bonehead

Ach,,,,Ray Borbon..... Should have figured......

Hey, Where's the Caveman!?!? I've been missing his wit, impaired wisdom, and spray-slinging skills.... He's been suspiciously silent as of late... Did I miss a mention of some adventure he was off to?

Doc ! Is that the crag that's visible above the forest as you're driving north past the Chimacum Cafe? I've noticed that for years, and always wondered if it's a climbing spot. Never took the time to stop and check it........ Jim

Nelly didn't think this thread would go far, and look where we are now! I've had term life insurance for about 10 years now, and until I read the replies on this topic, I've never thought of checking it for climbing exclusions... Guess I should pull the policy out, dust it off, and see what I've got... Great topic, Nelly! Jim

Daniel and Ice,, (as well as everyone else who posted....) Thanks ALOT for the input - it really helped put some of my questions into perspective. Great info.... Jim

Daniel and Ice, Let's beat this to death....you given us some food for thought.... Why specifially are you recommending the McHale and Chaos packs?? The Chaos is less than half the price of the McHale. What are we getting for the extra bucks, other than the well known quality and lightness of the McHale. Is it designed better - does it have cooler features? The Chaos seems almost too inexpensive - is it built for the long term? Your input on this is really appreciated since I'm also in the market for a new pack... Jim

Bronco's experience reminded me of another in Hawaii once... Where ever we went, there were typically busloads of Japanese tourists milling about, all very friendly and polite. Each time, they would excitedly motion at their cameras, themselves, and then our two young boys (3 and 5 at the time....). It took a few encounters to finally realize they wanted us to take photos of THEM standing with OUR boys. I've since thought about the excellent business opportunity this might have been - "Your picture with a blonde and blue - just $10.00!" We could have paid for our entire trip.... Jim

Yes, and looking for a wilderness experience in any area that is subject to "regulations" is pretty much an oxymoron. These days, pretty much all lowland areas such as Sol Duc must be avoided if you want to "get away". The solution is avoid them and put some miles under your boots for a good experience.

It's a sad day.... I've always considered Warren Harding the Keith Richards of climbing.... Hard man, no bullshit, and always told it like it is.... r.i.p.

Mommy............. I'm a-scared!!!!

Beautiful Layout - nice work! But even Netscape 6 has a problem with the frames on left side of opening page. Text is superimposed and jumbled..... Jim

Thanks Kevin - didn't know of that tradition. Can't get away this weekend, but today would sure have been a good one.... Jim

Dave, Yea, I like that Hemingway quote, too. I agree with you about digging deep. In biking, the only time that happens are in competition, whereas in climbing, it occurs in many situations. Try a mountain bike race sometime, though, to see how hard you push yourself when someone's on your tail, even if it's not a multi-day stage race like Le Tour. I'd add fussball (soccer) to your list of sports (tennis..) that require digging deep. Running for 90 minutes, mostly sprinting, guts you. In the Olympics, I'm liking the cross country races for depth. They're realling pushing themselves.. And the course this year was set up by masters - it allows great spectating and alot of action, vs the old courses where the skiers had staggered starts and then disappeared for an hour or more before appearing again at the finish... Off the subject a bit - but is anyone aware of any good sports taverns that show world class soccer, including the World Cup ?

quote: Good point, caveman. I'd agree that generally climbers and bikers are motivated by different goals. I think biking is more about winning and competing against others and climbing is more about doing and self-motivating. To be fair, both sports have their competition modes, and their self-motivation aspects. I get alot more mountain biking time in than climbing, and the riding is 99% solo. I'm only competing against myself, and my last 'best' time. Biking gets the adrenaline and "pucker factor" going just as well as climbing, and you can do it right outside your door, no matter what the weather... kiss the dirt...

Somehow the Caveman has brought to mind Queen's "Bicycle" and "Fat Bottomed Girls" (boys?) at once... Yea, the Olympic coverage has been great, but it's getting worse all the time with all the promos, commercials, and faux controversy coverage crap getting in the way of the actual sports.... web page But it's better than nothing - at least we get some see some alpine coverage and Bode Miller showing what guts are... Jim

Who's W ??

Making stuff up eh?? Well you know, there ought to be a disclaimer on all your posts, then! Something like, "Climbing is an inherently unsafe actvity! The author makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy of this information. The reader must use own judgment.....blah, blah blah" You've probably written plenty of that boilerplate in your day, I'm sure! Again, thanks for the beta. It's sounding better all the time. A bit of skiing to the start, and climb from there... Jim

Matt, THANKS alot for the beta. I'll never understand how your trip descriptions remain so detailed after a climb... Do you have a photographic memory or do you stop every ten minutes and put pencil to paper?? Now that I know it's do-able in winter, all that's left is to pick some days....Armed with your info, it won't be so hard to convince my buddies... I heard awhile back that the snow is well below the lower Ellinor trailhead, so the approach could be lengthy, but that adds to the experience, eh?? thanks again! Jim

Hey all and Guten Tag! That big fat northeast face of Mt Washington is calling my name every morning as I glance at it from across the Hood Canal, especially in this gorgeous weather... Does any have any experience/beta on climbing it in winter? There appear to be some major avalanche chutes, but are there some decent routes do-able in the midst of winter? Or am I better off waiting till May, or so... Thanks, in advance,Jim

A few winters ago (actually it was June 1st !) a buddy and I went up the south side. It was another year of exceptionally heavy snow, and even on June 1st, the closest we could get to Climber's Bivouac was about six miles away. We skied up until the real vertical began, and climbed from there. Suckers we - we didn't pack crampons that day, and had to turn back about 500' below the summit due to high winds and hard glass snow. Skiing 12 miles round trip plus the climb made for a real long day, but it's doable. Have fun!

Oh, and on the topic -- I'd recommend the south peak of The Brothers also. A great two-day climb (unless you're a monster-snow plow), made even better when covered by snow. This year, there's probably snow all the way down to the creek-fork, so that's most likely the last dry (somewhat) bivy site. From there, a great climb that goes over all the scree and alder-slash you must normally contend with in the summer. The glissade down is one of the best around, and saves MUCHO time. Mt Constance is next on my list - you're all making it sound excellent, particularly in winter...

I was wondering when someone was going to catch the Norman Clyde reference.... If you're the REAL Norman Clyde (who allegedly died in a Bishop rest-home back in the late 70's, early 80's)... your pack contains an iron frying pan, several hardback volumes by the classic philosophers, a big bag of flour for biscuits, a slab of bacon,AND you solo all your routes with a hemp rope and hobnail boots. If you're a pseudo-Clyde, then you've got a GREAT name-sake, a man I've admired for many years, and who holds first-ascent honors in the Sierras...

They opened a VW in Bremerton cause we have absolutely nothing else here!! It's at least a few hours drive to get climbing just about anywhere. Dave, it's on Hy 303 one building north of Skateland. Make a left turn at the United Rentals driveway. I haven't called yet, but I believe it's open now. Finally, somewhere to take the boys on a cold rainy day.... Jim

Philfort - Thanks for the link! Geez, it was the spirits talking to me - not Lambone's bag o' fungus. It's ALL starting to make sense now... It's odd to think that scientists haven't really come up with any definite explanation, but in any case I feel very fortunate to have seen AND heard them. No telling if I'll ever have the chance again. As an aside - I've been lurking on this site now for several months and I must say all you regular post'ers are a great group. Even when the flames fly, good info and honest opinion abound. I'm constantly inspired by you all to climb more, even as I head over the hump (40...). I often wonder what the average age of the Cascadeclimber user-group is.... Keep up the good vibes... Jim

Dan, great trip report. Some friends and I went up the east route a few weeks back, but your trip sounds like much more of a cool challenge. Quick question -- did you notice the Aurora making any noise? No, I'm not on the herb.... I've observed them once from my place here in Seabeck and they made a low rumbling noise, like far-off thunder.. I've read that others have heard them too. Anyway, thanks for the info. Jim