johnny

You guys are awsome!! Surely the most underrated wit to be posted on the internet ever?!? Dru, that was actually mighty clever, whatever anyone else has to say about it.

CC that was GREAT!!! Did you get paid to write it as well?

The big question is whether to stay up till 3 or 4 am or to wake up really early. Hmmmmmmmm.... It does sound pretty cool though, a friend told me about this shower a week or so ago. I can even see it from NC. Guess I don't live all that far away after all, it is all relative!

Daisy, you are closer to Smith Rocks than most of us, especially me! It is just south in Oregon. Beacon rock beckons also, just drive downstream, if your driving on the Washington side its on the left. If you lived in North Carolina like I do now, one guidebook covers the whole state with equal amounts of vagueness. Since you live way out west, pick a climbing area and sure as shit someone has written a guidebook about it. Spoiled? Hmmmmmmm, I kinda liked it actually...... Why Walla Walla? Its not wet enough! If you ever find yourself in the Yelm area (are you listening sexy chocolate?) Fossil Rock is actually pretty cool for a good crank. Many of the routes stay dry even in the pouring rain. Good luck staying dry on the approach though. Leave your ethics at the door please, its all bolts with added bonus holds though. Get Yoder & Ford's Guidebook and ride your bike instead of walk the aproach road, save yourself an hour. Nothing much over 5.12 but if you are like me that is PLENTY!! A cool thing to do is to crash on the top of the rock. There is some good bouldering just down Madrona gulley (the route to the top) Noone really does it so you are likely to have the rock to yourself. Good views, relatively quite, a great place to relax and.........

STRUCK: when something occurs to someone, an idea or thought. not STRUCK: past tense of strike, to hit or attack in some way. Sorry, got the impression you were more concerned about having to hear it than what was going on. Got a lot of half-baked parenting ideas running about in my head these days......... P.S. Stay away from Exit 38, it causes cancer. At least get over on the Far Side!!! Now I remember, It was you David. Thank you again, it works awsome! Have you ever been knocked off by your child? I kept trying to find solid rests that seemed bomber enough to keep me attached if Sean dropped on my head. Actually made a 5.6 crag route quite challenging

Hey Caveman, As soon as I sent that reply something struck me. In the scenerio you dexcribed at E38, which part was cruel again? Was it the part where someone else had to listen to a child freaked out and doing something they did not want to do or the part where a child was freaked out and doing something they did not want to do. Priorities, man, priorities.

Caveman, reread my post OK? Sean had a wonderful time.I am sharp enough to not force Sean into anything he does not want to do. I climb. A lot. Sean wants to try it out, perhaps for no other reason than to hang out together. There is no "training". There is no whining (that means someone is not having a good time). There is just a good, mellow time at the crag with the opportunity to challenge each other and get closer. Anything else is no good, there are plenty of other cool things to do during a day in the woods. P.S. I had his sister Heather (4 years old) hanging in a small harness. She climbed about 5 feet up and proceeded to make me swing her out from the rock and back again for just about ever. She would not let me stop! (and she squealed quite loudly the whole time)

I just wanted to send out a big THANK YOU! to whoever suggested tying in below a young'un to help/reassure them while they climb for the first few times. A while back I asked for advice on introducing kids to rock and someone dropped that little tidbit (was it you Will??) I spent the day at Pilot Mountain near Winston-Salem on Sunday with the family and got Sean (just turned 9 and a bit afraid of heights) up a couple rather long 5.6ish routes. It was GREAT! It was a bit tough trying to maintain a solid stance below Sean, waiting for him to peel off and knock me off as well. I found that it is very easy to have too much or too little line between you and the other climber. About 6 feet seemed good, enough for me to be close for support yet allow me enough slack to move and wait for Sean to move. It really helped Sean to have me right there with him. Advice on foot/hand placements as well as the ocassional "It's OK, you're doing awsome, relax and breath" thing. Super cool getting a wide-eyed breathless hug at the anchor too!!! Anyway, He had a great time, and so did I. Just wanted you all to know!!!

I am actually outside climbing right now, honest. Someone else is writing this for me. Really.

Quite the entertaining thread! For something that makes you quite passive, pot sure can get people fired up!!!! I have absolutely nothing more to say that has not already been said save one thing: all this talk about partaking in the great outdoors and not a peep from our willing to compromise his ultralight hiking kit with a titanium pipe guy; Stone Cold Willy. Will, are you actually out climbing instead of bitching about other peoples habits?? GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! I think I will go do the same. Anyone done any late night in the dark herbally enhanced bouldering? Truly a world class enterprise if there ever was one!

A piton placed by hand only. Placed for safety of course..........

Nice, bozo, real nice. ski much????

Dru, can donuts be teritorrial? I was under the impression that they were more migratory by nature?

Um, perhaps all you have is tele boots and a randonee setup. Those super cool stiff boots cost lots of super cool hard to find money you know. Take it from someone who has very little of it and still unashamedly uses his 12 year old Koflach plastics in old school hinged Silvretta bindings on skiis without metal edges. I havn't broke 'em yet and couldn't afford to buy new ones if I did anyway. Too many toys to buy and not nearly enough time!!!!!!!!!!!

I now live less than 3 miles from Krispy Kreme's corporate headquarters. While visiting, one can marvel at the great River Of Oil, watching the nervous but excited young donuts make their way downstream towards fame and fortune. Farther along, one may be blesed with a glimpse of sunlight flickering through the mystical Glaze Waterfall. If one looks closely, some of the older, more mature donuts may be seen solemnly passing beneath the falls in their baptismal rite of ascension. It truly is an illuminating pilgrimage. I will never look at the world the same way again. And you guys thought cops just snarfed donuts for the sugar. No, it goes way beyond that my friends...............

Is that the Dallas who put together the Mt. Erie bouldering guide or am I on some other planet? There is actually some pretty cool stuff to play on without a rope there, much of it is easy and much of it is quite hard. I especially like his "no hands routes". Most of them are VERY challenging! Has anyone else used that book to explore the bouldering potential there? I also hold up a glass to the old climbers out there. My Father is 58 years old and has summited Rainier 17 times (probably attempted it twice that many...)Been up Denali too. He has been at it (climbing) for around 30 years now. Learned a thing or two he has............. He figures that if his biggest problem right now is trying to lead 5.10 rock at his age then it can't be all bad! There is hope for us approaching middle age hackers yet.........

Peter, you are dead-on with the technology thing. I have climbed several times now at Stone Mountain here in NC. Much like Static Point, steep, high quality granite friction. My girlfriend had never climbed before anywhere yet cruised up some pretty highly graded stuff on her first visit. All or at least most of the routes were established from the ground up, placing bolts on lead from super run-out, sketchy friction stances with old-school rubber. When many of these routes were established, they were given pretty high ratings due to the epic nature of their construction. Now I can waltz over and pad my way up what was once an epic in my fancy new Scarpas. Many first time climbers can now follow 9's and 10's on their first day without too much trouble here. Unless of course you are Royal Robbins or Fred Beckey and what they call 5.8 the rest of us call 10b...........

My comment in another thread about Beckey's "combative ascent through vine maple" in the Big Four description got me to thinking..... OK, hold on while I think.....just a second...... A statement like that would definately cause me to consider another route now that I know what he was referring to. (I likened the vine maple to combing ones hair backwards. Definately not a good experience!) Are there any other phrases that struck you in his books? Offhand comments that should cause one to shiver with anticipation, or fear, or just plain avoid the route like a plauge?? Just wondering.

Bushwacking is way too much fun to be legal! Anyone remember Beckey's "combative ascent through vine maple" in his Big Four route description. When Becky says something like that.....BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID!!!!

Climberbro, thank you for your support of the Olympics even if you can't spell worth a darn. Oh, and a meter is about 39 inches, a foot is 12 How come noone posts to this site with tales of the Olympics? People do actually travel in them, honest, I seen 'em! Anyone who has scrambled around in the upper Elwha or Quinault basins will NEVER forget their experiences!!! Will, you must have been out on the peninsula right? sounds like you have been everywhere else. I think even Beckey accidently drove up Hwy 101 once.............

All this talk just makes my feet hurt! Will, Havn't hiked any of it yet, just glimpsed tiny bits of the AT. Any recommendations on a 3 to 10 day stretch? I want to spend some time on it over the next year or so , some will be alone, some will be with my girlfriend and some with the kids. Totally different trips, those, but I am looking for highlights to get started with....??? I have never strung more than two 30 plus miles together in my life. THAT F%#(&*NG ROCKS!!!

Um, anyone been to Olympia? You know, the one South of Tacoma? I just might be biased but Washington is cool as hell and so is Evergreen. Where else can you walk in and say, "uh, look dude, I need to get a degree, am I in the right line?" Anyone have a graemlin with dreads??? Write your own educational game-plan, ski at White pass, climb at Tieton canyon plus all the other opportunities in Washington are within striking distance. BUT WAIT, THERES MORE!! If you call now you can drive not one, not two, but literally half an hour to the OLYMPICS! Anyone heard of 'em? They are the collection of bumps to the west everyone forgets about that offer some of the best wilderness travel, fishing, and yes, even climbing that this planet has to offer. Shhhhhhhh, don't let this one out OK you guys

I have never used a Reverso....Are they really all that AND an bag of feed?? Aren't they pretty cheap as well? Like I said, I use the munter most of the time but I am a bit concerned about rope wear. The built-in lowering bit is a mighty valuable feature too, hmmmmmmmm...........

Go climbing Carolyn!!! If someone you know is going cragging for the day, no matter what level they are working at, GO WITH!! There is no easier way to becoming proficient at climbing, be it bolts or gear, than to just do it or at the very least be around it. You sound sharp enough to avoid stringing yourself out with someone who is trying something over their head. That being said, have confidance in your skills, be they book or field learned and push yourself wherever you feel comfortable. Keyword: Comfortable. Is there is a cool, low fifth class route nearby? Something you feel confidant climbing, even if you have to lead it all yourself? Sometimes those routes are way more fun than their grade might indicate and worthy of doing in their own right. Ask any experienced northwest alpine climber how much fun a long, perhaps exposed, yet "only" 5.3 route that is 85% 4th class is. Find a friend who is at least athletic if you cannot find another experienced climber and GO CLIMBING!!! Hit a local crag and do all the easy routes. Just get on the rock!! The Mountineers and their ideals are overrated as a learning tool. Conservatism can only get you so far. I may catch no end of hell for this but learning is all about performing the unfamiliar, under as much control as can be mustered, mind you, and succeeding. All the climbing pioneers we read about today became such by being pioneers; extending themselves and trying new things. We now have the benefit of detailed guidebooks, both routfinding and technical, but the bottom line is adventure. With a big fat capital A!! You have learned some of the knots, learned some of the methods, don't be shy about using them. They work. What you have learned is solid and it is not as complicated and life threatening as some would make you believe. As long as they are executed with both CONFIDANCE and CAUTION Sorry if I have preached but climbing is so much damn fun that caution must be put in its proper place. It MUST exist, but it MUST not interfere to the point of negating the Prime Directive: Scare the shit out of yourself during your quest for personal improvement. Overcoming your fears is what this is all about!!! Cool part about climbing is that you get your rocks off while touching the Earth in a very personal, basic way. Is there anything better? OK enough Yada Yada Yada for the time being. You live in Wisconson? Well that makes you the closest climber I currently know of as I now live in Nort Carolina. Coming this way anytime soon??

that I failed to erase the out-takes from my last post and thusly left some obscure phrase hanging out there in space..............sorry!