chelle

There is some vary cool climbing out there. I did a weekend trip with Terminal Gravity a few years ago and we had an awesome time working on a project of his. One of my best trips ever. Contact him via this site or at the brewery in Enterprise for beta. I am sure he will be full of lots of ideas. Have a blast.

Your car insurance will not cover anything that is in your car. If you have home owners or renters insurance you will be able to file a claim. But, depending on your provider and what type of coverage you may or may not get a check (less deductible) to replace your gear until after you have already spent money to replace all that was stolen. Many companies these days, presumably to cut down on fraud, will not cut a check until you produce receipts of each item you repurchased. This is what happened when my bike was stolen a couple years ago. I couldn't afford to replace my bike at the time and ended up getting a bike of far lesser value and had to put the whole amount on my credit card and pay interest on the $500 deductible. My best advice is not leave anything in your car you cannot afford to have stolen.

"Tents in the Clouds" by Monica Jackson and Elizabeth Stark is a good read about women in the 50s who did Himalayan exploration. "Nanda Devi, the Tragic Expedition" by John Roskelly is another good read about Willi Unsoeld's daughter and the expedition to climb the peak after which she was named. I also liked the Alison Hargraves book BC mountain girl mentioned.

Crazy_t: Do you know the name of the cool place in the hills above Quito that Oswaldo Freire was developing back in 2002? Thanks.

They either can't afford headphones or an ipod...

How is the 2nd pitch on Aries an OW? It takes #2 Camalots and is perfect hands. The crack is in the back of some flared rock... but it isn't an offwidth like Damnation in L'worth, or Battered Sandwich in Index, or even Vector in Squamish. One of my personal favorites.

I'm with you Sobo. Visconti's is a place to avoid because of the service/attitude. I had the same exact experience with a group of climbing friends back in 2001, gave them a second chance a year later and they failed again. Gustav's is great when you want fries, otherwise head to Uli's. Way better food and beer.

The walk off R&D is so easy I can't imagine why anyone would rap this route. Too bad a tree had to get damaged.

Bike stands are great for indoor workouts, but are pretty noisy and the neighbors may complain if you live in an apartment. To keep from getting too bored turn on some funny 30 minute tv show (like South Park) and do intervals to the commercials.

Singular is a tablet. Albuterol is in an inhaler or a nebulizer and is for "rescue". Other powdered forms of inhalers are available for management of inflammation and tend to be long acting broncho dilators and steroids. As you said these are not for relief from an accute attack. mtnfreak - Cold air is my primary trigger and using a neck gaitor or scarf helps alot. Also warming up much more slowly also helps.

Oops...I think I sent my pm to the wrong person...and didn't keep a copy. Phil, can you copy it and send it back to me so I can send it to Bill?

Mr. Phil...check your pm's.

Nice work Wayne! Will you be setting your sights on a climb far to the East again? I need a new t-shirt.

If you develop the above problems (sudden shortness of breath or chest pain) and you are not able to reach your MDs by phone immediately (or their office is closed) you should have someone drive you to an ER and not wait around until the doc's office opens. mteagle gives some good advice about activities in the outdoors. Now is the time to take a rest from climbing and maybe renew your interest in hiking (depending on knee recovery) and once your leg pain and swelling is resolved, in the mean time pursue other non-outdoor low impact activities you've been putting off or wanting to try. Also, on the off chance you smoke now is the time to get serious about quitting. Smoking promotes clotting, even second hand smoke, so steer clear of it.

Chuck - you have a good memory. They wanted us out at 10pm and they cut off the taps for the group at 9:30pm... They like us better at the Latona, but it's snugtop's gig.

The malaria prophylaxis are the same drugs used to treat the disease, so why not wait to take it until you actually get it. You should be more concerned about dengue fever (for which there is no prophlaxis or medication) and use good repellent IMO. Been there 3 times and never taken anti-malarials, without any issues. I know 3 people who have taken anti-malarials and 2 of them had to stop the drugs because of side effects (one had psychotic dreams, the other ended up hospitalized in full blown medication induced psychosis). For those scientifically minded folks, I already know this is a small sample. But based on this data and my own experience, I plan to not take the drugs when I go to Thailand for my fourth trip this Feb.

Malaria pills make some people a little psychotic and that can be pretty scary when you're in a foreign country (for you and your friends). Best way to protect agaist any mosquito borne illness (malaria, dengue, west nile...) is to avoid getting bit by using an effective repellent.

There are a few trailheads off I-90 with nothing more than a trailhead map board, and some with a pit toilet, that still require a forest pass.

Sounds like nerve compression. I had the same thing as I increased the amount of climbing. I don't think I paid it the proper attention early enough and it progressed to ongoing numbness, mild loss of hand stregth, and nerve pain in my arms and fingers during the day (for days to weeks) after really hard climbs or long bike rides (30+ miles). Once I finally got it check out it turned out to be thoracic outlet syndrome, see some previous discussions or do a google search. Stretching of the neck and shoulders (and massage with bad flareups) have helped with the symptoms and I can ride my bike without much pain afterwards. But I haven't really been able to rock climb without pain for 2 years. Don't ignore it.

What dosage strength were you taking? Jens - your post is interesting. Not sure how much sarcasm about your prior abilities is in your post but I have often wondered the same thing. I used to have a really good memory and fine motor coordination. After spending some 30+ nights above 12,000 over a 4 year period my memory and motor skills are not the same. I've always been pretty conservative about acclimatization becuase I can't take diamox because I am allergic to sulfa drugs, and I have never been sick at altitude. I still think I killed some brain cells while up there though.

Does the trailhead have to have more than one stinky outhouse (with no TP)? If so most of the trails in the PNW qualify as free places to park, even though they require a forest service pass.

In my experience the only way to sleep in camp 4 is with ear plugs. That place is pretty ghetto.

Nice work guys!

Reminds me of that Grizzlyman guy Tim Treadwell.

COBRA is pretty expensive in my exerience. Check out Lifewise of WA here. They have a catastrophic option that is pretty good, if you are worried about some sort of accident making you bankrupt and a HSA plan if you want to lower your taxable income. But since the deductibles are so high ($1-4k) you may be better off being "self insured" if it is a short period between jobs.