mattp

On the question of "arrogance" I almost agree with Fairweather. Many climbers seem to feel that what they are doing is somehow more important than what somebody does on a snowmobile or dirt bike or with a fishing rod. It is not just the hype associated with engaging in an "XTREME" sport, but there is a widely shared pride in thinking that we, unlike those other people, are the only one who face nature on nature's terms. In addition, there is an environmental ethic that is not necessarily shared by all climbers but is largely so, and can serve as an additional yardstick by which the hunters, 4x4 drivers, or jet-boaters don't measure up. I don't think climbers are unique in taking a snotty attitude toward other user groups, though.

Do they have a big screen TV so we could start a little early and watch the President?

Right, Dru, but those Apes always belay SITTING DOWN, don't they? I'm with NbyNW on this question. Bill: DON'T BELAY STANDING UP UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE.

Lammy- In my opinion, the stiffer stems on the TCU's help when you are trying to stuff a piece into a tight crack at the end of your reach. This is a situation where I might be able to place a TCU and be unable to do with an Alien. Otherwise, I agree with your comment and I prefer the Alien's but I DO think they bung up faster.

It is nothing new that fastex buckles and the like will slide if there are not "keeper" buckles behind them. Many packs since the 1970's have had these extra buckles. If you are trying to save weight, buy a pack withoiut the tool tubes and what looks like a beavertail pocket and etc. on it, if not, I'd probably elect to keep those extra buckles. Though that is just me. If you do remove them, one way to help make the fastex slip less is to rub some barge cement into the strap where the buckle attaches. This makes it a little stiffer and harder to adjust with one hand, but it also makes it more secure. You don't have to mess around with the mule knot or whatever.

I never carry a filter and never worry about it except if filling my bottle immediately downstream from an obviously heavily polluted place like a popular camping area. I have never had any trouble except in Asia, where I had the full-on giardia experience and have never been the same since.

NbyNW-The aspect of your poll that I was commenting on was the fact that there were four choices that included sitting well away from the top of the pitch, and the last one that said "it's all good." There was NO choice that that presented the option of taking care while you sit close to the top of the pitch. To me, this suggested a rather black-and-white rule: be prudent and sit away from the top of the pitch; otherwise throw all safety out the window. 'Sorry that I misunderstood you.

Grrrrr.

Gregw: check your mailbox.

If we all look at you sideways because you DELIBERATELY set out to get soaked on a day when you knew you were going to see absolutely nothing, you'll just have to assume we are enjoying your story!!! Have fun.

Thanks, Thinker. I'm going home to test your theories shortly. Gregw-let me know if you want to get started on that project!

I have found that, when out camping on a ski tour, brandy is just about always much more popular than Scotch or Tequila -- even if everyone said before the trip that they liked tequila or scotch better and even if I bring the good stuff. Is this because when the body is already chilled you don't want to drink certain kinds of booze as much??

I don't know about the brand gump (what is a "gump?") but I have often had brandy served, HEATED, in a large snifter balanced on a glass of warm water. The idea there, I think, is to cause more vapor to fill the bulbous snifter. But I'm interested to hear more about this colder = better business. What are the reasons for this "rule of thumb" and what are it's limitations?

About this colder = better thing. I want to hear more. Is that just true for Vodka, which really doesn't have much flavor? I'm more into Scotch, and I know that the ice is said to "release" the flavor, and it certainly makes it much smoother, but is that maybe because I actually don't like Scotch in the first place so if I dull it down it becomes more palatable? And what about brandy -- you don't serve that cold. What is the theory behind all of this? I have heard that mixed drinks were pretty much invented during prohibition and that the purpose of most cocktails is to hide the bad flavor of prohibition-era liquor.

On the TV show "West Wing," Jeb Bartlett said that if you shake it up you cause the ice to melt more, and thereby water down the martini. He said that James Bond was drinking "wimp martini's." Is this just a liberal media lie?

That is the classic line, Minx, but if this "bruising" business is at all part of it, I'm willing to believe that it could have been the other way around in the book, and then for the movie they thought shaking was more sexy or something. Anybody have any of the books?

Greg-I believe the tunnel was originally drilled with the machine used to drill the Chunnel from England to France. However, in about 1992 or so I was there when the lab was inside and a guy took us in for a tour. It was pretty cool.

Aren't these guys the ones who ran that lab in the tunnel inside the Country Cliff at Index? Post Intelligencer Article on Gravity Scientist

You are right, Off. I was speaking rhetorically when I said "everybody knows it." We constantly hear legislators from rural areas haranguing Seattle for hogging more than its share of the budget and they frequently complain about sending all their money to Seattle -- even though THEY know the truth. But they make points with their constituents by deliberately feeding a common mis-perception.

That's right, Greg: that's the idea. However, I am not sure that high wage earners necessarily make the best judges. Yes, experienced trial lawyers might be better able to control their peers and properly oversee an important trial, but on the other hand those same experienced trial lawyers may have their own axe to grind. A Superior Court judge earned 96,000 a year as of about ten years ago, and I bet they can get qualified candidates with that though I may be wrong. The biggest single problem, I think, is in how we elect our judges. Bronco - I haven't studied the State budget and I don't know much about economics so I can't give you an answer that would be meaningful except to say that I'd gladly pay an extra $100 a year -- or even $1000 -- if that meant that things that I view as important (examples include public schools and public transit) were going to receive what I view as adequate funding.

Or, as another Matt pointed out a year ago, it might be a good move if what you really want to do is to break up with her.

I see that article lacking for its failure to more clearly state that bolts are offensive to some, clearly carry an associated environmental impact, and may by their very presence detract from the climbing experience for many who follow. It fails to even suggest the idea that an effort should be made to minimize their number. That said, it is the first time I have seen a good description on how to at least try to do it right. I think the reluctance to publish such advice has been founded in the worry that it may invite every Tom, Dick and Harry with some extra time and money on their hands to go out and start drilling holes.

Thanks, Don. Sounds like a poor weekend to head up there skiing, too. Do you have any idea how much snow there is on the ground at the top of the pass heading over from Pemberton?

Right you are, GregW. The "liberal" media is lying when they spew Bush administration rhetoric for a year and a half without questionning it. And they must also be lying when they point out that there are some who question, on the eve of a war, why nowhere in all that rhetoric has he told us why we are going into Iraq. To protect us from a threat to our homeland? To free oppressed peoples? Even you gotta agree that those are not the reasons we are heading there. You may think it is a good idea to head into Iraq. God knows that there are lots of people who do. But is there anything wrong with asking when is Bush going to address the matter honestly?

Klenke- I suspect that for the hardman who has devil's club in their kitchen, the elevation gain will not be a problem. But this thread started out asking about what I presumed was to be an easy destination for a hike with a partner I presumed not to be a hardwoman. Correct me if I'm wrong, but most girlfriends do not want to crawl through the jungle to make 3,000' of elevation gain in soggy snow.