slothrop

You're entering a world of pain, Iain. How 'bout: A Fish Called Wanda The Wall Red Dawn 28 Days Later (scariest movie I've ever seen, right up there with watching Night of the Living Dead as an 8-year-old) Seven Samurai

Normally I don't shill for The Man, but the North Face store downtown has some cheeeeep plastic boots right now. Push through the softgoods jungle (what the hell does "A5" have to do with yuppie leisurewear?) to the back, where you will find Koflach Arctis Expe, Degree, Vertical, and Viva Soft boots for about $150. They didn't have my size. Also: Mythos and a few other La Sportiva rock shoes for $90.

I sprained my ankle in January and it healed well. I started off just doing little circles with my foot in both directions, many times a day, as well as flexing and extending my foot as far as it would go without pain. The idea is to slowly increase your range of motion and keep things from stiffening up. The most important thing, I've heard, is to maintain your proprioception (which is like a sense of balance and coordination). Your joint and muscles need to relearn how to behave safely so you don't reinjure your ankle while it's still weak. A good exercise to develop proprioception is balancing on your injured foot. As you get good at that, stretch legs and arms out in various positions to make your ankle work harder. As I got stronger: - walking short distances on my heels and the balls of my feet - step-ups and step-downs on stairs - calf raises - hopping on both feet (up/down, left/right, back/front, in a circle) - short runs on flat, even surfaces After a few weeks, I started climbing at the gym in hiking boots (more ankle support), taking it very easy, never doing anything I'd fall off of, and always downclimbing. The last thing to heal back to normal was lateral range of motion, especially rolling my foot inward (in the same manner as how I hurt it in the first place). Good luck with your recovery!

Sweet... keep it up!

I love it when a calm voice with something to say makes itself heard around here. Thanks for being here, Harry! I look forward to hearing more Cascades history from you. Now back to spray...

Do you need two ropes to TR both top pitches of Narrow Arrow at once?

Awesome.

Yup, Mountain Masters stick like glue, especially on slab. I ran up the Dreamer approach slabs in them on a hot day. If I'm crossing a glacier or something, I just bring pons and they work fine. I've got bone spurs on my heels, too, but my shoes are always tougher than my feet, so I get nasty blisters instead of worn-out shoes. What are the Kayland shoes you saw at FF, Fleb? Are they burly or light?

That sounds like a week to make a season! Great job!

That's a fine accomplishment, but it would be even better if the race went all the way up Whitney and you weren't allowed to have a "four-person, two-van crew" spraying you with water every three minutes. The Burning Man freaks should do that race to experience the same kind of desert hallucinations for less .

Anyone lose a small but important piece of their helmet at Green Giant Buttress lately?

Good job avoiding the gapers, gaper.

Nice job! That crack and the traverse are short, but so is the effort required to reach them. It's definitely a worthwhile day climb.

Looks like the Angel of Death to me... Muffy, I'm sure you're a swell person, but every time I see a post of yours, my eyes glaze over and I move to the next.

I used to climb with a guy who was all innocent enthusiasm and he really pulled me along with him. I'm not that bold, so it helps me to climb with someone who is (as long as they're not a 250lb. fatty whose lead falls I have to catch all day long).

Offset Friends are on sale on Mountain Gear.

I'm a skinny weak bastard and I like this pack, too! Just enough features for me. Only thing I don't like: the loops that hold axes to the daisy chains on the pack body can wiggle themselves loose.

Twin Spires, next to Redoubt and Spickard.

Yup, tennies and 'pons work just fine. The glacier is easy to navigate, too.

How waterproof are those space bags? I took one with me in case it rained last weekend and I needed to cover my down bag like mattp suggests, but I dunno if it would have just shredded quickly in the wind.

Until then, I'm sure I'll see you drinking heavily at pub club.

Sorry the Woman's bringing you down, Gary. When are you done with your advisor and his bullshit guilt trip for good?

Buckindy Crags!