carolyn

Anyone know how I can get a copy of this out here. No luck in any of the stores. I checked on amazon.com...a no go. Do any of the stores in Wa offer mail order? I would love to look at a copy before heading out there. Leavenworth: Levenworth Rock 2nd Ed, Viktor Kramer Index: Sky Valley Rock, Darryl Cramer

Thanks Chris! I thought about that a bit after I posted. Or maybe hang out at the rope up one night rather than all 2 or 3. Whats the guidebook for the area? More beta questions to follow in a different thread at a later time.

Wow! (my initial reaction to this post) Secondary reaction.... Ive been planning a two-three week trip out to the pnw to climb. I scheduled it around the rope up because I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet/climb with some of the folks Ive been corresponding with or gettin' to know via cc.com. over the past few years. I think there are some good ideas being brought to this years rope up. Heck, If I was a newer climber in the PNW or had the opportunity to climb out there on a regular basis, I might even be psyched about the event. However, now I am (selfishly) wondering if planning my trip around this date is going to meet my goals. I dont really want to stand around in a line to top rope something (bless the belayers taking on this job, tho). I dont necessarily want to climb inbetween parties on some multipitch route, while numerous others are waiting on the ground (which sounds like it migh tbe the case). And, I dont want to be overwhelmed with activities/options. I just want to climb ( A LOT), meet some new folks, and throw back a few beers. This post is wierd. The whole thing is wierd. I dont really have an opinion one way or another if whats going on is right or wrong (just call me ms. wishy washy). I do however need to reconsider if attending would be the right decision in order to meet the goals i have before shelling out all the bucks for the flight and time off from work. Regardless, Ive already chosen to take this block of time off from work. I will be in the area whether I decide to attend the rope up or not. If anyone has either encouraging thoughts on rallying up partners/climbing opportunities at the rope up or some fresh ideas, please send me a pm. As far as I know there are a group of folks gathering at smith the weekend before. I contacted tg abou this a while back and he offered to donated some kegs to both the smith gathering and the 'original' rope up in l'worth. I offered to bring the beer up from PDX (on the conditions I found a ride or vehicle) to l'worth. I dont know if tg's side of the offer still stands. Im sure he will chime in eventually.

My regular climbing partner has either lost interest or his excuses are real, I dunno. So, this summer I have had to either go with his flow or take the bull by the horns. I chose the later. Its given me some wonderful opportunities to climb with other people and learn from them. The attitude of "just do it" has become a common theme for me. No excuses ...shoes, hungover, 'just not my day', wet/greasy rock, etc. Banking on each others strengths has also been key, along with recognizing and using my own vs using my weaknesses as an excuse. The one person who has helped me the most is someone who believes in my potential to reach whatever goals I set. He helps me focus on my strengths and points out what I can work on in a gentle way (knowing that I will do so when Im ready). He allows me to disagree with him, despite his experience. Most importantly he has encouraged me to reach deep down in order to find both the mental and physical strenght neccesary to keep moving forward. I think its easy to fall into a rut with the same climbing partner. On the other hand, if you allow each other to go out and experiment by climbing with different people, you can bring back so much more to your 'relationship' and climbing skills/attitude (hmmmm...kinda sounds like sex! ) I could go on and on about this subject, but I will spare you all. I think Erik hit the nail on the head (for me at least) Thanks for the topic

Wow! Thats pretty inspiring!

Soul Asylum tonight at our ever famous ribfest (man do I miss the "old" soul asylum) Climbing (in my new shoes) Saturday If I make it back in time, catch a bit of the Ice T show. Quick bike ride sunday am...then....work

Mine as well take what I can get, eh? Goes to show what a positive attitude can do for ya. Seriously though, I went into the bouldering a bit skeptical of the shoes and NOT trusting my feet. I dont believe there was much of a placebo affect going on. Thanks for clarifying.

Its late over here...or maybe Im just a little dense. huh?

Well, I got a new pair of shoes today, because I cant seem to mend the hole in my mythos and I cant fathom the idea of not climbing for three weeks while I wait to get them resoled. I chose the scarpa reflexes for a couple reasons. One biggie...because it was one of the few we had in my size at the store. They are actually a perfect fit. I would have liked to squeeze into those ananazi lace ups, tho. Oh well. Also, because they seem to serve a different purpose than my mythos. I tried 'em out in our climbing cave before I purchased them. Should have known better...its so freakin greasy down there. VERY VERY different from my mythos because of the ?board? in the soles. It was strange to not feel much contact to the rock around my toes I was a bit nervous as I handed my paycheck over in exchange for the shoes. Hopefully they are like ice tools, in the sense that you get 'used' to the way they feel. It was getting dark, but I just couldnt wait until tomorrow evening, so I headed accross town to a bouldering/traversing area outside. Good thing I had my head lamp! I took a run along an easier portion. Not too bad. The edging was awesome! Smearing...hard to say. Not great, but I think the verdict will come in that regards once I do some vertical climbs...and once they wear in a bit. I was a bit tentative with getting my foot into some cracks. Not as bad as I thought. The verdict is still out on that one as well. I ran down to the beginning of the wall where there are some more difficult bouldering/traversing problems. Ive had to work at getting some of these problems down. To my suprise they were suddenly MUCH easier with these shoes ( I know its not possible to improve that much overnight). Again,the edging on practically needle sized holds was incredible! I look forward to getting out and doing some real climbing with these shoes in the next couple days. I will, however, miss my mythos quite a bit while they are getting resoled. Anyone else have these shoes? What do ya think of 'em?

Gots a bit to kill if anyone is interested in joining... click here

I like to think I try to push myself when it comes to climbing, as well as other aspects of my life. I like to think I take risks and go beyond what I believe I am capable of. THis weekend I learned otherwise. I DONT push myself enough when Im climbing. I also learned what an incredible feeling it is when you DO. Mentally, I pushed myself on a lead ( accidentally) by running it out more than usual. It had the potential to be a pretty brutal fall. The reality of it all set in and I had to deal with it when I couldnt find a piece to place right before the crux. I thought I had been pushing the mental aspect of climbing all along. This was a true test. Thank god I passed! Physically, I took the risk of trying a climb that I knew damn well I couldnt finish. Why couldnt I finish it? Well, because...the grade was higher than anything I have done to date. I gave it a go anyway. To my suprise, I sent it. These experiences got me thinking about how much I have been holding myself back. The majority of it is mental. I have a hard time seeing myself as 'moving forward', thus giving me an excuse to not try harder climbs...or not push myself to even TRY harder climbs. All this time, the only thing keeping me from moving forward was the belief that I wasnt ready. When all along, I probably was more than ready. I just never gave myself the chance. to those who recognize your limits and push them. To those who dont...I reccomend giving it a try sometime. And for those who arent sure if you do...push a little harder and I bet the answer will appear. to an all too short, but GREAT weekend!

Thanks, I can grab a bit of seam grip easily. And, yes, I will clean them good before hand. Thanks!

btw...there is no one local who resoles shoes, so I would have to send them out when the time comes. The process takes about 3 weeks! So, until I get a new pair its not a possibility. Home improvements are mandatory at the moment.

Freesole? Not something we sell at the store. Not that Ive seen anyway. we have a 5.10 resole kit which I believe has rubber cement in it for the glue. ya, its near the pinky toe...more on the side. I cant imagine how I ripped a hole in that spot climbing today. It had to be the glass. Damn bums!

We have been pretty lucky this summer...lower humidity and temps. Although I hear we have it comin' to us later this week. Its raining right now, so a moose drool is quite fitting. mmmmm....winter! I cant wait!

so I was bouldering today along a railroad track, a fair amount of glass is in the area. I think I stepped on a piece and now I have a hole almost the diameter of a pencil in one of my shoes. It doesnt look like its going completely thru (close, tho). It is starting to rip away and the potential for a larger hole seems inevitable. Im thinking it would be helpful to glue the flap down. Any particular glue which wont eat away at the rubber? Rubber cement? gosh darn it! These shoes are becoming more high maintenance than my damn ice tools! Im truley understanding the importance of having a second pair. Hurry up pay day!!!!!!

Agree! Makes me smile. I recently had a father and 3? 4? yr old girl walking by as I was setting up some anchors. Dad eventually walked away, expecting her to follow behind. By the time he realized she was missing I had her dressed up in my helmet and a mini-sized rack hanging from her shoulders. She was ready to go! One of the best (so far, which I have already shared a while back)...sitting on top of a climb with two guys, just about to rappel. A family is above us asking questions (but never really waiting for the answer), when one of the youngsters asks, "but how is the girl going to get down?" His parents werent too thrilled when I said I would jump and asked if he wanted to watch.

Im up for a little chitter chatter, if anyone else is

Just curious, Greg_W... is that true, even with a CWP? It would seem logical to prohibit weaponry in a drinking establishment, but I just don't know what the limits are on a CWP. Your response appreciated. CWP or no, the RCW prevents guns in bars. To me, this is a bullshit move to restrict carry, but whatever. I obey the laws. The law in MN just changed where you are free to carry guns in public places. The bar i work in took down their signs prohibiting guns on the premises. Yet last night serving drinks in bottles was not allowed (per request of the band). Guess the band prefered being shot than getting mauled with glass bottles. Cant wait for the IceT And bodycount show.

THe alcohol prep pads from my first aid kit and a bit of sand paper did wonders for my shoes (and my climbing) today. Thanks again. Oldclimber...Im going to keep your idea in mind. Im sure they are going to need plenty of maintenance until I can afford a new pair. I actually live in s mpls...probly not far from where you grew up. Give me a holler if your ever out this way again. The N.shore is amazing, eh?!

alchohol?! Brillliant! I rubbed some of my beer into them last night. Should do the trick, eh? Just kidding. I will try one or the other before I climb today. I might skip dru's idea, though

I have a pair of mythos and They just dont stick like they used to. In fact, no matter how often I wipe the dirt off or rub them together they still slide out from me more often then they used to. Yes, I know my footwork probly isnt anywhere near perfect. The shoes honestly dont seem to perform as well as they used to. They arent ready for a resole quite yet. Im hoping to make it through the season, or at least until I can afford a secondary shoe. Someone mentioned taking light sandpaper to them. Is this a stupid idea? Or could it help solve the problem short term? Any other suggestions?

ya, ya, ya, I know dru. Now how do I kill this damn cricket?!?!?!

Depends One beer down, five more to go... Ive already come to the conclusion Im never gonna get the cricket. My cat is being no help, as she lounges on the couch.

Work started out kind of wierd yesterday for a number of reasons. In the evening I pitched my tent under a beautiful full moon along with a group of 6 kids who have add/adhd and a few other staff. After the kids went to bed (or into their tents at least), I went back to the office to finish up some odds and ends. I returned around 12:30am. Of course a few of the kids were still awake. Typical. Eventually start falling asleep around 1:30/2am. In the distance I hear the noise of an animal, but couldnt quite comprehend what it was. Suddenly I hear one of the girls yell out, "WHATS THAT?!?!?" I open my eyes (head at the door of my tent) to two shiny eyes staring right at me...."What the fuck?!?!" "Get outta here!" It then proceeds to the girls tent and tries to work its way under. I clap my hands and yell. It runs. Now I can go back to bed. Of course the noise is off in the distance again. One of the girls says it sounds cute...like a cat purring. Ack! I just want to sleep. Cant sleep. I know its going to come back. Kids are awake, all excited and full of giggles. Noise gets louder...louder...LOUDER! Sounds like its flying over us, running around us...GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! I tell em to stay in their tents as I get out of mine to see what the commotion is. Baby raccoon, not nearly the size of my cat. It tries running up a tree, makes it about two feet, slides down. Tries to fit into a hole next to the tree, screeching at the top of its lungs....dodges past me, around some tents...and meets up with its Posse. Not just one...not just two..but five fricken' brotha's/sista's. They surrounded us as we tried to get the group up and out to another location. Often times, trying to run towards us. Geezus! All the while, a number of the kids antagonizing them in hopes they will get to touch one. We eventually move to another location w/o injury . Mosquitoes are horrendous. I toss, I turn. I give up on sleep. I decide to go for a walk and have a smoke. I came accross a buck on the other side of a fence. We have a stare down and suddenly it lets out a gigantic growl/hiss, turns toward me and BAM!!!!!!!!!! Smacks into the fence. It runs away unharmed (or so I hope). At the same time jack the rabbit and his friends are out hopping around me.....off in the distance I spot a fox lounging in the grass. It was like 'disneyland in hell'!!!! Its now been nearly 36 hrs with maybe an hour or so nap. I was stoked to pass out as soon as I got home. That is until I heard this unfamiliar, yet familiar noise.... A damn cricket. In my apartment. I cant seem to catch it...and it wont shut up! I think its just time to start drinkin myself silly. Eventually ones body has to give in despite its surroundings, eh? Hail to the full moon and all the wierdness it brings our way!