PLC

I take Gravol (available over the counter in Canada) which is an anti-vomit drug but it is also useful for helping you get to sleep without any ill effects the next day. Also, I always carry some caffeine gum (military grade) which you can get on Amazon or Provigil, which you'll need to get from a doctor. I've got kids and a job and not a lot of time for climbing anymore, so when I get out, I usually go all weekend with just a couple hours sleep...

In my experience, the alpine start is not necessary. I've climbed all the Washington volcanoes, plus Hood and Shasta car-to-car (other than Glacier Peak) and I never left the parking lot before 6AM. Sometimes the snow gets a little sloppy in the afternoons but I'd rather deal with that than feel sick all day from lack of sleep. In fact, I doubt if I would be capable of climbing up and down in one day if I hadn't slept.

Years ago I joined a crossfit gym and went 3-5 times per week for a couple years. Besides all the cult-like nonsense, I'd say that what I found is: 1. Crossfit will not help you lose weight - the people who came in fat, stayed fat. The people who came in skinny, stayed skinny. 2. Crossfit is more of a daily fitness test than a program to improve fitness. I don't think I ever got significantly stronger and I definitely become much slower over any significant distance. 3. Most of the fitness "improvements" you will see in crossfit are really just skill acquisitions that don't translate to anything outside of crossfit. Learning the kip pull-up, the muscle-up, how to row, olympic lifts - these are all skills. You think "hey, I can do a muscle-up, I must be getting stronger", but really, you've just learned to do a muscle-up. 4. At least when I went to the gym, crossfit led to lots of injuries due to inadequate warm-up and cool-down periods and putting untrained people in competitive situations. If you want to screw up your back for the rest of your life - start crossfit! 5. Paleo diet is bullshit. 6. The one good thing I will say about crossfit is that it does train your anaerobic system. Most people ignore this aspect of fitness once they grow up, so crossfit style workouts can have some value. No more value that running 10 windsprints, but still. If you want to get in shape, lift weights 2-3X per week, run 2-3X per week, and stretch everyday. Also, trying climbing on the weekends. It's really not that complicated.

I'm from Connecticut, so I know a bunch of people who've had Lyme disease. All but one are completely symptom free after getting treated with anti-biotics. I got bitten, myself, 18 years ago. I never saw the tick (deer ticks are so small you almost never find them), but I came down with a 105 degree fever and spent five days in the hospital in a semi-coma (I was in and out). After I got out of the hospital, I spent two weeks laid out with the worst headache of my life as a side-effect of the spinal tap. After that, the drugs I was on caused some minor organ failure and I was taken back to the hospital for one more night. Since then, I've been symptom-free.

Sounds like Verizon it is. And, "pooped" is what I meant...

So, my wife just pooped out our third kid and I'll be doing a lot of solo forays into the Wilderness. She wants me to get a cheap cell phone for emergencies (mostly to check in and say "I'm on my way home"). Anywho - what carrier provides the best overall coverage in the North Cascades and Olympics?

Upon reaching camp below Winnie's Slide on Shuksan, both my partners took out their cell phones and had conversations with their spouse/boyfriend for about 45 minutes. Alas, I had no cell phone so was stuck just looking at scenery like a monkey.

I just spent about two weeks researching and buying a new laptop. It only took a couple days to cross Mac off the list... basically, you'll be paying a 30%-50% premium for "coolness". For $500 less than a Macbook Pro, you can get an HP HDX Premium with a beautiful 19 inch 1080P screen, HDMI output, free upgrade to Windows 7, Blue-Ray drive, dual-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard-drive. As far as I could tell, there was no logic reason to purchase a Mac, unless you really, really prefer the operating system and design. If that's worth $500-$700 to you, go for it...

Trip: Mt. Shuksan - Fischer Chimneys Date: 8/9/2009 Trip Report: Just an fyi on the current conditions on Mt. Shuksan: it's dry. The Chimneys themselves are very straight forward and completely dry. Easy scrambling. However, Winnie's slide contains hard snow and some exposed ice; there's also a pitch or two of ice (with frozen gravel) getting onto the upper curtis glacier. Finally, Hell's highway (see photo) is pretty broken up at the base. There's an easy ramp through the steep section, but you may not be able to access this ramp much longer. The snow bridge which was being used looked like it would not last more than another day or two... In other words, there are late September conditions already...

Are you looking to do this car-to-car? Which route? I might be interested in a Sunday climb, but have to work Monday... (also, I don't care about the pics - I'm married and old).

I can get off work in Redmond at noon tommorrow. Anyone interested in climbing at Exit 38 or 32 (possibly Index - I've never climbed there, but I know how to climb trad). I lead or follow, whatever, I don't really care. Just want to get out and enjoy the weather. I can meet you there or carpool. Only concern is I need to be home by 6PM (pregnant wife with two little kids).

I believe that Mammut's boots are simply re-branded Raichle boots - Mammut purchased Raichle recently. As such, you can get what is essentially last year's design for about 50% off by going to Sierra Trading Post: Sierra Trading Post Raichle Boots

Becky Route on Liberty Bell and the Southwest Buttress on South Early Winters Spire. Both are obviously super stellar routes and anyone can find plenty of beta online. The only thing to note is that there's a bolted rappel station on Liberty Bell that might be missed if you don't know to look for it.

Trip: Washington Pass - Liberty Bell, South Early Winters Date: 6/20/2009 Trip Report: Just a quick update on the approaches to the Liberty Bell group: 1. Blue Lake Trail - the trail has been destroyed by a massive avalanche about 1 mile from the trailhead. When you come to the avalanche debris, don't cross. Instead, head straight uphill through the trees to the left of the avalanche. You'll soon come across the trail again (it switch-backs under the debris). Either continue on the trail at this point, or switch to the debris field, which has good snow. 2. Hairpin - from the hairpin, there is still good snow for 90% of the approach, but there are a couple steps of steep mud/creek/gravel.

I bailed on Boston Basin due to the weather forecast and climbed at Washington Pass, instead. So, no updated on snow levels from me... However, if anyone is headed to climb Liberty Bell, the trail has been destroyed by a massive avalanche. When you come to the the debris, don't try to cross it - just head straight uphill through the trees to the left of the avalanche path. You'll come across the trail again in just a few minutes: the avalanche hit the trail right at a big switchback.