One, two, three, KOFLACH!" (or Raichle, or some boot manufacturer), and with the snap of the shutter, the group dissolved. A bashful and awe-struck Pope approached his Louness and trembled, "Uh-duh-buhduh--Lou? Got time for an autograph?" Big Lou not only created time to sign my copy of Memoirs, he inquired about my climbing plans for the day and wished us success. Pope felt the magic, felt the inspiration that countless mountaineers have experienced upon meeting this NW legend, and he dedicated Friday's Tatoosh conquests to mighty Lou.

Haven't personally been in there in a while. Do they still sport little green vests with 28 pockets? Although they frequently fail to stock the mountaineering equipment I'm looking for, I will say that they reliably have some of the most clever, novel little stocking-stuffers around: smoked salmon, packaged to proudly represent the ambiance of the NW; neat little mountaineering board games; a sport-climber's starter kit, where all the neon and anodized highlights are guaranteed to match; stove-top espresso machines with Ed Visteur's autograph; etc.

Hey SlapAss, I've always been a nice guy, and you know it! I get sick of people justifying their bolt drilling by countering that, "Hey, trad climbers are just a bunch of narrow-minded assholes. They're so macho, so arrogant. "F" them and their ethics, man." It's not about ego, kids. It's about preservation. It's about escaping the tame, overly engineered metropolitan areas and finding some clean rock.

Skitty, You needn't be intimidated by any of the harmless climbers who post here, and I seriously doubt anybody is going to put you down for climbing in a gym. Many, many people you might consider to be "trad" (still not sure what that means) spend countless hours in a gym 'cause it's good fitness. Also, you can meet a number of nice people there, some of whom can be a valuable mentor to you. Finally, when it's raining and you want a pump, what are you going to do? Pullups? Let's face it, folks, pullups are for containing spilled urine. You're going to run into all types of climbers who will strike you as pretentious, narrow-minded and insecure, and a few of them will even flip you crap. Nevertheless, your average "trad" climber (if there is such a thing, and if I may generalize) doesn't really care about the style in which you climb, or whether you belong to a climbing gym. I think most of these guys are genuinely cool, and I think any of a number of them would be happy to climb with you and share a bucket of beer. If anything, these guys are a little hot about unrestrained bolting. Outside of that, they're like anybody else: they love to climb and hate to work.

"The night life is for you." (Chinese fortune cookie). "Let no one cause you to violate you code." (Chinese fortune cookie). "We don't need any more of your Ronald McDonald suggestions. We're trying to plan Kiebler's bachelor party and this shit is serious." (C.W.)

Who was as big as a dumpster? The Curry Village gal?

It may be just my peception, but it seems those who post here regularly are trying to entertain themselves and anybody who will listen, and I don't see the harm in that. However, if route information is sometimes dull, then the thuggish, school-yard-bully routines that appear daily have even less entertainment value for those not involved in the posturing. I enjoy reading imaginative, funny posts. If this site were restricted to route information exchanges, I'd probably disappear. But before engaging in violent, threatening talk, and before launching into some inside joke that only the guys you climbed with last weekend could possibly understand, maybe we should ask ourselves whether anybody is going to derive any humor or value from our ejaculaions.

J-man, I really didn't mean to bring up the details of my history with you-know-who. Dwayner selflessly helped himself, if that makes any sense.

Lisa, The situation you describe starts out as an annoyance, but the longer it goes on the more you realize how creepy some people are. I was a little surpised that you should seek advice on a mountaineering web site, but you've been well counseled. In fact, Dwayner helped me out immeasurably when a particularly nasty tramp couldn't peel herself away from my lycra unitard, although he selfishly engaged in a fling with her over on the Continent for the purpose of diverting her attention away from me.

Hot tip number one: Remove your wrist watch and rings. Hot tip number two: It is generally preferable to keep your hands above your feet. Hot tip number three: Use down pressure from one hand to free a stuck boot. Hot tip number four: It ain't supposed to be pumpy. You can hang off a well-placed hand jam longer than the best jug. Hot tip number five: On a pitch near your limit on a warm day, you should go through a half block of chalk. Throw away that bison ball and digit-dusting pussy bag you picked up at Smith Rock. There you go, the fundamentals. Not that I'm such a hot crack climber, but I do find them way more secure than face climbing once you've done a couple of them.

Relax already, big fella. We's just havin' some fun. If you want to climb 5.12, there's plenty of people on this site who would be glad to tell you all they know about it (whether they actually climb that grade or just know somebody who does). You just need to ask, maybe start a post. Now, you might not think that my concerns and interests are legitimate and dignified, and I'm OK with that. I really haven't learned a damn thing since I started haunting this site, and I'll be surprised when I do. In the mean time, you may expect similar sophomoric material from Pope. Don't like it? Piss up a rope.

ROTC and the free version of City Park. Jesus, Chepe, this guys getting psyched up to lead Outerspace!

Both of these routes are infinitely better than other routes that get three and four stars in the Leavenworth guide. I thought Dreamer was a shade harder, but it's been years. If we were to lose one of the two routes in an earthquake, and let's say that we were forced to choose between the two, I'd have to choose Outerspace. Although both routes have their attractions, I think the goats around Snow Creek Wall make it particularly inviting for lonely mountain climbers.