Cairns

I guess good sport climber is what you imply and if you turn your statement around it is just the difference between working a climb and onsighting. I may be out of step with the march of science and philosophy but I'd really rather not find out. I'v had to battle 3 kinds of fear in climbing: 1. Fear of exposure 2. Fear of falling 3. Fear of Seattle getting nuked I got over fear #3 when I moved to Toronto in 1987. Fear of exposure was probably an irrational fear of falling and after the first 7 years or so even I realized that just being high up wasn't going to kill me. Fear of falling is not something you should get over. If you hit something on the way down you could get hurt. However, when you start to scare your muscles tense up. Even if you can keep your mind focused you have to work against that extra stiffness. Falling is a great way to get rid of the tension. The worst has happened (assuming you didn't get hurt), imagination must yield to predictability, and you should now be fired with angry energy. This happy state of affairs depends a lot on just how long the fall was, though. In the last few years my exciting falls: 2nd pitch of The Great Game because of a lot of rope out and a lot of slack The second 10d pitch on Anxiety State, both times I did the fucking climb A fifty-footer on a wet day on the slab right of Slot Machine when I foolishly yelled to my partner that it was getting slippery and he foolishly thought I had called off belay ( I went back later and measured that one) These falls were exciting in an amusement-park-ride kind of way. They relaxed my mind. I went back up and did the climbs. My biggest fear is falling in the first 10-20 feet of a climb because although you might miss a ledge on the way down its hard to miss the ground.

And then Peter Croft came along and likely would have done it with or without the bolts. One perspective would be to leave any new bolt placements near where the old ones are as a Croft legacy. But for me those who might be interested in an onsight have the most to gain or lose from any decision of ErikN (good luck with that!) or some other expeditor. I was only acknowledging the possibility of mistakes. Most evidence points to infallibility and I've never seen it happen, but you have to consider the chance that an FA could have been done by an idiot.

This isn't the usual bolt or not bolt discussion. The history of this route makes it different. Who placed the bolts and why did they put them where they are? Not every FA is sacrosanct. Mistakes are made. Wheretf is Dan Lapesca? Back when this route was getting attention he gave me regular bulletins. I am surprised the the original poster wanted only opinions of people who have done the climb. What about climbers who might do it? Those who have already done it did it as it is/was. They might be biased. Do they plan to do it again? But I personally recommend minimal alteration. There is too much of an atmosphere these days of people wanting to add a route to their collection, like a stamp. Let this be one of those hard-to-get ones. Nice to see Tom Michael contributing.

Please do not describe your supply chain. A few years ago I bought an impulse item: a couple little fake christmas trees lit with fiber optics. They could be battery powered but I also bought the optional plug-in power adapter. Just by accident I happened to notice in the cheapo-thin paper instructions with almost-too-faint-to-read printing the warning to wash hands after touching. Apparently there was lead somewhere in the whiteness of the insulation. I just tossed the whole thing out. I also have qualms buying fruit and vegetables grown in far-away places where the long-term effects on my health from pesticide residues or whatnot might be low on the list of priorities. However, money and jobs going from richer countries to poorer countries is perhaps overdue correction of imbalance and self-limiting unless an alternative to oil turns up. And I have no qualms about buying Black Diamond gear wherever made. Part of my peace of mind is likely the gift of ignorance. George Bush has shown you the future - in the time you waste trying to weigh all the variables the vacant-minded have done a lot of stuff and there wasn't a clear answer, anyway. Thank you, globalization.

Let me know when they get mice to have total recall. No, no, just let me know when they have mice that remember baseball statistics.

Maybe he was purposely cryptic so that we would discuss it for 15 pages. Fear Uncertainty and Discussion. Better than the redundant Doubt. Bring on your TLAs.

Yes, the part where the judge explained to Blake why he increased the fine. If you punish someone you should leave them in no doubt about what they did wrong. A smart judge would have said a sentence or two to make it clear to Blake how he went $250 wrong instead of $60.

Sacrificing a King gets you a whole successful season. I like this topic. The History of Western Civilization is retraced, from the first climbers roaming free across the (future) NCNP to craven trip planners needing permission to sleep on a rock. The trip which these guys got fined for is a little different from the usual. Why couldn't the rangers have just taken a written description of the intended plan without trying to shoe-horn it into their permit system? The Kelly Bush post (thanks!) makes it sound as though there is room for flexibility. In a case like this, why not make the rules work for the users rather than other way 'round? Also, the argument that everyone must be treated alike would seem to extend to the fines. $250 is not the same punishment for everyone.

Thanks for the reminder to hide, run, lie. On the other hand, authorities use the heavy hand because it works. When such a thing happens to me, by the time there is a chance to re-offend the anger has faded and it can be seen that mistakes were made on both sides and I don't want to go through THAT again. In my experience appeals only lead to more anger and frustration. At least give it a week or 2 to decide.

That is alpine style. I'd like to think they started on Los Zapatos/ Genius Loci / Grinning Weasel. That could explain the pack. They had an exciting time on the free connection back to Perry's.

My climbing schedule does not fit the usual mold. I work a 4-on 4-off week. Yesterday nobody called me up to ask, "Andy, do you want to go climbing today?". I felt antipathy. I decided to do something fun and anti-social. I drove up to Squamish using knowledge of when the sun swings around to: After hiking up to the base of Mercy Me I saw the other climbers were not following the herd, either: We discussed forming a club but were too busy. I attached 2 ropes to the Mercy Me belay and rapped to the first Cruel Shoes anchor. The plan was to solo toprope Apron Strings (fun and anti-social) and The Flake (no particular reason). I did each 3 times. There was a party on Peasant's and one on Exasperator but that was all. No one came to Apron Strings and there was no iconoclast on Iconoclast. I didn't have the persuasive power to acquire a good-looking red camalot at the start of Apron Strings. Though I did not successfully inconvenience anyone, climbing around in the bright September sunshine all by myself was I kinda wanted to see if the climbers on Exasperator would let me set my rope on it. I could rap to them and retrieve my lines fixed on Mercy Me later but I wasn't sure if one rope would get me down from the Cruel Shoes anchor. I set the rope for the rappel but then remembered I was anti-social. I used the 2 fixed skinny ropes to belay myself back up to the base of Mercy Me. After hiking down I saw that despite having no middle mark I had managed to perfectly equalize the ends of the rope I had left in rappel mode on the Cruel Shoes anchor. That was a mistake. The ends were within easy solo distance of the ground but 5 feet out of reach to the right. I set yet another self belay and made use of an undercling specially placed for lucky people to retrieve the rope. When I got home someone called and asked if I could climb on Thursday. Aww.

check out Allstate's dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex theory. I don't put the age bar quite that high but the one time I took 10-year olds climbing as a summer camp counselor I was very glad none of them ran off the top of the cliff chasing each other around.

in short Yup, just like God. I, too, once wanted to know where everything came from and where it went, especially the world-wide flow of money pumping through stores, houses, banks, governments, and under tables. But now I just use whatever clothes I find left on the floor by other household members. This approach is a good fit to my climbing aspirations. I could buy with impunity because frontal lobe dementia saves me from responsibility or guilt. I find plenty of cash on the floor, too, but need it for potato chips, and I'm not trusted with major purchases. I remember Yvon selling pins from his trunk on a visit to the Gunks, then he put out a small newsletter of gear, then the Lose Your Dreams and You Will Lose Your Mind catalog. Within a few years the catalog itself became the most remarkable Patagonia product. Kept waiting to see someone I knew but Dick Cilley was the only person I ever recognized in it.

If it can be defined it is not genuine Tao.

Trip: Vancouver North Shore: Wander Alert Date: 8/29/2007 Trip Report: An elderly man left his home around noon dressed in t-shirt, shorts, and loafers. Something attracted his attention. That afternoon he was not seen at Kloochman and authorities were contacted. A little after dark the North Shore Responders to Nudnik Seniors Rescue Team found the man. He had no food, water, map, matches, headlamp, cell phone, gps, helmet, or helicopter. But those weren't important becase he did have a camera. GEAR APPROACH

I guess you mean from the belay to the crux. It isn't face climbing and you are one weird dude.

I worship sun. Religion proscribes dance so must climb instead. Climbing is as far as I can get from religion. Thank you for allow Puritan to post.

The first few pitches of Reality Chek have next to no pro but don't need any. On the crux pitch my friend made it past the first bolt and then was attacked by mosquitos and fell about as far as you can fall on that pitch and was unhurt. I went up and felt okay until the top where there was a choice of harder looking climbing up and left directly to the belay, or easier climbing up and right but then there was a scary balancy step back left to get to the anchor. From above it looked like coming directly up would have been better. This was about 10 years ago. Up high, Dreamer used to have an unprotected 5.8 move after some unprotected easy stuff. A fall would have smashed you up good. I backed off and into a corner down and left and set up a belay. My partner led through.

From the piratical "See you in Hell, mate."

After a lightning strike on a summit knocks 2 climbers down: ARE YOU OKAY?! I okay. I only hit in head. And a similarly useful line: "I live....I think." (The Borrower after being hit by a car.)

Pause a while as you pass by As you are now so once was I As I am now so you will be Prepare for death and follow me On beyond zed:

A few more softball possibilities before leaving Dru's geographical comfort zone:

Sherlock + Aquinas = plausible, but I'll go with pact with the Devil. Yet there was a time before I'd heard of West Van's most famous climbing secret. More anon., yet less anon., Al anon.

HOW DOES HE DO IT?????

Name the climb, give 3 examples, and write a TR for extra credit.