djd

I've used harnesses from Chris at C & S Eng; very good stuff and very good people.

While out driving in our current snow storm, I went by Marmot and decided I had enough of the crappy traffic and stopped in. It turns out Jim birdwell is going to give slide show this evening on some of his climbs. He was standing around looking bored so I went up and talked with him for a few minutes. Nice guy, amazing climbs. Anyways if you are in the area, stop by. You can call marmot for more details (425.453.1515). David

I sold some gear and picked up the garmin vista in Jan along with both TOPO and garmin software. You need the garmin SW for the maps that can be downloaded to the gps unit but the (IMHO) topo SW seems to be easyer to use, more features, etc. The topo SW also has a downloadable web site with lots of trips that people are sharing. So if you want to download maps (meaning that you can *not* down load maps from topo to the unit), you will need the Garmin SW, for everything else, the topo sw is a good purchase. Good luck.

About those flows on the escarpment above the Nisqually River, I climbed some of them in the late 70's and or early 80's and from what I can remember, they were always very thin, crappy ice and the 'trip' back to the truck was a pain... I also did some stuff on the flows near Crystal long ago. Again, sketchy stuff. I think partly the reason I don't have fond memories for this area, is because I lost a friend in the area a long time ago.... Be carefull if you go and good luck. David

I went through the standard WA state EMT while being a fireman in the late 70's early 80's. It is good training but the practcal scenario's you will be tested on are not exactly wilderness based; in the last ~20 or so years, I haven't had to cut someone out of a overturned car while out hiking, climbing in the mountains, etc... :-) While I'm no longer current with this kind of stuff now, I would/will go for the WFR type based training like what SOLO offers(when I can). If you can't, I've talked to enough people about the MOFA stuff, it seems it is a cut above the standard first aid; they have wilderness scenario's, etc. As far as the EMT, I know that a few years ago several of the community colleges (either HCC or one of the Seattle ones) had EMT classes; do a web search and or phone calls. The re-cert is also something to consider; I thought I read something somewhere that the AAAI(?) up in Bellingham had a re-cert program for the WFR type of classes...not sure off the top of my head. For what it worth, over the many years I have without exception, heard nothing but good things about the SOLO program; I think it might be based on the east coast. They might have a class session in CO, not sure off the top of my head...There is also a program out of CO but I can't think of it right now; again do a web search... Good luck. David

Down on the shore of Lake Washington, there is a park called Chism Park. It has a good hill climb from the water upto Killarney Dr. Wearing a heavy pack, I can get a good workout doing laps...You could park in the parking lot and go from there... To get to it, go down belleveue way south from bell square, turn right on main, turn left on 101 ave se, blend into 100 ave se, then right on killarney dr. The park will be on your right after ~quarter mile. David p.s. bike shops around have a good street map of biking in Bellevue that has good landmarks and description of roads, etc., even show which ones are hilly and how steep.

Misc gear for sale: 1(one) Wild Things Colorado Suit, size Med. Never used. 99/00 model. $325 1(one) Julbo MicroPores Sunglasses w/case. Used a couple of times, very good condition. $60 1(one) Atlas Mountain Tracker, hiking crampon. Used once, very good condition. $40 1(one) Patagonia shelled pile jacket, size small. Older model, but in very good condition. $30 1(one) Book: Avalanche Safety for skiers and climbers by T. Daffern, 2nd Ed. Never used. $10 1(one) Book: Bugaboo Rock, a climbers guide by R. Green and J. Bensen, 1st Ed. Never used. $10 NOTE: I will only sell to someone in person (greater Seattle metro area) and cash only. Contact me at: davidd@oz.net. David