mattp

Hmm. We could move up a week, but we'd miss the moon. Maybe that's OK, though. Who needs a damn moon when you have a bonfire?

SEWS?

And here's a shot that I belive Scott Johnson took on the chute above the Liberty Bell hairpin.

Probe poles can make a good tent pole if there isn't any wind.

Yes it will be over the other side of Washington Pass, either at a campground or a private cabin near Mazama. We have not fully firmed up everything, but I thought early notice would be beneficial. Here's alpine K's picture from the 2004 event:

Here's an old thread with some info. thread My guess is there are still some large chunks of snow threatening the route right now.

Hey Jens- do you have any pictures of Goose Egg Mountain that you might share with the class? A summersaulting skier on Guye Peak?

Is #2 Racer X, or whatever that thing is over at the lower lump area?

Mt Washington is cool. Do they have the ramp route on that east bowl headwall properly depicted? That may be my favorite beginners mountain route in WA.

May 13 is the full moon. I'm thinking Friday, Saturday, SUnday May 12-14 might be a good weekend for the spring ski campout. The DOT says the highway is supposed to open by "the end of April" so that gives time to be sure. Ideas?

Yes, I'd agree that Blake's recommendations are one step up from the others. Another good one not listed here is Rock Mountain, above Highway 2. However, it has a large cornice above the bowl facing east, and you may want to steer clear of it. It has fantastic views and a relatively straight forward approach - though plenty of altitude gain - and I've gotten ticks there at this time of year (for some reason they seem less abundant this year than most and they are not really that big of a deal anyway). If you live down toward Olympia or out on the Kitsap Penninsula, Mount Ellinor can be a good spring outing.

Cool. Care to share a couple of these guiding tricks with us?

I'll be looking for that LaBelle book. The Weekend Rock book is by David Whitelaw, the guy who took the photo shown here and who, I think, FA'd the route shown. Bassomatic. 5.9.

I have used a gear harness similar to that Metolious thingy, and you CAN switch off if you are not carrying a pack. I have not used it for a few years, though, because I generally find a standard set up to work OK. I climb in a lot of marginal weather - even cragging - where it is windy or cool enough that I'm donning and doffing some kind of sweater or windbreaker that often hangs over my harness loops. A pack belt gets in the way of the loops, too, doesn't it? I have only briefly tried racking gear on my harness before giving up on it, generally finding it meant (for me) more fumbling around but there IS the drawback of the gear on the "standard" shoulder sling getting in your way - blocking any view of your feet or catching on the rock or even a shoelace (this happened to me just this past Saturday ).

Yup, those outhouses are pretty nasty. Its a good idea to stop somewhere and take care of business on the way there. This past weekend we had a good time at Mt. Erie when everybody was getting rained out everywhere else on Saturday. Check out the weather report and read carefully -- it was predicted to be better at Erie and that turned out to be the case -- but most people assumed it would be better on the east side and ended up getting hosed. Sunday was nice over at Vantage, though.

Mace, that would clearly suck - big time - but it has never happened to me or anybody I know. I'm not saying it will never happen, but I'm not sure that is a reason not to rack that way if you think it is better for other reasons and the advantages outweigh that possibility. Once while liebacking a crack I should have hand-jammed at Index I fell upside down and just barely caught the rack as it slid off my shoulder, though. Then I went back up and - guess what - I liebacked again and just about popped off at the same spot because I was repeating the exact same sequence.

By the way, the crag is closed for nesting. WCC Update When it DOES reopen, the hike up from Castle Rock is not as bad as may have been advertised but you wouldn't want to try it in sandals.

Here's one that's not bad.

I AM a curmudgeon Mr K, and proud of it. No worries.

Brett, I agree with you fully. However, this site is what it is, so you'll have to take it or leave it because some folks like it the way it is and, more importantly, it really isn't about to change in any big way. Even if we do further "clean up" one or two of the subforums or something, this board will remain a home for those who want to entertain themselves as the add describes. Don't be intimidated by those who will attack you for saying what you think about it.

So do I, Mr. K. Otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Yes, I heard a couple of commentators say that today. Just what is that supposed to mean? It's no big deal if our President is a self serving crook? All politicians do it, so why should we care? Sure, there have been some leaks that I think were a good thing -- like the Pentagon Papers or whatever -- but what is the value of this statement as a comment on today's (yesterday's actually) news stories?

After taking hoods in the woods up there for some sport rappelling, I thought the crags on Mt. Zion had some serious potential and the setting, in a Rhododendron forest and on a south facing hillside, was idyllic. Are those in the book?

Now, these kind of jokes, as long as you are "spinning" it MY way, are OK. Just like the line from Scott McClellan today about how some leaks are in the public interest. Post another twisted dick and I'll call you an ass again. But, Peter, you whine that I did not address your alternate definition. Perhaps you didn't read my post:

Dru, please go pee on yourself. Leave this thread alone if you are not interested.