allison

I am afraid the Goat is a real person. I know it to be true. Holy carp you people all need to get real jobs 'cuz this stuff is time consuming!

There is a book on this subject. How to Rent a Fire Lookout in the Pacific Northwest Tom Foley and Tish Steinfeld, Wilderness Press There are some cabins in there as well, including the ONF cabin called Interorrem where Timm@y and his wife once stayed, and where I have made bunches of art, and the Louella Cabin outside of Sequim that my family and I have enjoyed the last two Christmases.

Nope, drinking slow is not the problem! it's the people who forget to bring their own money, and I wish it was only one time.

The thinness of the crystal seems to somehow improve the experience as well. It's not because the glasses were expensive, 'cuz they weren't. That is interesting about the shape and the smell though, I went with the very traditional balloon form even though it's not the sexiest shape there is, it is the most functional.

I thought that Teddy's was a perfectly fine place to have Pub Club except for the fact that it is a place that has no food. I think I might have eaten too much teriyaki in college, and in the early stages of my career, because it does not taste good to me anymore. Same as mac and cheese in a box and ramen. Having said that, I will be in an agonizingly slow rehearsal at the "temporary" Opera House, replete with concrete dust tomorrow night. Next week hopefully it will be in Seattle, cuz it has been forever and a day since I've been able to make it to a Pub Club. Do you still have to buy three times more beer than you actually drink, or is everyone bringing their own money these days?

That Charles Shaw is hands down the best $2 bottle of red on the market! It's not wonderful, but if you've already had some other wine, it is not too shabby. For everyday consumption, the Paul Thomas Cab, which is almost always on sale for $7, it emininently drinkable. For a couple more bucks, at $12, the Preston Cab tastes like a much more expensive wine. I am also partial to all of the Canoe Ridge wines, having enjoyed the Merlot, the Cab, and especially the Syrah. They are all three widely available in WA at about $20 a bottle. For all of you oenophiles out there, I recently splurged on some crystal wine glasses, and why I can't explain why, any wine tastes a whole lot better in a good crystal glass. Get some. Mine were pretty inexpensive at the Dansk Factory outlet at North Bend. Greg, you seriously drink reisling? Blech!

I have to agree that others absolutely have the right to post about cutting in the Icicle besides Rat. K, I don't want to get into a battle with you, but I have to respectfully disagree with your contention. It is elitist and off the mark. Sure Rat lives in the Icicle, but heck, the land belongs to all of us. We are all entitled to our opinions on this matter. I do not want to go to war about rights to comment, excessive dogmatism, personal attacks, whose cred is the biggest, or who has the biggest, well, truck. Sorry, just had to get that off my chest, as this thread sounds just like the overinflated dudes I just spent the last fifteen hours at work with. A little thoughtful discourse, good, this thread, a bunch of bs!

With all due respect, the Goat does not climb. I don't climb very much, but he does not climb at all. So I guess if it is possible to say so, he climbs even less than I do. He does, however, bring Jiffy Pop and safety equipment on long hikes.

Hm, the copy I have sitting right in front of me has it spelled S-A-N-D-I-N-I-S-T-A-!

I just put both discs of Sandinista! into my CD player on random mode in Greg's honor. Overall probably the most political Clash album(s) if I had to pick just one.

GregW is always telling us liberals that we are not making any sense/do not know what we are talking about, and now he says Joe Strummer is cool? What kind of a redneck is this guy? No redneck in their right mind likes Joe Strummer!!

Because a president is elected or selected, does not mean s/he necessarily has a mandate. Based on the results of the 2000 election, won or lost by the slimmest of margins, I would say "no mandate." On the other hand, the midterm Congressionals say to me "mandate." I have a new autosig in honor of this thread.

You know what I hate? When that guy ChucK makes smartass remarks!!

My juvenile cat tore apart my no fog cloth sometime day before yesterday and I skiied in pnWET yesterday with no ill effects. No foggy gogs and no wet gear even though I was sweaty from the inside and snow(rain)-soaked from the outside.

Go ahead and bring your phone if you must, I always do when I'm in the mtns alone, but pul-leeze don't use it around other people. I was a ways into the hills a couple of months ago, and heading over a high pass when I encountered some dud(e) chattering very loudly about nothing on his phone, you know, "guess where I am?" Spare us all your pointless conversations when we are trying to get away from the mod cons of civilization. And while you're at it, those dang Whisperlite XGKs are the loudest stoves on the planet...get sompin quieter for the times you don't need the XGK.

The battery cover lid thing broke on my Tikka, and the switch is very sticky. You've got to get a fingernail under it to turn it on or off. I needed to have two headlamps, one for work and one for play, because my tools often stay at work, and well, I just needed to have one for each. Then last summer I thought I had lost my Aurora on a trip and my sweetie got me an Ion for a replacement, and then, well, I found my Aurora. So now I have three. I just went to buy a new battery for my Ion at Fred Meyer, because of course the little bugger takes a special kind of battery, and it was $7.99. That is a lot for a headlamp battery. Maybe I am rethinking the love for the Ion.

Foam pads are bulky, and depending on design, they can wear out a lot quicker. They are cheaper. Inflatable pads are always more comfortable, except when they are flat, and then they are not comfortable at all. They are easily field-repairable, but you're either going to do field repair in the middle of the night when you discover the leak, or spend one night on a flat pad. Major drag, especially while on snow. Having said this, I own a variety of both kinds of pads, and currently use a cut down Ridge Rest with a 3/4 light T-Rest inflatable for most circumstances where I have to carry the stuff.

Well, there's more snow than last week, and it's heavy enough that it will make a nice base. Much of the mtn was closed due to high winds yesterday, so the skiing should be nice up there today. Conditions weren't awful, nor were they awesome. Skiing is always better than a lot of other things one could be doing.

Any way to not receive PMs from another poster, like the old 'ignore' list?

Sorry Ray, I have other plans....and anyway you just passed the olive branch to me in private message last night...what gives? Come on, I even said your dog was cute!

Hm....vote to lower taxes time and time again....now there are less services available....hmmm, could there possibly be a relationship there?

Warning: thread creep. I'm a veteran lift-serviced skier with a desire to expand my horizons, skiing-wise. To this end, Santa brought me a fine book, Staying alive in Avalanche Terrain , Bruce Tremper, Mounties Press, 2002. Other newbies to BC skiing might want to take a look, it's full of information.

Snoboy- I like the Ion for its small size and excellent light output. It is very easy to turn on even with gloves. I like the Aurora because it is also easy to turn on. I would never worry about it accidentally gettting turned on in my pack because I got 70 hours out of one triple A battery. I liked the Aurora a lot more before I got my Ion. The Aurora is so so bomber, and the Ion seems kinda flimsy, but the Ion is so much smaller and more comfortable that I like it better now. The switch on my Tikka doesn't work very well. The Zipka is uncomfortable if you wear it for longer than, oh, 30 seconds. I have put the Aurora and the Tikka through the paces in terms of abuse, and the Tikka is the one with the part that is sort of broken. The Ion is still new so of course I still like it. The Tikka is actually named after a small black and white cat who lives in the north end of Ballard. She likes tuna and laser pointers.

Learn some stuff about avalanche safety, spend time in the BC on snow Become a more patient person Get paid actual money to write Quit smoking

That's a good one Dave!