Uncle_Tricky

quote: It is amazing to me that the police cannot even bother to come to the scene when a crime is in progress. Especially considering there is a WASP office five miles away.

Great spot, good weather, nice free camping along the river. Less of a nuked dustbowl than the coulee with a lot fewer people. The rock is columnar like Frenchman's, but andesite instead of basalt and the rock and ratings are more solid. Lots of cracks, corners, faces and aretes, with lots of edges for feet. Easy to lead one climb, then toprope a couple nearby. If you search the archives, people have made a buncha good recommendations for specific climbs. Royal Columns has the largest selection of stuff in the 5.7-5.9 range, with plenty of more difficult climbs. The Bend has longer climbs, mostly cracks 5.9 and up with a few mixed or bolted 10+ climbs. Both are mostly shady in the morning and sunny in the pm. The Cave is good if you want to clip bolts and get morning sun. There's several more very cool cliffs up the river. Enjoy...

Has anyone climbed the "Great Groove" route that's mentioned in the Olympic climbing book? Sounds intriguing, and since it's a waterfull during the wet season, now would probably be the time to do it...

Yah, Dick Cilley is an interesting character and master of hard topropes. Last I climbed with/heard of him was a couple years back when he was driving his mom's (?) Cadillac and heading for Spain.

If you somehow dropped the rope while climbing you could cut up cordelletes/slings/daisy chains/webbing to produce a functional short section of rope that would allow you to lead/aid up a short distance and backclean, basically leapfrogging the anchor up the route. If you dropped the rack, you could look for natural pro, collect some rocks and chuncks of wood to wedge in rock features, or do as they do at Fankenjura (sp?)and just wedge knots in the crack. Also, the random stuff still on your harness (excess biners, etc.) can be used effectively as passive pro. Side note: A couple fellow CC.commers and I climbed the West face of N. early winters spire this week and found an old square of slung plywood stuck in the long finger/hand crack on the last pitch! Anyone know who put that there and when? If you drop the rope AND your rack halfway up a big climb, kick yourself in the ass once, say two hail marys, tell yourself "I am peter croft" three times---and climb on!!!

PS. I'm outraged at the democrats. Please tabulate this comment under the "whining/crying/outraged" about the democrats column on your spreadsheet for future reference.

Yeah, gotta agree with you there. Seems nowadays everybody likes jackbooted thugs, as long as they are theirs! So fairweather, how would you rate W's progress on the war on the bill o rights so far? (I think Karan Hughes talked him out of calling it that publicly: "you know George, we don't necessarily need to append a "war on" to every public policy...")

Because the area around Oliver has some of the best fruit and grape growing conditions in the NW interior. They call it the "Miracle Mile." Basically its attributable to a combination of rich bottomland soil, low elevation, long hot sunny summers, sunny cool falls that allow fruit to crisp up, adequate irrigation, and a unique microclimate that is a product of the large lakes in the valley which provide some buffer for extrmemes of hot and cold and humidity, and the north/south orientation of the valley that provides plenty of sun, but protection from the dessicating hot Westerly afternoon sun and prevailing W/NW winds. Notice how most of the vineyard on on the W side of the valley? They get morning and midday sun but shade in the late afternoon...

I brought a tarp and a tent for a two month paddling trip down the coast of BC. Never once set up the tent.

I didn't realize it had received broad critical acclaim, but I just came across this review in Surfergrrrl Magazine: "Like, it was totally rad! Fer sure, like that one way buffed out football dude was mega-mackable!! Totally! Remember that part where the surf was going off the richter and the kooks on sponges like dropped in on the brahs? Yeah, they almost ended up in the boneyard! Major bummer! But I was soooo stoked to see serious betties shredding some bitchin barrels! Major ampage! Super gnarlacious!!" Plotlines aside, I heard there was some pretty amazing photography. [ 09-08-2002, 12:47 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Haven't seen it, and probably won't--but I bet it'd be good for a few laughs. The average surfing movie is as painful to watch as Sly Stallone's representation of climbing in Cliffhanger. A Washington "secret spot" [ 09-08-2002, 12:14 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

The recent threads about access, secret spots, and of course the never-ending clash between different forms of climbing got me thinking. Of all pursuits, in my opinion the culture of climbing and the culture of surfing are perhaps the closest. Both activities predate recorded history. There’s something innately attractive about climbing to the tops of things. Likewise people are drawn to messing around in the waves that form the dynamic border between land and ocean. Not surprisingly, these two activities became central to different cultures. For the Polynesians, surfing became central to the culture: entire breaks were set aside for royalty and only kings were allowed to ride boards made out of Wiliwili wood. Commoners had to ride smaller, heavier boards made from Koa. Death was the penalty if common folk were caught surfing the prime royalty-only spots. Similarly, climbing was a part of many ancient cultures, and was important for safety, recreation and religious purposes. The Anasazi were crazy good sandstone climbers, ascending scary routes to cliffside caves that provided them security. The aborigines of Australia left petroglyphs high on inaccessible rocky faces, the South American Indians left monuments at the top of many of the highest peaks, and who doubts that the Hueco Tanks locals of a thousand years ago had friendly bouldering competitions? In more modern times, both surfing and climbing have rich written and oral histories replete with colorful characters, famous spots and fantastic tales. Climbing has Sir Edmund, Royal Robbins, and Beckey. Surfing has Duke Kahanamoku, Eddie Aikau and Greg Noll. Climbing has Yosemite, the Alps and Everest. Surfing has the Pipeline, Mavericks and Uluwatu. Climbing has Lynn Hill’s FFA of the Nose, Joe Simpson’s epics, and Twight’s smashing of alpine precedent. Surfing has Big Wednesday, The Eddie, and Ken Bradshaw’s riding of the biggest wave in history: Both cultures are global and diverse, and also riven with internal conflicts, ethical debates, and competition for increasingly scarce resources. Climbing includes everything from bouldering to climbing 8k meter peaks and everything in between. In fact when you measure the whole never-ending sport vs. trad debate against the whole scope of the climbing "community" it's really a feud between two minority factions. Surfing includes long-boarding, short-boarding, boogie boarding, body-surfing and tow-in surfing. Longboarders vs. Shortboarders is the surfing equivalent of the sporto/trad divide. Ask a shortboarder about a longboarder, and they’ll probably say they are a bunch of fat old grumpy guys and beginner kooks who sit outside and hog all the waves. An old school longboarder will probably say shortboarders are a bunch of young punks with no respect who are always getting caught in the impact zone. And of course both short and longboarders look down on the lowly boogie boarders (AKA boogers, sponges or speed bumps) and everyone unanimously hates kayaks in the surf zone. And yes, there's all kinds of other "ethical" debates that rage within surfing, all of which seem utterly trivial to any outside observers. But perhaps the hottest issue in the surfing world is over “localism.” Dating back to the Polynesian Kings, localism has always been a big part of surfing. While there’s lots of ocean, there’s not a lot of really good surf breaks, and most of the time, those breaks don’t have good waves. So where the time comes where conditions come together and the waves are good there is intense competition and jockeying for position in the water. As chaotic as it looks, there is a whole code of behavior and conduct when it comes to surfing. Violate any of these unwritten rules and the shit storm will descend upon you. “NEVER DROP IN!” is the golden rule, and yet it is broken all the time, which often results in a dangerous situation and often verbal or physical confrontations. If you surf, you’ll run into localism at some point, so ingrained is it in the culture of surfing. Virtually every spot has certain locals that believe that their proximity to a place gives them special priority, and frankly they don’t want you there. Maybe you’ll get the stink-eye, maybe you'll get heckled, or maybe you’ll get dropped in on. If you don’t know what you’re doing and try to surf the corner at Westport on a good day, Big Al WILL tell you to go on down the beach. If you accidently drop in on Decker, (AKA The Brick Shithouse) he may well paddle up to you, shove you underwater and breaks the fins off you board. These guys have been surfing these spots for decades and in their minds they own them. While there’s many cool surfers in Port Angeles, some jokers there claim all the spots on the Olympic Peninsula for themselves, including the ones out on the Rez near Neah Bay. Some have bestowed a name upon themselves: the "OPC" or Olympic Peninsula Crew. Like the KTK, it's mostly a joke, but still represents a common underlying want for tribal identification. In my 7 or 8 years of surfing, I've seen maybe a half-dozen physical confrontations in the water or on shore. That's more fights than I've seen in any other context. Here in Washington and Oregon, many cars have been vandalized, tires slashed and in one incident a car was torched on the Olympic Peninsula. More than a few people have gone to jail in surfing-related assaults. There are places in Hawaii where NO visitors would dare surf. All in the name of waves. In surfing, threats, intimidation, property destruction and physical confrontation are fairly common methods used to scare away beginners, deter visitors, protect surf spots and gain choice position in the water. Lesser known spots, or beta about what combinations of tide, wind and waves that make certain spots fire are jealously guarded secrets. Beyond being common, such practices are generally accepted as part of the localism tradition of surfing culture. If you're a local, then you can get away with dropping in on somebody or snaking somebody's position in the lineup. The flip side is when you travel to a new place, you often have to contend with a certain degree of hostility, and you have to expect to defer to the locals. If your competent and respectful, most of the time in most places most people are good folks and you'll likely have no problems. Even though its not a defensible position to act as though where you live gives you a greater right to use public land or water than anyone else, that's absolutely the way it is. Fortunately there’s not (yet) the same degree of competition for rock as there is for waves, and there's not such a negative culture of territorial local tribalism in climbing. Despite the internal divisions, there's a greater degree of common identification among climbers. The climbing culture is generally more open, friendly and accepting of newbies or visitors. People are generally willing to share information about new climbs and cool places with others. The kind of localism I see in climbing is generally less selfish and more benevolent. Whether in relation to a crag or a break, localism can be a positive force when locals are trying to keep a place clean, or preserve access, or trying to maintain the unique character of a place. I truly appreciate those who take the time to care about a place, and I think that’s a great element of the climbing culture. Thanks to those who help work on trails, pick up garbage, replace dangerous anchors, work with land managers, and those who chop all those damn sport climbs squeezed between classic natural lines… OK, OK, so I’m kidding about the bolt choppers. Well sort of. The good news is that localism in climbing is still mostly of the positive kind. Let’s keep it that way. [ 09-08-2002, 02:56 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

You love slab climbing, eh? What about dirty slab climbing in the rain on no sleep after trudging miles through the snow in tennis shoes?

Another six weeks and they will be growing wild all over Seattle's venerable urban parks. Just be REAL sure of you mycological identification skillz.

Speaking of mailboxes and such, my uncle in Colorado had a problem with some kids lassoeing his mailbox with a chain and driving off. He also had a problem with getting hit by lightening, which proved to be fatal, but that's another story. Anyway, he'd hear the roar of the truck, and run out into his yard to find them speeding away, his mailbox pulled from the ground. He fixed the mailbox, and a week later, the same thing happened. Pissed. So, he went to the lumber yard, bought a four inch steel post 10 feet long and 500 pounds of concrete. The product was a mailbox that could have served as a footing for a skyscraper or anchored the USS Missouri in a typhoon. A couple weeks later, he heard the familiar roar of the truck, followed by a big crash and clatter. He ran out and found the bumper of a Chevy truck--complete with license plate--attached by a length of chain to his mailbox... Busted! [ 09-06-2002, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Ah, Groucho. His parents knew he was going to be cool when they named him. Maybe all the wit and wisdom in the world is written out there on stalls walls. Maybe my dog can find me a book...

Just noticed Allison's sign line, which is a strange saying to run across twice in two days. So without further mountainadew, it's time for another installment of "Trivia the Answers to Which You Can't Find on Google".... In which public bathroom in Washington does Allison's sig "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana" appear scrawled in blue pen? Apparently penned by the same poet, another eliminational epigram reads: "Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's took dark to read." [ 09-05-2002, 07:12 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

placed bomproof gear, extended it with a sling to eliminate rope drag above, and continued climbing... Only to encounter the crux, look down and realize that I forgot to clip the pro to the rope... not a much rope drag tho... [ 09-02-2002, 02:10 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Q. How many Libertarians does it take to change a light bulb? A. None, the market will take care of it. [ 08-31-2002, 06:52 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Well, usually a thread like this should be avoided like Dick Cheney (the portly crooked meta-smirking Rasputin of this administration) avoids a third helping of fatty baby-back pork ribs for fear that the shiny stent in his black heart will explode from his chest like a tiny silver arrow of justice. But in this case I can resist no longer, or I will light myself on fire and run through my neighborhood shrieking until my corporeal embers are snuffed by the nearest lawn sprinkler. The Bush Admin Part Deux is desperate to leverage the political capital of 9/11 into some sort of war that will distract the public from the ongoing flourescent ekonomik implosion. W is in way over his head. When I see him in front of the cameras, I'm reminded of the glazed look of sucrose stoned two-year old loosed on a 12-pack of Ding-Dongs. Except it's power instead of empty calories. The calculations made vis a vis our one note war rhetoric and staunch unilaterism are mutiple, but commonly rooted in the apparent Republican desire to exploit our country's tragedy as a window of opportunity. An opportunity to cram their freedom destroying agenda down our throats. In record time if possible. Without 9-11, the political focus in this country would be on the economy and corporate scandal. The administration was well aware that they were already in position to get spun down the Hill soon as a competent Democrat (a rare species indeed) took to the fight. When 9-11 happened the trusty grand ol' cloak of foreign policy and the open-ended "war on terrorism" became the focus of the administration, thereby allowing the age-old right-wing business class ideologues to fatten their wallets while annihilating our constitution. A two-fer! As long The Ashcroft Yemeni Dance Team and Saddam the Strawman keep us en pointe, the departments of interior, treasury, commerce, and transportation, along with Cristie Todd Whitman at EPA (rumor has it she drives a 1975 Lincoln Continental with mink interior to work) can roll up their sleeves and get down to the real business of cleaning our country's turkey. Nixon parlayed our miseries in Southeast Asia into a couple elections. Bush Part One had the war thing down too well.... the Hundred Hour Ground War was not quite juiced at the proper pace to assure reelection and forswear the homeland economic puzzle. The ambiguousness of the current never-to-end "war" is intentional and actively being massaged to pay dividends in this and future election cycles. Bush Part Deux is sworn to avoid his father's mistakes. This war on terrorism is just the latest square peg being made to fit in the Republicans' round hole. All politicians want to be reelected, and most want to achieve "good" while they're there. But the Republicans' mission is hard to figure as more than anything but a stupid bully's marriage to a tired ideology of "economic freedom", "moral fascism", and "symbolic disingenousness". And I foolishly thot the Demogoguecrats were the party of big, intrusive government! In the last 12 months, the Republibootlickers have expanded the federal budget, federal power and eroded the Bill of Rights to such an extent that Bill Clinton is turning green with envy. Oh no, them Dems are no choir-boys--I'll save my Democrat rant for later--but at least when they're hypocritical and disingenuous it seems directed at their political opponents, and not at the American People and the world at large. As far as W goes, it's obvious he is lacking of the most basic cognitive abilities that we should expect, at a bare minimum, from our figureheads and ultimate decision makers. In the aftermath of 9-11 Bush pretty much got a free pass. Everyone was so superfreaked and just goddamn thankful that it wasn't their pasty-white ass in a cubicle when a fuel-packed airliner showed up in their in-box that there's actually an Era of Good Feeling going on. But bottom-line: while we denizens of CC.com ain't the product of no genius factory, toss out a couple select morons and I like our chances against the whole stagnant Bush gene pool. [ 08-31-2002, 07:14 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

"Sport climbs" are climbs bolted with the intention of eliminating the danger of long falls. "Sporting climbs" is my name for sparsely bolted climbs (no gear necessary) where a fall is a serious thing that would result in a loooooooong ride. Most slabs and older lead-bolted climbs fall into this category. [ 08-24-2002, 08:48 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Yeah, I am fluent in Newzspeak, Bro-Brah, Canajun, and RuralDrawl.

From the Disassociated Depressed: George Double U Bush Proposes a "War Against Forest Fires" August 22, 2002--In a sweeping new policy unveiled yesterday, George Double U proposed a dramatic and sweeping solution to the problem of forest fires: get rid of the forests. Hailed as "bold" and "visionary" by the National Association of Clearcutters, W's plan includes generous subsides to transform the West from a tangle of useless trees into a beautiful prairie of Bermuda and Rye Grass. "Visualize amber waves of grain stretching from sea to shining sea" said the President to an enthusiastic crowd of timber company executives. In a Disassociated Depressed investigative exclusive, we've managed to uncover the transcript of the cabinet meeting that led up to the policy announcement: Mrs. Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior: Mr. President, we have a problem with forest fires. W: Well, let's rid the world of fire! Mrs. Norton: Mr. President, fire is one of the four elements. It would as tough to ban fire as it would be to ban air, water or earth. (W sits thinking a minute, brow furrowed) W: I've got it, let's rid the world of forests--then there wouldn't be any forest fires! Mrs. Norton: A brilliant idea Mr. President! Consider it done! In fact, I've already got an idea for a PR campaign: Imagine a smiling Smokey the Bear with chaps and a chainsaw standing in front of a fresh clearcut. His new slogan would be "Only You Can Prevent the Spread of Dangerous Forests That Might Catch Fire." W: Can we work the word "war" in there somewhere? Mrs. Norton: No problem sir! [ 08-23-2002, 09:19 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Reminds me of the time I forgot to wash out the coffee grinder after powdering some blue ringers. That was one astral cuppa traveling joe. Of course all ya'll know the Space Needle is nothing but a paean to the fantastical fungi and the universal alien spaceship consciousness into which we are transported by thy blessed decomposters. [ 08-23-2002, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Moons of Pluto--a nice line up a beautiful arete (Smith) Sideshow--fun barndoor crux on the last move (Index) Local Boys do Good--sporting runouts (Squamish) Silent Running--multipitch slab (Darrington) Some of the pitches on the upper tier of Careno Crag in Leavenworth--nice exposure, cool cystal pockets Whatever that climb is at the Pearly Gates that starts off the huge flat block--neat moves, some power, some balance.