dr._jay

no, just a local old-schooler. Ed only gets out to take pictures these days

its always nice in California. how's the weather up there? when you're older than old school you don't need a harness can't complain about sunny cragging in february... "good grief. that guy's old" c'mon down and check it out...

jeez gene, i haven't heard from you in all this time and now i read this. i'm glad to hear you're okay, i hope those washington doctors are treating you well. sorry i wasn't around to help. i guess my airtime on the ringing flake doesn't seem so bad now--but it was the last time i was on the lower wall. get well soon and get yourself back to california, the sierras are missing you. cheers, Jay

drop me a line when you get to sonoma county if you're looking for partners and i'll come out and meet you.

how far south are you heading? there's some decent rocks all the way down to sonoma and marin county as well. goat rocks, dry creek crag, fisk mill cove, and mickey's beach to name a few.

yeah, it sure is a drag when your partner falls with you hanging below, eh michelle?

yeah, that's the one. we did it with a 50m though and had no problems.

we found a good half-pitch to scratch our way up just down from the rap wall yesterday. the ice took some decent screws in spots and there was some steep snow and cool mixed moves for added spice. it wasn't much, and most everything else in the area was pretty depressing, but hey, we were ice climbing in washington--what more can you ask for?

naw man, its fresh. unless you're looking for the funk, but then i'm sure we can make it smell however you want.

i got a full-length super comfortable couch that's in decent shape if anyone's interested. its a vintage corduroy, and its even been slept on, among other things, by fred beckey. come get yourself a bit of cascades history, free of charge. who wants it?

be sure to put hemingway buttress on the list. right off the road, sunny and warm in winter, and classic lines overseer, white lightning, and poodles are people too.

as your physician, i also advise you to drink heavily...

There's no reason to bring me into this.... aww c'mon sean, i've seen you climb and know at least 4 or 5 climbers worse than you...i might even need 2 hands to count them all! and way to ruffle some feathers there, dru. nice. that's hitting pretty close to home ragging on index like that.

guess that depends on how you define pleasure. in my book they were hot dusty slogs with a little snow on the side. but then again, everyone sees things differently in the mountains...

garmont vettas kick ass! they're basically a hightop version of the sticky weekenders. i took them out of the box and straight up stuart and they worked great. i wore them the whole time except for the gendarme and they climbed very well, and were almost as light as matt's air zooms and super comfortable. they cost a bit much if you pay retail, but man were my feet happy. until the end, that is, when i made them slog over long's pass--man does that ever suck.

ahh, but pete, to go all that way and skip the gendarme? i mean what's a little extra time when there's such good climbing to be had? and besides, i was just up there yesterday and the bypass pitches looked pretty wet and scary. either way, what a killer route it was. there really is good reason why it's the latest online flavor of the month.

a full size bed with box spring and frame a little on the soft side but in good shape all you gotta do is pick it up

i don't think its a derogatory term, just a description. when you can only climb on the weekends you have to be a warrior to fight all the people trying to get to the same mountains you are. midweek climbing is much more peaceful, and a whole different energy. i like it because i'm a lover, not a fighter

it was sweet!

hey is the obelisk still there? that place has some pretty cool sculptures. too bad they close the soundgarden at night.

well its never a good sign when you hear a pop but its more likely to be pulley rupture than anything else, as it is the most common thing to do. you can tell if it hurts between the joints when you flex but not as much if you hold the tendon in place with your other hand. take lots of ibuprofen to keep down the inflammation, but if it still hurting after that then lemme know, i'll see what i can do.

that's a bummer to hear, pete. how bad is it? maybe it can just be fixed with enough tape.

i think the procedure is completely worth it if you're a good candidate. and the whole surgery is super easy and fast, too. when i had it done i showed up in the morning and before i knew it i was given a pill cup with valium, demerol, and ibuprofen. i threw them down, got some final encouragement by the doctor, and the next thing i know i'm on my back in a big dentist chair starting up at these red lights--its a little disconcerting to smell your eyeballs getting burned by a laser beam, but it doesn't hurt or anything. and they tell you not to look away so of course you wonder what would happen if you did. i couldn't help but feel the kubrick moment. but the whole thing was over so fast the drugs really didn't even kick in until the drive home. its weird because your vision is pretty blurry and it feels like you've had your contacts in for so long they adhered, but i guess the drugs make it all seem like a twilight zone thing so then its pretty cool. i was able to drive myself to my 24 hour follow-up and was back at work the next day. my eyes were pretty dry for a while but it was never too bad and eventually got better, and now i've got no complaints at all. that was 3 years ago, and the doctors are much more experienced and advanced now.

its a pretty cool way to get off desert towers, too!

the snow level was 1500' over stevens pass today and its dumping. felt like freakin january at the end of april--aint washington great!