mattp

Fiddler's Inn, at 9219 35th Ave Ne, Seattle, WA 98115.

Unlike Peter, I enjoyed your trip report. And congrats on the traverse. Way to go, Alpine K!

Big packs will slow you down, but the camping is pretty damn nice there in the vicinity of that notch just above timberline -- and its a great place to watch a sunset.

I don't know about the autoblock, but I'm with those who say you don't want to make an automatic habit out of tying knots into the ends of the rope -- especially if you are on less than vertical terrain, and if the rock has crack and flakes sytems and if there is any wind... If I'm worried about rapelling off the end of the rope, like when rapelling completely unknown terrain where I can't see the cliff below, I sometimes set the rappel as normal, threaded and ready to pull, and then tie it off with an extra knot on a bight clipped to the anchor so that the rope cannot pull through. The first climber rappels on a single line, with a belay on the other, and then both lines are down so the second simply unties that extra knot and proceeds as normal. The first climber can tie the ends to the anchor as deemed necessary. [ 05-20-2002, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: mattp ]

Jules - Are you and the pup gonna be at Pub Club tomorrow night?

Bronco is right about the road to Monte Cristo. The entire road is snow covered except for a few patches here and there, and there is a pile of avalanche debris to cross right near the start. Its about 3' deep but patchy at Barlow Pass, and at Monte Crosto townsite there is a solid 4' of snow.

No talus showing in the approach gully right now.

Nobody has seen fit to object, so how's about we make ChucK's dream come true: a Northeast Seattle pub club. Fiddler's Inn, at 9219 35th Ave Ne, Seattle, WA 98115. Slightly "ferny," says ChucK, but otherwise it is everything you ever asked for in a pub club venue. Well-behaved (and leashed) dogs are welcome in the outdoor beer garden, so Holly and Eddie can bring their animals for all to admire. Directions: Take the Lake City exit from I-5, and follow Lake City Way (State Route 522) just over one mile, to 95th Street Northeast (the turn can be difficult to spot, it comes as you go down a hill and there is some kind of auto repair shop on the corner). Proceed right (east) on 95th Street NE, .7 miles to 35th Avenue NE. Turn right (south) and drive about a block -- the Fiddler's Inn is on the corner on the right.

Allison, I sort of agree that there is really no need to figure it out before Monday, but for some people it IS important to know in advance -- I know it is lame, but there are those who will attend if it is in their neighborhood but will not if it is to be accross town. And some of these people may have to coordinate with a spouse or work or something else. I don't know what Fred's issue is, exactly, but he wrote that "I don't have time to check the internet all day on Tuesdays." Speaking for myself, I can be flexible about the location but I think it is lame that some people seem to WAIT until the last minute to make their arguments -- as if they couldn't anticipate on, say Friday May 17, that they objected to going to the Fiddler's Inn on Tuesday, May 21. Is there something wrong with picking a place and sticking with it and waiting a week or two if you want to promote a different location?

I have one and I like it, although I have other options and due to the nature of the trips that I take I usually seem to carry either a tarp or a bonafide mountain tent. I think the Flashlight is a good mosquito-proof option for two, but it is very small and my girlfriends have been unanimous in their dislike for the cramped quarters (what -- is it my breath or something???). Take her to the store and "try it on."

Where is officer Larry when you need him?

Juan, you finally come to a pubclub, and most of us missed you because pubclub blew up that night. Tell your wife you're obligated to show up again this week and you can thank him yourself (that is, if we can select a place with enough advance warning so he can put it on his calendar).

It looks like everybody wants to go to the Fiddler's Inn.

Trask - Is that a new feature? In the past, I've had to place images on my web page and insert the URL for the image between those tags. I think the reasons for this may have to do with (1) space is limited on the server for web host and (2) allowing users to download files directly may risk virus contamination. Matt

I have descended that route and I can't say for sure but I doubt you will need a detailed route description. The climbing is not all that technically difficult and I believe the route would be mostly pretty obvious, though I don't mean to suggest it is not a serious climb. Bring all your mountain skills, and be prepared for a long climb, but I would expect Nelson's description to be adequate. In my opinion, Nooksack Tower is one of the coolest things around and it is one of the most difficult peaks to descend in Washington.

Squamish for Saturday and Sunday (Environment Canada): Chance of showers; low 6°C; high 15.

I'm not questionning Colin, but just for fun I'll point out that this particular climb has a history with at least one prior report being doubted. Jim Nelson was after it for several years, but I believe the first winter ascent was completed by George Sherrit and a Canadian partner whose name I don't remember. Some couldn't believe the report because the team apparently lacked the proper "resume" for such a venture.

You can't always get what you want ... but if you try sometimes -- you can have beer with your friends. I'm just begging for mercy, because without the calm guidance of SayJay, I'm afraid we could blow it again -- just when it looked as if PubClub might survive the trauma of weeks past.

I have faith that nobody is going to be an idiot about this and once we have settled on a place we are going to stick with it but new ideas will be put on the table for next week or the week after. Is that faith misplaced?

Last week, we talked about how it is yet again going to te a "Seattle" week. ChucK has been advocating for Fiddlers, Sean votes for the Alki, Sara had someting else in mind, and there has been some talk of an outdoor pubclub. Where's it going to be? That Beckey person is wanting an answer again -- and he has again suggested to me that any self-respecting bunch of beer guzzlers ought to know that you can't just make these important plans at the last minute.

Sorry Alex. You're right: I don't know the home addresses of all who post. I should have stated "where no CC.Com posters have ever suggested that we have pub club."

Jason makes a good point about the belayer being able to dodge rocks, and I have worried about this particularly at Vantage but even there I have elected to tie myself in when the belay was up on a pillar somewhere, though I have sometimes tried to set it one column over and then added a gizmo or two to redirect the belay if necessary. You gotta look at the situation and assess what is needed for each particular lead – taking into account the skills of the leader and belayer as well as their relative sizes and the nature of the pitch to be climbed.

Dan - How much is too much? As noted above, Camp 4 is "only five bucks" and it is first-com-first-serve. In general, you will find a younger and more partying crowd there than you might at The Pines or elsewhere but it is a national park and they do have law enforcement. It is not exactly like camping at The Feathers, in Frenchmen's Coulee. - Matt

quote: Originally posted by erik: so what do you guys think about tying yourself into a static point on the ground so that if the leader may fall the belayer isnt pulled into the wall??? why not be an attentive belayer and work on dynamic belaying skilzz???? and dont block the trail with your dangerous setup!!! thanks!!! Erik - We discussed the proper way-to/whether-or-not-to anchor a belayer in the discussion of belaying directly off an anchor about two months ago. You are probably going to get some agreement here, but being the old guy and all around gaper that I am, I'll tell you I often DO anchor myself when on belay at the base of a climb, and at Index I might use a tree or bush for this purpose. As to the dynamic belay, we also discussed this and plenty of people agreed with you here again, but this gaper says that modern ropes are designed to provide a dynamic belay and I generally want my belayer to hold on or even reel in rather than deliberately allow any slippage. Anyway, my point is that there are lots of safe ways to belay, and your friends at Index may have been incompetent but I wouldn't say that based on the fact that a small female belayer was tied to a tree. As to blocking the trail and becoming insulted when questioned about this? Go to Exit 38 some time. That's just how they do it. Kids these days... Welcome back. Matt

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