RStewbone

I am curious if rock pro is worth taking or is the rock too rotten or the placements nil? I'm assuming you have to downclimb?

I live here and I'm upset by the comments on this thread. 11 million gallons of water a day when Bend has already shut down most of its canals and will limit growth in five years due to a lack of water? You Washington mold growers don't freaking get it. I get 9 inches of rain annually at my house 6 miles from Sisters and right now annually we have 50 % of average precip and this drouhgt is 2 years old already. Every tiny drop over here is bickered over as it bubbles out of the ground and offers hope to a parched land. Do you all own stock in power companys and sit and pat your fat guts as your administration destroys your world. I hope you owned Enron stock. Stay in Washington and build your powerplant at that shithole called Frenchman Coulee. Thankyou

Dyno, This is not my topic but if you are in central oregon you may want to check out a few places.If the golden walls outlined by the serpentine patina of the crooked river aren't your thing and the smattering of odd problems there just leave you agoraphobic there is an area of sharp pocketed dacite five miles north of Sisters that may intrigue you for an afternoon;difficulty unknown Lake Billy Chinook is littered with boulders that have seen activity. Probably moderates. West of Meadowcamp outside of Bend are some boulders where some kids from Bend and Scott Franklin are roumored to have put up some hard problems. To get to the Sisters boulders; Heading west on the hwy through Sisters make a right on Locust (I think) It is the street with the school just after you turn north. Continue til the road splits and go left on red cinders a total of about 5 miles from the hwy and look for an outcrop on your left and an unsigned cinder road. Good luck and have fun. BTW if you can do the cave with the jones exit at smith let us know what the v grade is for that. It looks hard.

I like you trask but I am surprised you didn't point out that I misspelled genius- I did it as a pun but the pun is a dying form of cleverness.

Im glad you're sngle handed saving the world trask And i'll do just what you say mr. trask sir I'll get right on that. Even you should know discussion is the first step and if you didn't spend all your time dissing the genious you read here you would know that me and some senators killed the stimulus pack yesterday. Oh the power of the internet. It's sunny here and Im off to Smith so there! Hope you mold in your rain hell!

Out of 187 countries we were the only one not to sign the kyoto thing-GWB still spewing that global warming doesn't exist. He called for an independent study that confirmed emissions are destroying the earth and the topic dropped out of sight. If you want to know what a sleazeball we got then look at TX. Dirtiest air in the nation -contracted to dispose of NY's garbage and dump it in west TX-nearly banned climbing in its parks and then there is Enron who's ex execs litter the whitehouse and its cabinet. 243 million in this "stimulus" pack goes to Enron while food banks sit empty. Big deficit spending and mega corporate welfare is the word and believe me it will not trickle down. Look at the airline bailout- everyone still got laid off. To be in bed with big business is one thing -but 187 to 1. That made America seem as arrogant as GWB himself. Jeffers the senator from Vermont is my hero.He finally bailed because GWB didn't want to spend money on special education. Let retards be retards was the mantra I think. Now is the time that all good men must stand up for what's right and get this ship-this great experiment- back on course. Vote and make noise .

Dru, can I become an honorary canadian until the next election? I can say aboat instead of about.

Hi daisey,My wife packs a unit called sani fresh by freshette or freshette by sani fresh- yes I think thats it . got it at rei. I call it the equalizer. she said it took her awhile to "let go" the first time. BTW in bad weather it can save you. In jan. I saw a woman with her pants around her ankles get hit with a gust of wind and got knocked over. Embarrassing for her.

Dru -that paragraph is so facinating I was compelled to read over and over. Is it some code or just some northern vernacular? anyway -pretty good.

Is that a pic of caveman? Yikes

All I ask is that on judgement day you spare me. I found a 1-800 number that claims to be able to save me.... Please forgive me father for all my transgressions.... O.K. I"m sorry I'll go back to the free thinking hole I came out of. Don't be offended (especially if you're a zealot who wants to kill me for the way I blaspheme)

rurp has begun the labling and the judgement and the condemnation-just as I predicted. thanx rurp. who will begin the inquisition? P.S. don't waste your time concluding someone doesn't "like" God by what they write on spray or I will be forced to hide my light under a bushel to avoid your slanderous accusations. This conversation is based on intelligence not emotion-but I'm sure you'll go to heaven for condemning it. Me saying whatever I want and not being put to death is the difference between the U.S. and Afghanistan. Weather they're bombing an abotion clinic or the wtc they did it to score points on the get-me-into-heaven board. I'm not trying to change anyones mind . Are you?

In one book about 50 or 60 of his friens die and when he's a kid his sister kicks his ass! now thats bad luck but good reading.

I thought mysticism was more the antithesis of religion but I am willing to be corrected. After being force fed religion all through childhood I concluded that religion was judgment and condemnation cloaked in the guise of goodness and inspiration- not to mention the heaven /hell theory that could terrify any child.Without the suspension of disbelief(faith) it is no more believable than alliens or atlantis. The bible is laced with accurate history that confuses modern believers. Religion tries to explain what man doesn't understand and give purpose and hope to those who lack it. The problem is that most orthodox religions condemn most other religions. Evil for the sake of a greater good is at the heart of it. Early man sat... and he thought ...and as the voice in his head became louder and more questoining surpassing that of mere instinct or reaction man concluded the voice must not be that of his own....creating a way to explain the acts of men and nature. Nacho, didn't at the same time another man conclude that the voice was actually his own thus becoming the first mystic? back to the question-I don't know? P.S with no college I had to come up with theorys like this on my own so dissect it as you may but be prepared to be labled as a heritic should you expose yourself as an infidel- I'll be praying for you- the irony!

Last dec. I was knee deep in the xmas rush at a restaurant that would serve 36,000 uptight shoppers. Fat and depressed with the pale skin and light sensitive mole eyes of the typical portlander I peered into the beyond and began to scheme. Since then we sold the house and I quit my chef job after 14 years. Made the arduous move across the cascades and now we reside 5 minutes from Smith. No debt -no job-but what a view. And some climbing. dropped 10 pounds and got my fat ass up my hardest climb 2 weeks ago. This year we quit talking and actually did it!

Dru it is quite illegal to remove rocks from a mountain in this country however if you secure the proper permits you can legally remove rock from nat. forst land. That 's why whenever I break a hold I look around quickly and then put it in my pocket.

I can cook. Yes that is true - I can cook. My appliances are propane and I have a tower that allows you to run multi units. Are you set on this type of stuff? I have 2 tanks and all related items being a chef by profession. Would like to meet the people seen posting here. My heart goes out to the victims of the recent tragedy. Carter's computer is broken but I'll alert him in Granite Falls. Which campground is it? It must be the big one- I know which one I think. I'll get my own spot but would like to help.

My wife and I were on the Prouty glacier in July. We opted to rope up in the warm conditions. Dianne took a short slide so we knew the snow was choss and after she stepped across the 'schrund I asked her to move up 40 feet sink a picket and put me on belay. As I stepped up and across everything collapsed and I dropped like a rock about 10 feet bobbing on a 9mm. and gasping to catch my breath realizing I was hanging about 15 feet above the bottom with a huge undercut lip in front of me and dripping black basalt about 10 feet in front of that.I grabbed the rope flailing like a beginner on toprope and tried to calm down. I was wearing crampons and felt a small ledge behind me and stood up on it to get off the rope. I located my axe and moved to where it narrowed and chimneyed to where I could throw a hand out and yell "I'm hanging above an abyss " and she replied "Well get your ass out of there!" and I rolled out the lower lip. Now this bloody crevasse was still between us and it didn't seem optional that she should downclimb to me so I sucked it up and got across this time. We conferred and agreed the best way was up and down the south side. We were still so sketched that as long as we could see that gaping gateway to the bowels of the mountain we used running belays. It was strange that the first time we belayed across a crevasse it save my ass. Had I not been roped I would have been so screwed and her to a long way from help. You can bet I don't feel stupid roping up now on seemingly benign territory in fact I put on my prusiks and have a picket and pulley handy. I had my chance to see the void and I will preach to whoever will heed it. Other than glaciers I don't rope to my partners unless we are using protection lest we all be dragged down together. [This message has been edited by RStewbone (edited 09-09-2001).]

Hairball,(sp.) I didn't grade the west face, Jeff Thomas does in his book "Oregon High".He also offers grades for the route you mentioned and several variations. He contends that the direct start of the west ridge is 5.8 and that the south wall is 5.6 and joins the ridge at a spot that avoids the dinner plates. I recommended a partner because the rock is friable adding to the danger. Liability based on recommendation is why every climbing guide has a huge disclaimer.If you soloed the route I'm very proud of you but I didn't feel comfortable recommending that to someone I don't know.RStewbone

climbing4fun, Mt.Washington seems more interesting and I think it would be a good choice if you have a partner. I have done the easy way. You can email me if you would like to do it. I have not done Thielson but know people who did it unroped and said they were ok with it.Washington requires a 2 rope rappel or 60 meter and short chossy downclimb. The west face may be a better route if you are proficient at traditional rock. Three pitches of 5.6. The easy route is the north ridge but the rock is junk although not as bad as some of it's neighbors. I guess the rock on the west face is good. Thielson seems like a long way to go for an easy climb but may be a better solo climb. I have extra equiptment although little is needed. Let me know. [This message has been edited by RStewbone (edited 08-21-2001).]

In J tree some dude next to me had run out a seriously stiff crack and was smoking furiously while his buddy flailed to clean it. That's when I realized it was Bridwell. He made small talk and offered beta in legendary form.

Now that everyone has had there say I have to point out that condemning these freaks for thier opinions won't change the fact that the courts listened to them. And our recreation(or more)depends on getting the courts to listen to us. We would be better served united as a group with a common goal rather than pitching our personal platforms and rants although I admit to starting it. We need to find balance between, for example,turning Smith Rock into a quarry or disallowing visitors except on a guided permit only basis due to erosion or native cultures.(It happened in Texas but because of other reasons.) Back to Mt.Hood. It does boil down to some court somewhere hearing the side of the climber. If Larsen has this much power than something is screwed up(or is it that the court ways heavy toward the opinion of Mr.Larsen) What can each of us do to effect this decision?

Buy a house with a bedroom or two. Is it that you find maximum virility while in nature or just that you live with your parents? Be careful I got some serious poison oak there one year. Are you feeling guilty because you have a wife at home or just because you blew it with all thse other chicks? Even early man had a conscience and was so baffled by his own thoughts that he created God to explain them. No offense to anyone that thinks otherwise.

Bryan, I removed the r word from my reply. No partisanship intended.You can go outside and scream as loud as you want but without money you will have no political influence. Our system is all about quid pro quo and we have nothing to bargain with. The access fund is effective because it has lawyers and cash. Ski areas get preferential treatment over climbers because it means big $$$ not because the forest execs think that skiing is a more laudable use of the mountain than climbing. Timber sales have to be blocked by lawsuits because forest execs ignore the law to get the sale. Where is the evidence to show that Larsen's intentions are altruistic? [This message has been edited by RStewbone (edited 08-05-2001).]

I am so tired of this bullshit! This fee demonstration program made us criminals in Jan. on a day hike up the worm flows. We opted to chance not paying for permits and found out later we would have gooten 100$ tickets no questions asked had we been caught. The lazy ass rangers were'nt out in the marginal weather. It has to be about the money.They dig trying to lease more land to Mt.Hood Meadows although their last attempt was stopped by the suit brought by the Mazamas(who BTW lobbeyed long and hard against the original forest service proposal ,prepared studies and offered alternatives and the permanent anchor controversy also). Limiting trails and summits to those with money is unfair. The U.S.D.A. is just a front to provide welfare for mining, grazing and logging in the form of subsidies and roadbuilding. It makes up the majority of their budget(which the forest service is a part of). Now the forest service is focusing on the recreational ares that produce revenue as opposed to the forest as a whole. You can ride a snowmobile to the rim of Mt.St.Helens tossing beer cans along the way-leaking fuel and spewing pollutants-enjoying the freedom that your powerful lobby of wealthy fatass cigar chomping tobacco money accepting aholes has provided, with little or no consequence ,but walk to the top without your papers and the thought police will have you by the thumbs. Mt.Hood is where I learned and the opportunity should be available for the next group to learn. I bet Larsen didn't mention the 10 million pounds of salt put on the palmer in the last twenty years to support the Timberline gravey train and how thats affecting the ecosystem downstream. If they can't get money from climbers to offset the extra passes necessary by the snowcat(some climbers walk through the middle of the run and get the cat driver yelling at them-the sound of it and the diesel smell sure add to the solitude) they'll simply eliminate the number of chances to mess up the run. There will never be solitude until the thing erupts sending a lahar down the Sandy and wiping out Troutdale. I'm pissed. Let's storm the Bastille! Where do I sign. Mazamas will probably form a commitee to decide how to approach this and I will find out from them what I can do. Unlike You to the north we have limited moutains here so it will be imperative to preserve this great climbing resource. [This message has been edited by RStewbone (edited 08-05-2001).]