Alpinfox

Jmace, your poll is fucked. The solstice is related to the earth's tilt, not the distance from the sun. The earth reaches perihelion in January and aphelion in July. Whereas the solstices are in December and June. It is interesting that they are both yearly cycles though. I don't know why that is. Anyone?

Despite the big tired joke about "Renton Granite" , there is actually some climbing going on there - though not on granite. Check it. Hey Dtsu, if you go out there, please report your findings and maybe some pictures here.

This is a great thing to know for emergency situations, but godDAMN is it painful to use. For guys. If you know what I mean. ...You know.... ...The nuts... ...Smashed.... ...Yup. ....Painful.... It also loads the locking biner along multiple axes which is probably not such a good thing, but if you are taking >6kN falls on that harness, you'll probably wish you were dead anyway. For extra fun, try it with one of those ultra-skinny mammut runners.

Oh? Who's sniffing is it then?

Considering since it is yours that it is probably well "used", I'd say it should be donated to a hazardous materials depot.

Ooops. If Olyclimber would stop PMing me everyday for "goat advice" that wouldn't happen. Should be room now.

But Mosquitos feed salmon! YEAH FOR THE MOSQUITOS!!! Mosquitos good, salmon good, birds good, #4 camalots good, bats good, japanese gardens good.

They "rock the house". In a flaring crack or pin scar, they lock in much better than a standard cam. If you ever climb Liberty Crack, you will find them useful. Most people say they are primarily an aid piece, but I think they work great for free climbing as well. I don't own any, but I've used them (offset aliens) a bit and like em. However, they are expensive and I would only carry them on an aid route or a free route that I knew needed them, so they wouldn't get a lot of use. I wouldn't get them INSTEAD of standard cams, but if you have some aid or flaring crack free routes in mind, and you already have standard cams, the offsets would be a good purchase. Offset nuts (the HB brass ones) are another supposedly "aid" item that I really like for free climbing as well. I found them especially useful at Joshua Tree, but they are great at Index as well. I'd probably only use #3-#6 for free climbing, but any pro is better than no pro.

If you spell it "beaner" it becomes a rude racial epithet. I never heard of it before I moved out to the west coast, though. Hmmm. I didn't know that one. I guess I should hang out with more rednecks.

And why would anyone ask for "biners" OR "carabiners" in a HARDWARE STORE IN NACHEs? And why/since when is "biner" a derogatory term for a Hispanic person?

Alpinfox say, "it not right to torture and kill any prisoner for any reason ever". Alpinfox say, "The Iraqis didn't attack the WTC". Alpinfox say, "GWB is war criminal". Thank you for allow Alpinfox to post on warmonger website.

Nice trip report Ryan - thanks for sharing it.

I think GWB fired all those guys already. Questions RE: Deep Throat Why was he called "deep throat"? Why, according to him, did he not come out earlier? Was he afraid of reprisals from some Nixon goons? If so, why isn't he afraid now?

I think you are just humiliated because you gotta use the #5 - right shrimp?

Thanks for all the suggestions! We ended up getting a late start out of Seattle on Saturday morning and my partner had to be back Sunday night, so we just went to the Elwha. We hiked up to Hurricane Ridge (6mi each way) and only saw one other group (they had come up a different way and were hiking down to the Elwha). I was surprised how little traffic there was on Memorial Day weekend. We saw lots of wildflowers, interesting plants, and fungi including some ladyslipper orchids, avalanche lillies, morel mushrooms, and lots and lots of stuff that I didn't know. We ate some miner's lettuce - tasty stuff! One of the more interesting things we saw was this white asparagus-lookin' stuff that had red/pink lines in it. Anybody have any idea what that might be? Some kind of saprophyte I think. I've got a picture of it at home. My housemate said it might be "candy stick" or something like that, but that is a colloquialism. It's a nice hike for plant enthusiasts because you start out in a very lush, wet, mossy, ferny forest and climb up to a drier forest and then finally the meadows up on Hurricane Ridge. Lots of different ecosystems.

Yikes. Thanks for the warning - I was planning on getting on that route next time I'm up there. If the WCC had a kiosk at the Index parking lot, this would be a great bit of info to post on it. I once stuck my fingers into the little pod on city park only to have something cool, damp, and soft move against my fingers. I jerked my fingers out and a little frog jumped out and sailed down to the boulder below where he made a wet splat noise. I don't know if he survived or not. I had almost the same experience on the Bale-Kramar route (Careno Crag) the weekend before last. Pretty creepy to feel something wiggling around in the crack and then have it jump out at you.

Anybody know a website or have a coupon for a discount on the subscription to Rock & Ice?

OK. But can you open a beer with it?

What better way to celebrate our freedom than climb some beautiful cracks? I'd like to lead (again): Toxic Shock RC to BOC 1st P Jap Gard. I'd like to climb: anything I'll check in here in the mornin'. -P

MMMmmm.... Hot springs..... Sounds great, but maybe a little snowy. WTA link

I'm looking for a backpacking and/or scramble trip. Two days, one night. Doesn't have to be to the top of a mountain, but should be fun, scenic, enjoyable, etc. I've been considering the loop from lake Ozette to the beach (anybody know about camping options there?) or maybe some mellow peak like Mt. Stone. Doesn't have to be in the Olympics, but I'm kinda leaning that way. "Snow camping" is not an option.

I believe that there are perhaps as many as two more short pitches after the 5.6 chimney. AlpinFox, correct me if I am wrong. I haven't actually done them. Somebody ought to come up with a name for it. It's like a big clam. The chimney is fun on lead, but less fun if you are following with a pack. there is one pitch after the chimney, which is IMHO part of champagne...hard to believe Fred (FA?) would bypass a chimney and go down. doubt he would remember though. SCW ridge traverse is sweet, would like to do it again someday. I have a terrible memory for routes, so I'm gonna guess that Szyjakowski is correct. Perhaps Bug will chime in on this thread and clarify, but he hasn't been around in a while. I haven't climbed a lot of chimneys, but that one on Champagne was fun and protectable with small cams & nuts. Great smoking ledge at the top of the route and then the fantastic SCW ridge traverse (not to be missed!). Regarding the nasty approach gully - yup, it's nasty and when I did it we roped up for a few moves as well.

The doctor's presciption is: Two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-coloured uppers, downers, screamers, laughers and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls.

Dustin, How far did you go on Champagne? Did you go to the top of SCW? The traversing along the top of the formation there is awesome. What did you think of the route? I got some great pics of MattP, Dryad, and CBS on OS when Bug and I did Champagne at the last Leavenworth rope up. I think I posted one or two on here. BTW: George Dubya is an evil dumbass. Just thought I'd throw that in.

Squid neglected to tell you about the ticks, horny goats, fat tourists, hordes of neophyte "Mountainears", the lack of decent camping, and the annoying Ooompah music pumping 24-7 through the Icicle Valley. My advice? Go to Smith.