mattp

That's probably a good idea. It would probably be completely denuded if they allowed camping there.

Damn, we should have all been wearing our name tags. Nice to meet you, too, Ned. You were in the party of two, climbing the Beckey Route I presume? I was there with my niece and nephew, for one of their first "real" rock climbs.

I don't think very many people take the Ingalls Creek trail because it is something like 12 miles in there from the trailhead by that route. More common is to take Long Pass or the Ingalls Lake trail from the Teanaway road, and if you want to climb both Ingalls and Stuart, the Ingalls Lake area would be your destination for camping.

True gentlemen, the guys shared their ropes with 4 other climbers on the rappel.

There is no running water at the scenic overlook right now -- June 27. The sign says "water turned off for the winter."

I took a banking law class in law school. The first three rules of the Uniform Commercial Code, as applied to banks are (1) the bank wins, (2) you lose, and (3) see rules one and two.

About this heel fit. I've found some shoes have too much of a heel cup for me, so they cut into the top of my heel in a painful way. Do they do this because people pop out of the heels sometimes? And do you really need a particular fit in the heel -- isn't comfort there the only reel consideration? --- And, by the way, just wear nothing but sandals for a several months, or simply get older -- both have increased my foot size substantially, though the sandal experiment yielded only temporary results.

OK then, back to the original question: Galileo v. Anasazi. The Galileo's are stiffer, and you said "stick with the A's- the G's are too stiff." I'm not sure how different the last is on these two shoes, but I think it is not all that different. Wouldn't I find that the Gallileo's would offer support helping edge a little better, while they'e probably be less suited to friction climbing? Are you suggesting that the G's being "too stiff" limits the range of their performance or do you think that stiffness is no help for edging?

I honestly respect your opinion, RuMR, and I believe you know a hell of a lot more about rock climbing shoes than I do -- that is why I am participating in this exchange -- but you asserted that Cash suffered operator error if he could tell one rubber from another, you argued with me over a point that I didn't even make, you preface your explanation of how the fit is vital for performance with "let me make this simple" ... I'm actually interested in your perception of what is proper fit, though. I've asked a couple of times already: is it in your opinion necessary for me to have shoes that hurt to get reasonable edging capability out of them -- assuming I want a shoe that is soft enough to smear well too?

OK, master. I understand that if a shoe fits slopily, it isn't going to perform very well. Please tell me more.

Nope, I didn't say that at all. I said they did not roll off small edges the way that my unidentified 5.10 shoes do but yes, in fact they DO have more side to side rigidity. Want to come over to my house and squeeze them yourself? What's with the attitude here?

I'm not sure what your point is, RuMr. IF you mean to say that people place way too much emphasis on getting just the right gear, I agree. Hell, I've done some of my hardest sport climbs ever in Kaukulator's and what are (to me) big technical ice climbs with an ice axe and alpine hammer. But if you are suggesting that the rubber never makes a difference, or that one shoe is always just as good as another if they fit properly, I think it is YOU that is suffering from operator error - you're not using your equipment to its best advantage.

Yup, they did. My 5.10's have virtually no side-to-side rigidity and simply roll up and off small edges. As I said, I don't know the model name. (Like I said, though, I don't climb the highly technical stuff, so it is rare that I am trying to stand on micro edges or put my big toe in a tiny pocket, but I do find a shoe that has nearly zero performance on edged to be frustrating. Climbing on Icicle Creek slabs (mostly on tiny edges) last week, I could only smear everything and it felt like a serious limitation.

Maybe I'm a sucker for marketing, RuMr, but it does seem to me that my 5.10's stick to slabs better than my old sportiva mytho's ever did, though the latter edged much better.

Thanks! We don't want no stinking bugs so maybe this weekend's weather forecast is just right! A little thunder and lightning? No problem.

The Galileo has, I'm told, a "more aggressive" heal box. I'm not sure "more aggressive" is better -- I've had some shoes that really cut into my heal and made me miserable and I was actually eying a pair of the "trad masters" with this issue in mind. I realize those are not intended for highly technical edging like the Galileo, but has anybody tried the various shoes enough to note how much the different models actually perform differently apart from how they are marketed? I'm looking for something that edges better than the highly flexible 5.10 shoes that I currently use (I can't remember the model) and I assume this means I want a stiffer sole (side to side) but I don't climb seriously technical stuff and I don't think I need to have something that hurts all the time. Does the new rubber stick any better? I do a lot of slab climbing and I'm hoping to have something that edges and smears well.

I'm considering takin a niece and nephew up The Bell, and I'm wondering about two things: (1) has the snow melted from approaches in the area, and (2) have the mosquitos kicked in yet?

The snow level is 8-11,000 feet for the next few days. Just bring your flippers or maybe the felt-soled fishing boots and you'll do fine. Nooksak is truly outstanding. It is, in my opinion, one of the coolest summits in the Cascades -- even if it isn't on Roper's 100 highest list.

I might be there with a niece and nephew later this afternoon.

Fair enough, undermind, but don't let your sense of style, or the style-nazi's on cc.com, prevent you from taking care of yourself. I wouldn't advocate buying a special hat like that one because I believe my more improvised garb actually works better, is more versatile, and also more comfortable, but you gotta admit that the guy with the Arabian cavalry hat and the giant sunglasses is pretty awesome! Wear what you want, and be sure to dress in red for the photo's, but be sensible. Hell: shorts over polypro are actually a damn practical way to dress for lots of mountaineering around here, but if you read this site you "won't be caught dead in 'em." Gaitors have been known to help, too. For a day trip, I would use sunscreen. If you are going to spend several days successively on a glacier in the sun, you'll have to be pretty diligent about the screen to avoid getting fried if you're like me. I have better success keeping covered.

I havn't been there recently, but June has typically been the maximum law enforcement month at Golden Gardens because of all the High School graduation parties and other folks, like you, who just can't stand to see an early summer evening go by without celebrating. My bet is they get a fair number of police calls from people at the park, along with calls from the neighbors (even though nobody actually lives very close). If you are going to meet folks there, it'd be good to have some way of identifying each other or, as happened last time we had a pub club there, some folks may never find the other folks. I'd be game but I think I'm entertaining some visiting family tomorrow night. Have fun.

If you are going to spend multiple days on a glacier, I'd consider wearing a turban. I use a triangular bandage tucked under a ball cap. It'll cover your neck and ears and forhead if you just let it hang, or you can tie it under your chin, babushka style, and it'll close off much of the sun to your face as well.

The pagans probably know what day is technically the solstice. The Seattle police and the rest of us may not.

There have been some incredible celebrations at Golden Gardens on a Summer Solstice in the past. On year about eight or ten years ago it was shoulder to shoulder on the entire beach - and there must have been 50+ fires, with jugglers, drummers, and flame swallowers everywere. The City has clamped down on that business substantially, though, and I think currently they may be moving the fire pits around or something and it seems to me that I read in the paper that NO fires are allowed presently. There will still probably be lots of poelple there, on the Solstice. It could be anything from a rock festival atmosphere to a highly policed and tamer gathering, but I wouldn't expect to just casually show up at Golden Gardens and have a campfire tomorrow night.

Phil doesn't have Mt. Si Phil's Web Cam Map DOT doesn't appear to have Mt. Si. Google turned up this: web page