Off_Route

Yes, yer DEET is still good, even after all these years: In fact, the familiar REI-branded summer fragrance is sometimes still found in bottles actually delivered in 1960s vintage cases of US Army surplus goods, and it's still as good as ever! Did you know you can mix up your DEET with REI-brand coconut oil to make your own high-performance speed-climber body lube? It's slick! Call your REI sales specialists, and have them send a special gift-wrapped case to that special partner of yours... They will be glad to include a complementary REI credit card application, just to show you really care. REI Jungle Juice: For the magical animal in both of you. mC

Since the the topic of snow on the Mtn has already been breeched here, and I 'spose that craggers to the north side of the river get good views of the Mtn on the south side... Is there still a schrund or cornice atop the "obvious gulley" that goes up to the summit ridge on the main peak of Index? Thinking 'bout walking up there over the 4th; would be maybe taking kids, some bottle rockets, and marshmellows for a red-white-and-blue camping trip on top. However, objective hazard of ice fall in the gulley would be unacceptable... BTW, Miss N: Camping spots are a-plenty once well away from and above the town and crowds below. (Especially when there's any of that icckkky snow stuff on the ground!) -- Little Burd.

Terminal Velocity: 614 MPH. Exposure: 102,800 Feet. Joseph Kittinger, 1960 August 16.

'Scuse me while I belch... Hoo-yeah! Now, do I understand correctly that if I ride my bike out toward Glacier Peak this weekend, boys driving by from around Darrington will be pitchin' cans of beer my way? Now, I will admit that would be generous of them, but are they really all that fucking stupid? After all, bouncing those cans off the highway just wastes a lot of beer and makes what is left all foamy and hard to drink.

IMO: Custom fitted in Seattle, 3,000 to 4,500 cu in. McHale Alpine Packs

You may do well with a "handline" of 8mm perlon, 30 meters long. As already mentioned, a thin, static rope like this can be shorter than 30 meters and still be plenty useful for giving you a way to help a newbie scrambler discover self-confidence while negotiating exposed terrain. But with a full 30 meters, you can double it over a horn or through a runner and have enough rope for a dulfersitz rappel that will let you get back down a forty-foot off-route pitch. Getting stuck is bad. Getting back down is good. By the way, as an additional length consideration, if that "handline" is long enough, it can be used with a regular climbing rope to provide for full-length rappels. mC

Whattsa Walmart? Is Walmart like Ballard? Can I get something to eat at Walmart? Does Walmart have those deep-fried hydrogenated lard sticks like that gasoline deli in Darrington? Yep, definitely like those lard sticks, definitely got a warranty. Yeah, definitely gotta go to Walmart.

Yep...after climbing up and over by way of North Chute, and turning toward the summit block, I followed a route that narrowed to an exposed, sloping ledge marked by a pin with a couple runners on it. I had no rope and was solo anyway, but thought "a confident alpine rock climber would probably not need a belay here." Then I backed off. Choosing the alternate crossing-over by way of Terrible Traverse proved successful, but it was very late into a long season and most of the remaining ice could be bypassed on rock. Bivied on top. Returned by way of South Chute. A glorius hike. Heard said: ... bring bivy gear, and you will bivy... ... bring rope gear, and you will belay... mC

Green Eggs and Ham

<a href="http://www.ancilnance.com/html/picket19large.htm">Green Eggs and Ham</a>

Yep, it's when I'm close to traffic that is going a lot faster that I feel most vulnerable; if the speed differential is great, the potential for catastrophic energy transfer is also great, as suggested previously in this thread. For that matter, my hair stands up just a little more if I'm going much faster than the traffic too. Same difference. As the practicality of bike riding in Seattle goes, increased crowding of cars seems to be actually favorable! I note an increasing proliferation of tracks where a half-way capable rider on a road bike can often keep pace traffic, or close to it. Also, bike lanes and sidewalk access provide alternatives that work well, especially if the biker maintains a generous consideration for both pedestrians and drivers, regardless of who may or may not have the legal right of way. On my present commute, I've found Aurora (of all the places) to be a favorable stretch. There is a lot of room, and with traffic the way it is these days, a bicylist can often keep a speed common to the flow. I feel comfortable, most of the time, riding a bike around here. In my view, it's folks that are cooped up and watching from a perspective of inexperience or naivete that are suffering from most of the freaked-out perceptions.

Sadly true, few such stories go 'round spoken by the victims. Still, there are plenty of third-person accounts to clarify that being roped up can getcha dead, sometimes more often than not. Rope is good. False sense of security is bad.

...and require a "Wide Load" sign be posted on all the 5-by-5's that seem to populate those groups...not that that would stop 'em from flailing around like drunken tourists on a trampoline all the while...

Regarding the wisdom in choosing alternate routes, or different routes altogether, all points are well taken. For anybody wanting a ride off the city streets, taking a ferry to the Kitsap does provide a good alternative. The trip from Bainbridge to Kingston is a good clip, and it's easy to connect Edmonds to Seattle. The only steep hill 'tween to two ferry ports on the other side is one in proximity to Miller Bay, or somewhere like that, basically off the main way. It's not one to climb with most legs and most road bike gearing, but it is short. Really. Also agreed, the BG is dangerous course laden with moving and unpredictable human obstacles. Fact is, 15mph is still a fair clip, and it's not the first time BG riders have been compelled to slow to a stop for attentive cops as well as inattentive pedestrians. Still, given the perception of being on a bike trail free from surveillance, I'm one inclined to open it up when nobody else is around, and then opt to slow rather than stop at the backstreet and driveway stop signs. But with the news about yet another BG crackdown, I'll be one to continue wearing a helmet, while riding the BG like the urban speed trap it is. Snell-approved is good. The BG is good. Moving traffic violations are bad.