Pencil_Pusher

I've had water right from the stream with no ill effects all over this state. Granted, I am a little particular about the where but I remember as a boy scout hiking all over and drinking right from the streams. Otherwise, I'm in the iodine tablet crowd.

"Spam"? Ain't that the pot calling the kettle black in here? I mean, the guy took the time to jump through the hoops to get an account here and then posted something. That's a far cry from the perverted and financial spam stuff us folks in hotmail receive everyday. Relegate Shahid to the selling section rather than censor/delete. Then put all those shameless plugs for guide services and gear shops in there too.

No wonder I couldn't find this damn post, it was put in spray by Lamebone! I agree with Stefan, there are certainly places we should leave untouched... but what does that have to do with bolting? "Pure blasphemy" because I think there's some justification for Retro's "warm fuzzy feeling" and the anti-bolt militia. But I also think that bolt should be placed right because we all clip those damn things with an expectation that they're virtually bomber. Cool, new gremlins! Here's one for the lamebone oh, nice name for it too! Hey, this is sprayland.

SPEED Wonderland Trail in under 24 hours Here it is, Norm... in full color. Somebody, or a few bodies, will make the Wonderland fall to under 24 this year.

Uh, check it out. Pure Blasphemy A how-to that's a little more descriptive than fishproducts website.

After reading the posts here, I still don't know the name of the DMM one (and am too lazy to check on the internet). But the biner weighs 41g and was expensive... $10.50 sounds high. Maybe it's a good thing my memory isn't so good then!

A friend took my two biners mentioned above (the DMM biner I can't remember the name to, but it's the wiregate that is shaped kinda funny) to the REI gear test lab last night. The Neutrino is rated to 8kn open while the DMM is 10kn open. I could only afford to be stupid with two biners so I figured it best to opt for worst case scenario. I wasn't there due to school, but my friend just e-mailed and said the Neutrino failed at 8.4kn and the DMM at 10.4kn. Both were slightly used... closer to new. A 9/16" sling and 5mm cord were to be tested as well, but I don't know their stats yet. If anyone else was there last night, perhaps they could share with the outcomes of some of the equipment? I have no clue as to the engineer questions anyone asks as to the test procedures. To me though, hearing them both break above their ratings was confidence inspiring.

When you call me pencilneck it kinda makes me feel tingly all over.

JJA, where did you get this Barrabes quote from? Barrabes Openminded Edited for tone, cascadeclimber gives a good link for this topic. ----------------------------------------------------------- Barrabes rules. They have opted to serve our interests rather than BD and other companies. How is it an ice axe made in the USA is sold here for $250 and also sold via Barrabes for $120? And then BD gets mad as hell and cuts Barrabes off??? Retail stores can't sell some manufacturers brands without first signing a contract with the manufacturer saying THEY WONT SELL BELOW A CERTAIN PRICE. Price fixing at its best. Barrabes is pledging allegiance to its customers which is an exceptional stance to take in todays market. That mountaineering magazines will not accept Barrabes advertising is another shameful disgrace for our (USA) "free market".

Okay... once I get my balance down I will no longer need to kick? So why do all the swimmers kick? Granted, when I just stroke, I move quick (insert Beavis and Butthead joke here). But I've seen gals and guys frickin cruise with those kickboards so I think either my style is off or I'm not used to putting that much effort into kicking... or a combination of both. Either way, I'm tired of being hunted down and passed by old, hairy-backed men with shit-eating grins on their faces as I'm about ready to holler for the oxygen bottle.

I too thought ill of the SMC's for a while. I don't know why, I like them now. Met a ranger on Denali who swears by them. He said it only took him an extra minute to put his on versus the step-ins. I too think they're fast to put on, after you've adjusted them. A guy I know went up the Mowich face on Rainier with them (a year ago, so no historical nostalgia there). I've used the SMC's as well and if I had the extra dinero, I'd buy them. Heck, I'd buy those Stubai's too. Come to think of it, given my current economic status, I'd buy the Stubai's first... uh, so good point, bronco.

Holy frijoles, swimming is friggin hard! Moreso because I can't get enough frickin air. But I'm two weeks into it now, so hopefully what you say will come true. What's up with the kick? I move like an old lady when I use a kickboard. Heart rate monitors: Walmart.com sells a few Timex Heart Rate Monitors that vary, $56, $71, and $I forgot.

I tried some this weekend on toast... thinking it was sweet like honey. Not quite, definitely a 'unique' taste to it. I think I'll try that chocolate syrup suggestion.

Did anyone go? "Not I," said the spider to the fly. Night classes...

Bought a 21oz bottle of brown rice honey from Fred Meyers for $3.89 last night. I remember the thread on making this stuff at home, a while back. Maybe you could skip the chemists concoctions and just drink your Cytomax with this. You get the energy and whatever-the-hell-Cytomax-uses for the endurance. Or you could mix some of the Cytomax powder in with the honey/syrup. Now I'm not remembering if what I bought was honey or syrup... well, whatever the main ingredient is for the Clif Shot, that is what I bought. So honey/syrup mixed with Cytomax (either on the go through liquid, or mixed with gu prior) would be a simple and cost-effective way to go. Well, cost effective compared to Gu ($1/oz). Does that sound right or did I just eat way too much chocolate before thinking about this?

Just bringing this current as an FYI to the folks out there in la-la land.

Just a reminder for this meeting. Fees are supposed to double. I don't know if the RMI issue will also be discussed. The location is either at the Seattle REI or Seattle Mountaineers headquarters, I'm not sure. It's in the evening.

The Seattle REI, about one week ago.

Based on this article then, it appears the best bet for anyone that wants to help these folks out is to appear at Bumping Lake tomorrow morning and offer assistance. The weather and conditions are going to suck.

The same day I spied the Grivel crampons, Seattle REI also had the SMC's on display. At 20oz and strap-ons, they're nice. I think REI sold them for $80 and the Grivels for $120.

Check your PM's. I guess it's a waiting game then. I have also been contacted by another person who is available to go tomorrow morning, fyi.

Mike, check your PM's. Steve, could you call the John Duhrand guy? I cannot make a long distance call from work. See if we can meet one of their people at their base of operations tomorrow morning. Undoubtedly they'll be skeptical. Okay, I e-mailed that link SEF provided with my contact info. I asked if I could meet someone at their base of operations and said I'd be going down there with at least another person of like experience. Anyone out there know how to get ahold of either of these two skiers? Maybe they've turned up?

I'm up for this. Anyone else? Grab your gear and we head down there tonight or tomorrow morning to see if SAR needs help. I'm skeptical on a couple of fronts. I assume we all take personal responsibility for our actions. Nevertheless, SAR will probably turn us down for safety and liability concerns. We don't have a background they can verify and we may get in the way of their efforts. If one of us gets hurt or killed trying to find these dudes, we'd be taking away SAR resources devoted to finding them, thereby hampering their efforts. Maybe someone knows contact info for this dude so we don't head there for nothing? I don't think anyone reading this website is going to ask for our help so it's up to us to act and ask them if they need it. So: Contact info for missing guys Contact info for SAR group looking for these guys How to get to trail We may get turned away, but at least we tried. pencil_pusher@hotmail.com

True enough.

Glad you got the caps lock key thing worked out now, Jerry. How about some info concerning your outing? You were with this group in question?