freeclimb9

In my limited experience with The Man, it pays to be persistent at the next step. Your fine will be overseen by a prosecutor. Find out which court will handle your case and contact them. Find out the name of the prosecutor and contact that person directly by phone (if possible). Be sincere in expressing your ignorance of the laws. Probe whether the Ranger followed all procedures correctly. Ask to get the fine excused. If the Ranger does this often, they'll know the score better than you, and they may be very sympathetic. Good luck.

Crack Addict: your post suggested that flying an American flag on a vehicle is redneck behaviour. You're wrong. Erwin: you suggested that a flag left unattended on a summit is garbage. You're wrong as well. Whoever planted the flags on summits should also take on the responsibility of lowering them and taking them away. It's disrespectful to leave the flag unattended indefinitely, and those who left them behind probably didn't understand the portent of their action. But it is NOT redneck behaviour to fly the flag nor is a flag left on a summit "garbage". If you find a summit flag, I suggest lowering it, folding it, and packing it out. That's all.

Experimental results have shown that an isobutane stove such as the Giga, or Primus, heats water more quickly and with less fuel-weight consumption than an alcohol stove. However, there may be room in your arsenal for an alcohol stove. The alcohol stove is small in volume, and you can adjust the amount of fuel you carry to your intended needs. I made a stove from smaller aluminum grape juice cans that weighs 1/4 ounce and fits inside an aluminum cup with room for a small wire cup holder and a little bottle of alcohol (the cup protects the fragile stove) plus tea bags, sugar, soup, etc.. I haven't tested my idea, but I THINK it would be great to have in my pack for a fast and light alpine excursion --the kind of trip where a couple cups of hot water makes a big difference (a minimal bivy, a morning after a night of climbing, etc.). At the very least, it will no doubt impress my ice-climbing partners this winter when I share a hot drink.

another way to make an appointment is by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE

it's an entirely appropriate time to fly a US flag. God bless America.

The NOAA predicts a mild to moderate El Nino will kick in late 2001 to early 2002. The PNW is typically drier than normal with an El Nino. Yea, that would be rain on your parade.

"Remember, if you smoke after sex you're doing it too fast." Woody Allen

"We're all fucked. It helps to remember that." --George Carlin

I write again, 5/16" buttonhead bolts ("Rawl Drive" is the trademark) have not been manufactured for over a decade. In other words, unless a hardware vendor put in a stockpile back when Flock of Seagulls got radio time, you're not going to get them. Nor will you find the lightweight SMC hangers that go so well with them. The end of that era occured when George Bush senior still had his finger on the button. It's over.

Without question, an electric drill makes the best hole for placing a bolt. And the best bolt, IMHO, is a five-piece (3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter and at least 3.5 inches long) since it can be taken out without additional damage to the rock and is realiably strong (stonker, in fact). In wilderness areas where machines are illegal, a Hurricane Wilderness Drill http://www.bigwalls.net/HMWDrill.html is the ticket. With regard to what bolt to place in the wilderness, I think it depends on whether the route will see other traffic. For a trade route, I'd put in the time to hand drill a 3/8" hole. For other stuff, the old 5/16 button heads were great (again, IMHO), but haven't been manufactured for over a decade. I've used Rawl's 1/4" Spike with a fender washer (over which a nut's wire can be looped then cleaned by the second) many times for my own obscure first ascents; This set up costs about 25 cents per placement, goes in fast, is pretty strong, and can be removed with a claw hammer, or crowbar, later, if so desired. But you'll make no friends of other climbers who come across your gear (the Spike looks pretty shaky even if the shear strength is over 5,000 lbs).

it takes about 1-1.5 hours to drive from Yosemite Valley to Fresno via Wawona. Going down the Merced river through Mariposa and Madera will take twice that long.

Yea. I think you're talking about single chain links. Hardware stores have them. If you're talking about a screw link (maillot), try a climbing shop.

staying awake is never a problem, but it did take me awhile to get used to the shaking and tremors after being awake for a couple of days. The shakes also tend to freak out climbing partners when you're far above them and runout and their belay gear sucks; That'll teach 'em. I do need to have my eyes closed for a couple hours a day, but can go without sleep for up to four days. Ah, the joys of mania!

"Adrift: 76 days at sea". Dude floated across the Atlantic after his boat sunk within minutes of striking something (whale?) near the Canary islands. "The Long Walk". Dudes and dudette walk from Siberia (after escaping from a Gulag) to India across the Gobi. "Love is a Dog from Hell" by Charles Bukowski. Stories about the sickest "adventure" you may embark on.

Obviously, the "universal alpine rack" never compares well with the beta-rack for the area you're targeting. The mega-rack that many climbers own can always be pared down to a sick minimum, or a sane medium, with a few suggestions from others (or from your own experience in the area). I've never gone into an area without at least an inkling of what's there to climb. [This message has been edited by freeclimb9 (edited 08-11-2001).]

bears, mountain lions, ring-tailed cats, coatimundis, parrots, bobcats, lots of rattlesnakes, bats, bees, even a few gila monsters. The wierdest wildlife experience was being attacked by a falcon while hiking through the forest near Yosemite falls; The crazed bird swooped on me half a dozen times over a half-mile length of trail: I was gripped. The most hilarious experiences have been inadvertently interupting folks mid-coitus, or having a wank. You know, I love nature and all, but I don't LOVE nature.

Here's another ultra-lightweight pack manufacturer. With the hipbelt, and ice-axe-loop options it should work well for climbing. http://www.ula-equipment.com/pages/main.htm

No Crack cream available at Restoration Hardware stores http://www.restorationhardware.com/index.htma/item.html?item=97&sid=hvmtlwRvJzig6vLS It's good. Really.

I don't care whats the bitches be doing as long as they looking fine. As in, whatz another name for pirate treasure? Booty! Sho' they be hoes, but then I'm a pimp daddy. And it be part of the natural way that I gets the quim when I'm rooster crowing, then another pimp gets hiz with a cock strut. Some sayz that I otta busta cap in a bitches ass for that kina shit, but omelette it slide cuz the hoes is capricious (ooh, that's all polysyllabic and shit).

"Suffering is the orgin of conciousness" Dostoyevsky

"free", emphatically. Otherwise, Old Grain (available in Minneapolis) is a funny one.

If you want super affordable gloves for wet winter use, one word says it all: Vinylove. Seattle marine supply has these freezer gloves by Atlas that go at about $13/pair. Check it out at http://www.seamar.com/atlas/460.html The orange ones are a little softer than the blue, but both allow carabiner and ice-screw handling similar to bare hands. Plus they can easily be customized with a Marks-a-lot pen.

I've a pair of BD X-15s with "Alaska" picks that I'm very happy with (50cm hammer and 55cm adze). I'm very confident in their proven design which is straightforward and simple (KISS all the way). I used the hammer and another piolet tool (75cm) on Liberty Ridge some years ago, and was well served. On water ice, the tools are a little rattly for hooking since the picks lack a full complement of teeth, but they swing well, and I don't worry about side punctures (which is a real concern with carbon fiber tools--one hole, and they're worthless. Plus I hat to rely soley on glue for head attachment). The DMM Fly would be a great choice too, IMHO.

Lover's Leap is close to the Lake (like within 25 miles), and is incredible. There's a magic to the Sierras, and I hope you tap into it. best regards, Will

I met Bobbi about a decade ago at a Beanfest(she stayed at my house afterwards for a few days with her climbing partners rejuvenating for more climbing on Mt. Lemmon --I lived in Tucson at the time). My impression was that she's a unique person --some might even say eccentric (but most full-time climbers can be classified that way, IMHO). She does what she does, and nobody's hurt by it. It's pretty harmless.