Pencil_Pusher

It's more of a shin-dig to find out who's all bark and no bite.

Hey all, how about Jon and Tim schedule a little party for all us CC.com folks. We can put nametags on that indicate our screen names and then mingle and tell stories. A great way to put a screen name to a face and get to know our fellow climbers better.

Oh please, Dan, you know how this internet lashing really hurts my soft feelings. No more abuse... I just can't take it. Have fun climbing!

Somebody mentioned something about not rapping off slings. Short of this different rope diameter stuff, you mean you'd rather rap off one rap ring than put the rope through all the slings? I've rapped quite a bit this way, always because the rope stays constant on the slings when loaded. None of the folks I've climbed with have made any mention of it and I certainly think it's wiser than threading that rope through the single ring. What do you all think?

Check out the post for partner(s) in the Mt Rainier section.

Saturday's weather is supposed to be great. Wondering if anyone would be up for doing a one day ascent, leaving Paradise at either 9pm Friday or 9pm Saturday? Obviously any queries will have to result in a real one-on-one meeting as there's no way to know who's got the skills/experience over the internet.

I've had enough of Dan. Anybody up for climbing Rainier in a day, this Saturday the 30th? DC or ID, weather is supposed to be great.

Please don't hurt me. I'm just a pencil pusher.

Good Food has the biggest and greasiest burgers this side of the Mississippi. On Hwy 20.

Mike Buker: Ha! That was my exact experience as well going from Tooth to Saber. So Dan, go find Castle Rock near Leavenworth and lead Saber, then lead Canary, then come back and tell us all about it.

While I admire the person wanting to catch the burglar, think about the possible outcomes. Beat and spray paint the kid and then you can't call the cops. Even if you do/don't, at that point the kid will just say he was minding his own business and then got jumped. The police will track you down and you'll be the criminal. Your best bet, if you decide to stake things out, is to provide for your own self defense, take control of the situation until the police arrive, and then file your report. Everything you do, once the police are involved, will have to be justified, FYI.

Oh, and another thing, the rock on Sherpa is looser than a two-bit hooker. If you're belaying, seek cover. Serious cover. It seems the crux of the climb is not the difficulty of the actual climbing, rather not tipping off the multiple rocks that might kill/maim your belayer or freakingly cut the rope.

Little poodles bark and yap up a storm, especially over the internet. Okay, you got me. Like everyone else here, I really don't climb. I just modify all the trip reports I see in my monthly Mountaineers magazine. I'm waiting to find some internet-chickie who digs my style.

Thanks for all the beta, folks. We bivyed in the basin below the col. There WAS running water, but when the temps got down, the well went dry. There is a few snow patches still left on route causing us some confusion as to the actual route. Needless to say, going up black lichen/moss means you're definitely off route!! We had to bail on Sunday due to that A1 start and the weather, but a fun trip nonetheless and great directions provided by you all to boot. This trip is, as has been said, totally do-able as a day trip. Light and fast.

We were bivying this Sat to do an attempt on Sherpa's West Ridge and I decided to spend my free time going up Stuart, from near the basin below the Sherpa/Stuart col. I had hiking boots, four-point crampons and my ice axe. It's mostly a hike on up some couliors, with some rock scrambling. The climbing from the false summit to the actual summit was more of some moderately exposed scrambling, nothing to rope up on, just be careful. Going down is where I really wanted full crampons. I reached the summit at 7pm and going down was difficult as the snow hardened up and it became increasingly difficult to safely descend, the boots didn't penetrate and the purchase was minimal. My heart goes out to anyone stuck on the north ridge of Stuart (or anywhere on it)on Sunday. Perhaps it let up, but it blew in cold and fast with some balled-snow (?) coming down. When we got to Long's Pass and looked at Stuart, quite a bit of the 6200 ft and up area had a light coating of that ball-snow on it and Stuart itself was enshrouded in clouds. It had been raining pretty good ever since we left that 6200 foot mark all the way to the car, with a brief let-up at Longs.

Geez, if you all want self-protection, perhaps it's better to go with the credo, "Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six." Pack some firepower, even if just a 38 derringer.

I was curious if anyone had any suggestions as to the approach for this and whether it would be feasible to go light and make the West Ridge of Sherpa a day climb? Thanks for any info.

quote: Originally posted by Bronco: if you want a summit type pack and it has suspension, will it fit in your big ass pack? B] Bronco: So you were saying about summit packs with no suspensions? Chill out folks, I know people have big egos here but take a chill pill. Then shut up and climb.

Great, Dan. That's what I'm here for, to take crap from someone I'm offering suggestions to. Have fun climbing.

All you need is a razor blade. Improvise with everything else. I do like the story shown above of folks cutting the webbing off their packs to rap with. Some good thought... and guts stepping out on that...I think I'd sacrifice a chunk of my rope first.

I call it alpine climbing. I don't carry a drill although I have considered doing such to save the trees and bushes getting mauled as rap anchors. If I use aid to get past something I cannot climb, I have no qualms about it. Wouldn't it suck to get that far and retreat because I couldn't free it? As with everything, liars only fool themselves. The experience is what makes each trip unique. But to say, "Oh you cheated using your knees or going for that move," is ludicrous. Hang-dogging is a big grey area. Isn't there a redpoint definition out there? I think (?) that's for a free ascent less the hair combing. I'd still tend to associate climbing etiquette folks (less the bolt/chipping debate) with those same snobbish, cigar in one hand, martini in the other folks. We each climb for our own reasons. You could be some goofball with a good knowledge but no climbing. Or someone with climbing who twists the story to fit your needs. Even a guy who once did all the things you claim to detest. Either way, I'll still be hungry, tired, sore, cold, and forgetting yet another thing on one of my trips. I'll try to keep mum about the ashamed part. See you around.

Nothing more to add for me. Get in a pissing match with a skunk and you'll wind up smelling like one.

Wow, I like Beck's thought process. Wish I could remember what the heck my pack is called. It's basically a bag with a top pouch, weighing in under two pounds. Frameless, I don't know how big, and 58 dollars brand new. Probably should be an oversized book bag. Anyhow, it was big enough for my half of the climbing gear, bivy, and stove (joke... Snow Peak Giga). That was a nine mile hike in with 5500 ft elevation gain (Prusik via Snow Crk). With these frameless packs, comfort is sacrificed for an objective, the climb. You just need to punch the bulges a few times to level things out, then haul butt. I've also got a Kelty Tornado which I think is 4000+ cubic inches weighing in at four pounds. I've used it for all my trips now to include three day trips on Helens, Shuksan, and Rainier. Good luck. ---oh yeah, and I pro-dealed the Tornado for $52. get killer deals working for the goods stores. [This message has been edited by Pencil Pusher (edited 06-20-2001).]

I'll second Beck's thoughts. Responding to Bronco: Why the heck would you want to carry a separate summit pack with suspension??? That's your choice (and money) I guess, but if I was going to carry a summit pack at all, it'd be a sub 2 pound frameless pack that I could wad up into a ball or strap on to the outside.

I thought the Mounties offered tons of outings for you folks? Go on as many of these as you can and market yourself. Buy them beer, whatever. Better yet, grab one of your fellow classmates and go out yourselves. Hopefully they taught you most of what you'll need to know there in the Mounties. Do it again and again. You NEED time on the rock and the only way to get it is to do it. Go top rope at Exit 38, Marymoor, or the rock gyms.