glen

Hmmmm... It was stopped on post 69. Perhaps it is a subtle comment on the REI flagship training program? That or we can start coming up with some tantalizing conspiracy theories!

Could very well be. Rather than actually expend the effort to find out the deepest source, I think I'll take the lazy man's way out and just change the signature. Rumor has it that the words fun, doesn't, have, to and be were previously used by someone named Webster, but who knows? Someone else might have used it before him too! Ahhh, too long at work and getting sarcastic again...

Yes, the grocery outlet near Jtree is particularly good. A bit of duct tape and old webbing makes gatorade bottles harness friendly for multipitch/no backpack climbs too. Also, check used book stores for old guides. Guide to the olympics=$3. Nice!

I was jsut reading the REI thread (and follow-up) and thinking about the comments about the overpriced items like Nalgene Bottles. Who out there has lot-cost alternatives to the common and not so common tools of the outdoor trade? For example, I rarely use Nalgenes because I have a hard time coughing up 8 clams for a bottle when a 99 cent Gatorade bottle is virtually indestructible and you get a free quart of gatorade out of it too. I've heard recipies out there for generic Gu, and the like. What are the cheapskate tricks that are out there that leave more money for important stuff, like a new cord?

It is interesting how quickly we bash on the quality of the anecdotal science of the effects of climbing on cliff ecosystems (see other post) but how quick we are to quote snippets of other studies that tell us what we want to hear wiht regard to our own habits. Am I correct in noting a double standard here? As to pot making you smarter, that's a hard sell. The only substance that has been clinically shown to make people have increased mental capability is caffeine and that has also been shown to decrease the amount of information that is transferred from short to long term memory (now, where did I put my coffee mug again? Dammit!). If you choose to smoke, do it because you enjoy the effects, not because you think it will make you smarter (if you even believe IQ tests are worth anything to begin with). There may be something to be said for habing seen the world from a different perspective though. Well, reading back over this, I'm sure to see some pretty good amounts of spray/flaming...

Rule of Thumb for Pinnacles: if you see a hold you aren't sure about, take it out, examine it and, if you like it, put it back in and use it." I used to live in Santa Cruz and did a fair amount of climbing in Pinnacles as a result. Before you put your shoes in your bag, make sure to put your helmet in. This is a necessity, especially on the west side of the park. There are bolts-a-plenty, but treat them with respect, as many of them are old, scary and some have failed resulting in bad, bad things. Look out for Star Dryvens and Leeper hangers. The guidebook (stolen and I never bothered to replace it) I had actually had a whole section on bolts in the beginning. The being said, there are a few things to do there. On the west end of Machete Ridge, if you want an easy climb to start out on, try Twinkle Toes traverse (5.6). It has a really nice garbage can handle as the first pro on the second pitch- bring two ropes for the rap. Bienvenidos a Pinnacles (dos equis) is a fun 5.8 just to the right. If Lava falls (5.9) (on the Balconies) is open, it is a heady lead up a cuisinart water chute for two pitches. There area couple of nice 5.8 and 5.9 (Apples and bits and Dogleg sound right...) on the Flumes wall. As to getting detailed beta, I would take this list of routes, go to the local shop with tracing paper and copy the relevant pages. There are likely to be other climbers there that you can do the same to in the parking lot. Don't forget your helmet and be aware of parties climbing above you! I nicknamed a partner Bullseye for his ability to peg my helmet with rocks while climbing.

Actually, yeah, the shovel did suck.

I almost fell down... I had entered the Twilight Zone... Most of my REI experiences have been marked by a serious lack of knowledge - e.g. "Why buy nuts when everyone is using cams now?" Anyways, I was in CA a week ago and stopped in to the REI in San Jose and found a store full of nice, helpful, KNOWLEDGEABLE and cool folks. They shined on being a day late on a rental return, and knew their stuff when asked about gear. I actually left thinking it was a mountain shop I'd go back to. That being said, they had only one type of snow shovel to "choose from".

I wonder how likely it is that this study is applicable to different areas. Simply put, what is the lithology of the substrate at the Niagra escarpment and how specific is the lichen to that substrate. Do different species of lichen, with associated differences in growth, prefer different rock types? Is a limestone cliff ecosystem study applicable for managment policy on high alpine granite? I would guess that the answer is only partly so. Another question is what % of cliff area is actually affected by 'recreational climbing' and how uniform is that effect. Some areas will receive 100% removal of lichen species while others will be unaffected. Anecdotal 'science' is just that- anecdotal. that said, it is probably another argument against grid bolting.

Specialed is right. Tuolumne is awesome in June with your choice of alpine or cragging on sweet granite. If you feel that you need to cool off, run up the Dana colouir or head out to North Peak ice axe and crampons in hand. The east side offers some pretty nice sport areas that are reasonably cool in the summer too- like Clarks Canyon (Owens will be an inferno unless youre in deep shade). There are some shady climbs in the Valley that're doable in June as well.

Hey, maybe I'm a little late to catch up with the news, but what's the deal with this? A power plant next to Smith? http://www.rockandice.com/index.phtml?section=news_show&news_id=184

If you have a dehydrator, you can make 'chunky' meals, dry them out and drop them into a ziplock bag. Just add hot water when you get to camp. Few dishes and tasty. Note, of course, that the original meal probably shouldn't have dairy lest it spoil and spoil you. Rice-based dishes work well.

An alternative to tape is simply to spray paint your gear with a quick, poorly done job that gets a bit of color on (paying close attention not to get any paint on the nylon slings on cams, etc...!). This is not only a pain in the a%* to remove, but it also makes your gear look like crap and thus less likely to be stolen. If you have enough climbing partners, your tape scheme is likley to be the same with at least one of them unless you whittle the hours away putting elaborate tape patterns on. A can of spray paint is cheap, fast and won't get confused with other's gear. This is also a good way to get yourself propelled to the highly coveted Official Dirtbag status.

Not beta, but useful: Stay at Edwards in Huaraz. It is where the climbers hang out, the owners are cool and they have a bodega to keep your gear in while out and about without it getting "lightened" in your absence. Watch out for the cows- they're crazy and cannibalistic. Saw a nasty one chewing on the foreleg of a cow. just the foreleg, rest of cow was missing. It's awesome down there, have a blast!

Gee... and I was just looking for the lyrics for Tom Dooley...

Rescure from TC would be pretty difficult. I know I wouldn't want to do a litter carry out, and there are not many places to land a helicopter near there. The terrain is quite conducive to either big falls (big slab descents) or snapped ankles (miles of boulder hopping). If you aren't good at friction and blasting through 5.2 and lower, there is a really high probability of injury. There used to be a solid steel sign at the top of the canyon, just above Pywiack Cascade, that told people that it wasn't a trail, and that they should "go back to Tioga Road." I tried to find the sign again last season, but couldn't. On the other hand, the inner gorge section is mind blowing. I put a few pictures for my buddy at:http://students.washington.edu/gsw/Tenaya.html It is a nice way to get from Tenaya lake to the Ahwahnee in about 6.5 hours, but make sure you bring sticky shoes.

Yeah, the 'Rainbow Family' can be a bit troublesome if you hang out in the well beaten paths too much. if you get out a bit, you quickly learn that there are a ton of places in the sierras that are easily accessible by dayhike that aren't overrun. I've done many, many dayhikes that I havn't run into a soul on. Check out Tenaya Canyon some time. Even on Labor Day weekend you'll not see a soul on it. Of course, that may have something to do with the big red lettering on the Park Map that basically says, "Don't go there unless you plan on dying." As to clean granite, all I've got to say is: Of course, I spend a lot of time with granite...

http://students.washington.edu/gsw/Image5.jpg

it seems like between us, we've been to just about every sweet alpine spot on the planet: Himalaya, Andes, Rockies, Brooks, Tien Shan, Alps, Antarctica, Sierra Nevadas, Kamchatka, and of course the Cascades and all the other randmom little volcanoes and mountain ranges here and there. The question is this, which is your favorite and why? Is there anywhere that an alpine-addict should go before they die? For me, I'm a fan of the Sierras. There are better places for big mountains, ice, snow and all that, but it comes together so nicely there that it can't be beat, in my opinion. Spray on!

A bit of simple math: Trip to hospital=$5000.cost of biners=$5 (assuming a bargain hunting cheapskate)number of biners potentially bought=1000 An aid climber would be happy as a clam with that many biners (as long as he/she didn't have to carry them all at once). Don't cheap out. Stay alive. Eat ramen for a month if you have to. *Especially* when you are learning and especially if you are teaching yourself, err on the side of caution. Don't start cutting corners and devising a personalized system until you have an understanding of the issues involved. Intuititively, I wouldn't throw a runner over a cable and use it as a zip line. I sure as hell wouldn't do the equivalent for protection unless I had to. My .000002 worth.

Lots of geologic activity out there, but all of the USGS people are based out of Menlo Park and commute out for their occasional field work. Yep, lots of trees dying due to CO2 emissions (don't ever sleep in a snow cave there!). It looks like I'll be doing some snow camping on saturday night. Any recommendations for "not to be missed" spots for those of you who have lots of winter-time logged there? Anyone know what Rock creek is like this time of year? If you want a good mountaineering story, read Muir's account of his first ascent of Ritter.

yeah, I've spent a lot of time in that area in the summer, but I havn't made it up in the winter yet. This will be my first time actually riding a lift there. I think the eastern sierras are pretty much my fav spot on earth. climbing, snow, hot springs, beautiful and just plain awesome. Too bad there's virtually no job market for geologists! hey mmcmurra- no fair on the sunshine comment. It's hard enough to keep working in an office with a window!

All work. All the time. Heading to mammoth on thursday.

For those who are interested, here's a usgs-Cascade Volcano Observatory link to some info on the Cascade Volcanoes. It covers some basic geology, erputive history and hazards of each volcano. Cascade Volcanos

Sidenote: Active volcano is a rather subjective term. If you consider activeity the likelyhood of eruption in the next 500 years, or the presence of fumaroles on the edifice, there are plenty of active volcanoes in Kamchatka that are active, anod some of them are taller than their south american brothers. (In fact, Kamchatka is the most volcanically active place on earth, geologically speaking). Of course, there are virtually no trails or reasonable forms of support for getting to those Kamchatkan volcanoes, so I doubt they are getting many ascents (even by TNF). In reality, if you are climbing to get a 'highest peak' and tell people about it, you are probably climbing for the wrong reasons. Heck, it is an equally valid criterion to say,"I'm going to climb Rainier because it's the closest volcano to Tacoma" But I digress...