mattp

Maybe I missed something, Jay, but I think you may be making this stuff up. Maybe you relish in class welfare and all, but seriously: did some State worker take away your binky when you were little?

Your dream is coming true, Jay. There have been hiring freezes and budget cuts imposed on agencies across the board for the last year and a half or so, maybe longer. The demands on these agencies haven't gone down, though, so salaried workers are working uncompensated overtime and temporary employees that are not entitled to benefits are doing work that used to be performed by career employees. You wouldn't be "aware" of it, though, because the State agencies are largely run by dedicated people who are struggling to do their jobs, and they are not busy spewing a bunch of political hoo hah such as what you have apparently been reading.

I hope to be able to attend. Not only does this place NEED the attention and others will benefit, but it is satisfying and just plain fun to work on these projects. I've worked on trail projects at eight or more different Washington climbing areas over the years and not only did I have a good time but I enjoy going back and seeing how these projects have been a good contribution to the areas ever since.

Klipchuck (I think that is the name) is a nicer campground in my opinion. It is not right on the roadside, and it gets morning sun. Worth an extra ten minutes' drive.

In my opinion, the SW chute is best as a descent route. It is a great ski run, but to climb it you'd undertake a very nice hike to the bottom and then burn calves for what - 3500 feet? The FA was completed by one of the strongest guys I ever knew, and I bet you, Mr. Kukuzki, are pretty damn strong too. But what about the rest of us?

I love this picture: I like all the pictures, but this one shows a meat hook bolt hanger, similar to what I removed and replaced in Darrington some years ago. I bet these were installed by the same climber. Thanks, as always, for posting fun stuff here on cc.com.

Good stuff.

11. Log on to cc.com at least 5x daily. Scroll list of recent topics.

You can also avoid the crowds by climbing late in the day. Everyone else leaves the parking lot between 5 and 8 in the morning. I have not climbed the North Ridge, but I like the Northwest Ridge. It has a couple thousand feet of rock hopping, and a short steep snow climb near the top that is one notch more serious than what you'll encounter on the South Ridge.

Mt. Olympus? This is an outstanding objective and the actual climb is fairly easy. It'd be well worth an expedition. You might not be 4 or 5 days on the trail but, assuming you come from Seattle, the trailhead must be close to 5 hours' drive all in itself.

I've often wondered whether one may be "better" than the other. I thought the "1951 route" made sense to me at the time and was overall a good outing. Where the photo is labeled "steep heather" it is indeed VERY steep and there is only a short bit of technical rock. I thought the tree climbing where Tom is pictured was kind of cool in how the tree trunks made perfect stair steps - but I like climbing in Darrington so what do I know?

What's your reasoning here, Joseph? I used to install a lot of those Fixe chain / ring units but they shipped a whole batch of "stainless" powdercoated units that were not stainless and rusted within a year and many of their welds were looking pretty sloppy so we gave up on them. Chains are more convenient at the belay and you don't have to drill the holes within a quarter inch of the right distance from each other for them to lie correctly. If you buy good chain and larger lock links they cost just as much as the Fixe stations, but if they receive heavy use for toproping it is a simple matter to swap out just the bottom lock links. At Index we used to see dozens of tat anchors all over the cliff when looking at the wall from the train tracks. Now that it has all been replaced with chain we see nothing. For this reason, I and some others have worked to replace all the sling anchors at Three O'Clock Rock in Darrington and it looks a lot better. The few stations left with tat on them are glaring.

Yup. We want the shots. You make that climb sound casual, Tom. Despite the low technical difficulty, that was not my impression of it.

You and your type are so busy talking that you don't read at all - do ya. Your false attacks are just that. It may make you feel intelligent, but for everyone reading- it has the opposite effect. On this point, Bill, I think he is right. There was no cry about deficit spending when the Bush administration started two wars, both of which were a bad idea, and simultaneously initiated massive tax cuts. As to the topic of this thread: I don't want do get heavily involved in the discussion because it will only become a mud festival but I can tell you that I work in a State agency and there is a higher level of dedication in my office than any private entity I have worked at in the past and, at the same time, salaries and wages are lower than in the private sector and the work demands are not less.

We now have $233,000 in the bank and are pretty confident about making our $300,000 goal. That custom print that Steph labeled raised a good sum and there are more than a few cc.com regulars on our donor list. Index is happening, folks.

At Exit 38, turn right and drive maybe a mile to where there is a wide spot on the left. Cross the street and hike up a short trail that enters the woods right next to a stream. After 10 minutes you will pass some bolted climbs on the left and reach the old train track; turn left and the first thing you come to is a good top-rope crag called "Write Off Rock" on the right with a couple of climbs, 5.5-5.7 or so (the far left is the easiest, 5.4 maybe, and the far right is about 5.6 or so). Kids like this place among other things because there is an old train trestle right there and they want to throw rocks into the creek (watch for hikers below). I don't know about camping in the area but the truckers park along the road at that wide spot and sleep in the back of their cabs. A second great destination with kids, and probably better, is "Summit Wall" at Mt. Erie. Drive to the top of Mt. Erie just south of Anacortes, and park at the end of the road. The top of the cliff is only about 50 yards south of the parking lot but you have to approach the bottom via a trail that diverts south just a little bit down toward the view point that is reached by a stairway to the east. Hike and scramble down to the right (watch your kids) and head right at the first opportunity (watch them again). There are a dozen or so climbs here, about 5.4 to 5.10. This is a good place for moms and kids, with good views and easy access to top and bottom. There is State Park camping about 5 or 10 miles south. For a single climb, the Great Northern Slab at Index offers a climb that is 5.6. That climb is suitable for kids but little else at Index would fill the bill (if you know the area you could find a couple of other options). There is unrestricted camping (which unfortunately means you don't want to take your kids there) in the immediate vicinity. Leavenworth would be worth a look, but it is another hour's drive east (depending on where you live, maybe not another hour more driving than the places listed above). There are a number of good campgrounds and one particularly spectacular kids' climb is on Bruce's Boulder, relatively low down in the Icicle Creek canyon. It has a terrific 5.2 climb on the far left although the noise of the creek thundering below makes some children nervous. If you live on the Olympic Penninsula, Mt. Zion offers some good options as well. I can't give any detailed information because I haven't been there for years and years and it is not in any guidebook, but you can find some pretty good crags by heading up the hiking trail and looking for them off to the right.

We have presently collected $228,000 or so. We have grant applications still out and pledges still to materialize and I'm not sure that we can be confident that we have reached our goal as of today but we are certainly close. We ARE going to purchase the Lower Town Wall and all funds collected will go toward the permanent preservation of this climbing gem. Any last minute tip over the edge will be appreciated!

how'd Dtown work out for you?

Fred Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide(s) gets my vote as the best guide ever. Yes, there are some errors in there and sometimes he incorporates feedback from climbers that renders newer editions less accurate than prior with respect to a route here and there, but he DOES try to update the guide in each successive edition. Yes, the books are heavy, but he includes history (not only the climbing history but the historical history) and in addition to this he presents detailed route information and carefully selected pictures. These books reflect a dedication to the book in a way that few guidebooks ever do. I use Fred Beckey's books as a climbing guide AND for bedside reading. The Cascade Alpine Guide rules! Second place goes to Clint Cummins' Index guide from the 1990's I loved the format - simple and very straight forward - and accurrate. I loved his philosopphy as presented in the first couple of pages: feel free to copy this guide and pass it on. I use the Cramer guide when I climb there today and it is an excellent guide as well. I like most guidebooks and these are two that in some ways repesent bookends. Simple vs. encyclopedic.

Pilchuck, That scary step up onto that direct finish is not actually hard but you sure wouldn't want to fall there. Run for the roses.

To reach the summit from the ridge below where Westward Ho tops out there is a short direct pitch with a scary move on it or you can make a very cool detour around right on a ledge that leads to the north ridge. Grab the rose bushes and go.

Considering the current state of it, perhaps the climb Jimbo and I did was "Let it be."

David once told me there was another old line up there. I think he found it when they went to look at Revolver and concluded Revolver was more worth his attention.

Hey thanks, Otto. I went up there with Jimbo yesterday and we climbed your refitted route. However, we took a wrong turn on pitch 4 because some other old route was easier to spot ... or at least we saw it first. Here's a shot taken from the belay. Jimbo is clipped to the first bolt on our errant variation - is this the legendary Picadilly Circus route? It climbs up the swath of rock above his head for at least 2 more pitches. Anway, Revolver heads up and right out of this shot but eventually re-enters this view at upper right.

Davis Holland/Lovin Arms is the best 5.10 in the State, in my opinion. Rad's right: the "crux" is well protected. It is small gear, but you can place 5 pieces if you want. 6 pitches of great climbing, all different.