furnace

i was in the trinity's last month and snow on the trail started at around 4000-ft. still, got to canyon creek lakes (5600') with snowshoes on my pack 'cos i'm too lazy to stop + put them on. did use them for the slog up toward thompson though. cdec has snow pillows in the area, see: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow/pillowplots/Trinity.html cdec site is good for a general overview of: snow accumulation (click water content graph) -and- temperatures (click sensor name, then "temp", then the resulting graph for 10-day view). the big flat sensor is at the trailhead that goes to caribou. i think the big bar ranger station is closed right now. and the rangers in weaverville usually cannot even pronounce local place-names, let alone give you good conditions info. seriously.

look, the nallo is a good basecamp type tent. it's light, packs tiny, has a good integrated vestibule, perfect for ski touring! expensive? yes. (i got mine slightly used, therefore le$$) loud fabric? yes, compared to toddtex. hilleberg's using some kind of silnylon ripstop, and it's definitely louder than my friend's bibler. but above 50mph, everything's getting loud, so BFD. earplugs weigh like 2 grams. my nallo has endured 75mph gusts, obliquely, no problems. it flattened slightly and flexed a bit, that's all. tunnel tents are designed to flex. and no crossing poles = no *clack + groan* like in most free-standing tents, which is equally nerve-wracking. about guyline tensioners breaking, yeah that's bullshit, but mine came with metal ones, so i haven't had this problem. hillebergs are not perfect. their size is not good for pitching on ledges. they're not freestanding, which annoys a lot of people. they're definitely too warm in the summer. but for basecamp on snow (my primary use for the thing) it's stable and strong. if it DID NOT come unglued at 100mph on rainier (right?) i'd say that's definitely NOT a piece of shit.

thanks jayb, that book review has caused me to re-examine my life. not wanting to be involved in any more "textual rape", i'm going to the dentist on monday to get my 4 vestigial canines pulled out and replaced with soft pencil erasers. absent referents = erase + revise! thanks again.

after spending serious time with my well-educated inlaws in BC and Ontario, who have made a ~righteous fine art~ (a la murray) outta rippin american-style pop culture in general... what gets played at xmas dinner in Ottawa? celine. and what did i hear at the North Vancouver shopping mall? shania. at first, i thought: y'alls trying to be ironic, right? this is like an atom egoyan post-modern joke? but nope, 'cos why watch canadian art films, when Ellen D's on the tube? there is a hella disconnect in canadian culture, about how much pop crap is actually consumed every day. it's virtually the same shit as in the states, music/food/movies/TV. we just make less rationalizations for our appetite. ya know, poutine is just french fries with gravy on top.

yeah, like the above post says don't get those plantar's warts carved outta yer foot. a duct tape patch, changed daily, and warts magically disappear!

i've got down bags by Integral Designs (Canada) and Western Mountaineering (USA). both of which are -perfectly- sewn and detailed, excellent hoods and all-around lightweight bags. you can buy a bag sewn/stuffed in China (Mountain Hardware) or a bag sewn in China and stuffed in USA (Marmot), and paradoxically, these are more $$$ than -better- bags built in Calgary or San Jose or Seattle. AND Integral and Feathered Friends offer custom options: overfill down, fabrics, sizes.

got it from cold world direct. call em up. but did see ccw packs (chernobyl/chaos) in recent mountain gear catalog too.

I've been using a Cold Cold World Valdez, which is a great pack. (CCW lists as 2400in/40liter but that must be with the collar extended 'cos it's on the smaller side.) But the Chernobyl's bigger, mmhmmm unh! CCW = simple, light, elegant, finished well + good price. plus Randy's a sweetheart...

but W says "aww c'mon, thems snowmobeelers needs snow too..."