MysticNacho

A buddy of mine and I are looking for a third for the Sunset Amphitheater starting tomorrow, tuesday, ending as late as friday depending on weather, etc. Any takers?

But this armchair is so freaking comfortable.... plush cushions, a tasty beverage in my hand... the real tragedy about colorado is the lack of a starbucks on every corner!

I moved out here because the wife and I didn't want to live in Washington my whole life, and I'd always heard that climbing in Colorado was amazing. So I've been here for 2 months now, and spent a good many hours reviewing guidebooks of the state, and I'm not impressed. So far I've only come across one area I'm dying to check out, which is Long's peak. It seems to me that the rest of Colorado mountaineering sucks ass. Sure, Colorado has good elevation, but who gives a shit? I want good climbing! I'm starting to think that its the rock climbing that people rave about, but even that is just ok. Seattle has how many amazing granite crags within 3 hours drive? Index, static point, darrington, leavenworth, squamish.... not to mention any other non granite area thats close by. Seems like all of Colorado's crags are evenly distributed across the state. I can't decide which one to trek to first because I'm equally non-impressed with all of them based on my hours spent in the guidebooks. Of the ones I have visited, so far I've only been moderately impressed with Eldorado Canyon, which seems to be like Smith Rock (in terms of rock quality and crowds) with some better cracks. Now, my opinion isn't set in stone. (har har, I crack myself up. Ohhhh! I'm on a roll! ) I've only just moved here and haven't visited a lot of places yet. Has anybody lived in both Colorado & Washington, and can confirm or deny my suspicions? What is the consensus on the comparison between these two states? Discuss.

What do you mean?

went out to do it yesterday, but couldn't see it because of clouds. Looked good in the book though!

the USGS one looked the easiest to me. None of these had shaded relief though. Bummer.

Notice the skid marks on the runway there. I'll bet that was an interesting day for a lot of people.

A good friend of mine was in special forces, and he told me about a class on water quality that was given to him by some doctor that they brought in. The doctor had personally done some water quality experiements, and said that they had taken the most disgusting, sludge filled water and boiled it for 30 seconds. Afterwards, they couldn't find any live organisms. So screw that "boil for 10 minutes" rule that I keep hearing about. Personally, I usually don't boil snowmelt because I usually take the top layer of snow which I figure is relatively pure. I've never had a problem. I read in a magazine somewhere that roughly 60% of us are already carriers of giardia, and while not having immunity, will not likely feel any significant effects from an exposure to the bacteria. Roughly 20% of the remainder population will have minor symptoms, such as mild diarrhea and stomach pain, etc. The other 20% will suffer. I don't know how accurate this is, it was just one article. I've never had it, and I drink from streams and melted snow without purifying or boiling about half the time.

I can see how ski's and poles would drag you down, but wouldn't wearing a backpack make you just a bigger "particle" and help float you to the top?

Is there any kind of topo program that covers BC like the one that covers all 50 states in the US?

there are probably some places down by the river.

it looks like it also takes pro!

If you read the terms and conditions, it sounds like you all signed up for some $13 service.

A friend and I got off route just after the leftward ramp meets the finger crack on pitch 2 or 3. We continued left at the deciduous tree on a short traverse, up and over a roof and into unprotected 5.11+ terrain. Scary as hell. There were a few ancient rivets up there, but no other real sign anyone had been up there in a long, long time. Anyone know anything about a route here?

On this note, all King county firefighters are emt's, with the same training as AMR. I am 95% sure that all the medics also started as EMT's. And many of the medic's had their start at AMR. Don't get me wrong. I may be trying to set some biased minds straight, but I hate AMR as much as the next man. Hell, we almost went on strike recently!

I have the utmost respect for firefighters and paramedics and the years of training they go through. Their jobs are very different from the AMR $10/hr dude who's not looking for any career advancement. I work for AMR. There are about 350 of us in King County. To say that none of us are motivated is mostly incorrect. Most of my coworkers are highly motivated, very knowledgable and smart people who's medical knowledge is far beyond just an EMT's training. Most people use AMR as a stepping stone for better things. I know a lot of people in nursing school, 3 currently enrolled in paramedic programs, and one in the UW Medical program. Most of the other people work there while they are in school, to get into one of the above programs or a fire department. These people work for AMR because that it is excellent experience and has a very flexible schedule. That said, there are plenty of people working for AMR that are completely unmotivated pieces of shit and terrify me. Luckily, most of these people stick to the patient transfer interfacility cars (easier) rather than the cars that work in the 911 system.

I think the moral of this story is that you should never wash your nalgene.

Thanks for all the criticism everybody. I'm not dicouraged, hell thats why I posted this on here. CC.com never disappoints. As with all things, they get better over time.

I'm easily persuaded. I think I'll drop the prices and get into porn.

Specifically Jon, what would you recommend changing?

Well, I'm under no illusions as to the quality of the photographs or the appearance of the website. Can't help the photos, and the website is my best effort for now... still learning that one. I could get a better slide scanner, but that won't replace actual skill behind the lens. As for the prices, I originally had them set for much lower. Wiser minds than mine however, recommended higher prices. Supposedly, lower prices yield fewer customers because they don't believe its actually art. Customers are replaced with tirekickers. I agree with you Chelle, I think the prices are too high, but against my better judgement I'll leave them be for now. Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming.

Or trying too. In an attempt to support myself with something that doesn't require me to actually show up somewhere each morning, I've decided to sell photographs. Pictures I've taken, and friends have taken, during climbing trips. They're not very good, but looking around at some of the crap that's sold out there I figure its worth a shot. So, I would appreciate any feedback y'all might have. Go and surf it, see what you think, and let me know. Hell, if you really want to, buy a picture and help me quit my job. Cascadephotos.com

Shit, we're so stupid! Why are we just pretending to ice climb when its so clear that we just need to move out of the state! Doh! I can't believe I didn't know this! Thanks Josh, for letting me know that better ice existed elsewhere. Phew. What a relief. You mean all this time we never had the world class ice? What about Rainbow Right? hmmm!? So you got to move away. Good times. Shut yer' piehole!

CGM?