Jim

Yep, did the Google thing and this sounds familiar. You use these folks?

Any references for one in Seattle? I think I tweaked a tendon around my sesamoid while cranking my fruitcake laden self up a route in the gym. Taking a couple weeks off.

Well, I don't get around here as much as I used to, but I'm glad I checked in today. Gave me a chuckle.

Agreed. Probably 99% of bike riders have a car and pay taxes already. No reason to discourge biking. I'm continually amazed at the vehmence towards bikers just because one might have to wait 30 seconds or so to get around a biker occassionaly. Granted - there are the jerks. Recently in Seattle I was in a 10 car backup because of decked-out road wennies just had to ride twosies, instead of in a line. I beeped at them when I went past and the caught up to me at the light and asked what the problem was. I let them know that I commute most days and that they were not adhering to the bike laws by blocking traffic like that - if they rode single file then there would be no problem. Plus I told them their "outfits" were ugly.

They did the flag thing at the crosswalk in front of my wife's middle school because the old guy crossing guard got hit by a car - twice! Once he was in the hospital for a few days, the last time he just got bounced around.

I love the faux outrage over bicyclists while cars kill and maim thousands a year. For the most part, bicyclists can be an annoyance while a car, at several thousands pounds, has to merely bump a bicycle with tragic cirmcustances. We can likely all come up with idiot bicycle and idiot car driver stories. I find that the vast majority of car drivers and bicyclists to be aware and safe. Thought this was timely in the NYT yesterday: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/opinion/sunday/is-it-ok-to-kill-cyclists.html?_r=0

your guy should fix it, especially after all the whining your side did during GW's years in office. he hasn't, and you are silent. sorry, but your complaints now are just crocodile tears Shite - the House can't even agree to get a Farm Bill passed. What makes you think they can manage anything beyond the 41 (or 43rd?) vote to appeal Obamacare.

Really? What changes has he offered? and he almost certainly has ignored FISA. Of course, we have no way of knowing since he hasn't bothered with the "transparent" government he promised. You can absolutely say that Bush opened the door, but Obama has not only walked through it, he's having a party on the other side where anything goes. Well, now you're back to makin' stuff up. There is no evidence that Mr O has gone rouge and run around the FISA as the Bushies did. Friggin' A - you and the American Taliban are going ape shit over a medical plan that was passed by Congress and then vetted by your handpicked majority of the SCOTUS. Jesus, get over it and try and come up with an agenda that people might actually vote for instead of trying voodoo and storm the Bastille tactics. And just for giggles - here's what Obama has proposed for FISA improvements. At least he recognizes it is a rule of law. ________________________________________________________ The president's proposed measures focused on reforming Section 215 of the Patriot Act and Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, under which the NSA's surveillance programs are considered lawful. The reforms would focus on creating more oversight and greater transparency, particularly through modifications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which currently authorizes the surveillance through highly classified opinions. Obama specifically discussed creating a special advocate who could challenge the court on the basis of privacy and constitutional concerns. He also expressed support for making more information public, and upon his directive, the Department of Justice released the legal rationale for the government's collection activities under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. The president added that the NSA would be creating a civil liberties and privacy officer, as well as launching a website to serve "as the hub for further transparency." And finally, Obama announced an independent task force of outside experts that would review the government's surveillance efforts, in terms of both privacy rights and impact on foreign policy. The group would produce both an interim report within 60 days and a final report by the end of the year with findings and recommendations

Not trying to hit too hard here, but you were boderline hysterical back in the day, and I recall that you were calling for impeachment over wiretapping among other things. How 'bout now? Well you get my vote for becoming the CC.com historian and archivist. Before I address the dodge question - I wonder why you shifted gears from the topic at hand, Obamacare. It seems to captured the imagination of the American Taliban, I mean Tea Party wackos. I hope it was worth the $2 billion lost during that political theater. While I think our NSA-fed, chicken shit, government has gone way overboard after 911 - you are missing a clear distinction between what I was complaining about Bush and what Obama is doing (all of which I don't agree with) The FISA court was set up for a review of data collection of communications AND it also had an emergency system set up for quick review of requests. Bush and Company said the hell with these minor safeguards and just started yanking data off communication systems WITHOUT A WARRANT. That's what it was referred to as warrantless wire-tapping. I think the FISA court is not transparent and needs some major tweaking, Obama has offered some changes, not enough. But he never took the privilege of deciding to do a run around the FISA court. I agree with KK - stop the nonsense on Obamacare, try and make it better. If the voters really don't like the whole mess then they can put the Taliban in change and I'm sure we'll get on the right track quickly. Cheers. Go Hillary!

Niether of these are possibilities. But that doesn't mean the GOP wackos will not waste more time having hearings, standing in front of the podium ad nauseum, and voting - for the what? the 45th time to repeal the act. Democrats lost the vote for Medicare Drug coverage not too long ago - rembmember that big pharma give-away? But after it passed, they buried the hatchet and actually help tweak the act instead of grandstanding. If the GOP put 1/10th the energy spent on this show towards actually legislating something might actually happen that was useful.

Ditto - while I've some qualms about, voting yes. That and hearing, again, free speech for corporations (read money) is getting quite old.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/27/showbiz/lou-reed-obit/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 Certainly one-of-a-kind. First time I saw him was in the basement of some ratty bar on McDougal in the Village. The last time was at the Paramount in Seattle, I dunno, 10 years ago? He had just come out with an album and was playing a variety of songs from that. There was and asshole in the balcony who kept yelling "how about playing some rock-and-roll"--- over and over, almost ruining one of the songs. Finally LR had enough. He stopped after the song pointed a finger towards the heckler and said "this is rock-and-roll, it's my rock-and-roll and if you don't like it mother fucker than get your ass outta here and get a refund" The crowd cheered, heckler silenced. From various cicumstances I got to be friends with DY of the Velvet Undergound when he was in NYC, but now out here. LR would pop in once in a while - the take was always that he was a smart as a whip, good writer, so-so muscian, but always surrounded himself with great ones.

Been skiing the Coombacks for two years now on tele set up. I like them a lot. They are pretty versatile and excell in the powder and deep crud. Not so hot on the packed, but then again, what are you doing sking in-area anyway? I've used them for backcountry out of the Wallowa huts, so long day-touring for four days in a row - great for that. I find them too heavy and fat for spring skiing so I just switch to my old BD crossbows and lighter old boots for the non-pow season. I was going to do the trans-Sierra this year but lack of snow intervened - and I was leary of the weight of my setup so picked up a pair of BD Aspects - have had them out only one powder day and they were more flexible than the Coombacks, could bite a bit more in the packed, and it seemed I could get them around faster. That's my take - good luck.

Been there, but haven't done it in such style! Go Grrrrrils!

HO! Great report - great job. I've not climbed in the Valley, and if ever this one was on my tick list, it's not now. Whew!

Thanks for photos/report. Nice job. Congrats Steve - always difficult to swallow hard and return on something like that. Especially with a peak nammed Terror -

Short answer is no - I made the same mistake first time up that. That left crack is, I dunno, 8ish - 9ish, I remember it feeling odd. You can't see the standard finish from the position of the photo - you need to go up to the final headwall and then traverse around the corner right - and then it's duh! There it is!

HS - 4:33 mile, 14:40 cross country 3 mi College - 4:22 mi 37 yrs old - 2:42 marathon 40th birthday - Stuart trail head to Snow Lake parking lot - 3:50 Close to 60 now - don't run except occassional trial run/walks and stair workouts. Hard on body but I really miss it.

Demand, thus price, for divorce lawyers will go up!

OK. I'm not that bold, especially with decent rap stations. The upper 5.4 - 5.6 (choice) is pretty exposed. Below that would be more reasonable to downclimb (IMO). There's couple 5.7 moves on the direct start from the ramp down. First rap is short 15m or so, second maybe 45m. Could downclimb from there but also is easy rap, down ramp then hooking the rope over a corner and down a crack - can pull ropes from up hill - no rocks came down on our pull and easy to pull from the uphill so you are clear. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the heads up L - very cool project.

Ya know, I was kinda thinking, shoot- I could tele-hop this thing. Down climbing face-in with crampons was necessary. Because of the side moat it would be a pain to try and set up a rap. I even brought a few pins for that option. I asked the other two folks on their way down about building a bollard or two, but they were dismissive. Probably 6 o' one, half-dozen of the other considering the time to build a rappel. It would, however, be a long honkin' way to drag in skis. Now if I still had those Chouinard firn gliders....

.....with a worse record.

Was a long but fun day. Minor worry about all the snow melt and big hunks calving off adjacent basin - some fridge sized-pieces were bouncing all the way to the coulir top-out. And we were hoping that the log crossing would not be submerged with all the melt water. But was ok.

Trip: East Willman Spire - Standard Date: 6/28/2013 Trip Report: This one has been on the list for a while so Amy (youngster) and I left Seattle around 6:30 on Saturday for a day of bikes, snow, and rock. The first objective hazard was the dang Sauk crossing - haven't been up there for a while so this was a treat. Took of the bike shoes and did the log crossing in socks while carrying the bike. Snow was present in Glacier Basin so that was a relief. Some typical scree scrambles were interspersed. Couloir went well with one tool and sans crampons. One party of two young bucks were just ahead of us - we paused at the pass waiting for a brief shower to pass. Luckily the clouds were veiling the sun on the way up. When we were ready for the rock it became sunny. From the basin Couloir filled with snow - yes! Last pitch The bike ride from the town site was a hoot - can't imagine plodding that after a long day. Gear Notes: Took a second tool but never used. Crampons and one tool for down climb. Approach Notes: Dry until Glacier Basin