Mtguide

There are some who think that this process may someday work in just exactly the way you're proposing in your last sentence,or even to a further extent;a fascinating book is :"The Hunter-Gathering Peoples" by British anthropologist Carleton S.Coons.He hypothesizes that at some distant time in the future,in a world long devoid of 'civilization',two aboriginals will meet somewhere out in the desert and say "Where has white fella gone?"

Wow.Maybe you could give me some advice on what to do;most days I get around 50-80 spam emails.Any help would be appreciated.I am kind of a computer novice.

True.Actually,20 reps with a light weight(5 or 10 lbs) or using bodyweight resistance(ie,pushups,crunches,etc.)will be enough to get blood pumped into the muscle and warm it up.And NEVER stretch a cold muscle.Latest research also indicates only minimal stretching before a workout,more thorough stretching after wards.

Sounds like you experienced a moment of intuition,albeit informed by lots of previous experience.Many people,myself included have had similar incidents that seem to have absolutely no rational(key word,there) explanation.But the body and subconscious have their own wisdom,and over the years I've learned to listen and at the very least to stop and loook things over.One of my favorite stories about unexpected rockfall has to be in Joe Simpson's book This Game of Ghosts.He and a partner were bivied on a big ledge on the Bonatti Pillar of the Petit Dru.They had just gotten everything tied in for the night and crawled into bivy bags when the entire ledge simply fell off into space beneath them,taking all their gear and boots,leaving them hanging in the 'V' of a handrail rope 2000' up the wall.Story starts on p.159-gripping read.

I think adventuregal's right on target.If you do decide to have your kids take lessons at a ski area,check to be sure that the instructors are PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America)trained and certified(at most areas they have to be);they have excellent programs for kids based on many years of solid experience and success;some PSIA instructors who give kids' classes specialize in that exclusively.Ask to meet the instructor beforehand,maybe even watch a class just to see how they are with the youngsters.There are some great people out there.Best of luck.

Historian/author Michael Parente has commented on what he calls "the corporate takeover of everything": "What the wealthy want is:All the resources,all the business,all the manpower,all the perks and privileges,all the political power, all immunity and freedom from legal consequences for any and all behavior,and they don't want to have to pay anyone anything for any of it.They want all the rest of us to pay them for absolutely everything,and yes,that does include air,sunlight,and the freedom to so much as take a walk in the park."

As far as I'm aware,PP is a WA state park,not federal.And of course all the states are experiencing huge budget shortfalls.In the case of fees on federal lands,Fee Demo trail and parking fees are the replacement for congressionally appropriated tax funds for recreation and trails on the National Forests,an artificially created created funding "crisis" due to Republican-backed starving of these appropriations over the last two administrations.What you are witnessing is the result of a very long and concerted effort to starve federal programs for public lands and facilities with the express purpose of making it appear that the federal government is incapable and incompetent to manage public lands and that privatization is the only alternative.It's essentially an outrageous grab by the corporate interests to take over the public lands.Educate your self on Fee Demo,and you'll begin to understand more clearly what's going on.There's a thread on cc.com about the recent vote in congress to reauthorize Fee Demo again. the troubles the states are having are due in part to federal grants to the states for a wide variety of programs and social services being starved in a similar manner,resulting in a domino effect on things like state parks,etc.Welcome to the new paradigm;ain't it cool?

i never tie knots in the rope ends....increases the odds of gettin them stuck. I agree there are times not to tie the knots: relatively short raps and some raps on mutli-pitch. But I've read too many account of experienced climbers "free-solo rappelling" after the ends of the ropes whipped through their device. A tragically memorable example of this was the death of a brilliant young climber,Jim Madsen,who rappelled off the end of his rope from the top of the Nose on El Cap during a YOSAR rescue in the early 70's.Hits you where you live when it's someone you know.Unless the ends of the rope hit the ground,(or a sizeable ledge)there's ALWAYS a stopper knot in the end of my rappell rope.I also usually use an autoblock or similar backup on the rappell.Very comforting in bad visibility,darkness,etc.And even if you do get the rope hung up,at least you're still ON the rope and you get another chance to figure it out from there.

Guess that means we'll have to obey the law,eh?Oh well,plenty of time for ripping the town a new asshole later on.BTW there just might be some ice up on I-Rock by then,too. --------------------------------------------- "Once I made up my mind,I didn't need it any more..."

Huh???What happened to party at Lane's-or maybe you never got him talked into it.Well,I'll be happy to host the party-but you know my place is a lot smaller,is all.Actually now is a good time,too,cause the apartment below me is vacant;noise no problem-well,within reason.(no reasonable reason refused,unreasonable reasons negotiable)

Bob McGown,Pres. of OR chapter of AAC,and one of the main forces of the Madrone Wall taskforce,would pretty much have the goods on the status of this issue.Contact him at Oregon chapter AAC

The whole thing sucks--and it's true,war has always been this way.My father, who fought on Attu in the Aleutians in WWII,told me once,"the generals use soldiers like a carpenter uses nails;if you're up on a roof nailing sheeting and you drop a few nails,you're not going to climb down to get them;likewise with soldiers in war."Evidence of how much the "leaders" care about our military personnel is Bush's move to CUT the hazard pay of servicepeople on duty in Afghanistan and Irag,and Bush-backed legislation to cut funding for veteran's medical services,to name just a few.Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz's model for the "efficient",leaned-down,minimal army is just a corporate model for making fewer people do more work,which is essentially working our military to death in current combat zones.Anyone who thinks that the politicians,corporate fat cats,and so-called leaders give so much as a popcorn bloody fart for the lives,safety,or the families of the men and women in the military is hopelessly naive,clueless,or just plain fucking stupid.Wars are,and have always been,fomented by the ruling class,and the young and naive are roused to patriotic fervor by propaganda demonizing and dehumanizing the other side.You are increasingly seeing on major media channels very bald and pointed statements from a wide range of commentators across the political spectrum,to the effect that the Iraq war was indeed about the oil,something the ordinary guy in the street(that's me and you) knew months before the ordnance began to fly.Hundreds of millions around the planet protested the war along with those in the United States,something totally unprecedented in history.When the pre-war polls showed that 60 to 70% of the US supported the war,what you need to read that as,is that at least 30-40% opposed it; so at least that percentage(and think about it-that's about 90 to 120 million people)were thinking,were not duped by the PR bullshit and the spineless corporated media shills.Yes,it is sad,and it is absolutely needless,but it will continue as long as,to quote Edmund Burke,"good men do nothing."

We're going global with this shit! Trask will be here soon enough-limeys beware.

No,no,no,no----jeez,there,Dave,no need to constantly adjust poles,HAHA; just switch hands as you go,put the short pole on the uphill side,long pole on the downhill,very low tech,very fast,minimal demand of cognitive function--and of course don't drop the poles on steep slopes-but in freshies they won't go far.Spring skiing on firm snow,you might have to go back down and pick up a dropped pole.But we all know the basic caveat of gravity sports,eh? PS: Yet another vote for BD Flicklocks,both 2-and 3 section; well worth the nickel.

Absolutely;glad to have you--just email me thru this site to let me know and I'll send you location,directions,phone,etc. I have a fairly sizeable 2 BR apt.,probably floor space for 5-6 people plus a couch;Wayne's crashed here a few times-he can give you a description.Give a holler. Seriously, I make take you up on this.

I've had several experiences with rude,offensive Canadian border guards.Many of them are extremely conservative,and if you appear to be the least bit "counter-culture",there are some who will totally overreact.I wear a small turquoise post in my left ear,(And no,I do not have long hair)and the first time I went through the border wearing it(I'd forgotten to take it out)we were detained for several hours while our car and everything in it were searched for drugs--all packs and containers dumped out,everything opened-everything.As the search progressed and nothing was found,the agent became even more angry and abusive.Finally we were allowed to continue when an older,more civil agent took the rude(and much younger) one aside and after an brief and evidently very tense discussion the older man told us we were free to go.Almost 30 years ago,I was hitching up to BC and bought a bus ticket to go through the crossing.When the agents boarded the bus they were unbelievably hostile,and again,very young.As one agent walked up the aisle,he saw an old woman sitting there,innocently smiling,and shouted at her to wipe the smile off her face;she started crying,and when a couple of other passengers started to object they were absolutely screamed at to SHUT UP if they didn't want to be immediately arrested.Back in these days I did have long hair,and was traveling with a large backpack;I was detained,as was the entire bus,my pack was taken out of the baggage compartment,and in the station I was strip-searched,and my pack and all its contents completely searched; I was finally allowed to proceed into Canada because my ID was all in order,I was going to visit friends who were respectable Canadian citizens,and I had enough money to satisfy the guards that I would not become a derelict ward of the crown in the 3 weeks of my intended stay.All of this was done in the most icy,hostile manner possible.Since then,there have been other occasional instances,though nothing quite as unpleasant as those two. In their defense,border guards are govt.civil servants who don't make very much money,have a huge responsibilty,and are ridden very hard by the bureacrats above them.They do have to deal with all kinds of truly criminal kinds of characters,are pretty much stuck in their little spot at the border watching an endless stream of American affluence parade before their eyes,and it doesn't take long for them to get really sour.Of course,they knew what the job was when they took it.

Oops,sorry--meant to reply to Attitude's original query.And I was just referring to downhill ski lessons in general,not specifically AT--yeah,i don't know of anywhere you can find AT specific instruction.

Lessons to begin with for sure;why waste time re-inventing the wheel?A good way to go is to take a lesson,ski on yr own 3-4 times to digest it,get another lesson,and so on,throughout the season;maybe take a spring clinic toward the end of yr first season.If you've been getting out often and hard,you'll have the miles under your belt to be able to work hard and really get the benefit from it;you'll know what kinds of questions you need answers to.They'll work yr ass off till you get tired enough to really feel the difference btween forcing it and the effortless ride when "it" happens for you.Do not underestimate the value of resort skiing for developing your skills for the backcountry--you can concentrate on just the skiing,run after run;don't worry,you'll get the conditioning for skinning up hill soon enough.Learn and master a solid stem christie(originates from the snowplow) for backcountry survival skiing(ice,windpack,sastrugi,steeps,etc.)and from there to a jump turn. Read: "Ski the Whole Mountain"by Eric and Rob DesLauriers,"Breakthrough on Skis" , "Br.on Skis II,&"Br. on the New Skis"(shaped fatties) by Lito Tejada-Flores.All excellent.Softer boots to start with can force you to develop strength and technique to the point that when you finally get the "right" boots for you,you'll be pleasantly surprised by how good a skier you are;you'll have power and ease you never dreamed of,because the real foundation will be there in the muscle memory. You don't mention anything about your backcountry skills: be sure you have navigation,avalanche and general winter mountaineering skills well in hand.Don't depend on anyone else's knowledge -be responsible for your own safety and ongoing education;be able to give help when necessary.Work to become a really complete ski mountaineer/alpinist.Blue skies and far horizons to you.

An excellent book is "Traditional Lead Climbing:Surviving the Learning Years" by Heidi Pesterfield.Most thorough treatment I've seen of the whole subject,from anchors to partners & psychology.Climbers of all levels could benefit from reading this before leaving the ground.

Great shot,Wayne;finally got around to viewing yr post--that's definitely some grim-looking catwalk.OSHA approved,I'm sure--many congratulations on a fine classic.Talk about "blossoms at dawn in the face of the mountain god".

Creatine has,in years past,been associated with muscle/ligament tearing injuries,especially when using the original formula powders which required creatine loading for the first week or so,without adequate hydration.My personal experience has included muscle cramps and residual stiffness.Part of the reason for this could also be the effect of creatine(which basically increases energy production and energy storage in skeletal muscle) enabling harder training,before actual muscle and ligament development have caught up to demands of heavier training or harder climbing.In any training,it's necessary to alternate between heavy and light training,i.e.,heavy weight/low reps,and light weight/high reps,to allow ligament and tendon to catch up to muscle,which has a better blood supply and genrally grows faster.This is whether you use creatine or not,but especially necessary if you do use it. The new creatine formulas don't require loading,and don't seem to cause the muscle cramping as frequently.But it's always a good idea to drink enough water,while training--and new research indicates it's possible to overdo water,too. ------also,the whole chapter on nutrition in Twight's book Extreme Alpinism is excellent,especially the section on hydration.

Elegant solution--just bust a cap in the ass of the teachers,school board,all the kids and their parents,administration,etc.Vaporize all facilities--end of problem.Wow,cool. ----------------------------------------------- "I do not think,therefore I do not exist."

managed to nurse myself through a 5 mo.episode of tendinitis last winter.( I work as a carpenter,so it was hard to avoid using that arm;took a looong time to improve.)).Ice is essential after work in the evenings,1 lb.bag of frozen peas for 25 min.,remove,allow area to warm up on its own,repeat.I also used Glucosamine chondroitin,MSM,and Aleve(over-counter form of Naprosyn/naproxen sodium.)Pineapple juice ingredient is bromelain,and it's much more effective to take this as a supplement,you'd have to drink gallons to get the same amount contained in verified amounts in capsule form,and actually less expensive in the long run than buying cases of juice.Cross-tissue massage at site of inflammation can be very helpful for warmup prior to any use involving the affected area-BUT the very best thing you can do is to stay off of that area as much as possible until definite improvement takes hold,and that takes time.My orthopedist was accurate to estimate from 10 weeks to 5 or 6 mos. depending on your age,severity of inflammation,and how disciplined you are in helping your own recovery.Do nothing that causes pain; light,controlled usage such as ultra light resistance grip exercises 2 or 3 times a week can aid in recovery once the initial acute stage inflammation is over with;light=1 or 2 sets of 10-15 reps.And ice,ice,ice-----.Best of luck.And on this one,'no pain ,no gain'is the worst approach.Do NOT climb,lift weights,use the brake on your bike ,etc.,with that hand.No pain=Gain in this case.I can't stress strongly enough how important it is to avoid aggravating it;otherwise it can become chronic,leading to osteophytes(bone spurs)which can require pricey surgery to remove,and subsequent rehab of up to two years.I learned this the hard way ,in my late 30's.

In Portland an excellent orthopedist/shoulder man is Dr. Ira Weintraub,himself a climber.

I have plenty of floor space and a couch at my place for anyone from out of town,just bring a sleeping bag.