chelle

It was a really fun time. I'm glad I made it and that you guys convinced me to ski yesterday. Way I just wish I knew how to ski in trees, but the hike down was fun.

Awesome TR. Thanks for sharing. That first view of the granite in the valley still gets me even though I have seen it dozens of times. The first time I saw it with snow a couple Dec ago I cried because it was so beautiful. After 6 is a great climb. Next time try swinging leads on Munginella (a fun 2 pitch 5.6) and Commitment (only a couple moves of 5.9 on the 3rd pitch, but good pro at that point). Both are on the Open Books above the trail to the base of Yosemite falls. Out in the Church Bowl there are some other really fun cragging pitches. I miss Yosemite.

The color coding quickly lets me sort my HB offsets to make sure I end up with the same number I started out with when sorting out the rack after a day of climbing. The little numbers wear off and I know what colors and how many I have. I don't like it on my metoluis nuts, but then I don't like them either so they sit in the bottom of my box of gear.

I'd prefer the Owl & Thistle to the New Orleans, but who knows if I'll make it anyways...

Sobo - You are so right. I was pretty awestruck at the number of names on the Vietnam memorial in D.C. and felt an incredible sense of sadness when I saw the graves of the POWs who were forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway during WWII when I visited the JEATH museum and cemetary. There are thousands of stories in those names and gravestones, it makes one wonder. And Glacier brought up some really cool travel experiences. One of mine is when I was traveling in Thailand in 98 when I watched a tout give his elephant a bath in the river while standing on top of the Bridge over the River Kwai. Another is the view from the shower in Kangjuma on the Everest basecamp trek. One side is glass enclosed and it looks out over the valley towards Ama Dablam and Thangboche. Amazing place to clean up.

I have learned from books and from classes (very small ones). It is unfortunate if climbing clubs believe they are any more entitled to climb somewhere. I have encountered my share of rude mounties out there, more when I was a newbie and climbing easier routes. I know a few of the intructors for the Boealps and they are nice guys and I'd hope wouldn't give off the same vibe I've encountered out there on crowded days. Have fun climbing this weekend everybody.

Cool pic on the top of the invite matt. Where is that at?

Every year we have these complaints when the mounties or boealps teaches their classes. It's getting boring. How do you think non-cc.com people feel when we take over Smith or L'worth for one of our rope-ups or lovefests? We string up top ropes, climb as big groups, all in the name of being social and having a good time. News flash, it's a crag. There will be other people. Did all of you learn how to lead or perform self-rescue from a book or did you take a class somewhere? At least they aren't stringing fixed lines up the South Arete on SEWS and not letting anyone pass. My understanding is that there are only a couple weekends a year that the Boealps intermediate class "takes over" a crag. Primarily to teach the very basics of leading and rock rescue. Unlike some other climing orgs, they have a one-to-one ratio of instructors to students, so pretty much every other weekend during the class they are climbing in pairs or as 2 groups of two. I think it is sad when people on either side can just communicate around the issues so everyone can have a good time out there. No one is entitled to climb anywhere. Dan, if you want to climb at Mountaineers Dome this w/e get up and do it before 7 am and I'm sure you'll have the whole place to yourself for an hour or so.

1) My favorite little ledge on the approach hike to Snake Dike in Yos, great view, no tourists and great sounds of the river when the falls are running. 2) the boulders below Thin Fingers at Index 3) the Methow valley here in WA 4) the valley around Joseph/Enterprise, OR 5) Prosser, CA 6) Polish Glacier base camp on Aconcagua 7) Tambopaxi hacienda in Cotopaxi Nat'l park in Ecuador

I love that climb!

Yep, but the remoteness and chossyness as far as I know puts it off many people's list. I guess I could be wrong though. I'm just making an assumption.

patagonia and black diamond catalogues.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but I don't think Bonanza gets climbed very often.

I should be more like Dru and do a google search before posting a response. Here's a link to more information about the Waldorf method for anyone interested... check it out...

Nice post MrE. Many adults learn best through experience much better than through wrote classroom theory. For kids who need experience to stay engaged and learn, there is an alternative type of learning method available through private school education. I can't recall what it is called at the moment, I'll have to check with my sister who's an educator. It's different than Montessouri but just as expensive. A friend of mine in CA truly believed in it's value for her two rambunctious but really smart boys. She shelled out about $8k each per year for elementary school.

I emailed the guy at UW to see if he is interested in seeing the remains.

Thanks, Iain. It could have been one of those. I tried to catch it, but the damn thing was too fast and kept crawling to the corner of the window where I couldn't get it. So, I flushed it out to the middle of the screen by spraying some tinactin on it and then went outside and killed it when it started to run again. Yeah, I know it wouldn't kill it but it was the only thing I had to spray on it. And that stuff is cold so I thought I could maybe slow it down a bit. Let his squished body on my window pane be a warning to all hobo or brown recluse spiders. They are not welcome here! Enough procrastination via spider patrol..I've got homework to do.

I got a couple spider bites (well what I think are spider bites) a few days ago. They're healing and haven't caused any major annoyances, but now I am paying good attention to any of these 8-legged creatures around my house. I usually don't kill them unless they keep making their way back into my studio. So, today I see a spider hanging out on the window screen (between the screen and the window) and decide to take a closer look. And, by gosh it looks like a brown recluse from all the pics and info I can find on the Internet. But the web also says they don't live up here in WA. Strange 'cause one of my old roomate's friends was supposedly bitten by a brown recluse last summer and had to undergo some nasty stuff. So do any of you know if the dreaded brown recluse has made its way up to the PNW, given the warmer temps and all? I think I'm going to kill this one just in case. But I am tempted to capture it and take it somewhere for someone to identify. Anyone know who in Seattle might do that sort of thing?

WooHoo. I can probably go on May 1st & 2nd. Count me in 80%. I tried my new AT set up this past Sunday and am hooked. It is sooooo much better than riding the lifts. But I'm gonna bring my rock gear just in case the heat melts all the snow before then... not to rain on the ski fun but I talked to a friend who lives in the Methow last night and he said it's been so warm the past 2 weeks that it is melting pretty quick up at the pass and he expects the road to be open by the end of the week.

Mark your rope by sewing a piece of GORE floss into the sheath at the midpoint. It will not wear off, does not damage the rope, and is easly felt for if you end up rapping in the dark on a long alpine climb.

I use purple sparkly fingernail polish. Tape sucks and falls off, leaving litter. The marking stickers they sell are expensive and dumb cause there are only like 3 colors. Spend $3 on a bottle of polish and paint your gear somewhere it won't rub off. Bottom of the gate on biners, in between the wires on stopper heads, and on stems for cams... I write my initials on my webbing with a permenant marker.

What pressure inside the plane is equivalent to pressure in terms of elevation? I wouldn't think going from sea level to 6k would be that bad cause the plane's pressure is gonna be less than at sea level by a decent amount in the first place. Most jets are pressurized to about a mile high.

I'll have to play it by ear too since I have an exam that Monday. Bummer. But who knows, maybe I'll be prepared ahead of time. Testing the new AT set up on Sunday.

What about Battered Sandwich?

Bill - The Kathmandu Guest house has a very nice patio courtyard. I'd prefer that location to the Yak & Yeti. Glad you're having a great trip Dryad. Bring some pics to pub club when you get home.