ivan

so how was it? awesome weather, it would seem!

sweet - next you gotta go out to beacon and see what a BIG rock looks like!

so for years i've been up at big ledge wondering what it would be like to try to get up one of those monster steep cracks.... first starting climbing w/ ben priestly early this summer - we did the lower pitches of the 'wolf and talked about going back to do the complete thing - regretably, niether of us are the free-climbing mutants that seem to be about these days, but that's okay, we have aiders and nothing to do all saturday (well, not true for me - i was supposed to be at a 2 year old's b-day, but i was less than 5 hours late, which ain't bad, no?) i thought we might make the whole enterprise enjoyable by skipping the first 2 pitches in favor of local access only and flying circus as that delivers more sustained sickness - oddly, despite joe having cleaned out the circus last year, there was a lot of regrowth in the crack, including a 6 foot strand of thorns - i woulda thought more folks would be doing it now and keeping it clean, but either that ain't the case of they don't mind leaving the shrub-life in the thorns actually were a bitch, as the updraft was so strong that, after i chopped out the big vine w/ my nut-tool, i cast it off only to have it continue to torture me for the next 2 minutes as it floated up, then plunged back down to stick, only to repeat the whole experience wow - i'd forgotten how goddamn wide the last 50 feet of flying circus is! next time i think i'll bring *another* #5 to avoid the big-runout that made me feel funny in my pants ben styled the first pitch of the wolf off big ledge, using a couple cam hooks along the way - totally sick old pin along the way, a big fat bastard sticking way out of the crack, a kind i've never seen amongst all the relics out there - we weren't sure how far we'd have to keep going above the first anchor, so he stopped there at the base of the rickety-ass bolt ladder - signs of some hard, hard man chalking up this pitch - wow! at any rate, i'd recommend if you're off to repeat this (and man, more folks should - climbing these adventure routes at beacon is just as cool as being in the big mountains!) that you combine this pitch w/ the next, though you'll need at least 20 draws or so for it to go, and it'll be a 50+ meter pitch i started up the bolt ladder right around the time a 2 year old was opening her present - i found this one thoroughly entertaining as the exposure off the hanging belay is fucking giant, certainly the most air you can get at beacon - used several aid widgets - a cheater stick, birdbeak and hook were all plum necessary - all the bolts stayed intact but sweet jesus loading them is an act of faith - mostly uber-rusty 1/4 inch'ers and my 250 some odd pounds of sunshine n' shit shivered ever so slightly as i eased onto them - it's a shame there's not any traffic up this way as the rock is just like on young warriors, very textured and cool, with fascinating sharp, deep cracks and very angular blocks and edges - the lichen is big as hamburger patties though we topped out on one of joe's new shiny, inspiring anchors, just a few feet away from the w side trail - a few feet of overgrown rock lie above to the absolute top of the tower, but the bolts all dissappear, there's very little pro to be found, and it generally looks gross, so we rapped from there, me w/ the hope of not catching too much hell for being late - some things are worth getting screwed for, and this was one of them came down to discover joe had been working magic cleaning on the trail - pimp-wide now down below groudn zero and the first 10 feet off the ground are brand spanking clean - only 100 more feet to go, joe! great day - makes me kinda sad though to realize just how much cool, untrammeled stuff is left to do and repeat at the big b, and how much of the year will have to be spent thinking about it, but not doing it...sighhhhh!

interesting - the whole day goes by and none of the right-y's sound off on the issue?

i totally disagree, at least if they're going to be climbing as rangers intent on applying ranger-rules along the way, and not just as joe-civilians out trying to have fun like everybody else. a side issue though, and best discussed in another thread - i'd say just put one up on the post down by the rock and fuck asking the tool if he's okay w/ it.

...debates about experience?

not to play at words, but couldn't he honestly think that would improve this country?

your guy may very well win, and i certainly wouldn't predict the future in an election w/ polls so close - but don't you sound just a wee bit like you're trying to convince yourself? i really wouldn't be surprised if we get another 2000 result and the courts have to settle it all over again

expecting that from any of the candidates involved is a pipe-dream, uber-true if mccain kicks the bucket while in office

remember the politician who was the real-life model for the maverick from top gun? the republican who later got taken down for being as venal as he was rebellious?

where are the republicunts in this very important thread?

so clearly the republicunts are making the majority of their case against the big O based on this lack of executive experience thang - so, to engage in group think, what historical examples can we think of decent executives who came to the job w/ no executive experience? the first one that comes to my mind actually was a pretty good republicunt - abraham lincoln who else?

better there than on the slab pitch, eh?

john lost his legs back in 'nam, man...to a vicious tunnel-snafflehound - that's what killed him on the tropics and swear to stick to a life of cold n' ice. but then this IS supposed to be spray free...

whaaaa? tell me you did it in front of a touron!

ah yes, i have it: "republicunts!"

nah, not creative enough - you can't take them hitlerites on in their own game, you gotta change the game!

it's always been ugly george mcclellan called lincoln a miscegnator jackson was called a polygamist washington's opponent probably wondered aloud how anyone could vote for a man w/ wooden teeth ("after all, what does this tell us about his attention to little details?") i don't understand how the word liberal got so maligned - it used to mean that you though all folks should be treated the same - i guess that thinking IS dangerous do we have a proper comeback for "libtard?" it's vexing me...

the walls of pompeii are covered in 2000 year old graffiti maybe you can just roll the boulder over?

i thought only tweakers n' whores were to be found on aurora? oh, and jack'n'the'boxes too...

aww, i was just being cynical of everything is all - i'm bereft of hope and have just accepted the fact that fucking w/ that evil plant will inevitably result in zombie flesh - if you tell me that it works for you i'd be interested in trying it though...

dave - i'll see you out there after 730 saturday morning - if you haven't found a partner you can tag along - hopefully geoff'll be there too and we can all rage together in perfect harmony

i look foward to mrs palin continuing her fine work as governor of the enlightened north for many more years to come

we can all sort it out - dave's is fancying himself a hard(er) man these days though, so maybe ya'll should do something cool like flight time/flying swallow? flying circus? you could aid-seige ground zero and we could holler back n'forth at each other!

tauntauns don't do talus