slothrop

Yeah, but I don't hear about it, so I gotta ask. I figured you'd pipe up.

Thanks for the insight, Mal_Con. Standards of safety have certainly changed. The Coleman Headwall seems like a fairly serious route nowadays, not one I would think to lead fourteen relative newbies up in marginal weather. But I learned to climb in a very safety-conscious environment, so what do I know? There's still a UW climbing club, but they are all hip to the latest in liability awareness, so no "official trips". Oh, and some guy named Captain Defecto recently put out a buildering guide to UW.

David Gunstone, I believe. He was a pretty active climber around here, did some route development at Index. He died not too long ago climbing in Squamish.

While googling routes on Mt. Baker, I came across this bit of weirdness: http://www.geocities.com/redmondrose/FlyingDutchman.htm I had heard rumors of the UW having had formal climbing courses years back... anyone around here take part in them? The Coleman Headwall trip described in the above page sounds like a bad idea from start to finish.

Sounds great! OK, gotta ask: anyone know of previous winter ascents? Beckey lists one of the nearby Roman Nose, but they ain't the same.

Wow, cool photos, Klenke. So are you saying you took your rack for a walk this time?

Come to where the flavor is... Klenke Country. Nice job, Ade.

It was raining a little on the drive over and sprinkled slushy stuff on us in the Blue Lake parking lot. Perfectly clear in the morning, though.

Climb: Kangaroo Temple-NW Face Date of Climb: 3/12/2005 Trip Report: Eric Gratz and I climbed the NW Face route on Kangaroo Temple on Saturday (3/12/2005). Originally, Eric just wanted to go to Index or something because he had to study for finals, but all I had to say was "Washington Pass". We left Friday night. Things looked sketchy right away, as Eric wasn't diggin' the Zappa on the stereo, fell asleep, and started to snore. It rained. I worried about the rain. I worried about having climbed nothing but Coach's Crack in months. We laid out sleeping bags in the back of the Subaru and Eric conducted his snore orchestra, heavy on the bass and oboe parts. For breakfast, Eric shared his magical long-lasting burritos. Their effects lasted well into the approach, their taste returning now and then. We sidehilled ridiculously in our snowshoes through the trees after Kangaroo Pass. The mountain looked cold. We wandered to and fro near the base of the route, looking for the best start, finally settling in to belay at a tree partway straight up the first pitch of the summer route. Eric led in crampons with much scraping on the traversing, slabby bits, then was rewarded with some thin ice and mixed climbing to a tree. This first pitch had a little of everything: drytooling on slabby granite, moss/dirt, sticky ice, verglas. Really fun. Verglas was treacherous, collecting in the positive dimples on the slabs. Eric took a nice leader fall on pitch three, right as he was reaching for a piece of gear. I reeled in several armfuls before he scraped to a stop, upside down and saying "eff" in his inimitable way. I cheese-gratered off at nearly the same spot while following, swinging to a stop directly over a big smear of ice. We were in rock shoes at this point, which is really the best way to play "find-the-verglas". Eric after pulling the tree on p4 At the "Dance Floor", we went the way labeled "variation" in Beckey, belaying in a snowy, dark, windy alcove. The sun was on the face at this point and I chose the only dark spot to belay. For the last pitch, Eric led past in a shower of oatmeal granite, up the rightmost of three weaknesses. It was sunny and frickin' beautiful on top. What a day! We gaped at some skiers across the way (Kam, Chris, was that you?) and I looked in vain through my spy scope for climbers on the Liberty Bell group. We took four rappels to get down, leaving three runners, a pink tri-cam, a quicklink, and a dropped green Friend for you bootyhounds. Shoulda used the two short raps off the north side. NW Face of Kangaroo Temple Beckey doesn't list any winter ascents of this peak, but Steve House probably climbed it accidentally one day while finding "The Way". In any case, it was a fun climb in the conditions we found it in. Gear Notes: cams and nuts to 2", brought pins but didn't use 'em Approach Notes: Hey! The highway's open! Rode the slowshoes; hard 'n crusty near the hairpin, slushy 'n sucky on southern exposures

Wanna, yes. Canna, no. God help me. Have fun, chuck.

The two upper bolts on p2 City Park are HUGE (and stainless, if I remember correctly). The lower bolt is pointless. The ledge is big and the belay is good, so I don't see why you'd want to even clip the bolt, which won't save you from hitting the ledge.

Anyone know of this route being climbed in the winter before?

Bump. I've had some offers, but no one has come through.

Two tickets, 27th row, lower level. $100 for both, OBO (regular price $150). Game's at 6pm. I've got another commitment tonight, so I can't go. Call me ASAP at (206) 226.3299 if interested.

Gary's photos are from MLK Day (17th)... some pillar near milepost 9.

^^^ That must be in Japan.

The window was not in a door, so your suggestion wouldn't work, CBS. Luckily, we had so much gear in the trunk/hatchback that we just shoved a piece of cardboard between gear and window.

Just the tip loops, size large (83mm). http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/tip_loops.php Used once, they were oh-so-slightly too wide for my skis. $15. Send PM if interested.

The new law stipulates that 80% of the money collected at a site goes to improving the site. This regulation, combined with the "spend it or lose it" budget mentality common throughout government, will ensure that public lands get overdeveloped. RV hookups at the Stuart Lake Trailhead, here we come.

How about for a Subaru? I assume all the tires being discussed here are for light trucks.

The sponsor of the Senate bill (Jeff Bingaman, D-NM) has this to say: http://energy.senate.gov/news/dem_release.cfm?id=183861

Anyone able to find the text of the rider? Thomas says HR 3283 is the "Infant and Toddler Durable Product Safety Act"... Ok, I searched for "Federal Lands Recreation Fee Authority Act" and found the Senate version of the bill.

I know one of you out there still has the Euro-style green stretchy tips on their skins. One of mine ripped clean through and I'm refitting my skins with a newer tip/tail kit, so I don't have much use for the other stretchy thing. It measures 70mm inside the large wire and 57mm inside the wire that goes over the tip. It's not in perfect shape, but it's free and probably still useful as a backup. PM me to pick it up.

As long as no one's got a position of power over the other, go for it. Especially if you don't like your job.

What's most surprising is that all of a sudden Israel has annexed Libya, according to the map. And the Persian Gulf is apparently the only body of water of its kind, since it's labeled "The Gulf". Maybe MSNBC just wants us to forget that there ever were other gulfs, like "of Tonkin".