Bug

I agree with all your points. I expect that the press worked to ferret out any conflict and controversy to put in the article, so the portrait may be a little skewed. Peace and harmony just doesn't sell copy. I have been quoted and interviewed a few times and I am always amazed at what I read. Human error and sales.

There are some nudgers and some explosive cleansers. I would still like to know what specifically is recommended for giardia. I have been drinking water from nasty places all of my life. No serious results so far. I'm probably a carrier.

HEY! Back off. I have more shrimp. Yes you are right but what usually happens is you find someone about your own level and do the climbs you can. As you gain experience, you also make better use of info from reading books, this board, and talking with other climbers at rope up, pub club, rockfest, feathered friends events etc. If you are "cool", some better climbers will be willing to go out with one or both of you and you pick up skills by watching and cleaning and talking. If you can afford guide then go for it. Around here, there are a lot of good ones. The list of "bad" ones is probably a lot shorter than the list of good ones. My main point is, no matter who you are with, you still have toget out there. If you get and climb and keep doing it, you will get better pretty fast.

I would agree. I have found gear at the base all the way around it. The north face especially. I got several old soft iron pitons there from different places along the base.

Alpine in Montana is usually pretty good in December. You can still drive up a ways and there is plenty of snow and ice up high. I like the Bitterroots, Trapper, the Como peaks. Both have nice north faces for those unexpected warm spells.

When I was returning to N Kahiltna Base, we were hiking up the N Kahiltna and came over a rise to see a plane upside down and pointing uphill after an obvious flip. When we got up to the landing strip, we found out that it happened the day before in soft conditions. We were next in line when we got up there. One of the people who was in the plane when it flipped sat next to me. She was tense. The thumps as we bounced off the snow were REALLY hard. I was glad it was before noon. That was early June.

I read a story about some folks doing an ascent up there in the early days. The plane was one of the first to use skiis. They landed on the glacier and when they came to a stop, the plane sunk intothe snow. They had to dig and jack and frantically work the plane around to a spot where it could get a start. It had a lot of trouble getting its speed up and droppedoff the end of a glacier and out of sight. It finally pulled up and circled and informed the climbers they were now on their own. It was a long hike out.

Guides need to make money. That is where you come in. At ropeup this year there were at least a couple guides hangin with rest of us. And while they are good climbers and totally respectable, I would not consider them to be a cut above many of the other climbers present. So, what Feck says is true. Climb. Find a compatible partner/partners and get out there. As for the Himilayan seminar on Rainier, I am sure they know what they are doing. Altitude tollerance is probably not a big part of the seminar I would guess. However people who are very sensitive to altitude will find out on Rainier. There are a lot of other things to learn about techniques, styles, and logistics. What better place to learn?

Tell us more.

Should always. Never know when the slimeball won't show or can't go. So you don't ever do long alpine routes that require careful packing? Nope. Can't convince me that this is the answer.

I have not had it but a few friends in the Bitterroot have. They were feverish and week for extended periods. All except one had diahrea for a week or more. They all continued to decline and were convinced they would die if not treated. They knew they were seriously sick. They all went in during their second or third weeks. The medication escapes me. It is harsh and the directions for drinking water etc MUST be followed or you risk destroying your kidneys and liver. The sooner you get it diagnosed and treated, the less chance there is of organ problems. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia Good luck!

No. It's Ivan!

Nair KK. Nair.

Doesn't this post belong in the feminism thread?

Shoot fat people.

Obesity is often associated with depression. Depression can be addressed and mitigated in many cases and I am not talking about a pill. I resent obese people who refuse treatment to cure the problem. They insist that it is their right to be fat and then demand special treatment. They get handicapped parking while pregnant women are denied it. Insurance covers transportation costs when their joints collapse. Diabetes is statistically higher by a lot. There is more. I feel really bad for these people but at some point someone who cares, or all of us, need to stop facilitating this so-called disability.

Well, after your post on the other thread, I have to admit that I am not perfect, I don't have multiple orgasms. Maybe I'm just not feminist enough?

this may be the most accurate statement ever made on cc.com i'm shocked it came from KK. go figure. right wing nuts like sex too. i never would've guessed You know, the "people pigeon-holing" gets real tiresome. I've got plenty of positions to differentiate myself from the run-of-the mill right-winger. take off the blinders. No one said you were a "run of the mill" right winger.

I am living proof that altering genetics can lead to a perfect specemin. My father was 1 mile from ground zero in an open trench at the Yucca Flats atmospheric hydrogen bomb test. Then he went home and had kids. And they told me LSD would mess up MY genes. Sheesh.

You reaaaaallly know your livestock. Ahem.

Oh, I thought there must be some reason they were gassing each other all through the 80's.

Actually, Muslims around the world do have some issues with Persians in general. Islam prohibits the drawing or sculpting of anything alive. Persians tend to stretch that rule a little bit. Hence the burning of Jimmy Carter in effigy.

I dare you to call a Persian an Arab. Is "rag-head" OK? I thought I saw that used here a time or two. Oh, and thanks for the tip. Barbara Boxer is my new hero.

What! You are people? I thought my computer was talking to me

Yes. I did mean Hillary. Who is Barbara Boxer?