carolyn

nice way to end my trip watching the sunset over the mtns, drinking a beer (and NO it was NOT a budweiser! - that was in Erik's hand), and meeting some more of you folks. when I walked out of the bathroom, everyone was gone...except for jay... he was stumbling around with his headlamp looking for me. Sheeet! Good thing I had his car keys, eh? Or I would have been left stumbling around seattle, gear in hand from earlier in the day, trying to figure out how to get back to where I was staying. made it back to my home territory last night, where the sun is shining...the humidity lurks heavily in the air...and the mosquitoes are now the size of birds! Gotta luv Minneeesota! Might try to write a tr later on for those of you who didnt hear of my month long adventure in the PNW. Thanks to those who contributed in making my stay yet another memorable one! chau! carolyn

After 3 and a 1/2 weeks out here I will be heading back to the midwest on Wed. Thought I would wrap up my visit by attending a pubclub... Any final decisions on where it will be? I dont know jack about the seattle area...Im staying around U-Village ( ?sound right? ) for the time being. Its possible I could find a ride to where ever people are drinking....although Im still not sure. Once the decision is made as to where it will be and if anyone might be able to help me find a way to and from, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks! carolyn [ 06-10-2002, 12:52 PM: Message edited by: carolyn ]

Got it figured out...looks like I will be going to the tooth with some folks. Thanks all! -c

I think so...Erik was a KIND person and took me out to L'worth before my trip. Awesome area! FANTASTIC day!

nope... spent a week in portland...just got back from that 2wk OB course yesterday...I head back to MN on Wed. I just keep thinking I could be drinking this beer and listening to Dylan at home...I'd rather get out and do some more climbing while Im here and have the opportunity. anyone? bueller?

I thought I might need some more "recovery" time after being out for 2 weeks...but after 24 hrs Ive almost finished laundry, got some good sleep, checked email, drank some beer, ate some good food, etc.... now the sun is shining and Im antsy... might be able to get out to exit 38 this evening... would love to get some climbing in tomorrow(6/11)....any takers?

quote: Originally posted by Sparky: It would be so cool if a climber; perhaps a newbie or an out-of-stater, could ask an honest question of us, without our small-dicked spray obfuscating whatever right we have to be called "climbers". hmmmmm , i qualify as an out of stater AND a newbie... never had a problem with folks answering my questions in an honest and helpful manner.

Hey thanks for all the info thus far! I did a search on Ruckle Creek Trail and found this site. Looks like there is some decent info on that page. Im really looking to do an overnight or two...in the gorge do you need any particular camping permits? do you have to camp at designated sites or can you camp off trail? Im not afraid of snow either (hey Im from Minnesota! ). Keep the ideas comin' if you have more, please! Really do appreciate it. quote: If you order a Bud here, you might go home in a body bag I dont know, I felt much at home drinking my bud at the ta"VERN" accross from where I was staying last time I was in town. Actually, I am very much into microbrews and look forward to having some new flavors hit my tastebuds! I just like to joke around about the budweiser...because, well...its the king of beers!

I will be in Portland this Saturday thru 5/23ish and I have a few questions... (I know this isnt a "hiking site", but if anyone can help me on this I would appreciate it)... Can you suggest a 10-20 mile, loop preferably, moderate-difficult, with a bit of altitude, in the Hood or Gorge area? Ive had the Ruffel ridge trail (spelling?) suggested. The zigzag mtn trail also seems to fit what Im thinking (anyone been on it before?). Possibly looking to fill in another day or two and would like to hit a local crag...anyone interested? And hows about a pubclub that week - maybe wednesday? anyone plan on ? Mmmmmm budweiser! j/k...I promise to venture out and try a Terminal Gravity brew. Thanks! carolyn [ 05-14-2002, 09:17 AM: Message edited by: carolyn ]

iain- Macalester, eh? The cabooze?!?!?!? worked there for the first few months after I moved out here... Been at First Ave since then (7? 8? yrs later). Seems like Minnesotan's tend to migrate to portland and vice versa. Ya gots to admit...we have some pretty nice ice out here, tho

quote: Originally posted by Son of Caveman: TO THE RESCUE ( this was a pic. of the bud wagon with clydes but it stretched the board so I edited it). man did I catch shit for mentioning Bud. Shitheads Must of been your lucky day son of c! I mentioned drinking a bud earlier in the post... Didnt seem to get a rise out of anyone! ALthough, I like a variety of cool beverages, I stand by my bud any day! cheers!

bummer...gonna miss the festivities by a week. Oh well. I shall just sit at the dive bar accross from where Im staying and drink my budweiser in solitude Have fun!

I will be in the PNW May 18-June 12. I expect to have May 20-26 open. Im planning on being in the Portland area 5/18-22..Seattle 5/23-26 and 6/10-12. I have some options, but my schedule as of right now is pretty flexible. DOnt think I will have the luxary of renting a car on this trip, so transportation might be an issue. However, I would be happy to share gas expenses. If interested send me a pm or email. Please keep in mind, Im still fairly new to climbing. Thanks, carolyn

Hey thanks.Ive been considering moving out to Washington in about a year...which is why I asked. HA! Most people want to know about economy, government, employment...and here I am asking about the ice! (priorities, eh?!?!) Michael-Banff is just about the same driving distance as washington. We have an abundance great ice with a lot of variety here in the northern- most part of the Midwest, so I wont complain at all! Sounds like if you search for the ice you will find it out there...which really is part of the adventure! Thanks again, carolyn

We are pretty lucky here in the midwest to have fairly short/easy approaches (for the most part) and obviously no avalanche danger. And yes, we even have a number of multipitch climbs! (although, we probly have you beat with the cold temps! ) Just wondering what the majority of climbs are like out there....are they usually long approaches? often have some avalanche danger? are there many roadside climbs? Long drive from the seattle area? some of the recent pics have made me curious... One of these days I'll post some pics of what we have out here if people are interested in seeing them.

Nice photos! Thanks for sharing!

I got myself back out on the ice...some short "city" climbs both friday and sunday. Found a few virgin climbs along the bluffs of the mississippi, 40 degrees, sunny, and eagles soaring overhead. Glad your shoulder is feeling better too erik... my neck and shoulder are still pretty sore, but doing MUCH better!!!!

well, i wish I had followed my gut and said I didnt want to simul climb. But the leader is someone I respected- and still DO respect a great deal. I figured he wouldnt put us in an unsafe situation. the person climbing with me had only simul climbed once on rock. His tools were NOT very sharp - which he brought up right before we started climbing. I emphasized to stay NEXT to me and far to the right... not go above, because I knew he would be knocking down dinnerplates. He wound up below me at one point, so I took that opportunity to stand on the ledge to warm up my hands. He continued past as I started cleaning the next screw and kept trying to warm up my hands. There are so many "shouldnt have done's" involved in the situation, all leading to the incident and difficulty getting me down. I dont think there is any one person, or thing to blame. It was a combination of factors. And matt...I agree, although I dont enjoy the pain and such which goes along with being hit. I would probly be much worse off in the head if I was the one who threw it down. I can only hope that explains why my partner is acting so strange ....blaming everyone and everything else. I think there is a lot of guilt flying around between the three of us. Although, there is obviously a time and place for simul climbing, it will be a loooooooooong time before you see me climbing close to anyone! [ 03-14-2002: Message edited by: carolyn ]

Enlight of the situation I encountered this past weekend and the fact I was caught in another country without health insurance... I know I read a while ago about travellers insurance, specifically for backpackers, climbers, etc. I cant for the life of me remember if it was in a magazine or website. It sure would have been nice to have something like this last weekend...and probly would be nice in the future. Does anybody use travellers insurance? KNow of any good one's? I know AAC has rescue insurance, which I MIGHT consider as I start doing more. But the immediate emergency medical would be priority. Please no lectures on getting health insurance...Im working on it, but its not always as easy at it might seem. Thanks! carolyn

Thank you all for your replies. Its really helpful to know that other folks have gone thru the same mental process I am. It seems as if it has been very easy to discuss the "technical" aspect of what happened...how things could have been done differently, how some of it could have only been avoided by not climbing at all, etc. Much harder to get those involved to discuss how it affected everyone's mental state. I woke up this morning with my head a little more clear. Im by far ready to give up. I think back to one of the first things I said on the way to the hospital..."why the hell do I want to climb when shit like this happens?" After about 5 seconds I came back with, "why the hell do I drive my car when accidents can happen?" The answer...because I want to...because it serves some purpose for me and Im willing to accept the risks. I have control over many things while driving , as I do while climbing. There will always be those uncertainties...the uncontrollable. But if I live life focusing on the what COULD happen, Im going to miss out on a lot of what IS happening! This is not to say I wont be a little tentative or nervous, especially on the ice. But Im not going to let it stop me from enjoying what I love. Thanks again to everyone for hearing me out! Mattp...I must go back to my old ending... BE WELL!BE SAFE!!!!carolyn

Over the past month I have read a few volumes of Accidents in North American Mountaineering. In addition, hearing about the various accidents around this country this ice season. Ive put a lot of thought into different scenerios that could take place and how I might deal with them. Because I play things waaaaaaaaaaay on the safe side, I never really thought about how I would react if something happened to ME. I always think about how I would take care of the 'other' person. I had the unfortunate opportunity to find out this weekend as I was involved in a bad situation. The fortunate thing is I am actually here typing this post and other than some intense physical pain and a bit of emotional distress I am fine. I will explain the situation briefly.... I was climbing with someone with a great deal of experience, in addition to my regular climbing partner. The more experienced person took the lead. My partner and I climbed side by side. Ive done this a couple times before and am not very fond of it. About 75ft up the climb I needed to stop at a ledge and warm my fingers up because I couldnt hold my tools (btw...according to the locals later that night, the area had been hit by a blizzard. They even closed the road to a majority of the climbs the next day). My partner kept climbing. I was looking down at my hands, cursing loudly as they went thru the "ying yang" phase when I was suddenly hit with no warning by a block of ice on the back of my neck. It was estimated to be about 15 pounds and fell from about 20-25 ft above me. I remember the feeling and will NEVER forget the sound. I think I blacked out momentarily. I checked my fingers and toes immediately and was able to move them. Dizzy, developing a splitting headache and numbness in my right arm I was stunned.Communication was poor between the leader (who couldnt see or hear well due to the weather) and my parnter (who can never hears a f'in thing anyway). I stood on the ledge stunned, knowing I needed to get down immediately but couldnt get that accross to the leader. It was a long proccess getting me down to the ground, and eventually to the car (thank goodness for many of the short approaches around here). Xrays showed nothing broken in my neck- just bruises/ tissue damage. I must have also been hit near the shoulder as I have a mild seperation. Now, I have discussed the situation in great detail with all those involved and a few others to figure out what could have been done differently. However if any of you would like more details and discuss this as a learning experience for myself or others, I would be happy to do so either in this post or pm. What I am really after in this post is some feedback on how to deal with the fear after something like this happens. Although I could be wrong, I imagine being injured in a climbing accident would affect anyone's mental attitude the next time they go out to climb. I went back out today (we had driven 7hrs to climb this weekend, so I wasnt about to sit in the hotel room!). I also knew it was important for me to get back out as soon as possible. The approach included climbing a few short waterfalls to the larger one, which I was fine with - in fact other than the pain, I ejoyed it immensly. Once we got to the larger climb and the leader began, I found myself 'on edge' the rest of the day. I chose to climb (the dr didnt reccomend it, but said it shouldnt cause any further damage, as long as I could deal with the immediate pain). Is this 'on edge' and fear normal? Ive had momentary thoughts in the past 48 hrs of "maybe i should sell all my gear and quit while Im ahead". But I REALLY DONT want to do that. I think about where I would be had I looked up at that split second the ice hit...it would have nailed my forhead or other parts of my face. I wonder if it had been more serious and with the poor communication what would have come of the situation and my health. I am SOOOOOOOOO grateful that neither of the above happened and that I AM okay. I dont think a minute has passed since the accident that I dont thank my lucky stars! Anyone relate or have thoughts on how to deal with the mental game?

<--thats a bud, not a guiness golf season is starting here in minne-NO-snowta! I feel better now that stopped lurking and posted something! [ 02-18-2002: Message edited by: carolyn ]

quote: Originally posted by Figger Eight: Carolyn...you should be more careful with your money if you're spending it on some joker who tells you never to belay off your harness. No kidding!I worry about the person who hears this during a course and takes it literally. I wont be cutting off my belay loop anytime soon.

Thanks for the input everyone. Like I said before, after reading a different post I was beginning to get the feeling I was lacking info in order to keep the leader safe in the case of a fall. I just wanted to make sure. Lambone, yes...I was actually told to belay a leader or someone on tr off the anchor..."you should never belay off your harness". And, cpt...the above statement was spoken by a guide who I hired. When I have a question about something (especially when it involves safety) I gather info from a variety of resources, and then get my ass out there, using my common sense to see what works best. Im sorry if this topic is redundant or boring for some. I really DO appreciate those who have contributed to the discussion, and especially those who have tolerated my numerous other questions in the past. Thanks again, carolyn

Thanks for sharing! Did you send this off to someone? We are fortunate here in MN where we dont have any fees yet (*knock on wood*) for the boundary waters or other National Forests. You are required to get a free permit, tho. We pay 20 bucks or so for an annual state park permit in order to park in their lots (or $5/day?). But its easy enough if you want to park on the side of a road somewhere instead.