glen

The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged are great books, albeit very heavy handed. To say they should be less heavy handed would defeat the point that Ayn Rand is trying to get across. That being said, while I like a lot of what she says there are a few things that are quite amusing. Example: How ironic is it that at the center of a book about rugged individualism (even in Galt's Gulch) and the importance of living for the sake of one's beliefs, there is a card for the Objectivist Club in which you can sit around and talk about how much you all think alike. Damned funny. Second, despite all attempts at having strong female characters (remarkable, especially for the '20s), they all fall into pods of jelly at the sight of a francisco d'anconia who is such an absurd walking stereotype that it detracts from the book. I think that it is inconsistent, but probably a reflection of Rand's own path with men. In a broader sense, I think that what Rand is really trying to convey is the search for Quality. This is the essence of what everyone in Galt's Gulch was looking for. I just happen to think that Pirsig had a much better developed idea of the concept and a far less heavy handed and technocratic way of developing the ideas in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. So, if Trask is going to lead us to enlightenment and personal achievement, perhaps it should be Belaying and the art of Trail Mainenance? Besides, it is a bit less uber-greed than Ayn Rand. Now how's that for uncalled for abstraction on cc.com? I think I need more coffee.... Oh yeah, and if you've never read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, check for it here for a free copy to read online.

Thanks for sharing.

Not often that you hear about TR's and baking lemon squares in the same paragraph. ... Personally, the bouldering sounds better to me. I also think that E-rock has this one pegged though. Another way of looking at it is that the stupor-bowl provides a great chance to do shit on a weekend without all the crowds. If it wasn't raining, I'd probably be cutting turns in some bowls of my own today. Instead, I think I'll go spin some cranks on a mysteriously empty Burke Gilman. Seems pretty good to me.

I'll take it.

James Bond Martini

A good reference for specific questions is the book "Medicine for Mountaineering" published by the Mountaineers. A bit big for keeping with you, and a bit dense to sit down and read to learn about WFA, but a great reference to keep around nonetheless. There's usually a copy at used book stores. In fact, I saw a copy at Magus in the U-district a couple of days ago.

Geez, even I can come up with something better than that... Q: How do you make a hormone? A: Give DFA a trenchcoat and let him flash. It's amazing how quickly these threads always decay to insults...

So, you guys think there's good climbing in Hell? I mean, the ice climbing is obviously going to be out of form, and drippy at best (except for that frozen ring in the middle, if Dante's TR is right). But what about the other rings? Probably some good buildering at least.

Okay, I guess we should all start staring at trask's avatar pics for 20 minutes a day... (*) (*)

I think Ohio is just trying to compete with Minnesota's Jesse "The Body" Ventura....

A horse walks into a bar... the bartender asks him, "So, why the long face?" yuk yuk yuk...

here's one to get us started: A neutron goes into a bar and asks the bartender, "How much for a beer?" The bartender replies, "For you, no charge."

That snippet is an island of rationality in a sea of rhetoric...

Yeah, but how awesome a BASE jumper it would be!

LMAO! That story certainly paints a picture... It's also fun to purposely take a whipper while testing. Did that at little gym in norcal once. Their eyes bugged out. Surprisingly, they actually passed me. Funny thing is I ran into the tester a couple of months later on a route down at Pinnacles. They were SCARY on the rock. I let them rap off on my rope (after they had nearly brained me with a few rocks they'd kicked off a ledge) just so that I wouldn't have to be around for the ambulance. The best part is the two of them were wearing matching gym shirts and spraying about the gym comp they'd jsut competed in the day before. When they later hopped on a route they'd scoffed at from the base, I could hear them grunting and screaming on from a half mile up the canyon. Gym = Reality? Nope.

Hey! Don't knock the rock collections!

Hmmm... epic descents... obvious gullies.... emmm.... cool!

Curious if anyone knows how the $5 mil from fuel compares to the revenue base from NW forest passes? Just looking for a yardstick.

Probably right on all counts, depending on your point of view. I have a feeling that this one won't work out like they planned. Is this a candidate for the Darwin Awards? Certainly an honorable mention. "I wanted to be a human shield against carpet bombing" Those bombs are sooooo selective. I agree with trying to stop the war, but the approach, it seems, is fundamentally flawed and assumes too much.

What, you trying to get a date with the "ring-dude" TLG?

" You pusillanimous poster! You think this booty is better than the farinaceous vegtarian " How's dat?

Homework? This isn't going to evolve into HW assignments like in Fight Club is it?

Some TR's from Bob Burd's Sierra Emblem Challenge. 10 peaks, 10 days

So, sunday I was sitting on a ridge below Chair Peak, checking out the scenery in the uncommonly nice January afternoon and thinkin' to myself, "damn, the Cascades are nice." They don't have the volume of sheer granite of the sierras, the elevation of the Rockies, the WHOA factor of the Himalayas and a veritable infestation of Devils Club, but somehow the elements of relief, precipitation, vegetation and climate still make for a damn nice spot when they come together here. What is it about the Cascades that you like the most? The least?