klenke

Ah, so the arsonist rudipoots will now have to set their fires closer to urban areas instead of out in the middle of nowhere where there's no real danger of destroying communities and homes. There's always a flip side to every policy.

What do you mean by "adventure", Matt? Long run outs? Route finding? And/or other?

I do recall watching the "dissenting views" of the BBC News during the war (comes on PBS regularly or semi-regularly). It wasn't all dissenting, of course, but I will say that the BBC appeared to be doing a better job of going with facts instead of propoganda and sensationalism. The news and the war: well, if the newscasts just went with facts the whole time it would be a pretty short broadcast. But then, what are facts? Facts are truths in the eyes of the beholder. But who beheld the truth? Can we really be certain of anything in the world? Does this website really exist? Any fact handed down from one person to another on down the line is bound to get distorted over time, through space, and in the mind. The last guy, returning to the source, may find the fact he thought he knew to be nothing like what really happened. And so it goes and so it goes. Note that "history" itself is the subjective art of the historian. History does not write itself. People write history. Historians cannot possibly know every cause and effect in the realm of their research. They must make leaps of faith and assumptions as to some or many of the connections. In this way, no "history" can ever be said to be what really happened. Only God knows what really happened--and to God (like Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five) "history" is one long event from the beginning of time to the end of time. A history is one person's perspective: the historian's.

If everyone who owned a "Sport Utility Vehicle" used them for sporting purposes then there might not be an issue from a stereotypical waste standpoint. Heck, if even 50% of owners used their SUV for sport purposes this would be enough. But, likely, the percentage of SUV owners who actually use their SUV for sport purposes (off-road, 4-wheel driving, etc.) enough to warrant having one at all is about 10%. Nope, most own them because they want to feel big and get "what everyone else is getting." And the automobile companies are (successfully) marketing them to these types of people because they know the average joe and jane "want what everyone else wants." Concerning the Hummer, I have yet to see one of these humdingers off of a paved road (short gravel roads and driveways notwithstanding). A vehicle like that would be good for off-road or off-paved-road travel, but they're so expensive that the owners don't want to risk diminishing their value by scratching or denting them up. There is simply no ecological or ergonomic justification for owning a Hummer. All Hummer owners own them for sociological reasons: "Look at me, I must be a bad ass because I drive a Hummer. I only drive it in the city where it's a bitch to parallel park, but I feel like everyone's looking at me and envious when I step out of it in town. And when I'm driving it, I like that feeling of being big and huge and capable of squashing a Toyota Tercel if I want to." Heaven forbid if you are unlucky enough to be ahead of one of these guys when they fail to stop in time--tread marks up and over the smashed roof of the small car it ran over. My rant for the day. Thank you and good afternoon.

Absolutely brilliant response Bill. For that, once again consider yourself A#1: Billcoe X 2 (for using his real name) lummox X 2 Dreg_W Necrophiliac Tomcat Klenke wirlwind catshiteat Fence_Shitter michael_latent mattp Sphinxter erikkk RuM(p RaNgE)r Fairweather

Just flash your new rack at her and that'll scare her enough to leave you alone. (You know which rack I'm talking about.) Tell her they are impromptu surgical instruments for bitchy people.

Klenke lummox X 2 Sphinxter Necrophiliac Tomcat Fence_Shitter catshiteat Dreg_W michael_latent mattp erikkk wirlwind RuM(p RaNgE)r Billcoe X 2 (for using his real name) Wayne1000+100+10+2 Fairweather You've been demoted, Bill. Now I'm #1 Fuckhead. Oh, and Wayne, it's all in good fun at this point (isn't it? Necro, isn't it?)

Nice pics. So now you know: the pic you think might be a view of Bonanza is actually of Dome Peak (with Sinister Peak the point immediately to its right).

I carry all my gear in my teeth while leading and cleaning up as a second. This invariably makes the gear very slick on the hand off, so we lose a lot of stuff. But seriously... I prefer the sling method with runners (singles and doubles at least) racked on the sling too. I just find it easier to locate the gear I want when it's pretty much right in front of me as opposed to contorting my body to look at the gear around my hip(s). However, I don't like the way all that pro can clang against the rock when I'm leaning forward. Yep, we all know that clanging cowbell sound.

A couple of more pictures of Buck from the southwest: > From Clark Mountain > From Luahna's south saddle

Billcoe lummox X 2 NecroDickHead Sphinx Klenke

I tried to explain this very point to my parents and a family friend last night over dinner but their eyes were glossy. I guess I bored them. But this is exactly the point I was trying to make: why should I put money into a system that can't account for itself and the money it receives? You might as well flush your Trail Park Pass money down the toilet because, in the end, it's the same thing.

Jonathan, I have put two pictures in the picture gallery from our last year's climb. See here and here. We climbed the North Summit. It contained a register. Apparently, the Middle Summit (the one you climbed) also has a register (and maybe a cairn at the summit). I don't really know which is higher of the two, but for sure they are both higher than the South Summit. More later. I've got to run to a dinner engagement...

THIS POST SHOULD BE DELETED!!!! AND THE AVATAR BANNED!!!! Here here!

Lummox: where in my post is this supposed "proof" that I'm a fucking wanker who hates kids? All I said is that the litter is becoming a serious problem in the mountains. I offered no solution such as banning them from fairs, etc. It was you who made the assumption and suggestion. Reading for comprehension. Give it a try, bub.

Dude, that sucks. Get well quick, Mr. Mefford. When I was last laid off (many moons ago), I was offered that Cobra Insurance while my severance played out. That would be too bad if John didn't have the same insurance available. Albeit, I don't know what Cobra would cover in the event of a climbing accident.

The first time I saw balloon entrails was on the west side of Malachite Peak in May 1994. I was in the middle of nowhere taking a break and there it was, this unnaturally colored thing on the ground in front of me. I thought it was a fluke. I even picked it up and took it home to "show some friends." In the next couple of years after that I continued to see them, maybe one or two a year, thus making it seem less and less like a fluke. Now, in the last few years, I average seeing about one per hike/climb in the Cascades. Of course, I am climbing more now than I was 7 years ago, so the chances of seeing the popped balloons are greater in that regard. Still, though, I do wonder whether or not these balloons are becoming more popular in the Puget Sound at fairs and the like. It's not like I'm going out specifically searching for them. Balloon entrails are becoming a serious litter problem in the mountains.

Nice, guys. Tell me, where in B.C. is Princess Mountain and the Monarch Icefield? For mid-August, there sure is a lot of snow still about, which makes me think it's way north.

I bet you haven't done the Squock or the Mazama or the Rainbow. Probably not even the Talum.

Gordon Bennet! What a geeky bunch of questions those were from Richardaiken! Made my otherwise lackluster evening a little more laughable, though.

It's a wide glacier. I'm surprised you were not able to find at least one way onto it wide left or wide right. Once beyond the initial icefall apron, the glacier is less-steep and less crevassed (at least that's my recollection from last summer). Maybe you climbed something else while there. Logan goes easy from Bridge Creek. North Face of Storm King would be a wild climb (don't know how difficult the class 5). Or there's up to Black Peak. There are still others. After the long approach--whether by boat/shuttle from L. Chelan or foot by SR-20--I'd be making sure I did something in the area.

Glad to hear everything's okay...right now. I like the part about the wife possibly calling out the calvary. Mental suffering for sure, but no crucifixions please. Although, she may have crucified you when you got home for being so foolish to do this alone or do that alone or....

There is a TR from June 2003 on www.sverdina.com Don't know if it will be useful for conditions but may be useful for routefinding issues.

Let's see if I can tell the story before it happens: Erin (Lodi-dodi) goes to Squamish and meets up with a climber or two that befriend her or make her think they are befriending her. Unbeknownst to her, they watch where she goes every night to stash her gear (under this rock or under that log). Then, when the climbing fun is nearly over, off walks your gear and your new friends are nowhere around the next morning. Beware the tricky thieves. You could leave your gear stashed on a ledge some 40 feet off the deck on some super-hard 5.11 only you could free climb. My line of thinking is no thief would have enough balls or agility to bother trying for your gear, despite it's hanging (shining) out in plain view. A good plan in theory, risky in practice. Have fun...with the climbing, the pseudo-friends, and the stash arrangements.