carolyn

here!here! I think I injured my finger last weekend. Didnt seem to bother me much at all until yesterday at work. Gonna watch A LOT of movies today, shop for a new tent, and get some new climbing shoes! Fortunately, I can still bike. Unfortunately, the weather kinda suxs right now. Happy healing wirlwind!

In regards to the mythos (which I love, btw), Im going on my second pair in two years now because they have stretched so much that they are too big. I got them either a 1/2 size or full size smaller than my street shoe size at the time. Just something to keep in mind if you are looking at them...they DO stretch a lot.

Im soooo in! It was great to have the smith gathering the weekend before lworth...allowed me to meet more people, cover more ground, etc on my short trip out to the PNW. October works well for me....and since its all about me.... .... Whatever folks decide is kewl with me...just need enough advance notice to get a decent price flight. -c

What a suprise to see Jeff climbing an OW Sounds like a great time, filled with a bit of luck! Nice photos.

are you in Illinois?

This is how us Minnesotans keep non locals out of the area! (kidding)

You sure picked a cold time of the year to be up there! A guidebook is definately helpful. Were there not others around to help you figure out whats/what? And yes, at Tetagouche you lower to various ledges...not the bottom (or you wind up in the lake). Its too bad you didnt get on anything at Palisade Head. the escape route doesnt really count...it sux. I think if you had gotten on any of the classics you would have found it to be pretty decent climbing (despite the sharp rock). Sounds like you enjoyed some of the the scenery. Its really not THAT bad out here in the midwest. Any time you folks are out this way, give me a holler and Im happy to try and meet up or direct you to decent climbing in the area.

me!me! Pick me!! What an expensive weekend that could be, eh? Whatcha do to your shoulder?

shit! I was smokin a fag

and you are posting instead of watching?!?!?!

you guys need to chat earlier to accomodate those of us in different time zones! Hurry!I wont last much longer!

damn!

Funny! I brought this little boy I take care of to see the movie last week. He has many special needs. He is very aggressive and likes to swing/hit at people. To my suprise he kept the glasses on the entire time. He also spent the majority of the movie swinging/trying to hit the people, especially when the smaller screens would popup. I was laughing so hard, I thought for sure we were going to get kicked out. This was the first 3d movie I have seen since...... I wanna see more!

Im going to leave most of the story telling up to Mike Layton when he returns because Im not feeling too creative right now. I think Im still thoroughly exhausted. Hopefully in the next week I will get some of the photos uploaded, tho. Basically I had my ass handed to me many times a day. And, as Jay said, "My body and I are not on speaking terms"...still. I dont get much crack climbing here in Minnesota. Since Mike and Jay tend to lean more towards cracks this was a great opportunity for me to rip up my hands, have my feet throb 24/7, and flail like an idiot! Actually, I learned a lot by both watching and climbing myself. Anyway...here are the highlights (or not) for me... *Walking around LAX for 5hrs waiting for Mike's plane to arrive. *Following pitch after pitch. Following someone is a "special treat" out here. Everyone just topropes or clean their own gear. I learned a lot by doing this. *5 fuckin hour backpacking/scrambling expedition looking for a particular climbing area (cant remember the name- I have permenantly blocked it out of my mind). *Taking my first leader fall!!!!! My first lead in Jtree. My first since mid summer last year. First time using cams (Ive only used passive pro before this). The fall was short and kinda stupid, but probably one of the most impactful moments on the trip for me. It demonstrated that when everything is done properly the safety systems really DO work. Knowing that its okay to fall gave me the confidence to try a few more leads over the week. It will most definately allow me to push my limits both mentally and physically more than I have in the past. *Teaching myself how to aid up the first part of climb (clean and jerk) cause I couldnt get my ass off the ground and the gear needed to be retrieved. I cant count how many times I told mike I hated him on that climb...just like I cant count how many times I fell. *Following on Sidewinder. I LOVED the traverse at the top! Something about the fear and uncertainty of being able to do it, along with the type of climbing gave me a great adreniline rush *Watching Mike climb Imaginary Voyage. Holy Shit, did he ROCK! Photos to come!!!! *Being completely humbled when I couldnt get my feet off the ground on any of the boulder problems we tried one day. Its hard being able to recognize how far you as an individual have come in your climbing when you are surrounded by a number or amazing climbers. God, I felt sooooo suck that day! *Backing off on lead of a 5.3ish climb cause I couldnt find a piece that fit and I was scared Glad I can laugh about it now. *FINALLY getting the "crack" technique down somewhat on Illusion Dweller. What an amazing climb! *Leading White Lightening. Though I was a bit freaked out the first 15ft or so, I pulled it together and enjoyed it immensly. That was a big lead for me. * Sun!Sun!SUn!Sun!Sun! Here are a list of climbs I remember us doing... Poodles are People Too 10b Taxman 10a Bloody Tax Return 10b Mr Bunnys Refund Check 10a Illusion Dweller 10b Sidewinder 10b SuperRoof 9 Hobbits Roof 10b Douple Dip 6 Mike's Book 6 Imaginary Voyage (I didnt climb this one...mike led and followed).10d Right Basterville Crack 10a Clean and Jerk 10d Mel cracks L 10b Mel Cracks R 10b Toe Jam .7 Aint Nothin but a Josh Thing 6 Sphincter Quits .9 Gunsmoke Traverse v4?/.11a? White Lightening .7 Headstone .8 Jumping Jack Crack 11a Again, I will leave it to Mike to tell the stories. -c

DOH! Guess I will be standing on the sidelines this week! and Im NOT unzipping my duffle to take out the hexes, either.

Too Funny! I should go home later and try that with my cat! I saw an eagle on my way to work today. That was way kewl!

Ive used the pocket rocket exclusively for about 3 yrs now. The coldest temps were -15f and had no problems. Like others said, put something between the canister and the snow to help it along.

i think u can put other chatters on ignore.

Shit! and Im gonna fly accross the country to climb with this joker at J-Tree?!!?!?!? NOW Im scared! Ahhhh...Bring it on!!!!!!

Saturday.... packed, worked, bouldered inside (had a personal best day!), ran some errands near one of my favorite climbing/training areas in the summer. It was almost 40 outside and very sunny. THought I would check it out since I had my shoes with me. It was sooooooo good to climb there again. ANother personal best traversing this wall. A tinge of guilt as I could look accross the river and see a local ice crag. Hmmmm...soft ice over there in the sun. Moved more stuff to my new place in the evening. Sunday Drytoolin day. Cloudy and RAINY. Turned into snow as we drove north. Really looking forward to the day. Wound up Having a personal WORST day. I sooooo sucked. Still learned a lot and enjoyed the day. Went to bed VERY EARLY! Next weekends TR: move, clean, move, clean, take care of freaked out cat, move, clean, move , clean, take care of freaked out cat. Climb ice on apartment building one last time before turning in the keys!

Im actually somewhat consumed with activities that weekend between bringing a group of people up there from work and assisting with clinics. There are plenty of clinics (either free or minimal cost) which you can join and definately get to climb. Otherwise, there are always people open to letting others join them. DO you live on the west coast? Suggested climbs in Orient Bay Tempest (WI2+)...a must! 70m' Go Mar Falls (WI3) 85m Snow shoes a necessity. April Ice (WI3) 20m Glace Eclantante (WI3+) 60m (In GREAT shape right now!) 10% Real (WI5) 75 m S. Loop of Ice Palace Reflection Wall (WI5) 80m (Go for a first ascent on the two lines to the right...both mixed) Cascade Falls (WI3) 40m Rap anchors at top Obsession (WI4) 60m shortest approach ever...maybe 50m? Sycho Icycho (WI2+) 50m I HATE this climb for personal reasons, but most people REALLY enjoy it. Can make for a great first lead. Tears Of Joy (Wi3+) 80m Kick ass climb! Andromeda Weeps (WI4) 70m Mellow Yellow (3+) 60m? River of Frozen Dreams is suppose to be nice...kindof considered 'rivering'...lots of little climbs along a river. Ive only climbed once in Kama Bay...that was Grandy Mardy Falls. Very kewl rivering to a huge ice wall...(wi4-5 with some possible mixed)...40-50m? Rumour has it you can keep rivering after the first wall and hit another. Hmmmmm? The ice park is pretty cool. It will be busy with clinics during the ice fest. Their website is www.eaglecanyonadventures.ca www.wesbender.com has some links to updated photos in OB if youre interested.

I think I remember... *Dog Mountain *Angels Rest (?) I think I remember doing 2 of them with that name or similar names. *Saddle Mountain *Eagle Creek (no hills, but never the less, BEAUTIFUL) TG met me for breakfast on that trip with a fully loaded truck of beer. He also had to suffer thru my first experience driving stick, before I took the car out to the gorge on my own. Ithink I scared him! Also spent 2 weeks in the N.Cascades, did my first multipitch climb (with erik) in Lworth AND climbed Da Toof with Michelle and Figger8.

Holy Shit! That was a LONG ass time ago! At first when I looked, I thought it was someone using my name! To think how far I have come since then! Thanks for the memories!

I climb in Orient Bay on a regular basis. Actual climbing is about 20 minutes or more (depending on what area you are aiming for) from the town of Nipigon, where most people stay. Approaches, as paul said can be anywhere from 50m or a couple miles. You will almost always have to go uphill for a short while...nothing overly strenuous. Snowshoes are highly reccomended especially for the longer approaches and less frequented areas. There are a number of multipitch routes. ANd lots of stuff from wi2-6. Best times to go are late Nov (when its in) into mid December OR March-May (often in during the first week or two of may)...that is unless you dont mind below zero temps and dinner plates to feed the city of seattle off of...then by all means go anytime! Kama Bay (loooonger approach), Ice Station Superior, and a newly developed ice park in Dorian are also good to check out. There are some new areas in the process of being developed as we speak, including some wicked hard mixed/dt routes. Should have more information on them come mid march. THunder Bay also has some GREAT climbing. If you are coming from the states, the best way to do it would be to fly into Mpls/St Paul and rent a car....the drive is about 7hrs. Or fly into Duluth and cut off a couple hours of drive time. The Nipigon Ice Festival takes place March 5-7th. You can check the website for more information www.nipigonicefest.com Its coming up soooooon, but would be a great time to get introduced to the area. If you want some route suggestions, let me know. I would be happy to throw some out your way Oh yes...and I would reccomend OB over Montreal River (sorry shaunp if you are reading this).

This chica could use some cheering up and a few laughs! Any comedians in the crowd wanna chat?