Jim

Well, I took the advice of some CC.commers and opted for Jah Man on Sister Superior outside Moab last week. The weather was a bit unsettled so we were rained out on Monday but Tuesday was sunny and calm. After a couple miles of 4x4 we hiked to the talus cone and tromped up for an hour to the tower base. This thing didn't look so big from the far end of Castle Valley where we were staying. The first short pitch of 5.8 was a good warm up. Then came the 110 ft of the Sister Squeeze, a narrow slot between a huge block and the main tower. After many catepillar moves with my feet splayed outward and palms down and out I came up for air. I clip my wedding band on my chalk bag when climbing and in the squeeze I smushed it so only a paper clip could fit through instead of my finger. The next couple of pitches are way vertical and exposed 10c and 10b cracks. Did I mention that I struggle with cracks? From the perch atop the chimmney the 3rd pitch goes up to and traverses under an overhang on some inventive finger locks. I thought was getting the jamming thing down when I was spit out of the crack like a slice of rye bread from the toaster. There was a suprising amount of blood from a ripped pinky cuticle. I popped off twice more, had to pull on a sling to gain my stance and basically got whipped. I pulled the traverse cleanly and after that the pitched eased off to a 5.9 crack or so. Dangling there, regaining my composure, there was no war, no shitty politics, no work-a-day worries. Just a few square meters of rock and a puzzle for me to figure out. I'm almost 50 and still enjoy this stuff so much, even if it's a notch above my ability. The 4th pitch is a long 10b thin hands crack that I actually did well on thanks to some more options for minor foot placements on the wall. After that it was about 20 ft of 10c face climing to gain the top. If asked I'd call my part of the climb A1 10c. It wasn't clean. I got back to the house in Castle Valley, had a beer while looking across to the Sister, my first thought was that I could have climbed it in better form. Maybe I get another chance sometime before I get too old and creaky. Went for a sping bc ski in the Cascades on Sunday and had a hoot.

Too much fun!! I was back there last summer and had a blast. Glad you got up high ex, except for your wanderings!! That pitch is an eye-opener. And you got on Limelight - two ultra-gunkies. Good job. I learned to climb there - everything out here seemed tame at first.

That's the wierd part. Working for a private company is one thing. Working as a high-paid, tax-payer funded gun is strange.

I find it a bit odd however that the military is out-sourcing military training and duties to private firms. The guys killed worked for Blackwater, a private security and training firm in N.C. that is run by ex-military. While they do train folks for private work they also have a multi-million dollar contract with the US to perform duties in Iraq that used to normally be done directly by the armed forces. So now we're shelling out $500/day (figure quoted in this morning's report) for expertise that used to be done by our guys in uniform. It's ironic that at the same time the administration is closing down Veterans hospitals and cutting back on needed mental health programs for those returning that they're increasing the out-sourcing for a big chuck of change. I don't understand the reasoning here. Why not use that money to shore up the military health support systems and give the guys in uniform some more money rather than to the hired guns? Is it that they can't meet their recruiting numbers these days? Another reason not to spread ourselves so thin around the globe.

Did Catedral a few years back, weathered off Tronador. Buena suerte. Off to Moab on Saturday.

Going to Juneau in the end June to visit a friend w/a new kid. I can likely stretch this to 10 days and have a pile of air miles to burn so I could move about the state. I've worked in AK for one summer and several projects recently but haven't traveled around. So what have you done before that would be interesting? Not technical climbing on this trip, just want to get out a bit and see some different critters and places. Maybe could manage a day ski tour. Thanks.

I actually like Peshatin. I don't think I'll be pushing my limits on some testpiece there but the runout 7 - 9s aren't so bad. It's just a bit of a head game, makes you focus a bit, and your ability to slab climbe with confinance. Just keep it a grade or so below and you'll be fine. Unless of course you're used to the gym or Vantage with a bolt always in your face.

Two car shuttle for Silver Peak - over the ridge and down to Annette Lake and out via trail. Ruth Mt. - very fun ski Vesper Peak - good moderate ski, can yo-yo if you're quick. Glacier Peak - normal route Mt. Ranier - Van Trump Park - camp hazard

Sandy Best Western - stayed there many a times for field work in Mt. Hood NF.

Wolfowitz just drips with arrogance. Ya know, this guy and his buddies, who never got dirt in their fingernails their whole life, should be required to do a tour of grunt work in Iraq before they start drawing all over the world map again.

Had something similar but on the elbow - for 6 months after a mt. bike fall. I thought it was a bone chip floating around. Apparently not - doc said the same thing torn tendon sheath (maybe that's the bum's rush answer). Went away by itself.

Ok one last try here, I can't spoon feed you any longer, I've got a deadline. Look at the attached OMB table (8) and then add the following, which is not accounted for. Medicare and SS - trust fund benefits that are front loaded into the current budget to make the deficit APPEAR to be smaller. Take these out. Currently about 30% of the budget, then add another 5%(conservative) for the increase in Medicare costs. Add the costs of Iraq and Afganistan, likely around another 15%. The current estimate is around a 6-8% estimate of deficit, add in these hidden costs and yes, you do rival WWII deficits, which were approaching 40% of GDP. What is even scarier is that we're also approaching the GDP records for total debt/GDP, which is one big hole to dig out of. Peter-you may be confused by the bushies attempts to hide the true defict numbers by 1) optimistic projections regarding job growth and tax revenue (I think they added one job in Tacoma last year) 2) Refusal to include costs of Iraq and Afganistan in the budget estimates, 3) using the ss and medicare trust funds to pad the budget, and 4) low balling the estimates for medicare costs on the horizon. Turn off Rush and work through this, it's not hard.

And I suggest you get out the calculator if you can't manage the math. Take out the SS trust fund then add these approximate estimates from the CBO (likely low) for the war costs Six week war estimates 80 Billion Five years of peacekeeping - 500 billion And these are just for Iraq. Then add in the Medicare costs and, oh, say 130 billion (at least) for 4 yrs of Afganistan and then we can chat some more. Otherwise, hop on the clue train, it's leaving the station.

shoot - here's the link for the table http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2004/summarytables.html#table8

Sticks and stones Peter. You're wrong again. Take time away from your right wing newsletters, read, and try and analyze the numbers. I have faith you can manage it. In the 2000 campaign, Vice President Al Gore said we should sequester the Social Security surpluses in a "lockbox" to prevent appropriators from spending them. Bush agreed in principle. But that commitment went out the window soon after the inauguration. In his first three budgets, Bush (who had the good fortune to take office at a time when the surpluses were growing rapidly) and Congress used $480 billion in excess Social Security payroll taxes to fund basic government operations—about $160 billion per year! By so doing, Washington spenders have masked the size of the deficit. For Fiscal 2004—which began in October 2003—if you factor out the $164 billion Social Security surplus, the on-budget deficit will be at least $639 billion, rather close to the modern peak of 6 percent of GDP. And according to its own projections (the bottom line of Table 8 represents the Social Security surplus), the administration plans to spend an additional $990 billion in such funds between now and 2008. That year, according to the Office of Management and Budget's projections, the on-budget deficit will be about $464 billion. Only by using that year's $238 billion Social Security surplus does the administration arrive at a total, unified deficit of $226 billion. And the ultimate on-budget deficit will almost certainly be worse. OMB has proven in the past few years that its projections can't be trusted. Add on the cost of our ongoing adventures in Iraq, and the more necessary but costly military action in Afganistan and the bushies are pegging the meter.

Only one minor problem here - the bushies, through some infinite wisdom - have taken the war in Iraq and Afganistan OUT OF THE BUDGET!! This will be a "special budget appropriation". Charming. And of course they low balled the estimate for the Medicare drug bill, and don't include that at all because it will not kick in fully for a few years, conviently after the election. So the answer is yes, this administration is the largest budget deficit, even when compared to historical GDP. What is stunning is how fast it took these clowns to break the bank.

going there next week and not without 3 rolls of tape.

The hogback atop White Pass ski area is always a good alternative for a backcountry ski. If the weather or avi scene is too dicey then you can opt for an in-area ski. Wouldn't mind getting out w/ya but gotta finish a painting job at home. Pulling plastic on Sunday then off to Moab next week.

If you want to keep your girlfriend I would not take her on High Exposure, that is if she is only comfortable around 5.3. It's made 5.9 leaders weak in the knees. Easy Overhang 5.2(best gunks intro), Easy V 5.3, Northern Pillar 5.4?, Horseman (easy 5.5 - good Gunks intro) Gelsa, all good for the girlfriend. For you: Cascading Crystal Kalidascope 5.9? High Corner 5.7? Overhand variation of 3 Pines 5.8 Son of Easy O 5.8 Open Cockpit 5.11 Doug's Roof 5.11 - if you pull this let me know!!! Nector Vector 5.11 Madame Grumbumb's wulst 5.6(?) amazing exposure

Actually they did keep him around. He resigned finally after the Bushies didn't think the lead couter-terrorism guy for 3 previous administrations needed to be a cabinet post. He asked for a reassingment and was refused. He asked them to pay attention to potential terrorism and was rebuffed. Then he resigned. Agree with the distraction of Iraq.

I thought Canary was pretty tame compared to the exposure of some 5.3-5.5 climbs back east at the Gunks. Can't hurt to have that one piece in just in case you slip off the ballroom floor. Seems unlikely though.

This is one of the best Freudian slips I have seen in a long time. Do I get the daily Muffy award?

Well if you listened objectvely, to sources other than 24/7 Rush, you would likely come to a different conclusion. Certainly the Clinton administration doesn't escape criticism here for not making some hard decisions with less than perfect data. But the primary indictment against Bush and his buddies is that they were "encased in amber" from the 1st Bush Admin. and all they could think about was Iraq, despite being told otherwise from the CIA, FBI, and their head of counter terrorism - Clarke. Clarke severed under 3 Republican and one Democrat administration. Guy seems like a straight shooter to me and very serious about what his role was in those administrations.

I was up there last spring when, unfortunately, the mounties were out. Two of them were riding up and down the icicle road (with helmets on) stopping at the roadside crags to tell the group leaders to instruct everyone to do a "tick check". I didn't know if they meant on one's self or if it was social grooming time.

The best quote was this one - when Rumsfeld tells terrorist experts "We have to bomb Iraq" - Clarke, the CIA, and the FBI say - "...but sir, this is Al Queda and they are in Afganistan, Iraq had nothing to do with this" Rumsfeld replies "But there are no good targets in Iraq".?????????? Clarke was the head of counter-terrorism and like may others makes the point that the Bushies were "encased in amber" from the previous Bush administration and had Iraq in mind from the start - despite the real threat. These guys are gone in November.