mattp

The bad guys don't have a monopoly on hate speech and propoganda. There's plenty of propoganda, hate speech, and just plain stupid stuff coming from the U.S. government. This "we're going to take the fight over there before we have to fight it over here" garbage for example. The Iraq war was not about terrorism and everybody in the world knows it. Saddam did not allow al queda or similar groups to operate in Iraq because they posed a threat to HIM. As to that organization or any scattered unaffiliated terrorist cells throughout the world, we know and they know that we aren't going to get at them through any kind of military action and our intelligence is not good enough to make much progress through covert killings. Sure, we should blow their training camp if we find it, and I don't have a problem with "decisive" action that will in some cases include commando raids and killings that, as you guys say, are the only thing those b*&^%rds respect. But our own government and FOX news agree that "Taking the war to them" is more like inviting them to bring it over here. Our borders are no more secure than they were pre-911, and our government is telling us every day that it is only a matter of time before they strike within the U.S. again - maybe next weeek. Saying "we're taking the fight to them before they can bring it to us" is pure propaganda aimed at justifying a war with quite different objectives. And repeatedly saying how "the terrorists are cold hearted killers" and "all the Arab peoples know is violence and revenge" -- when we're pointing at a map of the Middle East and hinting about how we should invade Iran next, and maybe pick up Syria on the way? That's hate speech and propaganda. Sraight up. There is some historical basis for the assertions, so they "ring true," but the goal is not to clarify anything or express any truth, but to get the listener riled up and ready for war--against who? We don't even know which country yet. Rattling the sabers and promoting a sense that the entire Muslim world is against us is good for domestic politics but it is a losing strategy in today's world unless coupled with, yes, diplomacy and sensitivity. Saying we are on a "crusade," repeating ad nauseam that we don't intend to cooperate with anybody else in the world, arguing that we should not follow the Geneva Conventions or participate in any world court because we are the "chosen" power.... These things are not going to reduce the recruitment pool for Al queda and similar groups. Even if you believe that stuff, to proclaim it from the Presidential podium is just plain stupidity -- unless, of course, your goal is to increase the sense of us vs them in this world. We cand and should rally around the flag and take steps to protect ourselves -- without resorting to such scare and intimidation tactics. It turns the world against us and the bad guys are certainly not intimidated by any of this -- it is only a call to action for them. As GeorgeW said this week: we cannot win the war on terror. Err, I mean ....

All the rhetoric aside, Greg, who are you going to hit with all those bombs? In Afghanistan, we blew up lots of stuff, but the big guy got away and I seem to recall that recent reports have indicated that, outside of Afghanistan at least, Al Queda is now as strong as they ever were. We have staked out a perimeter around the capitol, but the rest of the country is run by the same warlords as before. In Iraq, we blew up lots of stuff and we can use our weapons to guard facilities or impose martial law, but there are terrorists all over the place where formerly there were none. It looks as if we are not going to be able to (as you put it) root them out of their holes any time soon. In Saudia Arabia, where it seems that much of the funding for terrorists comes from, we do nothing because they are our friends. Bush's friends anyway - not mine. Look ahead. Now that we're "secure" in Iraq, they are talking about Syria and Iran. Faced with our threats, are they going to turn in all their second and third cousins from Morocco to Indonesia, just on the off chance that these guys they've never met might be "terrorists?" Of course not. That won't change the situation for their benefit in any way. And then, when we go in there, are we going to be able to identify who is and who is not a terrorist? I don't think so. We hear over and over again how all these people respect is strength and resolve. That may be so, but in fighting a war on terrorism rather than a war on an indentifiable clan or country, Bush and his buddies are right: this is a different kind of war. It WILL take both sensitivity and diplomacy to get the Muslim world working with us instead of against us. Strength and resolve? That too.

Were were they? I could imagine getting confused as to the location of the start of other routes on Castle Rock, perhaps, but not Midway. Do you know what guidebook they were using?

My guess is the easiest approach is via Squire Creek, and I think you could do it as a day-trip but it would probably take a couple of attempts. Hence, "days." Optimal off-trail travel in the Darrington area requires a sometimes in-obvious linkup of slabs, creekbeds, and tall timber (avoid the slide Maple at all costs). The first time I went up to Squire Creek Wall, my wife said it looked like I'd been in a catfight. If you like that kind of thing, though, Salish Peak is not all THAT far back in the woods.

Don't sweat it Drederek. The first three pitches of Dreamer are, in my opinion, not as good as either Urban Bypass or the Safe Sex start. Similarly, the last three and a half pitches of Dreamer do not follow the original line. Nobody follows the "real" Dreamer anymore. Also, it has been my impression that most parties do not succeed in completing the climb by any route on their first attempt. Guidebook authors have suggested that the top pitches may not be worth doing, and many people are pretty fried by the time they complete the two crux pitches and bail from there even if they aren't out of time. There is lots of rock out behind Dreamer, but I am not aware of anybody climbing that attractive little wall you see behind the crest of the formation - it doesn't appear large enough to warrant the trouble.

Days. Bring Daniel Boone AND Sacajewea. Squire Creek is brushy.

I'm told there are three or four lines that have been climbed on it, at about the 5.8 grade level. 4-6 pitches. The rock is said to be quite good - no surprise there. It doesn't look quite as cool from other directions, but still alluring.

The Leap is awesome. Go for the East Wall (5.7). Traveller's Buttress (5.9), and Hospital Corner (5.10).

If you want to do the climb with one rope, head off the back. It isn't THAT bad and one rope will get you down that way as it is right now. In fact, I don't think adding stations will help that descent all that much -- the main problem with it is that it is long and bushy, not that it lacks rappel stations. You'll end up with a lot of extra hardware, and some of it in funny places, if anybody tries to retrofit Dreamer for mid-pitch rap stations the whole way. I'm all for reducing tat, but I wouldn't be psyched to hear somebody talk about adding ten additional rappel points. Adding chain at the existing belay points would be a plus, though. (Also, while we're on the topic, I can suggest what I believe is a better way to handle the Blue Crack and Undercling Pitches. Set a gear belay at the base of the Blue Crack, and then climb that crack to link it with the undercling traverse just above. Skip the usual hanging belay and set a gear belay out just around the corner after that undercling. This will make three pitches out of two, but will vastly reduce rope drag and avoid the usual snag on the second of those pitches.)

The first link gives some background on trail developments and the gating of the road at Dingford (year-round)/Taylor River(seasonal). The second addresses some projected cost in building the new campground at Taylor River. The road paving project, I believe, is a separate budget item. There's big plans for the Middle Fork!

I agree with Fairweather that it WAS a disgrace how many antiwar posters treated returning vets. I always thought it was wrong for people to put the American flag on their ass or spit on the vets or whatever. Thing is, though, it was a divisive and confusing period. Just as wrongheaded as anything the "lefties" said - many on the right were saying (just as they are today) that anybody who criticizes an American military effort is committing treason, or that those who criticize American policies "hate America."

Hanman has done a lot of anchor replacement in Darrington and Static. He doesn't much like tat. Stripping off the old cabbage from dead trees on the West Slabs, he kept muttering "just how many slings do people think they need here? Who carries all this stuff?" In places it seemed as if the sketchier the tree, the more webbing folks were draping on it. By the time we reached the bottom, we had nearly a garbage bag full -- and we didn't get it all.

We had the same clouds in DTown

Climbed Exfo Dome and camped on top Saturday. Wet.

Climb: Exfoliation Dome - descent-West Slabs Rappels / Westward Ho Date of Climb: 8/29/2004 Trip Report: Over the weekend, Hanman and I went up and did some anchor replacement on the West Slabs descent route from the summit of Exfo Dome. Most significantly, we replaced several rotting half-dead and half-pulled-out tree rappel stations with bolted anchors. We installed the new stations in locations that we hope will be easier to find, and you can now stand or sit on an open ledge for the switch-overs instead of clinging to some tree that is trying to poke you in the eye. The first four rappels from the summit are set for single rope raps on a 60 meter rope. (My rope is only 57 meters and most of them were a little short of the end, so I believe all but the second one will probably be OK with a single 50 but I'd go with the 60.) This area has lots of craggy, half-dead trees and most of the ledges are littered with loose rocks and you increase the chance of getting beaned if you pull down a knotted rope. It is also low-angle so you are guaranteed to get a serious mess if you toss down two full ropes. The extra raps actually save time. To find the route, step down about 25 feet southward from the summit. The first rap trends down and slightly right to a chain station on a 12" ledge well outside the top of the obvious descent gully leading down and right. Three more half-length raps follow, with each station outside of (right of) the gully. The fourth station has a Fixe chain. Here, a double-rope rap (about 40 m) reaches a chain station just north of a rather prominent promontory overlooking the clean West Slabs below. 50 meter raps follow down Westward Ho. From the lowest belay station (atop pitch 1 of Westward Ho) you can rap diagonally left to reach a station from where you can rap back to the bottom of the gully approaching Westward Ho. We also removed several litter bolts and replaced several 1/4" buttonheads with 3/8" stainless. Approach Notes: The Granite Sidewalk is fun in the rain! If you get stuck up there, bail into the trees. Good luck.

A block of wood with an arrow on it might work better. We had similar problems with our hubcap trail markers in Darrington. Somebody kept thinking they looked trashy and they would diappear almost as fast as we could collect them along the road.

(That's herbal energy drink.)

Even if TG shows up with 10 kegs, don't forget to find some Tuff Love:

If, living in Seattle, you have to choose between one or the other: choose Smith. You can go to Leavenworth as a day trip. (This assumes, however, that you are up for the 5 hour drive to Smiff, and that your objective here is climbing at some place where you haven't or won't climb otherwise.)

Your fuckin joking right or you are a joke? Newbies if you can hike you can scramble. No tests none of that shite. This isn't what the current week's outing is all about, perhaps, but whether or not it is to be "tested," I'll say that back when I was a pup I took a one-day class from Exum Mountain Guides (just about the only rock-climbing instruction I ever had), and one of the most valuable parts of that class was indeed some instruction about scrambling. There is a lot to learn about body mechanics, energy conservation, evaluating vertical exposure vs. fall potential, party management, etc.,

For some background on the Middle Fork project, here are a couple of links. Declaration of Non-Significance and House Rpt.106-914 They are putting a lot of effort into the Middle Fork and I don't think they are going to let the road vanish. They ARE probably going to gate it, though - at least at Dingford and for part of the year at the Taylor River turn-off.

That is standard advice these days, but I disagree. Rock climbing is in part about strength and technique, but it is also about judgment and keeping a cool head and knowing your limits and finding the way when there may not be an obvious route in front of you. I believe that today's standard approach emphasizes the strength and technique to the detriment of these other aspects. You don't have to master everything in the gym before going outside, on the sport crag before going trad, and on a top-rope before leading. If you have an opportunity to try something new - say a true multipitch climb - and the circumstances seem safe (you have a competent partner who you trust), go for it. If somebody says "you can lead this pitch, and I'll watch you to see that your gear is OK" and if you trust that person's judgment and especially if you are looking at a short and relatively easy pitch on a developed crag, go ahead and try it -- even if you haven't yet mastered the SRENE anchor system or the fall-factor calculus equations or even practiced placement and removal of gear in any great deapth. In my view, we make things too complicated these days, and too much of a focus on technique and technical stuff holds many climbers back. Like you said: take what you can get - just try not to take too big of a bite of it.

I took my my wife's niece and nephew climbing when she was 3 and he was 5. She was more fearless than he was, but both climbed about 5.4 on fairly steep rock up at Donner Summit. My 6 year old nephew is more cautious than either one. My brother took his 4 year old son up a three pitch climb in the 'Gunks - George was so young he didn't even know what he had done "me and my dad climbed a big rock!" (He has stuck with it, though. A couple of weeks ago, the two of them climbed the Beckey-Chouinard.)

That scree slope below the west ridge is your biggest nightmare of scree slopes. Some of it is "scree" sitting on top of rock and dirt in such a fashion that rocks over 10' in diameter skate out from under you with no warning. I'd hate to hobble down there with a broken ankle!

Saturday turned out OK. Thanks, Mr. Hohm! (Don't believe everything you hear about Darrington being a poor place to go in marginal weather.)