Jim

Up there a few weeks ago glacier is fine but there's this horrible avalanche debris on the trail. Like stumbling through a dang clearcut. Made me wonder why not just go Bedal Creek trail.

Hmmm. Now I've heard this reply somewhere on the boards before.

Got to jump to the teachers defense here rurp. You got it wrong. All the ones I know work at least 10 hour days at school, bring paperwork home, work at least a day during the weekend. Yes they get holidays off but most of the time they're grading or preparing lessons. With mandatory weeks before and after school is in session the summer off is about 6 weeks, and most of them take workshops (more unpaid time), and work on lesson plans in the summer. If you can bust your tail during the school year and don't mind working weekends all the time then maybe it's a decent tradeoff for extended time off in the summer. The pay is good? With a Phd and 15 years experience you top out at $56 k. BS and no experience- a whopping $23K. You should become a teacher if you like kids and what to teach - bottom line.

I've met Bronka and her husband a couple of years ago. I was out for a spring ski up to Muir and saw this couple pass another skier below me, also on his way up. I thought they were a couple of young bucks. They were cruising at least as fast as I was on the way up. They arrived at the hut (they work as park volunteers) and we had a nice chat. They left as the other skier arrived. He just shook his head and said they blew his doors off on the way up. He was about 25 years old.

Mine are supposed to be done tomorrow. I hope he did them before he went on his adventure.

Yep, climbed that crack about 7 years ago. Felt like stiff 5.8, but I'm not a crack wizard. Wasn't my idea, my partner wanted to check it out. Lots o' lichen however. But it was dry and crunchy. Someone stole two tires off my car when we returned to the parking lot.

Thanks for this link to the web page. I've been out at Big Bar for but didn't have time to get over to the crags that I heard about. I didn't know this was an established place. Very hot, miles from nowhere.

Fairweather - I surprised this thread is still alive. Very good points. I hope I didn't mean to imply that the Republicans are the only elite, nope, Democrats are up there too, they just don't have as much practice. Basically the Reps don't care, the Dems throw a few crumbs to the masses, but they all scramble towards money. We're such a rich country it's too bad we waste it on so much military and business handouts.

Well I guess if you think that a society that caters to monied interests is what you like, and that letting corporations off the hook for paying thier fair share of taxes (Enron for instance paid no taxes in 2001 on 557 million in profit!) then there's probably nothing I can say otherwise. My opinion is that it's not fair and equatable. Seems your opinion is tuff luck! Here's a recent example of how it works: Even after all the coporate crimes in the news one would think that the Bush administration would avoid even the appearance of graft. Not so - guess who got the 300 million contract to build the new, updated detention center at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba. You guessed it - Hallerburton - the company Cheny came from. So is this fair - a bunch of fat cats feeding from the public trough. I don't go in for your social darwinism arguments. It's a matter of fairness.

Hope it wasn't a felony.

Mtn Goat - But I'm forced to pay for your opinion such as the likes of military hardware, business tax breaks, payments to for-profit health care, etc. I'd rather pay for more social benefits - education, universal health care, environmental protection. But here's the catch - no money - no influence. Spray all you want but it's not a level field and 'sur isn't no free market.

The main problem with using only an economic analysis (taxes) is that society, natural resources, bear the costs of private business, such as pollution. Not to mention all the subsudies that business gets in the US. It's just not a level playing field - money-ed interests push the agenda in their benefit. It's the Tragedy of the Commons. Benefit for me but cost beared by society.

There's lots of rights in other developed countries that don't restrict freedoms like affordable health care, education, not to keep buying cruise missles and B1 bombers, low death rates from large caliber handguns, etc.

No, I think it's more that some judge a society by how they treat the lower end of the social spectrum and that money is not the end all. That seems compatible with a climber aesthetic.

It was a JOKE. Down boy

Only if cavey is on the sharp end.

I'm embarassed too. This guy's vocabulary is stuck somewhere in middle school. His speeches are written to keep 3 syllable words to a minimum. Other countries think we're amazingly stupid for voting this guy in. Oh, I forgot that a majority voted for the other guy.

Greg- Really now - you have to admit our President is the dumbest in recent memory. I'd even put Ford ahead of this guy.

Greg W- Not whinning - just telling it like it is. Write letters or email - Right! Emails get dumped pretty quick. Letters almost as fast. Unless there's a check attached. I dunno what to do about. Big changes needed. I do write and vote for who I think will make a differnce, but the choices are lame.

I think the point those folks are trying to make is that it's not true democracy in this country. If you have money, access to the media (read money), political connections (read money) then your voice is heard. As Trent Lott said in reply to what are people to do who can't buy access to politicians "Well, they have to gain access in other ways"

My vote for the greatest terroist threat: CIA and our wounderful military. They've killed more folks outside the bounds of legal and moral guidlines than any terroist organization. Opps, that must be John Ascroft knoking at my door

Three days is more likely. We retreated from Yang-Yang Lake in one day because we were tired of being rained on. Why go so fast though? You'll be passing some great peaks that you can't get to any other way.

There's a guy here in Seattle who's family owns a shoe repair place downtown on Stewart and Fourth. He's the son and only does climbing shoes. Dave Page is backed up big time right now cause his help is off on climbing trips. Dave suggested this guy to me. He also will pick up shoes for resoling from the climbing gyms in town.

You can get certified in a year to become teacher if you already have a BA. Teachers work hard, my wife went from a geologist to teaching middle school. Little time during the school year with a couple of months off in summer. I'm an ecologist and I like it. I travel around in the northwest and get to work in climbing and ski trips around field work. There's lots of fieldwork and you can stay in decent shape just crusing up and down ridges for some projects. The summer can be busy with field work though and conflict with the climbing season. Pay's decent.

There is a small book on framing up climbing walls by Eric Horst. You can get it at REI or one of the climbing gyms.