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Man I miss Calvin and Hobbes

Have a great time Mr. T. Even though you can't ski you've always been cool. Always funny how you casually put up some hard stuff on the rock and act all modest about it. Your love of climbing of all kinds is infectious. Good luck and enjoy the skiing on Mt Charleston.

More people would smoke pot if it were legal. Then again, who's to say who's smoking pot right now? Hard to say.

Oh come now, if you were given the financial opportunity to climb these mountains, no matter how cheezy the line you used to fund it, would you not leap at the chance? I'd do just about anything to go climb K2 or something like that. Unnecessary hype seems to be part of the reality of climbing the big stuff over there. I am not suggesting that it is right, but I can understand the need to do so.

You have to consider all the hidden costs of making mj legal. For instance, the state would have to double the amount of road signs to account for all the people getting lost out on the roads. The financial blow to the DOT would be tremendous. On the flipside, Taco Bell sales would be through the roof, providing a boost to the local economy.

there are a hell of a lot of stone walls constructed in unusual places on the nr of stuart.

Things that keep me awake at night: earthquakes, al Qaeda, and FrontPage users.

There were a number of Mt Fury summit register entries for N. Buttress climbers with the phrase "we had a beautiful sunrise"....

Wow, summer is here, apparently. This is perhaps the best trip I've had in the North Cascades. A must-do for anyone who enjoys that area. The hike along Easy Ridge is spectacular. I wonder if you were one of the first in there for the year.

Thanks Bill! Chuck - yeah not sure if it is necessary but I have neither of those items right now. I would like a nut tool with a good bashing end on it though, like the metolius ones I guess.

No, I'm looking forward to info about this product from someone who has actually used it.

Obviously if you are climbing hard thin trad you would probably not be placing hexes. I could see lugging in a few for long moderate stuff in the pickets for example, where there is a lot of mileage and you probably have hands free to fiddle with them. They are like $10 aren't they? It's not like they break the bank. Yeah they don't get used much, but they still get used a bit. You don't have to buy the whole set. Not a huge hex advocate, but I can see their place in the game. They still rock at Tieton.

I have lost my nut tool and am about to get another. I was wondering if anyone has used the Trango Shark, and if so, if it works well for them. Can it survive bashing things? I'm usually a simpler-is-better cheapo person but this looked like a cool idea.

Hexes often feel more secure than cams at places like Tieton. The mid sizes are not too bulky, and very light for longer trips. You could leave them behind on desperate raps and not feel so bad (apart from the littering). You could infiltrate Mountaineers classes for choice photo ops by wearing doubles in the larger sizes off your harness.

It's all fun and games until someone winds up without skis on Mt. Hood.

OMG I can't get out of my chair. How will I get home? No wonder I see so many people collapsed on the sidewalks around here.

Sounds like some creature that would come out of the grasslands at Smith Rock

With the number of people broadcasting, both intentionally and unintentionally, you could easily get by w/o an online service in PDX if you have a wireless card and notebook. No problem. I don't doubt it's similar in Seattle in the right neighborhoods. http://www.personaltelco.net/

Not sure what "experienced" means, but I've worn cotton shirt and shorts to Camp Schurman. Nice and comfortable in the heat in mid-summer. I find they are heavy with sweat by then though, so leave them there to pick up on the way down. Great for the hike out.

If you have the time and money (or someone else's money) it is a good course. The base-level standard in the outdoor industry. If you are going out "looking for trouble" i.e., responding to an incident, something a little beefier might help (an EMT cert that lets you start IVs, get standing orders, use drugs, recognized by the state, etc). Unfortunately the WFR teaches you a lot of stuff that is often out of your "scope of practice" when working in a formal capacity under state regulations. Administering epinephrine, for example, is a sticky situation. It is good for helping your friends in the mountains though, or if your organization has clearly defined protocols under which you work.

Definitely agree. Except I did climb jeff park glacier in sept. a few years back and it was a blast. Thousands of feet of unroped ice bouldering + the romp up that cool (and very solid) ridge = fun.

That route should be in good shape mid-June. It is long and involves a lot of elev. gain. There are some beautiful views. Crampons and ice axe.

I completely agree with you. The risk was clear days out and there are few other places I'd rather not be than those east routes at noon in spring, after a storm.

Don't be too quick to judge the decisions of other groups even if they appear strange at first. They were climbing Early Morning Couloir, then for some reason decided to descend Thayer HW instead of a more typical descent. Perhaps there was something about the bowling alley that was not to their liking. It would have to be something pretty bad, because descending the Thayer in those conditions mid-day, yikes. It is usually wind-loaded, gets first light, and flushes repeatedly. The entire SE face of North Sister sits above like a massive reflector oven. Even with cloudy skies it can be hot, and any release will be on top of you down low. Maybe they felt temps were cool enough to give it a go. Maybe they understood the risks, and felt they were less than those on the normal route. Sometimes you chose the lesser of evils to get out of a situation, and you find yourself in sketchville hoping you don't get it in the neck. Without information it's all speculation. Right now two of them are in the hospital and can't defend themselves. Nor should they have to from anyone here. I agree with you that climbing Denali or in the Himalaya does not by default make one a good judge of avalanche terrain or conditions in the Cascades. Also, there is climbing Denali, and then there is climbing Denali It's so easy to armchair quarterback avalanche incidents.

Uhm, it's already bolted. Didn't you see me mention that above? Props to the guys who hauled all that steel up there. Usually the bolts are iced over though, so you have to go digging a bit. But the gullies are bolted and there were metolius hangers up there last time. Billy - with all the activity at R.B. someone's going to send it leashless one of these days. Exciting times. Scarface. To Bolt. Just Do It. Reid Headwall leashless.