Paco

My weekend went something like this: Stone Gardens, , , , Von Spanker sighting, , , , gaper aid climbing for the first time at Index and finding a slabby boulder problem that spit me off repeatedly. It's something to go back to though! All in all To those with whom I shared the weekend... Thanks all! My only complaint...f'ing Dick's closing their windows while we were waiting in line. No late night for us.

Something like that, but the whole road is what, 20 miles back to the parking lot at the end, and the Eldorado trailhead is somewhere around 3-5 miles before that. Walk, or ride a bike, along the road from where it's blocked off for approx 40 minutes and you'll be there. No big deal. Maybe it's 2 miles but it's easy walking on the road.

Closed on SR 20 in both directions from Newhalem City Limit to EARLY WINTERS CAMPGROUND per wsdot site.

The Eldo road isn't shut down completely. You just have to walk about another mile along the road to reach the Eldorado trailhead. Don't let that stop you.

That's the funniest shit that I've seen in a long time!

Minx, with 8 peeps cruisin' down to smitty in the party wagon for the weeknd, I think you'll be able to hook up with at least one of us on Sunday for some climbin'. Plus,...I'll let you hold the other end of my rope.

So, are you saying, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need"? What you are advocating is a massive socialist system where you have to right to the fruit of your own labor. Where some arbitrary committee or department will decide what "basic needs" are (using your words). Who are you, or anyone for that matter, to stipulate what an individual's "basic needs" are? This may vary from one person to another. Regarding enslavement: you are dead wrong, each person IS required to work in order to support another class by the simple fact that when we DO work, that income is taxed. These taxes are required unless one goes through great pains to exempt themselves from the tax rolls. What's this "gravy" money you are talking about? Are you saying that I don't have the right to buy a $40,000 pickup if I had a good year on the stock market? THat I don't deserve to receive all that money, since it is what you call "gravy" and not "necessary". More to the point, who are you to tell me what is necessary for me? Are you prepared to leave this to some government office to decide? Who decides, Paco? Tell me. Who knows best what YOU need from day to day? Howard Your're taking it way too much to the extreme in order to distort my argument. I'm not advocating a huge social system. In fact most of the institutions that I mentioned are already in place. One example is health care through the state. Low income people can sign up to get subsidized health care and they pay a small fraction of the actual cost. Something like 15 bucks a month for health care. I'm also not saying someone doesn't have the right to buy an expensive truck, but it seems that you are arguing that you have a greater right to buy an expensive truck if you make 100,000 than someone else has to buy food if their income is 10,000. That's fucked up. What is necessary for all people is debatable by society, but I think it should include to some degree or another food, shelter, education, and health care. The true wealth of out nation should be measured, not in how much the rich can buy, but in how well off our average and poorest citizens are. Like i said before, I'm not advocating a system where the wealthy are taxed without restraint, but it's not unreasonable or unequitable to tax large incomes at a higher rate than those with minimal income.

Boy, glad you learned those great debate and communication skills in college. Is that all you can resort to? Sure, you're not going to change my mind, nor am I going to change yours, but a healthy debate on philosophies is good. It helps you cement what you do and do not believe. But, feel free to rejoinder with "whatever", if that's all you're capable of. Don't even start that bullshit. Your first reply regarding an ice pick followed the logic of a two year old and was also personally threatening. Read the other posts.

No shit, Taco. CAN is not the point. I CAN shove an icepick through your ear...SHOULD I? No. Your scenario has set up a state where the successful are made to work to support those who are not so successful (for whatever reason). Thus, you have enslaved a portion of the people by requisitioning a portion of their labor to support others. Oh God. Now the upper 10% of the wealthy are enslaved who have the equivalent of ice picks in their ears because of our unfair tax laws. Such a burden. Sniff Yeah, it's the CEO's of corporations that make million dollar salaries, and even more millions through stock options and artificially inflating earnings who are societies victims. We should cut their taxes to 0% for the next 30 years and pay them retributions for being enslaved. Whatever.

I believe the government should provide certain services to the general public to ensure a certain minimum standard of living to include food, housing, and health care while at the same time encouraging people to work. This is done by a few means such as setting a minimum wage and providing subsidized housing, food, and health care to the poor. These subsidies have to be funded somewhere and those with a high salary can afford to pay a greater percentage of income for taxes to support this. People with a higher salary can also afford to pay for a larger share of commonly used public services like roads, etc. You have not enslaved any portion of the people because they get taxed at 30% on their income and others get taxed at 10% of their income, and no one is required to work in order to support another class. The main part of my argument is that after basic needs are met then the rest of the money is just gravy, so that gravy money should be taxed at a higher rate because it is no longer used to buy necessities. It goes for paying for things like expensive cars, large houses, etc. What would you propose? A flat tax so the poor get poorer. Maybe a system where only those that need social services have to pay for them. Hmm, that'll work well. Let's make those who can't afford something pay for it.

The flat tax is a BAD idea, and anyone who thinks that it would make things more "equitable" is wrong. People who make more money CAN afford to pay more in taxes as a percentage of income. Here's a simplified example of why people who make more money CAN pay taxes at a higher percentage: As an estimate lets say that all people need to make a minimum salary or $30,000 to meet basic needs including housing, food, healthcare etc. If you tax someone 10% who makes 32,000 a year then they don't have enough money to make ends meet. Now tax someone who makes 120,000 a year at 50% and they still have plenty of money to make ends meet and then some. I'm not suggesting that we tax everyone into being poor and just getting by, but a tierd tax system is the way to go. It really isn't a deterant from trying to make more money. If you make more money you still make more money, even if part of that gets taxed at a higher percentage. Also note that in a tired system the first xx dollars are taxed at the lowest rate, and then the next bracket of dollars are taxed at their specific rate, etc.

Chamonix

JoshK: for some fun early season routes BS (non cc.comer): for some awesome times on Rainier, Hood, and Glacier Fence_Shitter: for Team JD sponsorship and rockin' times in Squish MB (non cc.comer): for many ice climbin' dayz in Canada And a whole host of others, mainly from this site, who have made this another fun filled year. Here's to ya'!

I could be talked into squeezing in the back of wirlwind's van with a couple of prana babes for a trip down to smith this weekend.

Anybody out there use one of these or the full Dromedary bladder? I've used one for a while and it leaks like a beyotch. The place where it leaks is between the small screw-on cap with the flip thingy and the larger screw-on cap. I've replaced the cap once already and it didn't help much. Anybody have any experience using other water bladders?

Any thoughts? I'm looking for a pair of approach skis for use around the Pacific Northwest and Alaska that'll clip into my Scarpa Inverno's.

I haven't been up to Eldorado this year, but it's definitely NOT too late for the NW Face Couloir. That was climbed in November of last year with most ascents middle to late November. The route was in sometime in October, but was probably harder and thinner. I'm guessing that the ice in the couloir hasn't formed up much because it has been much warmer this year than last. I'd bet that the couloir should form up sometime soon though, especially given colder weather. I'm hoping to get up there in the next few weeks to have a look. Maybe you could plan on the NE Face route if the Couloir looks empty. If you go up there post some pics if you can; I'm sure others want to know the conditions of this route. I think it's on a few people's tick list this year.

Moving out of Baltimore to the Pacific Northwest!

Climbing shoes. Those days of climbing rocks as a kid in Nike's are over!

...but if we took over Canada where would all our Senior citizens get cheap prescription medication from?

Yeah, It was a rockin' good time! Glad to meet some new people and hang out with some I haven't seen in a while. Thanks all. who missed the , , , and .

Carolyn is flying out. Why aren't you?

Yeah I've got the issue. You can borrow it if you want or I could photocopy and mail/fax it to you if that works. Are you going to Smith Rocks this weekend?

It's getting closer to Tuff Luv time! I leave tonight! Whoo Hoo!!!

Rock & Ice Superguide 88, October '98 has a 3 page article about ice climbing in Italy.