Stefan

Isn't this the guy from Pakistan wanting us to sign up for a trip on an expedition a while back?

For only one reason. The owner was incompetent. He would've failed regardless. I found the timing interesting with the failure of Swallow's Nest. Even if the owner was incompetent, why did the store continue for so long until REI built the bohemoth?

Give me the book baby. You know where I live! Hell, you could give it to R and I could pick it up from him on my way home. I am looking for a new book to read.....just finished a Kurt Vonegut book--it was weird. Looking forward to Harry Potter #5! P.S. I don't love Walmart. I love Fred Meyer! I just think Walmart fills a niche and they are very efficient.

There is so much pussy potential out there. Why would you want to end your life early? Even if I was 90 years old, I could always think--I almost had Lawgoddess. I wonder what her phone number is now?

Don't you mean to say unethical enough? Nope. What's unethical about Walmart? Your ethics are different than other people's ethics. Here's a little microcosm of a story you are all very familiar with. Remember "The Swallow's Nest"? It used to be a nice little store in Seattle, until the bohemoth (REI) created the megastore just off of I-5. Well, guess what? Swallow's Nest went out of business shortly after the bohemoth REI (aka Walmart of the outdoor industry) opened. Why did Swallow's Nest go out of business? Becuase people found the location of REI more convenient, offered more choices, and probably better prices. A little fact many of you don't know. Swallow's Nest also bet on some gear that didn't sell, and so was their downfall--they did not make smart purchases of product. Many of you went shopping to the REI bohemoth instead of Swallow's Nest. But there is a nice little story in all of this. Feathered Friends. What did they do? They moved with REI. They are doing fine. They are probably equal with where they were on the Capitol Hill store. Here's the moral of the story. If you don't find a niche and be smart in the retail industry you will get swallowed up and you will be kicked out. The smart survive. The small stores being kicked out in their own backyards are not fullfilling the niche that Walmart is doing.

I will reiterate what many people have said. I have done the exact same route you speak of--car parked at Cold Springs, walked through Bird Meadows, up the Mazama...... I saw no one. I saw no signs. I paid no money. I had no worries. I will say this. Bird Meadows was by far one of my top 3 meadows I have seen in this state. Spectacular.

I have done Maude and 7FJ in a day from the trailhead. Doing these two peaks in a day is doable—however combining all three in one day would be a significant feat. I recommend on day one make camp at Leroy Basin and climb Maude. Day two go up 7FJ and then follow the route description for the SW that Beckey says for Fernow. Fernow is 5 hours from Leroy Basin. Staying on the ridge proper of 7FJ towards Mt. Fernow would be very time consuming and tedious. All three are definitely doable in two days depending on the routes you take.

Another recommendation: Replace the inner footbed of your boot. I have these really nice cushy ones that were $10 from Walgreens. Some people use $30 Superfeet brand but I don't think they work that well. There were about 15 different choices at Walgreens. The footbeds they provide you in the boots always suck.

Heres another option KIWI. Offer to pay somebody on this climbing board for $150/day to teach you something for 4-5 days. It appears that a lot of these guys on this website are either unemployed or have a lot of time on their hands and wouldn't mind the extra dough. Plus you get 100% personal attention. Downside is that you might get a jerkwad who knows crap and all he wants is your money.

Walmart started out small just like these other small businesses. They did something right--they offered something the community was willing to pay for. They have stuck with their business model for many years, and their business model has allowed them to grow. These other small business that are being left behind have had the exact same opportunities, but they were just not smart enough. I do agree with AlpineK. Walmart will close down--someday. For example: KMart. I don't think KMart is going to be able to survive its bankruptcy comeback. No business lasts forever--except for European Breweries.

the smiling in the pictures says it all....

I still don't get it. Why are SO MANY small businesses are going out of business becuase of Walmart? Small business in small communities must be offering something for the community? Or maybe those small businesses are missing something? The common theme I am seeing is that even small communities are voting for Walmart with their dollars. It's not just one or two, but many. And why is it that MANY small communities are voting for Walmart? It appears the few people against Walmart shout louder than the majority supporting Walmart.

I have done it in a day and we simulclimbed and rappelled a lot. Even got the rope stuck once where I had to climb back up to get it. The problem was the couloir. The earlier the start, the less rushed you will feel and enjoy the climb.

I was happy. My girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year, and so we decided to get married. My parents helped us in every way, my friends encouraged me, and my girlfriend? She was a dream! There was only one thing bothering me, very much indeed, and that one thing was her younger sister. My prospective sister-in-law was twenty years of age, wore tight mini skirts and low cut blouses. She would regularly bend down when quite near me and I got many a pleasant view of her underwear. It had to be deliberate. She never did it when she was near anyone else. One day little sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations. She was alone when I arrived. She whispered to me that soon I was to be married, and she had feelings and desires for me that she couldn't overcome and didn't really want to overcome. She told me that she wanted to make love to me just once before I got married and committed my life to her sister. I was in total shock and couldn't say a word. She said, "I'm going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you want to go ahead with it just come up and get me." I was stunned. I was frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs. When she reached the top she pulled down her panties and threw them down the stairs at me. I stood there for a moment, then turned and went straight to the front door. I opened the door and stepped out of the house. I walked straight towards my car. My future father-in-law was standing outside. With tears in his eyes he hugged me and said, "We are very happy that you have passed our little test. We couldn't ask for a better man for our daughter. Welcome to the family." The moral of this story is: always keep your condoms in your car.

They are selling the Cassin Raid Light here for $54 http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi 1) Go to the "Search by Store" 2) Select "Sports, Travel, Toys" 3) Put in the word "Light" 4) Select "Go"

Was it those LifeLink helicopters? Or was it a tourist helicopter? It is the tourist season......and those Japanese sure like taking pictures of climbers. I tried out for RMI one time. We were doing our explanation of techniques and this large group of Japanese comes to watch us. We were about 50 meters away from the parking lot on snow doing our own private thing. Well, they didn't really want to watch us. Some people got within 2 feet of us while we were talking, so their buddy could capture a photograph of them with a mountain climber in polypropelene and goretex with an ice axe.

Liar story. True. I was sent off for a consulting job in Redding, CA that involved a transfer of company to Dallas, TX. The process took 8 months. Policy of the company I was working for said, "Employees are allowed to return home for weekends during work outside of their hometown." I was with 3 other people. We asked the supervisor, about the travel, and he said, "You can come home every weekend--it is in the contract." Well, the supervisor of the job after about 2 months, ordered us to stay in Redding, CA and Dallas, TX on weekends to save money for the business we were consulting becuase all travel, food was paid for by the business we were consulting for. We were all pissed off. After one month of not travelling home, I said fuck this and started coming home on my own without informing the supervisor. The supervisor was a totally hands off kind of person. Guess, what? I found the contract after the job was done. The contract did not have a clause in it saying we could come home. The three other people on the job quit about halfway through due to this episode. The man is a liar. He works at T-Mobile now.

I'm married. I don't have the creative juices to think like that anymore.

....and lame fucks who never show up for a climb

I have only done Sheep. Sheep can be done in early season becuase it is not that far away from the gate, so bikes are not that necessary. We crossed the bridge over the South Fork of the Sauk, went directly up, and then went into the drainage shown on the map at 3400 feet. You cannot get into the drainage at 3200 feet or 3600 feet due to mossy cliffs. We continued on the north side of the drainage until about 4400 feet where it widened out and up to the col at 5720+ and traversed over to the summit. I have no information on the other peaks.

Ha!

If Walmart sucks so bad, why does it do so well? Thumbs up to Walmart in my opinion. People decide with their money. The market dictates.

At popular trailheads I now take off the cables connecting to the battery. Not that my car would be anything anybody wanted.....but maybe just a joyride..... Looks like you had fun on the trip! Good to see!

Tell me where you lost it, what type it is, and I will tell you: Thanks!

Does Brent Bishop live/work in the Seattle area or is he still in Montana?