bobinc

oh -- more winging about the Middle Fork road, eh?

Perhaps your "inclusiveness" refers to drivers rather than hikers. If so, I am glad that HM's legacy will reflect his enthusiastic support of bipedal access and a questioning of road extensions and wheeled access.

I never met him, either. I did write him once just to tell him how much I appreciated what he had done. If you can, find old Mtneers Annuals from teh early 60s and read his stuff -- strong prose and keen sense of humor. I think he produced the manuscript for teh Sierra Club book on the proposed N Cascades Nat Park in less than a month; it needed little editing. Also a good interview of him in the early 90s book, Cascade Voices.

Economics of ski areas are very similar to the pro sports model; relative magnitude varies, of course (gross revenue, etc) but typically these ventures are a net loser for the locals. This is espcially true in places where local housing becomes unaffordable because of the related glitz factor. This also explains why most ski area owners (generally large conglomerates with large real estate holdings) continually push to develop non-skiing amenities (read, more condos). Very similar to the situation at big sports stadiums where there is a team playing down on the field but where the empahsis is placed on pushing people to buy merchandise and brutally marked-up food and drink. Intersting that the TNT article had no direct mention of global warming. The Snoqualmie areas really are in trouble already and Stevens and Crystal aren't far behind. Even the Utah areas can have problems at times -- note long periods of warm, dry weather in recent memory that make the locals wonder.

If the dems clean up in Nov, the onus will be on them to mop this mess up in two years. That's an awful tall order. Yup -- the R's can always depend on the D's to clean up after them.

If the rich could hire the poor to die for them, the poor could make a pretty good living.

does this include the billions going to military-related academic research?

Psychotic Turnbuckles Pontius Pilate and the Driving Nails

He can HEAR a woman better than man... understanding is another matter altogether...

Jesus Chrysler Swervedriver Ed's Redeeming Qualities Pore

It DOES suck to get stuck behind people on that climb, either at the Crawl or at the summit block (mostly because distances aren't great up there and it is easy to get impatient plus there tend to be beginners who take a very long time). But 8 hrs is probably an average time given the approach distance and the need for some care when treading on exposed kitty litter near the top. It might be possible to do the thing car-to-car in 4-5 hrs, but what woudl be the point? There is a lot to see and enjoy in that area so hurrying (except for the sake of hurrying (Hey, jsut did S Ridge of 3FJ in 3.888 hrs.!..)) seems ridiculous.

Curb weight is the primary determinant of mileage. I have a 15 year old Toyota that gets 40 mpg on the freeway. It cost $1600. Of course I am sure it is louder than a hybrid and doesn't have as many cool features, but it is cheap to operate. A hybrid makes a lot more economic sense if you do a lot of city driving (where the electric side is more in play). If you are an interstate freeway warrior, you will end up paying a lot for very little economy.

Here's the rig (not all acquired at once so different use history): Size 28.5 Garmont G-Lites (bought new, used once) 184 cm Rossi Big Bangs (in good shape, used one season, as far as I can tell; had 'em tuned up last year) Fritschi FreeRide (guessing 2004 model year; said to have been used about 12 times, everything in good shape) After getting this set-up, I was overcome by conscience and reverted to the dark side (tele habit). You can beneift from my problems by taking this gear off my hands. I'd much rather sell it as a package but would consider alternate offers. Price range: $500 for rig; make offer for separate parts

Redfish Lake website suggests Sept 30 as cut off date for the boat. Yep -- confirmed via email with them today. Mountaineer's Route is the one I was looking at.

Post deleted by bobinc

I will be out that way heading in to the Labor Day weekend (probably Thurs/Fri or Fri/Sat). Plans a bit in flux right now because of work uncertainty. Have all the gear and the experience to lead most/all of the route, just need a partner. The catch is... I will probably be in the area because of work but wouldn't be able to get you out there (although the return trip is no problem). So this may be one for a local or someone coming back through that way. Please PM if interested.

ProSki (in season)

Yeah, the old Clogs are bombproof but they also weigh a ton and that can add up. But the oversize handle is nice with gloves on.

More on it here (plenty of cch bashing included) www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=105618&f=0&b=0

The paterfamilias' name is Jim Bob. 'nuf said.

are ya sure about Ducks and Drakes being rhyming slang? I thought it had to do with being careless with something, as in, "he's playing ducks and drakes with his money". [As in ducks and drakes skittering about on the pond.]

another vote for the Kaukulator...

I like the Whittaker ok but it seems bulky and heavy if you just want a knife to cut tat, etc. Plus you get leafletted by the Jesus-freak owner when you get one.

We climbed Prince of Darkness on Dec 27 (to avoid crowds, obviously) and threw a handwarmer into the chalk bag and also laced one on top of the toes. I seem to recall a modified wool sock street waif improv look for much of the rest of the foot, as well.

The cardio may not seem like a big deal, but it does mean you can get in some exercise and climb in one place rather than having to run outside all of the time in winter and/or join a second gym.