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mattp

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Everything posted by mattp

  1. Sorry, Fairweather. I'm not following. What are you saying? Is some speculation or even some disclosure of grand jury proceedings relevant to what I or you think about what Rove did or didn't do?
  2. Fairweather: The burden of proof, when we are talking about what we think of public figures, lies in WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK? What the heck do you think? Were Clintonites guilty in the Vince Foster affair but Bushites not guilty in this mess? If I ran a search on this board, would I find where you've previously speculated about the guilt of someone not proven guilty?
  3. Yes, the Outback does great on relatively good logging roads. You can drive 50 on washboards or loose gravel and it will track pretty well. I think the Forrester is lighter and not as good for this, but somebody else may have another idea. The Outback is also a great highway car. On these kinds of road, though, pretty much any car will get there. If you want to sleep in the back and be able to park easier in town, as well as be able to drive a rougher road, I'd opt for a small 2x4 PU with canopy - but the Subaru is not a bad compromise vehicle.
  4. I agree with Catbird. I have driven 4x4 and 2x4 pickups, and found I could get just about anywhere in my 2x4 that my buddies could go with the 4x4's, though once in a while the 4x4 made a significant difference - most often being able to turn around on an unplowed road and being able to creap over a washout rather than having to take a run at it. When I upgraded to 4x4 I noticed lower gas mileage more than greater access. Similarly, I've driven fwd and awd station wagons, and the former get better mileage and are cheaper when you need break jobs and stuff. Thing is, though, my Subaru wasn't available as an fwd. AWD is better when you are driving in a snowstorm, but that is relatively few of the days that I am on the road. My Subaru is great on the highway, and quite smooth on the gravel logging roads, but isn't an off-road vehicle, doesn't get great mileage, and is harder to park than I would like. What are your priorities?
  5. You'd have to check with Mike on that, Marko. I know that Leland insisted that he knew where Mikes line had deviated from IB at least in some spots in that middle portion, too. As to the Greyell/Whitelaw line, I think that is a completely lost part of our heritage.
  6. Marko - one photo is here: Scroll down to page 4 of 6 I believe subsequent discussion may have indicated there was some deviation lower down, as well, but I'm not sure. I think David Whitelaw and Chris Greyell climbed this feature about 20 years earlier.
  7. I'd say at least some of those you refer to - on both sides - actually DO care, Dru. I'd also say that sometimes we have had some good discussions and I've even learned a thing or two on cc.com. I agree if you are saying that much of the time we seem to work ourselves into a frenzy with no real progress, though, and the conflict/bolt wars/name calling often do more harm than good.
  8. Fair enough, Archy. We will continue to be forced to speculate because the unprecedented level of secrecy, spin and manipulation of the press employed by this Administration gives us scant little "factual" information to go on.
  9. You could draw the line where Pope suggests, but I'd say some of the most dubious climbs I've seen involve closely spaced bolt ladders that really don't go anywhere. They were done from the ground up and personally I’d rather see them erased than some of the better-crafted but rappel-placed routes nearby. We have debated the "legitimacy" of rap bolted vs ground-up first ascents before, and I don't think we are going to get very far re-arguing that point, but I think there are "good" and "bad" routes that have been done either way and some great routes around here involved some of both.
  10. Hello Fairweather and Archy: we are talking about a political figure with a long and well known background, and not some poor schmoe accused of a misdemeanor. Do you really think the lack of an indictment "proves" Rove didn't help orchestrate an outing of Plame to punish Wilson or that it should end any speculation that he did so? Which is more likely here: that he did or did not? You don't have to worry about jeopardizing his right to a fair trial here because, either way, he isn't going to get one.
  11. Given that we are talking about Karl Rove, I think a conspiracy can pretty much be assumed. Dirty tricks and conspiracy, rather than absence thereof, are more consistent with his past conduct, no? Raise your hand if you think Rove had nothing to do with outing Valerie Plame as payback for Joseph Wilson.
  12. I'll buy you a schooner. See you at the Lock and Keel 5144 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle 8:00 pm tonight.
  13. Bear goes with bull. You will be missing a fantastic opportunity. Now, if a couple more folks were to say "sounds good -- see you there," we'd be getting somewhere. I plan to walk over there around 8.
  14. I wouldn't really say anybody is out of line, Marylou, I just think it is amusing to see folks who are not going to be there RSVP. It is just a bull session and maybe some darts or pool along with a bear, after all. Somebody'll save a chair for you just in case you change your mind.
  15. Lets hear from everybody who won't be there. Puget? How 'bout you?
  16. I agree I'd rather see a route report thread left to talk about the route than the subtleties of the photoediting process and leave that techno stuff for a different discussion, but given the strcuture of the thread I'm not sure I can pull out the photoedit part of the discussion for a separate thread. Any objections if I just chop a bit? As Gary notes, much of that topic has been covered elsewhere.
  17. I haven't tried the giant sized WC tech friends. For off widths, wider, lighter, more stable, and cheaper sounds like an OK combination.
  18. It is not uncommon for climbers on larger climbs in a place like Alaska running out of fuel and/or food. This sounds to me like a good idea that could actually help as I have read over and over again that if you eat snow for liquid, you lose more water in generating the heat to melt the snow than you get from it. It may not be all that simple, but this does sound like a way to use "free" heat.
  19. I have recently had an issue with a pair of ropes having the sheath slip along the core - approximately 2 feet. The same ropes are so soft that when I rappel using a reverso, the core flattens out making it feel like a shoelace. I've never had ropes do this, though I've been using "skinny" cords for 20 years. Anybody else ever experience this?
  20. Personally, I prefer the camelots in sizes .75 or larger, but for smaller cams I generally prefer a combination of Metolius (TCU's or powercams) and Aliens. The WC's are just fine, but most of my partners seem to prefer these others. I haven't had a chance to use the c-3's.
  21. mattp

    rap knots

    I don't know if this is the best knot for your purpose, but one knot I have used is a square knot - backed up with double fisherman's on each of the tails. There may be stronger knots available, but this one has the advantage of being simple and using knots you already know, as well as the fact that you can untie it without too much struggle even after multiple rappels.
  22. How much of a climber is she? You asked about non-climbing things and maybe you'd want to go somewhere that is not a climbing destination and has less potential for Mr. Fox to be distracted by alluring pieces of stone. Consider the Steens Mountain, Malheur, Alvord Desert, and Denio Nevada area for some wild country, hot springs, exotic desert and birds, etc. Many years ago, I used to take a girlfriend on trips like this and she did pretty well, managing to climb the Grand Teton and Snowpatch Spire and Athabaska, but the fact is she later told me she was scared much of the time and really didn't like it. Our hiking trip to the Grand Canyon was more of something she actually enjoyed. My wife has climbed Liberty Bell and camped in a snowcave when it was -20c outside, but she'd really rather do something other than be cold and scared on the weekends. Go figure.
  23. It has been wet lately, but I don't think mosquito's at Index are an extraordinary occurence, May or June included. I don't remember ever encountering them in Vantage, though.
  24. True fact there, Off White, but there is a reason climbs like Ingalls and The Tooth are popular: they are great climbs and easy. Exfo Dome is decidedly more serious or at least a lot bigger as a rock climb though the "winter route" is only 5.6 (it is called the "winter route" because it has bushes and drippage so it is not a highly recommended summer route, though I have actually enjoyed it as a summer climb when I was looking for the easiest way up the Dome. Another good one is the W. Ridge of N. Twin Sister.
  25. Consider a trip to Darrington. It is definitely SUB-Alpine, but there are climbs one to ten pitches long, 5.6 to 5.12. A climb of Exfoliation Dome is very much a mountain climb - in a lowland Washington kind of way. Ingalls might be a good choice. (click for larger image). You won't need an ice axe. In another month, you'll be able to get to some of the real peaks without too much snow. I second Off's comment that the rock in the Tatoosh is not known for being good. Ingalls Peak might be a good choice.
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