Fairweather

I'm more amused by the 'feel good' types who use bio-diesel and think they're making a real difference. But you're right about the ethanol subsidies. And it isn't just Bush...it's every president in recent memory, I believe.

Fuck Saudi Arabia, and FUCK their oil too. 17%. We can make do without it. Screw Pakistan. Musharraf is a backstabbing weasel afraid to take a stand against the islamo-thugs within his own borders. ....and please spare me the House of Bush/Saud conspiracy bullshit. It's beneath you.

Um, last time I checked the news, Christians, Jews, Budhists, etc, weren't slicing the heads off of live victims (while making home movies, even!), crashing airliners into occupied structures, sending suicide bombers into subways, blowing up schoolchildren in the Caucasus Mountains, killing tourists in Bali, allowing their pastors to issue death warrants on non-believers......................................etc. All the while, Islam offers only excuses and obfuscation. March 23, 1945 August 6, 1945 August 9, 1945 These people were more willing to die than the current batch of jihadists we see today. But, in the end, they chose to live - as most reasonable human beings do. Also, Josh, you need to tone it down a bit. I actually have you on my will mutually respect list...for now.

AlpineK & friends ain't gonna' like this...... http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/July05/ethanol.toocostly.ssl.html

Terrible. Sling failure? Or did the whole block/horn pull out?

There is a belief by some that this 'proposal' already exists, and that this is one reason for a non-repeat of 9/11 here in the USA. I'm not sure I believe this is the case, but a framework similar to the Cold War's MAD policy seems appropriate. I find it hard to understand the reluctance to retaliate that you all display. Did you read the original premise? Not just another 9/11...not just one american city...but several nuke attacks - several of our cities destroyed. If it could be demonstrated that adherants to Islam were responsible, and that they had government sponsorship of even the most tacit degree, the HELL YES we should retaliate with every weapon at our disposal. As an American citizen, I would demand it!...if I hadn't already been vaporized along with all of you. Sheesh! You guys would probably want to sit down and discuss grievances with the motorcycle gang that just raped your wife. I'm glad you weren't running the show in 1941. We might not be at war with Islam, but they sure seem to be at war with us...or at least unwilling to rein in their most rabid dogs.

Nice TR. For future ref; FS road 23 from Randle to Trout Lake is a much faster drive from Seattle or Tacoma than doing the big go'round.

Nice to see how you are so quick to tie a Brit law enforcement issue to GW and Texas. Guess that's what happens when your hatred of something-or someone-is so complete that it defines your very being.

Based on Tweezer's fly over pics, and info I recently obtained from the ranger/geologist I talked to at Hoh, we need to start planning a memorial service for Anderson Glacier. Apparently, it is now no more than a few inactive patches of perennial snow. Compare to pictures from 1920 and even 1970's and the sad truth is impossible to ignore. Strangely, Linsley's Glacier which has roughly the same aspect, although it sits on a higher shelf beneath West Peak, is still active as ever and appears to be maintaing balance. (?) I suspect that "route 2" will soon become the new standard and more climbers will look at the approach to Eel Glacier via Hayden Pass. (?) I too, hope to check things out frsthand before the summer is over. Maybe we'll see you up there! Here is Tweezer's photo from an earlier thread:

The topic is cost of living, numbnuts. The cost of housing is only one component. Must be the drugs again, AK? Try to concentrate.

Must be that $40billion monorail.

After an absence of 21 years from Olympus, I decided to give it a try with my son despite accounts of less than great climbing conditions. We left for Olympus Guard Station on Sunday afternoon and made camp alongside the river. Trudged up to Glacier Meadows the next day and met a large party of guided teen-climbers from the east coast who had summited earlier that day. They claimed that conditions were very good and that both the direct and the Crystal Pass routes were doable. As this group was heading back down, it became apparent that Ben and I would have the mountain to ourselves the next day. We got a late start at 4:15am and arrived on the lateral moraine just in time to see the sun hit the summit ridge far above. The glacier was bare and the firn line appeared to be just a little higher than normal for July. The party from the day-before made a great boot path for us to follow! Snowdome was smooth and only a few small cracks were apparent. Crystal Pass was easily attained and crossed...and NO BERGSCHRUND was present. The upper Blue Glacier was, likewise, smooth with only one semi-nasty snowbridge to cross. After crossing the false summit, and getting our first close-up view of the West Peak, it was apparent that the rumors of "the 60 foot wide moat" were also false. (see picture below) We crossed easily from the snow apron to the ledge where I belayed the kid along and up to the top in short order. The last few feet up seemed harder than I remember, but not any worse than hard fourth-class. Took some pics and headed back down to camp another night at Glacier Meadows. Saw two friendly parties camped at Cal-Tech Moraine and preparing to summit the next day. We got up at 5am and hiked out the 17 miles on Wednesday. Here are a few pics. Sorry about the 'family-theme', but I get carried away with the camera sometimes.....

Damn. What is the stated reason for this? The age of the system? Environmental? I don't get it. My wife, kids, and I took the tram to the top last summer and spent a few hours watching almost 100 paragliders soar into the sky on a sunny, windless day.

Or what? When I cited j_b's 'side of the fence', I should have been more specific and said something like "his corner of the world". I surely didn't mean to paint the average liberal with the same brush I use for j_b - who has expressed a constant and unambiguous disdain for everything American. Did I call anyone unpatriotic? No. But if that label applies to ANYONE on this board, it is certainly j_b.

We all know the deep concern those on your side of the political fence have for our foreign operatives as they carry on with the work of our nation in dark and dangerous places, j_b.

Um...that's, "sentences" Cj. ...and a bit run-on, as well. BTW, I, too, work for the CIA and am on a very important assignment at this very moment. If anyone here tries to out me, I WILL prosecute.

Just thought I'd pass this along..... I'm possibly headed up there this week, so I called the ranger at the WIC in Port Angeles and she confirmed the poor condition of the route to West Peak. When I asked her more detailed questions she seemed to be quoting, ver batum, the condition report as stated in The Mountaineers report from earlier this summer. "Expert mountaineers thwarted, late season conditions", etc. I then called the on-duty ranger at Hoh River. He had a completely different story to tell. He stated that another ranger had just returned from a solo climb of West, Middle, and East Peak, and found the route in decent shape, albeit late season on The Blue. The "gaping 40 foot moat" is easily passable; the cross-over from the apron to the ledge on West Peak is a simple "step across"; and that both the direct route from Snowdome and the Crystal Pass route are passable! He told me that he has heard about all of the poor condition reports, and that he has contacted the main WIC in PA instructing them to discontinue passing these along as valid. Anyway, I'll hopefully have more firsthand info next week. If the route is in bad shape, we'll be climbing East Peak and Athena via Glacier Pass instead.

There seem to be A LOT of slip-and-falls on Rainier so far this year, and it's not even late season yet. I'm just wondering/speculating....has anyone looked at the crampons these folks are/were wearing?? Is the proliferation of lightweight aluminum a factor? I have worn both, and I believe the lightweights are vastly inferior to traditional steel, even on a moderate climb like Rainier. The points are either dull to begin with, or they dull-out during the climb. The points don't hold up to even short transitional stretches of rock such as Cathedral Gap, DC, etc. Some models, like the Grivels, have pretty shallow points. My son was wearing aluminums on Baker last year and had difficulty crossing an icy patch on the Roman Wall, where both myself and the third had no problem with steel. Am I way off base here? Is this worth looking into?

I know this is a longshot....but has anyone been up Mount Anderson via Flypaper Pass recently? Specifically, I'm interested in knowing the current condition of the 'schrund on Eel Glacier. Also, if anyone has been up the route that traverses around the east side of the mountain and avoids Anderson Glacier completely, I'd be interested in hearing about that too. Thanks.

Imagine! Teenagers; acting like...teenagers. Hey! At least they weren't hanging out at the Schurman Hut smokin' dope with the ranger, or at Muir gettin' high with all the losers that lurk around here.

I'm sorry........but that's some funny shit! Teenaged boys throwing dummies off cliffs w/retrieval line attached for another round! Kids these days.

Clintoris, I assume you saw this wreckage while attempting the Kuatz Route from Paradise the other day per your TR. I would point out that you were nowhere near the 'terminal moraine' of the Kautz. You are probably referring to either the lower Nisqually Glacier that you crossed on your way over to The Fan, or, maybe, the edge of the remnant VanTrump Glacier which lies south-and-west of The Turtle snowfield. A proper description of physical features would likely aid rangers in locating this wreckage. Did you get any pictures of it?

Scrambled Legs: Ivan: That ranger at Schurman must have shit his pants when he read your (otherwise magnificent) TR. It never ceases to amaze me...seeing the legnths the pro-pot lobby will go to, and the degree to which they will draw upon twisted and illogical comparisons. Frankly, mj probably should be decriminalized...but it isn't! So in the meantime, Ivan, might I suggest trying to change the system from within by writing a really, really big check to The Libertarian Party. And also in the meantime, for their own good health, I hope the local potheads will keep their dirty habit away from me...and my children.

...you mean, Mt Christie?

Update. Reconsideration. Just checked http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controll...egoryNavigation $269.00 for a used T4!!!! You can get a new Olympus Stylus Epic on the same site for $79.00. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controll...egoryNavigation