Off_White

Yah, I confess, I'd prefer reading about you here than in the papers, but the consistency of break-ins at exit 38 sure excites the Charles Bronson in everyone, doesn't it?

I think you could follow Matt's agenda word for word and have a grand old time. I thought I'd add that if you wanted a good route on Washington you might do the big tombstone buttress that faces that logging road, dividing Big Creek from next basin to the right. Start at the toe and wander up: rock was good, clean, decent pro, in the 4th and 5.easy range with a little harder part at the top connecting back to the main peak. Maybe 10 pitches? We had a goat follow us up the first three pitches (waiting for us to pee, no doubt), he would just hang out at each bely, about 30 feet away, waiting until we moved up higher. When he was stumped by a steep step, he went around and met us on top! You could tell it was the same goat by the patches on his sides.

C'mon Trask, this sort of thing could happen at any trailhead, this is just (just now!) becoming a known problem at this one. I was just parked at Stuart Lake TH for two days, did anyone prowl my van? Damned if I know. I did leave my wallet, but the only card in there was the one with a teeny credit limit that I use for internet and other purchases. I emptied everything else out of it because of my buddy's stories of this scam at trailheads down south. Yah, I know, carry your wallet, but I hate the thought of that thing in the top pocket on my pack while I'm fumbling around for something else inside on some dodgy little ledge.

quote: Originally posted by mattp: Note: When people lash their ice axe on their pack, using the little loop on the bottom and having the shaft point upward, I HAVE seen the spike poke things and people. But everyone considers the ice axe loop essential. I did almost slash my wrist once with the adze of my axe while it was on my pack, but no sheathe. Just a little fall in the wet talus on the way in via Mountaineer Creek to the N. side of Stuart. That was just a little while after another member of our party fell down straddling a high log when the slimy bark separated from the log. I believe that was the last time we ever thought getting stoned made hiking easier...

From my miserable forced bivy on Dragontail it sure looked worse over on Stuart. I figured someone must be on the N Ridge and would have a story to tell. Sounds like you were on the route I recall: First pitch involves a 5.9ish lieback on a 2" crack, up and over a bulge to a corner, then up the corner and traverse right (around the prow of a butttress maybe?), then more climbing up and right across some grooves, and easing some after that. I've been up there twice (first time was in the rain with Mtn Boots, bailed from the notch like you did) and everyone involved concluded that the Beckey info just didn't reflect what we encountered. Still and all, the line makes sense once you throw yourself into it. Pulling yourself out of a grim situation is so much more educational than just skating through in the sun, good job.

Umm, Mitch? You're developing a stutter big guy...

I dunno, I've never been there but a Southern tour has good adventure potential, and it's milking some extra miles out of those free tix to get you somewhere too far to drive otherwise. Ditto for Potrero. I agree that J-Tree is a total crapshoot in the winter: maybe good for climbing; maybe only good for bundling up, doing psychedelics and wandering around by moonlight. Red Rocks is great, though I've never been in January, but Vegas is a fairly cheap plane ticket if you had to buy one, so it might not be your most effective freebie usage. Cochise in January can be pretty damn brisk and windy, and the cold can chase you pretty low on Mt Lemmon which is less attractive than the stuff higher up. You could have a good time in San Diego, that Mediterranean climate is pretty easy in the winter. If you are a crack fanatic, Mt. Woodson would rock your world, Santee is awesome face climbing (but have your tip calluses already in place) and there's lots of other bouldering/cragging areas. But still, I think your best bet is to go somewhere far enough away you'd not likely go there without free travel, and with two tickets, you could have your choice of partners. I really think Ryland has your hottest recommendation. [ 09-03-2002, 02:04 PM: Message edited by: Off White ]

I just did this to a couple of vintage cams. Here's what worked for me, though there are other options: I left the original stiff wires attached and worked off the old swages with some diagonal cutters. I used new 1/16" stainless wire which required drilling out the old trigger bar just slightly, a 5/64" bit I believe. I swaged the new cable (get the length right!) to the wires with some 1/16 swages crimped with a fencing tool. If I'd had more time I'd have tried to track down a single barrel swage, but couldn't find any in Olympia and needed 'em back in service too soon to hunt down parts.

Well, Caveman may or may not have your bike, but he's sure got a firm grasp on your chain! I love fall too, but I think there's at least a day each season I look around and exclaim, "This, this is my favorite season." Got out for an alpine adventure with my step-son Ben this weekend. We thought we were doing the Direct NE Buttress on Dragontail, but in actuality I think we were in some crack system between that route and the 1971 Beckey line. We were slow, fumbled around into some mossy decomposing shit, lost time getting out, and wound up spending Saturday night at what I think was the rappel point on the 71 route. Most miserable night in the mountains of my life, winds were 35mph or so with gusts strong enough to blow you over. Finished the next day with more wind, uncontrollable shivering, and whiteout. All in all, an excellent educational experience for Ben. Of course, this morning he headed back off to Maine for college so I'm feeling sad and mopey. Still, its turning fall and I do love that, then next thing you know its time for snowboarding But hey, you know Spring is gonna be pretty cool too, then....

Lucky, how often is your car being gone through? By trips I assume you mean some subtle means to determine if your door has been opened? I heard of this rip off scheme being used at trailheads around Tahoe, but this is the first I've heard of it up here. Its startlingly sophisticated as a theft system, a huge step up from the typical moron smash'n'grab motif.

Didja hear about that kid up in Everett who was born with only one eyelid? The grafted him another one made from his foreskin. Word is it works pretty well, but he's a little cockeyed.

I wonder what route? It looked nasty up there on Sunday: I was on Dragontail and we had huge winds and a ringside seat of the cloud deck going up and down on Stuart (until it wrapped around us too). The winds were so gusty and variable, it seemed like it would be some hideous flying conditions. It got better later in the afternoon, perhaps thats when they pulled her off. Rescue personnel are pretty damn awesome.

I was practicing the ancient art of automatic writing: my fingers move and something is written. Perhaps I'm worried about the future of my language. Being a moral relativist, you have my permission for it to mean whatever you want.

quote: Originally posted by Dwayner: THE OTHERS JUST LIKE YOU AFRAID OF THE FUTURE (DEATH VALLEY DAYS, STRAIGHT AHEAD) THE FUTURE IS SCARY YES IT SURE IS ... ...YOU REMEMBER ATLANTIS DONOVAN, THE GUY WITH THE BROCADE COAT, USED TO SING TO YOU ABOUT ATLANTIS YOU LOVED IT, YOU WERE SO INVOLVED THEN THAT'S BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN YOU USED TO SMOKE A BANANA YOU WOULD SCRAPE THE STUFF OFF THE MIDDLE YOU WOULD SMOKE IT YOU EVEN THOUGHT YOU WAS GETTING RIPPED FROM IT NO PROBLEM I dunno Dwayner, I guess I don't see the connection, but then again I wasn't listening to the song whilst stoking the angst. It certainly seems like he's singing about people your and my age, and being afraid of the future is more a trad-only thing than a sporto obsession. I'm not trying to wax your beard buddy, I just don't get it...

Hey, I just heard on the radio today that the Scots wore women's lingerie under their kilts in WWI until kilts were prohibited on the battlefield. Something about tights and bloomers saturated in some chemical to minimize mustard gas exposure. Heh heh, you know, eh what, doctors orders, got to wear 'em, nudge nudge, wink wink, there's a lad.

quote: Originally posted by mattp: Those "urban myths" often have a basis in reality. Careful Matt, next thing you know Trask will be posting photograhic evidence to prove the old "poodle in the microwave" story. I agree we've got to keep up the pressure, and I certainly wholeheartedly believed the pass counting story because it just sounds so plausible, like the way things really work. and, as a final tangential off-topic excuse to use the over-used Band of Graemlins just because its coming out of my computer speakers right this moment and somehow ties into some other thread going on about dog style... "Now I wanna be your dog, so C'MON"

Yah, it seemed like an okay response, and he was very calm with my somewhat bristly presentation. I found his assertion that a pass bought is just that, and nothing more to be very interesting and relevant given the current discussion here. It could be true, and the idea that purchasing a pass is counted as an endorsement is only urban myth, or it may be that it is a tactic used by those much much higher in the service. If anyone has any knowledge of this I'd love to hear it. It also does seem to put to bed the hope that the "spiritual purposes" loophole exists (it did not work for me 3 years ago in the Teanaway).

SK: I don't know if it works for you on a Mac, but if I hold the cursor (that's the little pointy arrow thingy, not Trask) over the link, the address shows up at the bottom line of my browser. Then all you have to do is understand just what might be invovled in "ronjeremy.com"

Since this issue is getting some traction again (excellent post Ms Merriman) I thought I'd share a little correspondence I've had with the Forest service. Off White wrote: quote: Regarding your page at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/nwpass/nwfp_q_a.htm I have a few questions you did not ask or provide answers for in your FAQ: 1: Do you in fact count every pass purchased as an endorsement of the fee demo program? This is widely bandied about as fact, and you need to address it. If you don't, I can only assume that you are in fact engaged in this fraudulent statistical game. 2: Are educational or spiritual uses of of the national forests exempt from user fees? If so, how does one establish this exemption? 3: If the Forest Service collects fees from logging and mining users, why are these fees often insufficient to cover costs? The Forest Service is widely perceived as providing industrial subsidies in the form of money losing timber sales and below market value land leases. Your statement in the FAQ that all users are charged fees disingenuously evades answering the real question, why aren't the profit making high impact uses of the National Forests charged enough to cover costs in all cases? If you are going to assert that the NFS never loses money in timber sales, you must provide credible documentation rather than a bland unsupported assertion. and the reply I received: quote: Dear Mr. White, Thanks for your questions related to the Forest fee website that you sent us a couple weeks ago. I have been in the field and am just catching up to my e-mail. Your first question related to counting passes as and endorsement of the rec fee demo program is not something that we have every considered on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. A pass sold is a pass sold and that's all. No one I know considers the sale of a pass as an endorsement of the program. Qeustion two. An administrative pass is available for accredited school groups for the day of their field trip to a fee site. No exemeption is available for "spritual uses" On your third question related to below cost sales, I know that below costs sales are an issue of national scope. I am not aware that the Forest Service has claimed that it covers all its costs for each individual timber sale. It may be that in aggregate all costs are covered. I'm sure the argument on this issue will go on for many years. However, I can say that there are many reasons the agency may sell federal timber where all costs are not covered. A current example in the media, would relate to fuel reduction through the removal of small diameter trees which have high costs for removal and also relatively low market value. As your questions relates to fee demo, the budget that is allocated to the Forest Service from Congress has many line items. Those items related to timber sale preparation and admistration are completely separate from those funds targeted for recreation. Congress has decided that some of the operation and maintenance of recreation facitlities should be borne by the users of those facilities and not the population at large. Maintaining recreation facilities such as trailhead toilets and trails is not free. The cost for an average mile of trail maintenance on the Forest is about $1,000 per mile per year. Without the funds available from the NW Forest Pass, maintenance of these facilities on the Forest would decline dramatically. There may be a better way to pay for these services than rec fee demo, but there is not currently any other game in town. If you have ideas on how recreation services can be funded in the national forests writing your elected representatives is the way to go. If you have an issue with how the Forest is prioritizing our maintenance program, then l am all ears. Thanks again for writing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gary Paull Wilderness & Trails Coordinator Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF phone: 425-744-3407 fax: 425-744-3255 gpaull@fs.fed.us

My buddy Lloyd had one of those, I only saw it in its aged, wrinkled, and cracked condition. I believe he referred to it as "wetback" or "funkback" depending on the source of moisture.

Does anyone remember that old Chouinard innovation: Foamback?

Hmmm, thats an interesting question: Scottish Wanker = Dennis Harmon? I could be easily convinced, I'm far from swallowing the "just in from Scotland" bit, he doesn't seem to write with enough of an accent.

Sorry to say I'm woefully ill equipped to provide Fossil beta. I live fairly nearby, but I've never actually climbed at the place, having been somewhat put off by early descriptions. I tried to find it once, and wound up wandering around dank forests with moss coated boulders and knee deep beer cans, like some misplaced party spot from the Columbia Gorge, but never saw the crags. I doubt if the roads will be opened up before mid October, and maybe not even then, I know they've had a lot of problems with garbage dumping. Grrrr. A mountain bike should make quick work of the approach if you've got one. Also, just because the gates are open its no guarantee you'll get out. We got locked in once in November on the road to the crag at the back end of Skookumchuck Reservoir and had quite a time of it getting them to come let us out. BTW, that crag is no longer open, they re-started the quarry there and all of the routes are gone, and they're gnawing into the hill at a rapid rate. With regards to climbing in Tenino, its only 5 minutes from the car to the crag, but its not in any guidebook and the cliff is on private property. PM me if you want access details.

I've heard of the Soviet on Bonanza being repeated, has no one done the route on Inspiration? It looks to be a divine sufferfest.

Make it simple and combine the categories, first party to do the winter ascent of either North Norweigan or the Diamond on Bear.