Fairweather

What about an old one-speed piece-of-shit bike for workouts? Or a track bike? Wouldn't this give a better workout than a traditional Mtn/road bike? Any thoughts? My current workout: Day 1) Run 45 min @ 8+mm pace. Day 2) One hour gym cardio workout on "Stair-Mill" machine. Then, some light weights. Day 3) One hour bike ride w/ some long hills. (Mtn bike w/road slicks) Day 4) Rest repeat. Longer run (8-13 miles) once every two weeks (if I haven't been climbing) @9min pace.

Anyone ever leave their (full) blue bag inside a register box? Or worse, use one as a toilet when nothing else was available? Imagine the surprise on some poor Mounties face when he lifted the metal lid a few weeks after your big climb....

**South Tower hit at 9:03am. Kerry's mind "just goes numb". **Kerry witnesses plane hit Pentagon at 9:45am. I'll give you credit j_b! This new Bush-Saudi conspiracy stuff has quite effectively supplanted your usual evil Jewish Cabal rantings. I think you're making some real progress!

Good news! 300 dead Muslim radicals....but the price was too high, IMO. Three dead American servicemen. I say pull 'em back.... and bring in the F-18's and C-130 Spectre Gunships.

40 minutes. Not difficult. This is the time between the second aircraft hitting the South Tower WTC (when Kerry's brain went numb) and the third plane hitting The Pentagon.

j_b, you really are a tool. Seriously. I know what I believe and state it clearly. When my position is plainly beaten or wrong, I change it...or at least admit that I'm out of ammo. (A recent access issues contest with cj comes to mind.) Have you ever reconsidered any of your views? You remain the most smug, arrogant bastard to ever roam the halls around here IMO. A leftist pseudo-intellect who frantically Google's his every reply from the most biased of sites even whilst casting aspersions on the sources of those with whom you disagree. To further aggravate, you lay claim to the open minded award! Trust me... you didn't win it. I basically stand with Greg W (and others here) when I add my voice... Fuck off, j_b. If the world you dream of ever reaches fruition, I will be among the first to take up arms.

I do agree. Great documentary/interview with McNamera. While I admire the guy's spark...(he's f*ing sharp for 85 years old!)...a lot of his answers fall into the CYA category. The film, and McNamera, really provide some clearification/closure regarding The Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, and certain other aspects of The Cold War in general. The guy makes no apologies, but frankly admits that mistakes do happen...and he is guilty of making a few. Takes kind of a "that's just the way it is" attitude. Some of the Johnson Administration tapes played in the film do seem to vindicate McNamera and place the Vietnam escalation directly upon Johnson himself. And McNamera's frank admission that both Lemay and he, along with others, would be considered war criminals for their roles in the firebombing of Japanese cities was sobering. He understands....the winner gets to write history.

Lemay wasn't hindered by the modern media in WWII. Take the press jackals out of the equation and another Lemay would emerge from the ranks to take care of business in places like Falluja...and in a few remote Pakastani villages too. JFK never really took Lemay's 'let's nuke 'em' stand seriously re The Cuban Missile crisis...See "The Fog of War", a stunning documentary on the public life of Robert S Macnamera.

Cj. I'm not sure I understand this statement. Lemay's B-29's brought Japan to it's knees as he personally ordered the incineration of 67 Japaneese cities and killed over a million combatants and civilians. His actions ( at the behest of FDR ) did, in fact, "win the war"...in The Pacific anyway.

Since we're dreamin'... anyone been to South Georgia Island? I've always thought it would be cool to retrace Shakleton's route across and maybe climb some peaks along the way. Patagonia sounds like it would be too.

And I suspect JFK would be ashamed of what the Democratic Party has become. Actually, Josh, the story reads that even Republicans in congress (the administration notwithstanding) are asking tough questions about logging/USFS practices. Anyhow, no need to throw partisan barbs at this point.

All I know is that one hour on the "stair-mill" machine at the gym, set for "steady pace" on speed #13 (of 20), keeps my heart rate at between 150 and 160 bpm. At the end of my workout the "calories burned" reads between 800 and 900. (I weigh about 165lbs) I'm sure this is a very generalized formula that has been programmed into the unit, but I've always thought that this sounds about right, and figure between 800 to 1000 calories per hour on a 1200 vert ft/hr glacier climb at moderate altitude is comparable.

Josh, I don't know if you read the story/link, but just the awful waste illustrated therein galls me to....well... to the point that I'll admit Clinton was possibly right about something! Those forests up in The Tongass aren't going to grow back as readily as trees do in The Gifford Pinchot. To just leave the trees to rot like that is inexcusable...criminal, even. Just as big a crime as raw-log exports IMO. As for the forest pass, here's my position in a nutshell: I'm gonna keep payin' it....so I can keep bitchin' about unrepaired road washouts!

Great trip! Nice pics. That's quite a rockslide. Something that big should have shown up on seismographs around the peninsula, I would think! As for Mt Tom, I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been climbed since 2001. It's a stepchild-of-a-peak and well off the beaten path. Regardless, it is seldom climbed and I am envious of your accomplishment. I'd love to hear more details about the traverse over there and back. Any pics of the route? Any pics looking down White Glacier and the valley that drains into Elk Lake? Cool trip!

OK. Was I wrong about the roadless rule imposed in our National Forests by Emperor Clinton? I've harped on about how this rule would be twisted by the enviro-kooks to limit recreation access...and I still believe it! And I don't think the process under which the rule was imposed could be considered democratic by any means. But when I read stories like this, and align my beliefs in free enterprise...that is, non-or-minimally-subsidized markets....I have no choice but to conclude that timber sales on federal land should be stopped, or sharply curtailed! The Roadless Rule...Maybe Clinton was right. http://www.tribnet.com/news/story/5374772p-5313586c.html

"I find this thread....fascinating."

Family/mountain combo! The pinnacle of life, IMHO. Does your dad do much of this sort of thing? My brother and I took dad over The Chilkoot Trail in AK/Canada a few years ago. In spite of never hiking/climbing, and being in only marginal shape, he kicked ass, never complained, and came out blister-free.

Hey! Isn't that John Kerry?

If Bush actually knows Mars is a planet, and that we are in a solar system of other planets revolving around the Sun... Actually, Iain, you mean orbiting the sun. But you know that, cuz yer' smarter than GW... Right?

I took my son up there when he was younger. It is a solid day from the car...for a kid. There might be a couple of snow crossings above Snowgrass Flats, but not a problem for tennis shoes this time of year. About 10min above the PCT/10min below the top is a very short (20ft) section of class 2-3 where kids and more timid folks sometimes turn around. I would bring a short rope, depending on you child's confidence level. Also, avoid the temptation to do the boulder-fest directly up from Snowgrass Flats. Stay on the PCT and turn right above the saddle. Nice views of Curtis-Gilbert/Conrad Glacier ....which we climbed this last summer. Have a great trip! Flowers will be out!

This was taken in May (1994). The rock above the saddle was rather steep, but was snow/ice covered so I can't tell you the exact class, but I can't imagine it would be harder than class 3 or 4. The views from the basin above Home Lake just get better and better as you climb, until you finally reach the summit and see this: The seldom seen north face of Consatnce. Warrior peak is truly one of my favorite climbs.

...and you, left-wing kook, comrade Perkins.

One of the things that I find amusing here is the complete shock and surprise expressed by new(er) cc.com members who come to discover that not all climbers sign on wholly to the current environmental litany. Until the ambiguous solitude provisions of The Wilderness Act are repealed or clarified, and certain access issues resolved, I will not support the establishment of any new wilderness areas. Additionally, I will continue to write our government representatives to express my opposition as such. If doing so makes me a "right-wing zealot", then so be it.

Here you go, Catbird. From The Boston Herald: Obviously, the FOX picture was doctored. Also see virtually all other major newspapers 7/27 and 7/28.

Looks like you're uninformed about your man's bicycle prowess: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-05-02-kerry-bike_x.htm