mattp

Waddington, posted by Commarin, 11/17/2007 There must be somebody who has a digital projector and laptop computer they can bring...and some other somebodies with images to share!

F-U Johnny, posted by katybird 72 on 1/17/2008 OK then, a gear swap sounds good

What you may not realize is that gay couples HAVE that right in Washington. By law. I agree with many of the arguments made here about why gays should be able to marry but the fact is that T'vash's friend can visit his partner in the hospital and they in fact CAN have all the same rights that a heterosexual couple would have -- by law in the State of Washington. They have to register as a domestic partnership, but the same is true of heterosexual couples who have to get a marriage license and have the judge or pastor send the form back to the State after their marriage. Even before Washington's Domestic Partnership law, gay couple's could have had the same rights of visitation and consent and etc. -- or nearly so -- with a simple pre-planned healthcare power of attorney. Most states do not have as powerful of a domestic partnership law as Washington but here, at least, the legal functional difference between "marriage" and "domestic partnership" is mostly in name only. The emotional and publicly accepted differences, however, remain huge.

Photo posted by Off White, January 30, 2003. Any ideas for "special events" at this year's picnic? Should we have a gear swap again? Any slack liners out there? Climbing clowns or contortionists? Who might have access to the diggy projector equipment?

Assuming that we are able to reach an agreement about purchasing the crag, maybe Sherri can put up the money for 0.9*4 of a climb. Maybe the 3 pitch route she can't or has no wish to climb gets her plaque at the start, but it is the one that nobody else has paid for? Or are there 1000 share holders in Godzilla and Thin Fingers but nobody cares about Walter B? Rambling here, I know, but the point is: how do we look at this? Surely we are all able to donate, and raise money, for this most awesome of Washington crags.

Rob, I have been climbing for 35+ years and anybody who has pursued anything for that long has taken a hiatus. Clearly, Joseph is right: you CAN and if you want to you WILL get back into it whenever you have the opportunity and want to do so. And I think Kevbone is right too in that you have SOME control over how you react to any imposed abstinence. But how NOT to slit your wrists? You better have or find SOMETHING else that keeps you engaged or you might well go crazy. Good luck and the crags WILL still be there whenever you want to return. Its not like you are talking about foregoing anything REALLY important.

I learned to climb in the 1970's at a crag that was bolt free (or "nearly so" even if you think that doesn't count) and I believe it remains that way to this day. There was once a bolt ladder there, but I don't remember anybody paying much attention to it and I bet it is long gone. Grand Ledge, Michigan

Trestle it is.

I'll be working downtown tomorrow and quite likely not able to leave before 4:00. I can meet up at 4:30 at the Issaquah Park and Ride, or North Bend Safeway about 4:45, -- or out at the crag. For after work climbing, I've usually gone to the Trestle (Deception) or to Little Si. I'll be going out for dinner but I'll check back later. PM's with details and digits?

Once again, it's time to fire up the grills and look at slides in Woodland Park, near Greenlake, in Seattle. Come to meet other climbers and celebrate the coming season at Picnic Shelter #6, 6:00 pm 'till closing, Thursday April 30, 2009. Last year we had a gear swap. In the past, slack lining and other fun and games. Families are welcome. Ideas?

I'm going to have to confirm my schedule for tomorrow but I think I can leave Bellevue by 4:00 and maybe earlier. What you say, Pimp? Others?

Bamboo removal, flagstone replanting, pruning, weeding, general clean-up, and some blackberry control. Dinner in the evening sun on the deck. Spring garden indeed: my climbing partners were telling me yesterday that possessions tie you down and I told them it was home ownership that does this (and as much as the house it is the yard). Damn nice to sit back and enjoy it at the end of the day, though!

Damn nice in the Icicle yesterday!

But but but... you're advocating [gasp] socialism!!!!! For god sakes man: get a grip.

Yes. Most of the better routes require a rack but, even more than that, a "trad" perspective. Most of it is slab climbing, and it tends toward funky pro and scary runouts - with some of the classic climbs featuring ground fall potential at crux or maybe merely "cruxy" moves. But look at Mr. Webster's trip report from last year: it is a great place to climb. It might take a day or three before you feel comfortable there, though.

Whitehorse is good. Maybe White Chuck, though I don't know the Dan Creek road conditions. Down at Rainer, Pinnacle N. Ridge or Lover's Lane on the N. Face of Lane Peak in the Tatoosh are both pretty good.

I thought this thread was going to be about the new American Alpine Club ID cards. They come with a rubber band and a letter that explains that you can use them for "bag tags."

I bet with 99% certainty the rock is bare and wet. check weather cam

At Icicle Buttress and Z Crack you can just about belay from sitting in your car.

That is a very good point. Last I heard, most Americans favor single payor or some kind of universal coverage and even the AMA was coming around. It is the vested business interests that want to keep our totally excellent system as it is and they will stoop at nothing, even exploiting the death of an American movie star, to spread their propaganda.

Bill, you routinely state "facts" without providing stats - like the statement that I responded to above, or your assertion here that: I just ran a search "V.A. Hospital quality" and here's one of the first hits: Washingotn Monthly The author's bias is clear, but it is the only item I quickly identified as attempting to answer the question at hand. Go ahead and do your own research if you want to debunk my theory that government-run health care can be of high quality. And, I would add, at reasonable cost.

Maybe the VA hospital in Portland is worse than the others, but I don't believe that is the case here in Seattle. The worst hospitals here are private. I suspect all of us are well aware of the V.A.'s reputation over the years but maybe you are not aware of the fact that in recent years they have actually been recognized for vastly improving their quality of care and they are not considered the dregs of the health services industry now. I was surprised to learn of this but I did some research during a discussion of "socialized medicine" with some of your conservative buddies here on cc.com last year. We can certainly debate whether the government would better administer our health care system than private insurance companies, and we could probably reasonably disagree wither the V.A. should be your first or second choice of providers, but I don't think they prove your point. In fact, quite the opposite (assuming your point was that Joseph was wrong to state that government-run hospitals actually can do a great job).

Say what? Nobody ever got infected with HIV, or otherwise died when they shouldn't have, simply because they were in a "regular" hospital and exposed to some risk or disease?

Joseph: Anybody else around here tried to help som older folks like maybe their parents or grandparents deal with this mess and concluded differently?