Mtguide

Actually we consider the drive home to be the most dangerous part of any climbing trip.

Word.

I can sort of see how someone might choose to rap from where they were, rather than bushwack and rim-run to get to a trail. Depending on time of day, fatigue, etc., sometimes it seems a shortcut is hard to resist.Although from the picture it looks like they had plenty of daylight left; maybe a combination of laziness and just a what-the-hell impulse. Time and fatigue can make it hard to employ good judgement. Years ago, a friend and I wound up bivouacing on a steep slope about 1:30 in the morning, after getting rimrocked descending from a climb of the Chisel on McClellan Ridge. It had been a long, beastly hot day and we ran out of water. As we descended, darkness caught us, and all too soon our headlamp batteries gave out.(This was in the late 60's, when headlamps and battery cases were big metal affairs that took only D-size batteries.) We could hear Icicle Creek, but couldn't tell how much farther down it was, or what was between us and the trail, which runs right beside the creek. We were pretty burned out by that point and didn't feel like rapping off into the darkness with no way to tell how far down it was. We had to put in a few pins and tie our bags into a steeply sloping ledge. After spending a miserable night burning with thirst, all balled up in the bottom of our sleeping bags, we awoke in the morning to find that we were less than a hundred yards from the creek and the trail, with an easy slope below us, rather than a bottomless cliff as it had appeared to be in the dark. After running down to the creek and drinking all the water we could hold, we were back at the car in less than an hour.

Obviously there's been a big fire at Twin Pillars since I was last there about 8-9 years ago. Anyone know how much of the area burned? Stein's Pillar, Mill Creek canyon? Sorry to see that, it used to be a really pretty place.

Actually, there have been better, or at least very good, times to buy. When I moved back to Portland in '89, there were lots of very decent older 2-3 BR homes and solid fixer-uppers going for as little as $29,000 to $35,000. Within the next 3 to 4 years things began to pop, and I know several people who were able to buy really low in '90 or '91 and then sell later, say by '94-'95, in the range of $165,000 to $180,000. Of course now even those upper-end prices are a pipe dream. As I recall, the Seattle market at the time was higher, but there were still deals to be found. By the late 90's things had rapidly escalated, so it was a pretty brief window, maybe 5 or 6 years in all, and the really-easy-money party was over. No more buy low-sell high, just buy high, try to sell ridiculously higher.

Stellar; another Ivanesque TR for the ages. Lots of pungent terminology there: "Dildorado", and especially "cumshots on the virgin mary's visage".

Right on; but here again, it's the PEOPLE practicing the religion, who are competing, not the religion ( or the true understanding of it) that's doing it. And really, the Christmas tree is just another cultural manifestation, actually coming from all the way back in ancient Norse and Baltic mythology of the center of the universe as the World Tree. No question that OT Jehovah was a hard case, but again, look at the culture it was coming from: "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth", is a legal principle that far predates the Old Testament. It survives today in the laws of various Mideast countries that punish theft by lopping off a hand, or prescribe stoning for adultery (and let's face it, THAT'S jealous rage carried to the untmost). I think if you look at any of the wisest, most enlightened figures from any religion, you'll find that they have pretty profound and broad agreement on most of the essential points. Right now a good example is the ongoing dialogue between the Dalai Lama, the Hopi Council of Elders, the Catholic church,the Druids(yep, there are some still around) the Sufis, the Blackfoot, Northern Cheyenne, Tarahumara, and Yaqui medicine men(and women)and the Zen Buddhists. That's a real mixmaster of cultures to wade through, but they're finding some very deep common ground.

If you'll read what I quoted, and what my own comments were, there isn't one word that condemns or denigrates the teachings, scriptures, religion or practices of Islam itself. Rather the problems are with the cultural, psychological and spiritual mindset of the people, and of how they have INTERPRETED and ACTED UPON the scriptures of the Koran. It is through no fault of Mohammed or of the Koran, that these things are happening. You'll even see where I expressly said, regarding extremist views and behavior, (such as killing unbelievers) that "nothing in the Koran explicitly mandates any of this." It's not in the scriptures at all. (I have read and studied the Koran at length.) To clarify the point further, what I'm saying, is that what the Koran ACTUALLY says, and what people may BELIEVE it says, are not necessarily one and the same thing. Just because a person, or many people , BELIEVE something, doesn't mean that it's true. Finally, any true religion, if followed and practiced as it's founder(s) intended, does not compete with any other religion, but accepts all others as equal in depth, truth, and understanding, while respecting the differences in each path as simply a different way to what is essentially the same deeper wisdom. I absolutely agree with you that Islam is a real, beautiful and powerful path to enlightenment, and that all of the old,(and many of the new) religions have fanatical believers. I did not intend to take any cheap shots at anyone, most certainly not at Islam. What I was attempting to do was to shed some light on what many impartial observers through history have found to be a very prevalent pattern and nature of thought and perception among Semitic peoples, and of how this manner of thought has, over time, distorted and misused one of the world's great religions. And none of the world's religions, not Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc., have been immune from this very human tendency to misinterpret, distort and misuse them for individual, cultural, or national and governmental ends.

The radical/extremist Muslim viewpoint that anyone who "blasphemes" or offends, (real or perceived), against the prophet Mohammed , or against Islam, must therefore die, is a perfect example of what psychologists call "black and white" thinking. No room or tolerance for any subtleties or shades of gray. It's a kind of thinking commonly identified in school shooters, domestic violence, gang violence, and both wet and dry alchoholics, to name just a few. (For instance, George "You're either for us or against us" Bush, a "dry drunk".) It was also described as a prominent cultural characteristic of the Semitic mind, by T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) in his book "Seven Pillars of Wisdom". This book, which is still today a vitally important source for understanding the history and culture of the Middle East, amazingly prophetic of what we're seeing today, starts with an Introduction on the foundations of Arab revolt. The first four paragraphs of Ch.3 are essential reading for anyone who wants to even begin to understand the Arab mind: "In the very outset, at the first meeting with them, was found a universal clearness or hardness of belief, almost mathematical in its limitation, and repellent in its unsympathetic form. Semites had no half-tones in their register of vision. They were a people of primary colors, or rather of black and white, who saw the world always in contour. They were a dogmatic people, despising doubt...They knew only truth and untruth, belief and unbelief, without our hesitating retinue of finer shades.... Their thoughts were at ease only in extremes...they never compromised,...they pursued the logic of several incompatible opinions to absurd ends, without perceiving the incongruity. With cool head and tranquil judgement, imperturbably unconscious of the flight, they oscillated...". So it's hardly suprising to see things like the fatwas and attack on the the Danish cartoonist, or the whole pantheon of terrorism that we face today. It's a very, very ancient, ingrained mindset. What our society identifies as utter madness, is to many in the Arab or Muslim world, perfectly clear and logical. If you're an unbeliever, you must either convert or die, very simple. If you offend the prophet or his teaching, you must die, whether you're a believer or not. This is how America becomes the Great Satan, why enraged masses can't just chant "Down" with America; no, it must be "DEATH" to America. Nor does it matter that nothing in the Koran explicitly mandates this; it's the BELIEF that the proper practice of the faith demands it, from time immemorial. There's nothing about this inconsistency that gives any militant Muslim so much as a moment's doubt; it's just the way it is. The very declaration of the faith is all the explanation necessary: "There is no God but God, and Allah is his name." End of discussion, as simple as that. Lawrence's book is an incredible, brilliant analysis of not only the conditions and experiences of his own time, but of what's happening right now, just with different players. It ought to be required reading and study for anyone in government, diplomacy, the military, business, etc., who's dealing with anyone or anything in the Middle East. And anyone who thinks for a moment that any of this is going to change anytime soon, certainly within our lifetimes, is a total fool.

Great video; "unfortunate" choice of music, pretty stupid, inane crap. Too bad talent with film doesn't equate to good taste in soundtrack.

I'll take both. PM Sent.

Excellent article.

PM sent.

Not surprising; all the nastiness, hatred and venom that he's been spewing out all these years, it's the worst thing for your health. You can't do that for too long without it turning back on you. I don't wish anyone ill, but the man is literally killing himself with all that bile and spleen that (he thinks) he is directing at his perceived enemies.

Have you tried the Koflach Arctis Expedition double boot? Although I've never tried the liner you mention in my Degre's, IMHO the Arctis Expedition would be far better suited for any extreme conditions you might encounter on Denali, much warmer.

Years ago while hiking into the Wind River range to climb East Temple Spire, we came around a bend in the trail to find a whole group of Rainbow people frolicking in the nude in a grassy opening beside a creek. Evidently they were under the impression that they were deep in the untracked wilderness. (In the Big Sandy area of the Winds? Ah don' thin' so, mon.) Some of the Rainbow ladies were a little hairy, but all in all, quite fetching. To our amazement, a couple of them came right up and asked us to, shall we say, tarry with them a while, but the decidedly frosty glares and acid comments of the Rainbow men, and the fact that the two of us were well outnumbered, persuaded us to move on. Like duuude! What ever happened to those Rainbow ideals of free love,free weed, universal peace, etc? Bummer. And I had just the right piton to fit that crack. A couple seasons later we were packing down from hunting camp to Skinner Bros. base camp at Burnt Lake. It was a warm, sunny afternoon. As we came out of the timber just before crossing the creek next to the camp, there were a couple in "flagrant delicto", just fucking like crazed weasels right there on the creek bank. Bob Skinner (the late Todd Skinner's dad, now also deceased) wasn't even fazed, but just started laughing, and then we all (3 guides, 6 hunters and the camp jack) started hollering and applauding, cheering them on. Even though we made a pretty good racket, they never paid a bit of attention to us, and just kept going to climax. Only then did they become aware, and jumped up and ran off into the trees, the girl's face red as a beet. Yep, them's the mountains fer ya.

A wealth of info on causes, treament and prevention can be found by Googling it. Also, the late Bradford Washburn, famed Denali climber and cartographer, published an excellent treatise on frostbite while serving as director of the Museum of Science in Boston in 1963. It was first published in the American Alpine Journal in 1962, later as a pamphlet put out by the Museum. It's of course out-of date regarding equipment, but the basic principles of causes and prevention are every bit as relevant today as they were 45 years ago. It's called "Frostbite: What is is- How to prevent it; Emergency treatment". Copies and/or microfiche can be found in The Mazamas archives in Portland , or at The Mountaineers in Seattle. Another good article is on p. 373 of the American Alpine Journal for 1965, " Avoiding Frozen Feet- Cold weather Footgear" by William E, Davis. This piece is more thorough on equipment and how to deal with the difficulties of drying footwear in extreme conditions, yet maintaining warmth. One of the most important basic conclusions it makes is that "A regular leather climbing boot simply will not protect against freezing in extreme cold". Despite the advent of Thinsulate and other systems, the persistent popularity of leather climbing boots makes this a warning still worth heeding, simply due to the nature of leather itself. Although leather "breathes", and can aspirate moisture to the outside, it also permits moisture to enter, is easily frozen and extremely difficult to thaw in extreme conditions, and thus is an excellent conductor of cold. For full-on winter conditions, plastic, comfortable fitting, thermo-formed foam insulated boots and a well-thought out sock system are your best bet.

Murraysov's got the answer. The colder it is, the better the traction, even on 6" of black ice. Temperatures below zero provide excellent traction for most vehicles, even with worn highway tread, seldom even requiring chains or studs. But when the temperature is right around 30F to 32F,it really is extremely difficult to drive on. Chains, studs, or sand and gravel, are the only things that help then, I don't care if you're a 40-year expert trucker from Point Barrow or Novosibisrsk. As for why there seems to be a higher incidence of accidents in the interior, just the fact that there are prolonged periods of ice and snow would result in a higher probability, plus the fact that maybe people used to driving on it might tend to take things a little more for granted on occasion and fail to watch their speed, or allow for changing conditions, such as a rise in temps. Seems like anytime you see news footage of blizzards in the Dakotas or the Midwest, there's always someone barreling along at 70 mph going through the picture. What we probably don't get to see is the footage of that same guy piled up in the ditch, or worse, a few miles down the road.

Burning at the stake is far too merciful for people like Lieberman. He and all other chickenhawks such as Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, smirk-ass "W", Wolfowitz, etc. should be the first to be drafted. Anyone eager to start a war should forced to participate first hand, in person. And without adequate body armor, training, provisions, or sufficient backup, or any proper R & R, the same way they voted to send our young people to suffer and die. Then when they're brutally maimed and crippled for life, brain-damaged, PTSD, etc., let them have to suffer the travails of the inadequately funded and unresponsive confusion of the Veterans medical care system which they allowed to go begging. There should also be a ready supply of recruits from the brokerage and banking trading firms on Wall Street, that deserve a couple of 18-month tours in 120 degree heat with 60 pound packs.

The Dad attempted to walk to where he had cell service, going several miles in each direction on the snowed-in road, but to no avail. KGW reported last night that a relative, as you said, used his GPS, of the same make, and followed the route given. Whatever brand it was should be noted and returned or replaced. The manufacturer should be held accountable, or whatever the database was that was used. I keep hearing of all too many incidents of this kind. Some kind of accountability needs to be put in place so that these kinds of errors are kept to minimum. Of course, people need to use common sense, learn to use a map and compass, call the Highway report 800 lines,or check it online, call the local Sherriff's office, ODOT, etc. There really are so many resources available, that IMHO you have to be a real idiot to make this kind of mistake. However, it was a man, of course, and we all know that men simply NEVER can bring themselves to be so sensible and humble as to (HORRORS!) ask directions. Compounding the stupidity was the utter carelessness, especially with a little baby, of neglecting to take any food or water, no blankets or extra clothing, and stupidest of all, less than half a tank of gas. Completely irresponsible and inexcusable.

An oxymoron in the same class as "Military Intelligence".

Sorry to hear about that Muffy... I have had psoriosis for almost 20 years and a lot of people (except my dr) kept telling me it was cause of drinking beer. I quit drinking beer and I still have the damn stuff. Not sure if the photo light therapy helps your type but it does wonders for mine. Although it is a hassle going in to the derm office to tan 2 or 3 x a week. Good luck. i was diagnosed with Psoriasis when i was 6 or so. it is one of those things that comes and goes for me. I have had whole years with out outbreaks. I have noticed over the past year that the arthritus pain comes and goes with the skin condition for me. Some people think that psoriasis is caused by alergies to food or beer or whatever, and i think that can be part of it, but the research so far has been inconclusive. it is considered an auto immune disorder. if it really bothers you you could try an elimination diet, but it sounds like the sunlight helps you... I have considered a tanning booth or something, becuase the sun does help. While there's not yet any definitive cure for any of the varieties of psoriasis, there is a sizeable body of research that seems to indicate an association to a shortage of Vitamin D. No solid understanding of just how it works yet, but if so, it's possible than sunlight may have a beneficial affect. However, NOT tanning booths. That's just ultraviolet on one spectrum, not at all like the full range of actual sunlight. Also tanning booths have been proven to be carcinogenic, directly linked to several melanomas and other skin cancers. You'd be better off with full-spectrum lights such as are prescribed for relief of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, seasonal depression due to lack of sunlight. My Mother suffered in her later years from psoriasis, and we did try vitamin D supplements. It seemed to help, but not to completely eliminate her condition.

Right you are, it was indeed Comici. And what a great idea, not to report the ascent of an undocumented line. That is in the true spirit of the wilderness, and of alpinism. That's a spirit as large and open as the mountains themselves.

Gravity never sleeps!