JoshK

I've been too lazy to DL my pics, but here are a few from Dave's camera.

Fairweather... 1.)Why is state's rights so important to the right wing? As you said, the civil war changed things forever, and it should have. The country is a much better place than it was before. Should the south have the right to re-institute slavery? I mean, seriously, if they feel it's acceptable, why shouldn't they be able to? 2.Why does gay marriage bother the right wing so much? They are people to. Marriage is a religious institution, not a governmental one. Mating is a natural institution, not a governmental one. Change governmental recognition of marriage into a business only deal and let people express themselves religiously and in unity however they want.

Fairweather, what is so bad about designating a new wilderness area? If you like the outdoors, why not protect it from getting logged, etc...?

Yeah, that guy Todd is cool, he's always been very friendly. I have recieved somewhat arrogant service at one point, but it was a while ago, and I dont remembery by who. Other than that, nothing but friendly treatment. Merv, store owners have the right to put up whatever they like. If you don't like their political beliefs go somewhere else. Obviously they value getting bush beat and conserving some land over getting business with you and your kind.

I had the nastiest run-in with a cougar at a bar a few years ago. I was in there with a fake idea and some lady who must have been 50 told me I could sit on her lap when I complained to a nearby friend there weren't any chairs. I laughed it off but she literally insisted. Nasty At that same bar sometime before some lady who literally looked like ursula from the little mermaid started hitting on me big time. This was after my jackass friend told her I was in the marines, which she apparently liked, in order to get her to harass me. Great friends.

I take it you're kidding, cause that phrase has been around for much longer than that.

I prefer a wild west duel if you don't mind. I've always thought that gunplay was a great way to solve verbal arguments. It's all about honor! Well, and pretending to be an internet bully - nothing says Balls like threats of physical violence! Nothing gets the chicks like physical violence! In middle school I beat the crap out of some poor kid in the name of chick-getting! I figure if it work in middle school, it'll definitely work in the real world!

Yeah, I'm with ya. AAs are too big for the small players tho, but I'd be willing to sacrifice some size for taht. the niMH AAs are up to 2300mah, which is really good. The spare li-ion is $35, which is too much, but worth it for the convienence. 15 hours is too short for a climbing player. Gotta keep the musak going for those 30 hour pushes! BTW, also check out the creative Zen Touch if you are interested in a large jukebox player. I think a non-apple player finally solved the UI issues that the iPod "wheel" does so well. They somehow have managed to double the life of standard players as well, they claim 24 hours versus the standard 12-14. I think it'll probably use the same removable rechargable. It should be out within a few weeks. -josh

Yes, you wont see me trodding up the hill holding a conversation. I don't like seeing others doing it either, but for some of us it's a nescessary evil, and if it makes the GF much more settled, I'm willing to do it. I hear ya about others. There are times when I'm in a place very remote and I get pretty annoyed just seeing other people. I realize it's not fair since they have no less right than me, but it's a natural reaction

I prefer a wild west duel if you don't mind. I've always thought that gunplay was a great way to solve verbal arguments.

Hey deep thoughts man: somebody already came up with that basic idea. In addition to waxing aggreloquently about it, they took action. They lost the Civil War, and it's been pretty much settled ever since. Bingo. I think greg and his friends don't seem to grasp the fact that things have changed in the past 200+ years. There is a reason our federal control was increased significantly following our early military issues. Thankfully we managed to keep things together enough...

Regardless of your feelings on the abortion issue, the legal principal behind Roe v. Wade, that you own & control your reproductive rights, I stand by. The republicans (and apparently greg) are for smaller govertment (so they say) until something doesn't jive with their fucked up moral system, then they are all for restricting people's rights. How Greg and them think they have the power to restrict a women's right to choose is beyond me.

Greg, re-read it you mouth-breather, it says supreme court as well. That is NOT constitutional no matter how bad your states rights anti-womens right, anti-gay redneck ass wants it to be. I'm also curious why you ignoramouses haven't moved out of the 18th century. states rights is a sorry excuse to allow backwards ass places like mississippi and arizona to restrict rights without care for what the nation thinks. We are one nation last time I checked, not a bunch of post-colonial republics.

Ive got la sportiva trango S boots. They fit me great and I can hike forever in them. They climb very well and work great with aluminums. Can't beat the weight either.

If you want a mid-capacity MP3 player that isn't an iPod mini check out the Creative MuVo2 4gb. It has the same storage as an iPod and acts as a USB hard drive so all you do is drag and drop files. It costs over $50 less and has *replaceable* li-ion batteries so you can carry a spare. The lack of that is a huge weakness in the iPod and other li-ion MP3 players. Check it out. -josh

Let's see...the only reason I would carry a bivy is if I showers were a possibility. If the weather was supposed to be bomber I would go out. So with this option you are carrying a fairly heavy bivy that isn't even waterproof. Sounds like a pretty lame idea to me, but that is IMHO.

Some tool at the Mariners game got himself clipped by a frieght train last night, so I guess it isn't just Salem.

While I applaud forward thinking, it's a sad thought. Denver is enough of a dump without getting any bigger.

This makes no fucking sense. So instead of allowing the courts to do their job (as the, what do you call it, um, constitution, says) they are going to instead force the courts to overrule this law? I think any 3rd grader could tell you this is unconstituional.

I obviously dont know the story, but I wouldn't be frustrated that you turned around on the same trip you almost got swept down to price lake. Sounds like whatever happened was a good reason to turn around. In any event, I think you are a making a good choice. The route will be there, just wait until you get some nice conditions so you can enjoy good fun neve instead of dangerous annoying slop.

Sounds really fun.

007, have you even climbed anything at all? From your witty banter here, it isn't evident if you are a climber looking to do an 8k peak, or just some random wank who has watched one too many climbing shows on the outdoor life network.

Matt, you may well be right. I guess I was jumping to conclusions given the apparent recent rise in climbing's popularity. It certainly seems as if more people are getting involved with it, but that certainly doesn't say anything about hiking then compared with now. In any event, I still think that the environmentalist who argues for conservation now has not gone back on his word in any way. As the land recieves different pressures, the methods of protection will obviously have to change. Seeing some roads dissapear (which is, of course, speculation on these guys' part) in return for having a whole new area set aside as wilderness is a damn good deal in my book.

Fairweather, i agree with the argument here that the road needs to be reopened. I think, however, that the assertion that the environmentalist has gone back on his word is wrong, however. Times change...people "recreating" is a bigger threat than it was 20 years ago. The sad fact is tons of people in some previously seldom traveled areas causes damage.