Uncle_Tricky

World's Toughest Milkman (squamish)

Green makes approaches shorter, the sky bluer, the granite sweeter, the snafflehound stew more tasty, the uh...the uh.....What was the question again? Oh yeah! My research has shown that weed makes me climb harder, think faster, and spel bettr. I once asked myself if smoking ganja made me forget things. I don't remember the answer. Is it even possible to remember forgetting??? That's a nonsequitur I'm gonna put in my oxymoron pipe and smoke for a while. And what's up with everyone's fixation on "short-term memory?" When it comes to memories, I'm in it for the long term anyways! Shit--what was I saying? Oh yeah! Some people say that smoking a lot of weed makes you stupid, but I like to think that it just dumbs me down to a socially-appropriate level. Yup, that's what I tell me, myself, and high. [ 07-14-2002, 07:20 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

I did some spontaneous slab falling research on "local boys" at squish this week. (Fun and exciting climb BTW) Just kept my weight over my feet and backpedaled with both hands and feet until the rope caught me. Works great. [ 07-13-2002, 07:29 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

quote: Dru wrote: please let me know next time you have to leave gear behind on a squamish route as i am always looking to expand my rack Well, I fell and fixed a stopper on the crux pitch of Squamish Buttress two days ago--help yourself if it's still there. Oh, and I dropped a locker off the upper Apron. I suppose since I've found a lot more gear that I've left, that it was my time to give a little something back... [ 07-13-2002, 06:54 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Some more: Guano with the Wind (Lumpy Ridge, CO) Two Bolts or not Ten B (Mazama) Howe Unsound (Squish) Virgin on the Ridiculous (Index) Blood, Sweat and Smears (Beacon rock) Flake and Bake (J-tree)

Route names are funny things. They might be literal descriptions of a major feature, or they might describe the FA's experience of climbing it, or they might be part of a local theme, or an inside joke, or a play on words, or just about anything. So I'm wondering what are some of your favorite route names--not limited to routes that you've climbed. An secondly, what area do you think has the most entertaining, creative or appropriate route names overall? Anyway, I'll start off with one: Poultry in Motion (squamish) [ 07-11-2002, 09:41 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

drop me an email or pm if interested. [ 07-08-2002, 09:39 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Where'd you climb?

Luckily I know a lot of unemployed people!

Well hey Rich, hope you had fun. Yup, I've been stuck working all weekend, but plan to climb all week. More days, less people.

We've got plenty of energy. It's just that right now, we've built up a whole global industry based on burning the products of past sunshine (dead dinos) instead of harvesting the sun directly. We now have the technology to do just that. As far as global warming, I don't see what the big deal is. My plan is to buy property in (currently) landlocked Forks. By the time I'm old and gray, the ocean will have risen to the point where I'll be sitting on beachfront property and sipping a margarita in a climate like So-Cal. PS. Dennis, why isn't this topic in spray? [ 07-07-2002, 02:11 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Yup, it's a pretty fun route. To approach just aim for the big white streak--the route starts about 30 feet to the right of it and criss-crosses it. No double ropes necessary for descent if you rap the line you climb. Bring a helmet--I personally peeled off a good number of "holds."

OK, true story. My neighbor got fed up with a murder of crows (yup, a group of crows is called a "murder") jabbering in the rigging of her boat and waking her up at the crack of dawn every morning. She got so pissed she collected a bucketfull of rocks and sticks. When the crows would start cawing, she would run out on deck and hurl stuff at them. After a few days of this, one morning she heard a several bumps and thumps on the deck. When she went out to investigate, she discovered that the crows were picking the rocks and sticks she had been throwing at them out of the bucket, circling overhead, and dropping them back onto her boat!!! Oh, and my vote for best tasting bird goes to the rock dove, otherwise known as the common pidgeon. I wouldn't eat the city birds, but the grain-fed rural pidgeons of Eastern WA are tasty! Marinate in teriyaki sauce, cover with a slice of bacon and broil for ~10 minutes. [ 07-06-2002, 03:28 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Ehmmic, I'm having a hard time putting your words into a mental picture. Are you referring to the "figure nine?" (at that's what I've heard it called) where you tie a regular 8 and then the tail passes back through the knot in such a way that it get's the tail out of the way and makes it easier to untie after being fallen upon?

Ration your gear wisely on the last pitch--I ended up back cleaning to get a few necessary pieces for the last 30 feet.

If you don't mind getting the shoes wet and want to do a fun swim-start boulder problem, head to the boat launch on the N. Side of the entrance to Steamboat Rock State Park. Walk to the end of the right dock, jump in and swim east to the rocky point that juts out into the water. An obvious, really fun finger/hand crack with perfect jams starts up out of deep water. Climb up maybe 25 feet and then cannonball! There's also a long fun slab/friction/crack traverse on the W. side of the boat ramp. If you fall, you just pitch into the water. Great casual entertainment for 100 degree afternoons. [ 06-17-2002, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

The species in your photo is Coccinella novemnotata, otherwise known as the Nine-Spotted Lady Beetle. Yeah, ladybugs hibernate deep in cracks on the southern exposures of rocky summits in the Cascades. In the Fall, once one ladybug finds an appropriate winter nesting site, it emits an aggregating pheromone which attracts other beetles. They swarm together by the tens of thousands and overwinter. When the weather warms, as it has in the last week, they emerge en masse and disperse. So right now, and then again in Fall, you'll see big concentrations of them near the mouths of hibernation sites. They seem to like the granite summits (and associated crack systems) of peaks in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and north to around Washington Pass. Interestingly, they're "reflex bleeders." When disturbed, they bleed from their joints and their blood smells bad. For this reason, they have no natural enemies--even birds won't chow them. Despite their benign appearance, ladybugs are voracious predators and a single one can consume up to 75 aphids per day. [ 06-16-2002, 06:19 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

If you really need a map, the new Mountain Sports shop in Leavenworth is handing out photocopied topos. We didn't have one and just had fun picking lines and seeing if we could climb them.

Headed up to float some rivers, but I have a few days free, so I was thinking of bringing my climbing junk along. I'll be staying with a friend in Girdwood. Is it worth bringing the stuff? Any decent rock in the area? How far away? Any names of places that I should check out when I'm up there? Since I only have a couple days, I'm basically limited to cragging or one-day alpine rock routes near Girdwood. Thanks for any info... [ 06-09-2002, 02:09 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Well, obviously it's mostly "trad and alpine shit" out there, but if you want to lead some bolted climbs close to town, head west from town and turn left on the road that goes up the Elwah river. You'll see a small dam in the canyon a few miles up the river. Walk across the bridge and you'll find a dozen or so bolted routes on mostly overhanging, scary, loose, soft, crumbly sandstone. Stop by the outdoor shop down on the main drag in PA for more info on other mossy crags nearby. Better yet, buy a surfboard and head out to Neah Bay, LaPush and remote points in between. The OP has better waves than it has rock... Behold "The Wedge"--------> [ 06-02-2002, 10:29 PM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

Took a little wander up the Chewuch river last week. Impressed with the quantity and quality of the granite up there. Obviously somebody has looked into the area, as I stumbled across numerous bolted lines and some tempting natural lines as well. Reminded me a bit of the Icicle or the Entiat River Canyon. Many small buttresses, but also some tall vertical faces and tiered systems stretching up many hundreds of feet. Also dozens of neat car-to-house sized granite boulders scattered in the forest below. The granite is chossy and broken down around Falls Creek, but improves as you get further up the valley. The road is currently closed for maintenance at Andrews Creek, just short of the 30 Mile Fire burn area. I ambled a couple hours past the gate, when just before dusk my hound and I surprised a good sized black bear taking a walk in the other direction. My dog froze, I slipped a leash over his head, and each of us turned and went back the way we came. Anyone done any climbing up around that area?

They look dry. There was a party fixing ropes on the first pitches of liberty crack this afternoon. Stuff is melting fast. Rivers are a'raging on the dry side.

If you're looking for USGS style topos, check out Terraserver You can view satelllite imagery or USGS topos for anywhere in the US. If you're looking for topos of specific climbing routes/areas, here's some sites: Darrington Index Mt. Erie/Tieton River Canyon North Bend Area Yosemite/Tuolomne [ 05-25-2002, 12:10 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

A couple weeks ago I was climbing on Castle Rock--which is open to climbing. This week, I recieved the following letter from the USDA. Apparently they ran the plates of all the cars in the Castle Rock parking lot and sent letters to the owners of the vehicles. ----------------- Dear (Uncle Tricky): This letter is regarding the climbing closures in place from April 1 to July 31 in order to protect nesting birds of prey (raptors) at Midnight Rock in Tumwater Canyon on the Lake Wenatchee and Leavenworth Rager Districts. This voluntary closure has been in effect since 2000, to provide safe reproduction for cliff dwelling raptors known to nest on this cliff. The Access Fund has been instrumental in supporting and assisting the mission of the United States Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in meeting our shared management goals during the breeding season. On May XX from 2:15 - 3:30 p.m. two climbers were observed on Midnight Rock in the area of the closure. Several other groups were seen at the same time on Castle Rock, which is outside the closure area. Up until this point in time, no climbers had been observed violating this voluntary closure. However, as a result of this incident, we are now considering a seasonal mandatory closure that would be enforceable under the Federal Code of Regulations. License plate numbers, including that of your vehicle, were taken down by Forest Service Wildlife Biologists. We don't know which party (or vehicle) was attached to this incident, although we do have a physical description from a distance of the two climbers. We appreciate the climbers that did observe the closure and limited their activities to Castle Rock. This is the only closure specific to rock climbing and nesting raptors on the Wenatcheee National Forest. However timing restrictions are used in other habitats to limit other forest uses, such as timing restrictions for logging activities and trail construction. This letter is to ask for you understanding and cooperation in accomplishing the continued success of nesting raptors. Climber disturbance near nest sites can result in birds abandoning their nesting attempt, adults accidently dislodging eggs or young from the nest, or eggs being punctured or broken due to the swift movement of the adults. Hunting behavior may also be altered. We are hopeful that by sending this letter we are building a bridge of understanding around this wildlife management concern. If you have any other questions or would like more information, please contact Wildlife Biologist Susan Piper or Wilderness Manager Lisa Therrell at this office. Sincerely, Glen Hoffman District Ranger Lake Wenatchee/Leavenworth Ranger Districts [ 05-25-2002, 12:44 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

...you've ever reached into your chalk bag and discovered that you're chalk has become clay... ...you are an professional amateur recreational meteorologist and know that an 80% chance of rain in Seattle means 100 percent chance of rain in the mountains, 99.7% chance at Darrington, 64% chance at Mt. Erie, 32% in Leavenworth, 17% chance at the Tieton and blue skies at (disad)Vantage... ...you know that snafflehound tastes best when marinated overnight in a Hamms/garlic sauce, cooked over a smoldering fire of wet rotten cedar, and washed down with a ripper of BC's finest...