willstrickland

Here's a little tip if you stay in C4. At the restrooms, if you go around back there's an unmarked door. It's the handi-crapper. If you want some bathroom privacy, or can't tolerate the funk of a room full of filthy climbers taking dumps...you got it...the handicrapper. Also works well if you need to shoot-up some smack since the door locks, and your woman might not be so terrified of staying there if she's got a little bathroom privacy. But remember this...if you're taking too much time in the handicrapper, I WILL beat on the door and do all other manner of things to disturb you until you get out of my handicrapper.

I'll reply because I was the other dude with TG...from 3700ft at the ski area we camped at about 8000 on the spur...took about 4 leisurely hours as I recall. We crossed the shrund about 5:15...roughly an hour and 15 mins after starting the traverse/descent onto the elliot. There's alot of exposed rock up there, much more than it appears from below. The route is also quite a bit less steep than it appears from a distance. Great looking line, but definitely a much longer undertaking than starting from 6500.

Be A Gaper Like Me: West Gully of North Face – Mt Hood It all started auspiciously enough, a Portland Pub Club, with good beer and climber camaraderie. Crashing in my van, I was awakened by the constant traffic of big trucks and the rumbling of freight trains in the inner-southeast industrial zone I was calling home for the night. At 8:00am when the alarm sounded, I was still beat, feeling the need for about 6 more hours of sleep. A quick breakfast of eggs and spuds and we’re off to the mountain. No hurry today, we’ve got all day to approach. A short stop in Hood River for supplies and we’re at the Cooper Spur Ski area in good time. After some extended time packing…where’s my helmet?….we start hoofing it up the trail, elevation 3700, around 1:45pm. Carrying our boots and wearing approach shoes, we make good time through the snow covered trail to the Tilley Jane Ski Cabin. Switching to boots and leaving our shoes in the cabin, we continue on, grinding our way up the lower spur on what is essentially the eastern moraine of the Elliot glacier. We pass one soloist coming down but otherwise we’re completely alone on this side of the mountain. A couple of memorial plaques on the boulders make for an interesting distraction, and scoping the route in front of me takes my mind off the drudgery of the approach. The route looks fun, primarily moderate angle snow with a couple of steps of 60-70 degree ice. We’ve planned to get as high as possible (something I tried the night before as well) to bivy and at the last reasonably flat spot on the lower spur pitch our camp. TG does the labor work of chopping out a ledge while I wonder how the hell I’ve forgotten to bring my helmet on a Hood climb…Gaper mistake No.1. By 7:00pm, camp is set, the sun is creeping below the north face cleaver and it’s getting COLD. The profile of the mountain is casting a really cool shadow on the stratosphere, and stars are beginning to twinkle. We’re in a fairly exposed spot, right on the crest of the spur, but the wind is mellow and the views are great. Blonde jokes are flying as we wind down. About the time TG fires up the stove to cook his super-gourmet $2.00 per pack Ramen, I notice my platypus bladder is leaking…shit, Gaper mistake No. 2. Oh well, I’ve got a Nalgene and the route actually looks pretty short with the technical difficulties only making up around 1200ft of the route. I chow down my gourmet (yeah right) Oscar Meyer Lunchables…cheese, crackers, and processed meat and my eyes are ready to close. With all the crap inside my bag…liner boots, water bottles, breakfast, gloves, I feel like I’m inside my pack or something. Sleep comes easily, although in fits, because whichever side I am laying on cuts the circulation from that arm. In a few hours I suddenly awake. “Huh? What?” TG is telling me it’s time. Arggghh, just one more hour mom?! Please?! Ok, I’m up. It’s 3:15 am and time to get moving. Boots on, hydrate, a breakfast of halva and a bagel, and we’re out of the tent. It is cold, but fairly calm with an amazing display of stars overhead. At 4:00, we set off, making a descending traverse onto the Elliot. Our packs are loaded with a pair of tools each, GU, a couple liters of water, belay jackets, disposable camera, four screws, two pickets, a couple of cams, and a 140’ section of 8.4mm. We’re moving under the LED light of our headlamps, but the horizon is just starting to lighten. After 30 minutes of being UNROPED ON A GLACIER, the impending sunrise has turned the horizon a blazing red/orange and the Hood River, normally undetectable in the low light is glowing with the reflected sunrise making a snaking strip of orange on the otherwise black landscape. We’re moving fairly well, skirting the left edge of the glacier on low angle 20 – 30 degree snow. We cross the shrund easily on the left and move into the real business of the route. It’s fully light now and the fact that I’ve left my sunglasses in the tent occurs to me…Gaper mistake No 3. Goddammit! Sheeeetttfire! Whudafuk?!! I look up contemplating gaper mistake no. 1 and all the rock above me on this route. “Hope I don’t take one in the melon” I think as we climb into the hard 50 degree neve. No step kicking here, the slope is either rock hard or ice below a crust of questionable slab. We’re mixing front pointing with frenching and low dagger with cane. The hard snow makes for quick progress, but the consistency is all over the board and TG voices some concerns about slab dangers, the perfect slide angle of the slope, and the sun. TG is the alpinist in this team, I’m a gaper alpininst and passable rock climber…if he’s slightly concerned, I’m WAY concerned. Loose rock, no helmet, camp on the spur, descending the spur, slabs?, no sunglasses, hose on borrowed bladder frozen solid, what is my problem?!! After starting across the schrund with one tool and one pole each, we soon stop on a small rock outcrop to switch to two tools. We both agree that if someone feels uncomfortable we’ll belay, but on these 50 something degree slopes, we’re both fine and keep moving. Before long, the impending doom thoughts enter my head. Too many mistakes I think…not as fit as I’d like, forgetting things, sun beating on the route and rockfall is certain, no helmet, no glasses, frozen water tube. My biggest concern is the descent down the spur. I’m a Georgia boy, I don’t know shit about snow beyond the basics and all the basics tell me that the spur ain’t gonna be a fun decent with a completely clear sky and blazing sun all day…with my alpinist partner with 20 times the experience I have voicing concerns over possible slabs. By now we can tell that the route is no where near as steep or long as it looks from the approach. What to do? Go fast and get down before it deteriorates? Traverse? Climb the rock rib instead of the gully? “I don’t feel good about it…” And that’s all I needed to say. We start traversing slightly upward and left to the Cooper at about 10k. Snow is again all over the board and we mix a few sugar snow plunges and kicked steps with a whole lotta front pointing and low dagger. All the while we’re cutting loose tiny little slabs, clearly a result of the 15 inches of snow after a many days of sunny weather last week. At one point, on a wide open 40 degree slope I wait as TG traverses ahead as a precaution…no sense in us both getting caught in a slab if it cuts. He exits to a safer zone and I boogie across to join him. I look back for the views and have never seen the sky this clear around Hood. St Helens, Ranier, Adams, Jefferson, and Sisters are all crystal clear. We downclimb facing in for a hundred feet or so and then turn out and walk down the Cooper. Back at the tent by 8:00am. We take our sweet time packing up, with my pack looking like the jalopy from the Beverly Hillbillies…shit flowing over the sides and strapped on everywhere…how the hell does that happen? We didn’t even take much gear. The wind is blowing pretty good and it’s freakin cold. My hands feel like I’m ice climbing, freeze thaw ad infinitum. Soon enough we’re moving on down the spur watching spontaneous rockfall down the western moraine slope of the Elliot and staring straight into the sun. The walk out is uneventful, and our biggest concern is avoiding blisters from our soaked socks. Around noon we hit the vehicles and since the ski area is deserted for the season, I strew gear all over the parking lot. A couple of drags off a bottle of Port, pack the gear and we’re on our separate ways…TG on the long and winding road to Enterprise, and me back to PDX where I caught a two hour nap and headed straight for the Lompoc pub, but not before an apology for being the Uli Gaper on this trip. So many mistakes in so little time…time to lay off the bong I think. All in all a great time, and two gorgeous days in the mountains whatever the final result. After the Lompoc I slept for a good 12 hours, and probably could have slept for another 6 if the van hadn’t turned into a solar oven. In retrospect, I think another plan for doing this route is to wait until the road to Cloud Cap is open, approach from there with no bivy gear, carry over and shuttle around, although conditions might be sketchy on the route itself (with respect to rockfall) by the time the road opens. Cheers!

He's afraid you won't call He's afraid you won't respect him He's afraid of jeopardizing the friendship or maybe: He's afraid of getting his dick pierced by that fat-ass lure you're trolling with

quote: Originally posted by pope: quote:Originally posted by willstrickland: Looks like reason and logic just took the last plane out of SeaTac Please explain, Will.[/QB] "When I contradict myself, I'll let you know" That should explain it. If not, no amount of argument, written, verbal, or otherwise on my part will get my point across. But, anyone who gives a rat's ass about my points needs help anyway so selah...

That's the funniest shit I've seen in a long time! Thanks man!

Maybe if you quit spending your time in the boards, reading all the psychobabble, and did some reading of trip reports, or posted some beta requests, etc you would find it useful. I've received excellent beta on climbs from the Cascades to Red Rocks to the Alaska to the Adirondaks. Ask what you want to know, take half the answers with a huge chunk of rock salt, and distill the info. There is no better place to receive lighting fast replies to beta requests. The inane bullshit on this site is what ensures that people (like me) stay logged in all the time and that in turn gives you quick beta replies. I'm no hard-ass but I've climbed all over the US for the most part, I can tell you about roof cracks in TN, pefect splitters in UT, or OW horrors in CA, easy alpine rock in WY, FA's in OR. Deal or bail, I don't think anyone here gives a shit either way. As Rod would say...have a nice day.

You can get hinged or rigid strap-on cramps that will work with your boots. On the south-side route, it should be more than enough. The problem with a hiking style boot is that they are not rigid at all so some crampons will flex right off the boot when walking. The person outfitting you wherever you rent should be able to make a solid choice for you...just make sure you have those boots in hand when renting the cramps and try them on to insure fit. South side is a hacked-up ladder in season, you won't be front-pointing up anything, and there's nothing resembling steep on the route...maybe 30 deg 35 tops.

quote: Originally posted by sk: Depends on the tip your planning to leave Sorry, I've been circ'ed no spare tip material to leave behind.

quote: Originally posted by bellemontagne:

Man, we've had some looong threads on beer. My faves: Porter: Lucky Lab's Stumptown, Sam Smith's Taddy Scotch Ale: Pike Kilt Lifter Stout: Sam Smith's Oatmeal, Rogue Shakespear Barley Wine: TG's private stash...best damn barley wine I've had and I'm a BW fan IPA: not a big fan, but Term Gravity hits the spot Pub syle ale: Boddingtons ESB: Bridgeport, Fuller's Brown: Old Peculiar American pisswater mass produced swill: PBR [ 05-09-2002, 02:20 PM: Message edited by: willstrickland ]

Preachin to the choir honey...I'm the proud owner of a '63 Harley panhead, brown metallic, filled seams, teardrop tank, suicide-shifter. Actually go this as a college graduation present from my uncle, who's birthday I share. Got pics of me as a 5 year old on the back of that bike. Also got pics of me, my dad, and uncle rebuilding the engine in 1978 with cans of PBR everywhere. [ 05-09-2002, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: willstrickland ]

Budweiser? That's not beer...that's horse piss. Why you think they keep all those clydesdales around? Uggghhh. I'll take the PBR and Harley, you take the Bud and Camaro.

Perhaps, except if you know the avatar crew, you also know that they trade passwords occasionally so multiple folks can post under one avatar...add that food to the thought plate....

quote: Originally posted by pope: Absurd. You may catch me contradicting myself some day; I'll let you know when that happens Looks like reason and logic just took the last plane out of SeaTac

I nailed a dyke once...really flaky thing. Took beaks placed sideways, then I sheared the blade on one...started using kb's but the crack was too thin and shallow. Hmmm, what to do? Free climb you say? Yes, what an idea...big fat quartz crytals on the dyke made it go free at 5.7, and here I was trying to make an A3 lead out of it...what were you guys talking about? Larson, we love ya...how about tackling Baker and Adams this year? Should be plenty of willing partners in the Sea/Tac area. You might like it, different views and all.

MMMmmmmmmm Beeeeerrrrr! BEEERR!! ME WANT 'EM BEEER! See ya there.

Well goddamn I say! Harsh tokes. Hope he was alright otherwise and still climbing.

WTF? Guy has all his fingers in that pic...

quote: Originally posted by Bronco: You are not a recently retired Catholic Priest are you? Seriously, I don't know if Capt. Caveman is talking about the same guy, but, you could pm this guy, I know he has been involved in that kind of work previously. crack cool thing to do Dan! Yeah, that's the same guy...I know this because I worked with him at an adjudicated youth program in Utah. I know crack also did some kind of work in the outdoor ed vein in Oregon, not sure of the nature of that work though. Obsidian Trails is fairly well established from what I understand. You might also contact NW Youth Corps, they run some stuff that might be what you're looking for.

quote: Originally posted by Matt: TimL!! I will see you and Chris in Camp 4! We can have our own cc.com Pub Club in Yosemite! I'll be rollin in, fresh from Humboldt Co, on 5/19...see you there.

The thing I believe most people overlook in this issue is the fact that it originall passed as a RIDER to an appropriations bill. Riders in particular amount to political blackmail in my mind. If demo was going on nationwide, I'd say the "double taxation" doesn't fly, but as it is... I think the point that we need to focus on concrete, particular points, is a valid one. We won't get far by playing the ideaology card. Arguing Dem v. Rep is ridiculous...if you honestly think that either of these orgnaizations have your best interest in mind, you've been sucessfully brainwashed. So if you're tired of getting screwed by the standard crew of politicos, vote for me in the next election...I'll be running for congress on the greenbud ticket in '04. HAYDUKE LIVES!

Here's the deal: When Dan goes and climbs say, oh two or three other peaks, at whatever skill level, then I quit with the DLSUX..until then DLSUX DWAYNERSUX ALLYOUGAPERSSUX ISUX TRASKSUX

PRODUCE ROW it is! Thursday MAY 9 - say 7:00 until The Produce Row Cafe 204 S. E. Oak, Portland, Oregon Tel: (503) 232-8355 Beer: 29 taps; offerings include beers from most area craft breweries, as well as a couple of imports. 200 bottled beers. Food: This is the original home of McMenamins-style pub grub, mostly sandwiches with chips, and some snacks. Popular items include the House Special (a sort of steak sandwich) and the Stormin' Norman. For folks on a budget, a large sandwich will easily feed two. Atmosphere: For over 20 years, the Produce Row has provided funky, simple premises for lovers of a variety of good beer. The place is divided into three rooms: the main front room and bar, a smaller side room, and a back room with a pool table. There's also a fine deck out back with plenty of picnic-table seating, simply wonderful on fine spring and summer days. The Produce Row's interior is humble and unpretentious, and that's just fine, because here, the beer's what matters here. Clientele is just about anyone who likes good beer, from college folks to middle- aged folks from the east-side neighbourhoods. The cabinets on the side of the main entry room have a vintage collection of beer bottles and cans, some of which have been in there for nearly twenty years. That's the Row for you - good beer, a fine place to have it, and historical continuity. May it live on forever. Speaking of historical continuity, one of the original owners of the Produce Row went on to co-found the McMenamins empire. In a sense, the Produce Row is the cornerstone of the entire McMenamins pub group, even if the McMenamins no longer own or run the place. Smoking Policy: Allowed

True Matt, we can and should use the info from WW and other sources. My point here is that it's better to get somewhat involved (to the point of writing your congresspeople as a minimum) instead of simply throwing money at organizations such as WW who purport to fight the good fight for you. They are not always what they seem, and in fact there are quite alot of right wing PAG/PAC type groups who masquerade with "green friendly" names. One of my fellow master's students put together a presentation on this type of deceptive marketing in the public land-use sector.