Bug

I like running as training for Rainier because of the altitude. Running gets your lungs ready to suck that thin air. The thinner it gets the more you will suck. For me it starts at 12000+. All the way up to 14 I am breathing really hard and appreciate the fact that all my aveoli are ready and not busting open under the strain. If you push yourself at the end of a climb so that you are breathing really hard for awhile, it will probably accomplish the same thing. FYI, I don't carry heavy loads above 11K so the heavy pack training is great for getting all your gear to Muir but probably overkill for summit day. Maybe leave the pack home one out of three times and go for speed and lung training.

Vote.

Doh!

Well, I'm from Montana and we don't beleive its right to be rude to someone's face. We just shoot em in the back when they turn to leave.

One, is there any other way to fall in a lake? Two, post the u-tube vid here please.

And let's not forget the cult that sprang up in the northern Mediterranean basin in the third century. They beleived that the Amanita Muscaria was the second coming of Jesus.

Prove it.

"Bring it on!"

I climbed alpine on twin 9mm 50m ropes for years. I found them to be the optimum length and weight coupled with the requirement for gear to run a full pitch and rope management on small ledges and hanging belays. If the "Norm" had not become 60m and 30m rap stations and anchors, I would still be using 50m twins.

It is a republican conspiracy.

Cool.

FW voted twice on that one.

So lets be clear here. What was the lie? Are there ice sheets at the poles? Yes. Or do you dispute that? Are they shrinking? Yes. Or do you dispute that? Did the footage used in the documentary show real ice? No. It was computer generated. So how is this a lie? The Mona Lisa is a generated representation of a woman. Does that make Leonardo Divinci a liar? You are grasping a straws FW.

Oh no! That's far worse than telling Congress that Iraq had WMD and we need to go to war with them. Or worse than not attacking Bin Laden in Pakistan because we didn't want to upset the political balance. Gosh FW, does this mean that ice shelves don't exist?

We all suck. Why else would we be posting here instead of climbing?

What the hell dude. Aren't you in Mexico? Why are you posting? Sicko.

Hi Peter, My sincere condolances. I have been the partner waiting many times as it was common for my friends and I to split up and do separate routes for recon purposes. On those occaisions when it was late and dark, I was always torn about what to do. Bear in mind I knew these people well. To call in a rescue seemed extreme but to do nothing, equally bad. I usually chose to search. They always wandered back or I found my partners. I have been climbing all my life and started searching for my wayward father early in life. He had a bad habit of getting very lost. Even so, we all want to wait just a little longer for that reassuring yell. So anyway, I did not have the bad luck to end up waiting too long for someone who desperately needed help. But that could have been the case numerous times. There just is no way to know without carefully pre-arranging it beforehand. Most people never do that. We just say, "I'll meet you over there when I am done." So confusion reigns. Now add to that the result that your brother met. His partner must be racked with guilt. Most people would be. He has probably been unable to face his own mistakes and shortcomings. I wonder if he has asked himself, "Why didn't I just go with him?" And then to face you with your questions. This must have been very difficult for him. In truth, I cannot speak for him or for your brother so I will tell you what I have told people who worried about me. I climb because I love it. I can not conceive of a life without climbing. I would no longer be myself. I take great pains to climb safely and to keep my partners safe but I have seen many mistakes happen and have made too many myself. If I were to die climbing, I first would ask that you remember I died doing something I chose to do. If someone is with me, they too chose to be there. If you know ME, you know that they did not control me. If they made a mistake that results in my death, celebrate my life and help them to look forward to the rest of theirs. Just my gut feeling from very general human understanding; tell him you are sorry he was involved in this tragedy and that you forgive him for any mistakes he might have made. My guess is that if you are sincere, you will see him vent a flood of remorse, guilt, and pain.

You are SupermanSuperman ---------------------- 90% Batman -------------------------------- 65% Hulk --------------------------------------------- 65% The Flash ----------------------------------- 65% Iron Man ------------------------------------- 65% Robin ----------------------------------- 60% Green Lantern --------------------------------------- 60% Spider-Man ---------------------------------------- 55% Supergirl --------------------------------------- 55% Wonder Woman ---------------------------------- 45% Catwoman ------------------------------------- 45% You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others. Excuse me. I am going to go fondle, er, get in touch with my feminine side.

Nice icon avatar. Who is that? OJ?

Parents who push their kids too hard are miserable with their own lives. Just ask my daughters. Just kidding. I am happily regaining my climbing strength and my girls are scaling down their athletic aspirations in favor of climbing and skiing. Olivia and I will be on Rainier June 27-30. Meredith is more into a sunny day on a crag.

One of you should bring a bottle of Crisco too.

I lit methane.

I will bring; one pair of 11.5 Diablo climbing shoes only used thrice. Make lo-ball offer. One kids synthetic mummy bag. Kid comes with it. Cheap. One pair slightly used Dynafit MLK's size 11 (no liners). $75. They are too narrow for my EE feet. I can throw in a pair of well used Koflach liners but that kind of defeats the purpose. Old super pile Patagonia pants. These are pre-Pataguchi. Sile L. $5 More to dig out.

Put me down for 2 dogs, 2 beers, and free gear.

Should I take the horse off?