mtnnut

Isn't the Park the BIG system? If you volunteer to give them more money, you have no control over how it is spent. Then they will try to create some "services" to spend your money. Then they will decide that isn't enough so let's charge more. If it costs $30, I would rather they tear down the outhouses and carry my own crap out. At some point, rather than pay rangers to run all over the mountain telling you what not to do and rescuing folks that don't know what they are doing, you would probably save time and money if you just tied all the bozos to a ranger and have them tow the public up the mountain. Obviously I'm not being serious, but how much hand holding do you really want to pay for? They could take the hut back from RMI and charge folks to stay there instead. After all, 75% of the people are travelling through Camp Muir, so they are the ones that are demanding services.

uhhm, I think they did away with single ride lift tickets a few years ago, likely coinciding with the Boyne management transition. Last conversation I had with anyone on the subject was that there was no intention of ever bringing it back. As long as you don't use their lifts, they can't tell you what to do however.

Note the contact point for providing comments at the bottom of the link that Rick Sharpless provided. quote: Comments We appreciate your comments and views. Please e-mail your comments to Chief Ranger's Office ( mora_climbing_fees@nps.gov ) or send them by mail to Mount Rainier National Park, Chief Ranger's Office, Tahoma Woods, Star Route, Ashford, WA 98304. I don't think the bureaucrats realize that fees are not universally supported. I believe that more fees will actually increase the amount of services being asked of the Park and hence the cost needed to provide them. Part of this I think would be due to the fee promoting a caste system among climbers. Experienced climbers that get out all the time might object to the fees, and choose to climb elsewhere or not pay the fee and therefore not register. Folks that have lots of money might not object, but those same people might not be the most experienced either (they have money but not as much time to recreate). Why? A $30 fee is substantial. Anyone that pays it will be motivated to go up, no matter what. You can't just decide the "weather just isn't cooperating today, I'll come back in a few days" because the single climb fee is non-refundable nor can it be converted into an annual pass. This financial pressure could encourage more folks to push their comfort level and may precipitate rescues or accidents. Another observation, if you look at their pie-chart, notice that of the climbers on the mountain, 75% are traveling routes that pass through Camp Muir. You may not recall, but when they initially started the climbing fee program, it was due to a reaction to the cost of some high profile rescues at Denali and the potential for the same at Rainier. As a consequence, my understanding was that RMI was exempted from it under the excuse that their guides often contributed to manpower for rescues. Does anyone know if this is still the case? [ 11-26-2002, 12:30 PM: Message edited by: mtnnut ]

No doubt about it, the price I'm sure discourages some from getting them. They work pretty good though. You just need to decide whether you want those or the one that Life-Link sells. Whippets are better in harder snow since they are slender like an ice tool. Good for booting up on steeper climbs with the feeling of nearly having two tools in each hand. On very soft snow, however, they just slide through it. On the moderate firmness to soft consistancy, the grip on the Life-Links has a better chance of digging in. With either, I would recommend two (a pair) for skiing. For booting up stuff that feels a little more exposed than what you want with two whippets alone, sometimes an axe in one hand and a whippet in the other is sufficient. It feels modestly more secure than an axe alone, but a little shy of two tools. At times it is nice to have the length of the pole on the downhill side while the ice axe is in the uphill hand.

Looks like the site that it was on was getting rebuilt at a new location. Try looking under something with a label of "ice" in it at this page http://www.viewsfromthetop.com/gallery/index.html Or, you could try contacting whoever is maintaining that site: viewsfromthetop.com site owner

Of the MEC options shown, the Karhu one looks like a going up model only (skins permanently attached). They are wider for more floatation too. The Hagan might be more versatile, particularly if you wanted to ski down. You might find other options from Alpine ski companies that sell what the industry is calling skiboards. I'm sure there are others, but I think I've seen Salomon with such an item.

I've been on day trips with split boarders, and they can be just as fast as skiers at making the transition for downhills. They also can be pretty fast for the uphills too. No option for ski crampons though, so side hilling on firmer conditions is more difficult for them. Lots of snowboarders using splitboards in the Wasatch. You need it if you want to cover much ground for the approach. Perhaps makes less of a difference for the close in stuff. The other choice not mentioned is shorty approach skis that you stow on your pack for descent. You really wouldn't have to even take the skins off of these, and would get to choose whatever snowboard that you want. Appears as though some of the folks seeking out performance for steep descents go this route.

It would probably be more effective for reducing traffic if downtown commuters were just paid to stay home one day a year.

I was talking to a shop guy and apparently the principle differences are that the Freeride doesn't have a return spring (which are available for like $10) and comes with the brakes. The price of the Titanal III with brakes is pretty darn near that of the Freeride, and it wouldn't suprise me if the weight isn't that far off too. BD is speculating that the Freeride will likely outsell the Titanal III. By the way, the brakes, while they add a smidgeon of weight, are really nice to have. Not necessarily to stop a released ski, but to keep the ski in place when you set them down or want to put them on. Only time I use brakes with the Diamir II is when the terrain is so steep or above cliffs such that losing a ski might mean walking home.

PeeCee users try this one: XnView Or, to skip the description and go straight to the download area: XnView Download page

If you are interested in freeze dried brands, I like some of the selections from Backpacker's Pantry. They are the first ones that I am aware of to come out with Pud Thai. Tasty. They have two or more classes of product. The higher end line has more to recommend them in terms of flavor. A little more variety in terms of menu choices too. The next level down is more "americanized" menu items that folks from the company refer to as more "comfort food". It tends to be not quite as spicy or exotic.

I have a Stubai aluminum crampon with the same harness that Caveman posted the pic of. My conclusion is I would only choose it if you need the capability to use it on boots that that a clip-on binding wouldn't work. The Stubai harness entirely depends on the integrity of the buckle of the strap that you ultimately wrap around your ankle. I was out on a trip with the aluminum ones and the buckle got messed up so it wasn't gripping properly, and I was nearly S.O.L. I had to bend the buckle with a rock to make it work. That experience makes me think I might want to get a different aluminum clip-on to use with my randonee boots. I hadn't seen that Sabertooth with the front yoke and rear bale until that link was posted. Looks like a pretty solid idea. I have one of the standard clip-on Sabertooths, and think it is pretty bomber.

From the same folks that make the TOPO! maps, they make something that they call "adventure paper" which is supposed to be waterproof (I haven't actually tried it yet, but they have a retail display with a sheet immersed in water, so it sure looks like it should work). If your printer supports it, they also have larger paper sizes than 8.5" x 11". For printing quality, what paper you choose makes a huge difference. Treat it as though it was a photo that you were trying to print, and use something like the "photo quality inkjet paper" (no need for the glossy). I am able to get printed results that look very good compared to a regular USGS quad. Yes, without the special papers, inkjet printed stuff runs immediately when in contact with water. At a minimum, carry the sheets around in a plastic bag, or like suggested, there are sprays that can be applied to help protect it. Plastic bags turn out to be adequate for most conditions, though I could imagine you could find a circumstance where it would get wet in precisely the poor weather conditions that you brought the map for to begin with. It is nice to have a larger piece of paper to see a longer route, but if you are the type that folds up your map to have only a smaller portion visible at a time anyway, having the individual smaller sheets will work out to be more convenient anyway. In addition, the Lat/Long or UTM tick marks can be printed on the edges of each 8.5" x 11" sheet, plus you can get it to print a grid resembling an overlay over the selected area for easier UTM reading. Also if you are starting from scratch for a paper map set, it took me in excess of 70 USGS topos to cover the areas that I thought I might visit in the Cascades and Olympics (this is pretty much only the peaks with climbing or peak-bagging objectives). If you get the full state CD set, you will have the remaining info to plot out obscure mountain bike rides that aren't in the heart of the mountain peaks. If you are a techno-geek enough to own and use a GPS, you deserve to complete the system and get a digital map set to save your waypoints. Plus, uploading points for a route that you hope to be able to travel into your GPS is soooo much more accurate and easy with a digital map CD.

I assume Radon is trying to be tongue-in-cheek here. I find digital maps extremely useful for planning. My favorite so far is the TOPO! series because the map output is basically a familiar feeling USGS map. I've never been comfortable with the ones that have computer drawn contour lines, since I don't know how those computer interpretations came to be. The USGS maps were created using long established standards which after using paper maps for a while you get the feel for. Best part of the digital maps is that you will have map coverage for areas that you never would have thought you would want the quadrangle for, but lo, there it is anyway. Printing the maps out seems to take longer than you would think it would, but it is very nice to be able to print out regions that are right in the corners of several quads. If you have a GPS, you definitely want to not only get a digital map, but get it with the GPS interactivity option (it isn't always included with the basic map set). If you cover much ground in Washington, there is an entire state CD collection from the TOPO! / National Geographic Maps folks. GPS does read in trees much of the time, and will do so in areas when you can't see other features to triangulate your position. I don't have an eTrex (instead a Garmin III+), but I would think you still would want a regular compass for using with a map, if only for the standard tasks like drawing straight lines. Most GPS units don't have sighting aids also, so they don't make up for a sighting mirror on a compass. I've heard electronic compasses consume significant battery power too, so continuous use is better accomplished with a conventional compass. If you use your GPS very much, you might want to get rechargable batteries to save on money and landfill fodder.

quote: Originally posted by iain: Trails that don't get used too often would not be wasting maintenance money that could be put to the high-use stuff. Only problem is that is the way it is working already. The trails that go deeper into the mountains are hardly seeing any maintenance at all. The only stuff that I end up seeing tended to is stuff that is close to the road and popular. I think if something like the Fee Demo got institutionalized, that would only make it worse. People doing trail work on something that interests them is great, but I don't think there are enough folks that would be able to keep the less popular trails from getting overgrown enough to nearly disappear. I'm not exactly sure what the requirements are to get permission to do your own "user supported" trail maintenance, but as it stands now, I know if the Forest Service or Park Service caught you taking the issue into your own hands, they would have a problem with it. So, as usual, don't let them catch you at it.

Forging a pass might keep them from giving you a ticket maybe, but it doesn't solve the problem. Seems like the only way you are going to make an impact is to not have any pass displayed, whether forged or not. Only by seeing large quantities of non-compliance will they get the message. Have you written a letter to your senators and representatives today? Here is a thought, instead of one day of dishing out spray on cc.com, how about everyone put their writing skills to a good cause by crafting a letter to your congressmen and senators. Then send it. Bitching to each other about the Fee Demo program doesn't result in change. But if we tell the folks in Washington DC what we think, maybe we can make it go away. I've thought maybe we could try to get our state legislature to pass a resolution against it too. Such a resolution could at least draw attention to the fact it isn't universally supported (like New Hampshire, California, Colorado). [ 09-16-2002, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: mtnnut ]

There was a case in Arizona that resulted in dismissal since the Forest Circus hadn't proven who the drivers of the vehicles were. For those planning on fighting the fee, one tactic that emerges from this case is to not let them observe that it was you recreating, by not letting them see you leave or return to your car. Here is what I've been able to find on it. I've tried searching the archives of the website for the Arizona Daily Star, but the "archive" search doesn't seem to work for me. If it were to work for you, you could use these words to come up with a suitable search string September 20, 2000: Opponents of Lemmon fee score a win in court In any case, this web link discusses the result http://www.freeourforests.org/newsflash.htm#September00 or this on which is as close as I seem to be able to find as a link to the article http://www.i-world.net/oma/news/fees-az.html I'm guessing here, but I would think that maybe if someone other than the owner of the car were to appear as the driver, that might help since typically they try to send tickets to the address of the registered owner. Just don't show any ID or verify who you are if you encounter the rangers in the parking lot.

Betty, The "Challenge Cost-Share Agreement" is located here: http://www.wildwilderness.org/docs/96-ccsp.htm

I've been up there also when a lightning producing cell came by. We intentionally did not "seek cover" since the conventional wisdom is to get yourself locally elevated like on a small boulder (but not higher than your nearby surroundings so that you actually put yourself more at risk of being a lightning rod). This of course makes you more subject to getting wet, so it might not be the first plan you think of. You hear about how lightning tries to take the short cut if you hide in a hollow, and I guess this pretty definitively proves it.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Passes

It takes almost half the day just to do the car shuttle. I'd much rather bivy on the route than in the parking lot just for the privilege of being able to do it in two days. But if you don't care whether you see much of it while you travel in the dark, why bivy at all?

This deserves to be in a food review in a college newspaper. What is next, macaroni and cheese?

Rainy Pass Repair. They are north of the ship canal on Roosevelt Way. Rainy Pass Repair

Don't know about the service department specifically, but their main office number is (716) 683-1022. I think their office address and shipping department address differ by a couple of digits on the street addresses, so they are probably in adjacent buildings. Anyway, this should get you in the general direction.

To help everybody benefit from salbrecher 's post, I put the recipes up on a web page that allows for you to also download it as a Word document. Camping Meals [ 07-19-2002, 02:28 AM: Message edited by: mtnnut ]