billcoe

..looks like just another episode of "When Douche meets Douche"...

I flew there 2 winters ago (end of 2008) and like Tod with a full rack went through 4 airoporto checkpoints with this in my carry on: The Trango Shark with the knife on it. Through PDX, scanned twice in San Francisco airport all the way over to Thailand no one saw it (including moi). In Bangkok, the Suvarnabhumi international airport had been closed due to being taken over by protesting Red or Yellow Shirts for a long long time, and it had literally opened a few days previous, there were still barricades on the streets although they were now manned by loyalist troops armed with submachineguns. Hit the 4th and final check catching the in country flight to get to Karbi and a little Thai girl/screener squints at the xray machine that has my pack....and flags me to pull over and get searched. She opens the pack and pulls out my full rack and I spot the damn Trango Shark (knifeblade in the closed position fortunately, like it should have been) hanging there with everything else.....oh oh, I quickly start yaking about what I do and how poorly I climb but looking forward to their great country and I start making excited hand gestures pantomiming a climb while explaining what the gear gets used for.... She let me on the plane with it. Whew. I made sure it was in my checked luggage on the way back. I might not have had chalk, but don't remember, I often don't climb with it. Don't take it to the desert for instance. Picture sitting under an umbrella on the bar deck having a beer. The guy with the hat is on the actual bar deck, and you can see right over his hat a guy hanging off a tufa. Good times, great beaches. You might consider taking some extra goods to leave behind. I gave a Thai kid my 35-40 year old holey Karrimor Hot Rock backpack, you'd have thought he'd won the lottery. Left some rope behind for anchors too, just take some extra and drop it off with the guides. I've heard of folks going with a rope they are about ready to retire and leaving it behind as well. The other upside (other than doing a good deed) is you'll have room for new custom made clothes (or whatever) tailored exactly to your fit in Bangkok. Ask me about flying down the Red Rocks and back, both ways, with a boxcutter in my briefcase...Dohhh! They flagged me for the please spin around inside of the xray machine, and they made me take off the Nylon belt, my MONEY BELT! In the rush and confusion I spaced on it, lose the belt and my $100 emergency cash stash. Later get home, see the boxcutter as I dump out my briefcase. Send an email to TSA and the airport, please give me my Eagle Creek brown nylon money belt that had $100 cash in it - no $ no belt they say: - Merry Christmas ya fucking government thief's. Wait, what was your question again?

You all still talkin' about the Obama Tax cuts for the rich? Decreasing the revenue stream was last weeks news. This week it's lets keep increasing the spending. Little heads up on the economy in case you don't see it: next week it's going to be "SHOCK", interest rates are going up and we're going broke via unfavorable refinancing of debt going into this rat hole at an ever accelerating rate. An outraged public will probably take pitchforks and march on Washington only to learn that Homer Simpson has been the braintrust for the Treasury policy makers since Bush and that circus came to town.

I got my hair cut the other day. Josh Groben came on the radio singing "You Raise Me Up". I said "Josh Groben"..... and the little girl, a musician as well as a haircutter, had never heard of him. Good stuff: [video:youtube] Love this version, wherein he shows and thus salutes those many otherwise unsung and nameless artists who support, or "raise him up". If you like the song, check out Celtic Woman, who do a version live at Shane Castle that easily rivals that one. A good version of O Holy Night. [video:youtube]

OH? I thought it was the puking the red wine onto the white carpet then fondling the guys smokin hot babe while making stupid sexist remarks thing again....hell, I can keep my clothes on no worries there.

Kirby, do you feel like sharing this story? ie, why, where, how much? I'd like to hear it if you do.

Nice! Thanks for sharing that. Turkey has some amazingly rich history and culture. That's on my to-do list before I did.

Yup! Hank Caylor coined that and it just seemed so perfect! How come no one has named the thief? This video has been seen by thousands and is posted on all the major climbing sites by now.

You totally missed the tone of those Smith climbers Don. They are kind, generous, gentle and giving folks. You've debated this forever. The hundreds of pages of spray on this topic wasn't enough? http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/898682/1 You have never broached this, where permanent ladders are installed and left to make clients access easier on Rainer. After RMI pulls it in October, one cannot take that ladder and use it to cross the crevasse without breaking the law, even if you put it back later. Somehow - a few quick draws, too small to see with the naked eye from the picnic area across the way where hundreds of folks have parked their cars in a fully developed area is excruciating for you, while a huge hunk of metal left all summer in a wilderness area doesn't get a sideways glance. Hypocrite. They have your picture right here Gladys: Mike, have you found any North Face VE24 and VE25 dome tents or 850 fill 4 season Denali-thick sleeping bags that folks have just left on public land abandoned like so much trash? Sometimes people leave this shit littering the entire floor of the once pristine Yosemite Valley or the grasslands near Smith Rock. They just leave this shit laying around because they are too damn lazy to put it back in their car every morning, so they just leave it laying on public land for days and weeks on end. Total eyesore! It's a disgrace! Right Dawg? Looking for quality stuff in the $10 and $20 range or will trade an 8 ball in case you can turn something up in Little Cottonwood Canyon or elsewhere. Ciao!

Just bought 3 based on your recommendation. I trust your opinion, but figured at that price if it's no good I could use it as toilet paper and toss it and still be ahead. I got 1 for the pup who just left for college and missed it till he gets back - and 2 for me, sweet sweet deal! [font:Arial Black]THANKS FOR THAT HEADS UP JH! [/font] My only complaint on the design is that the zippered pocket for a key is too small. I'm not sure how they are claiming some kind of waterproofing either, but we'll find that out soon enough.

THAT'S THE SPIRIT ROB! CLEAN UP AMERICA! I'll help out by pulling out or sawing down all those pesky street signs littering the cities and creating a visual eyesore. People should take them down at night and put them up in the morning. Lazy bastards.

If I drop your name in here and I get my ass kicked again like last time..... LOL, kidding, I'll try it, and if they have a fireplace, I bet JH will too.

We are having that very discussion right now. You might as well get in on this conversation as well Dawg- Here: LINK TO LEFT OUT TRASH DISCUSSION You're welcome, hopefully it expands your head. BTW, I've never left a draw anywhere on purpose, due to being old and fat like yourself, but if I knew I could taunt you with it somehow, I'd probably be able to find a way. And if that little Leprechaun came to steal all my Lucky Charms, well, so be it.

OMG back to the top with a big thank yew for sending my stuff some promptly. It was just like a Christmas present! Stuff looks amazingly good, near perfect, and I'm near sporting wood. It's going to be difficult to go out and soil them like so many pairs of used underwear, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm missing 2 of these rare birds and I'll have a full set. Need a 2-1/2" and a 3" Wild Country offset technical friends to have a full set of these. You guys see the price I'll pay if anyone has them, speak up. Woot!

Hmmm, isn't that Don Ryan in the background? Are things really always what they seem? Sorry, I was looking to put this someplace for Raindawg, but didn't' want to bump the other thread where it would have been more appropriate:-)

Mike, have you found any North Face VE24 dome tents or 850 fill 4 season Denali-thick sleeping bags that folks have just left on public land abandoned like trash? Sometimes people leave this shit littering the entire floor of the once pristine Yosemite Valley or the grasslands near Smith Rock. They just leave this shit laying around because they are too damn lazy to put it back in their car every morning, so they just leave it laying on public land for days and weeks on end. Total eyesore! It's a disgrace! Looking for quality stuff in the $10 and $20 range or will trade an 8 ball in case you can turn something up in Little Cottonwood Canyon or elsewhere. Ciao!

One thing my first response presupposed was that you have a certain level of expertise. I had a couple years in the military where I extensively and frequently shot 3 different countries full arsenal up to and including machine guns. Yet my experience with weapons pales next to what I know of Danes and Serenity's. Of yours Prole, I know nothing. In fact, knowing that the reason you wish to be armed is that you are moving to the city, I believe Dane's response is even more valid. Pulling a handgun out can be an invitation to those you are pointing it at (or trying to get it pointed at) to take it away and use it on you. Pulling a gun out isn't the end all for safety. I've seen a guy advance on a man who had pulled a pistol out and was threatening to kill the guy, who continued to walk towards the man with the pistol pointing right at him while yelling "GO AHEAD AND SHOOT MOTHERFUCKER, GO AHEAD AND SHOOT MOTHERFUCKER!" as he advanced on the weapon while the dude with the gun walked backwards). Certainly in most situations, mace, some hand to hand fighting skills, running shoes (well laced and ready ) and situational awareness might just be your ticket to safety. I don't think it's half as violent around here as the news says. Where I live it's been getting much better anyway....but I'm just saying. Regards and good luck with the move.

Danes advice is better than my advice. You might start out with the class depending on your level of knowledge. I know someone who just did that, ie, took a class from an expert, and was very happy he did.

If you were stuck on .380, I'd 2nd the Ruger. Small, light...and it's a .380. If money was no object, I'd get a Springfield EMP or a Rohrbaugh 9mm. Remember that if you are going to carry, get the Concealed Weapons Permit and do it legal. Curious, if you feel like sharing, why are you are getting a gun?

No no no Iain- you were capped early in the first book. It's not logical that you could then later be in the movie.

On Everest, I heard that the tradition is for Tibetian Sherpas to wrap it in sheepskin (traditional) or a plastic bag and stuff it up a Yak or Pony's ass until you get to high camp. Unless you're a tightwad or an obnoxious woink, then they stuff it up a mongrels butt, no plastic. (Everyone knows that dogs are reincarnated evil people, so they deserve this) I think that might be my Lumix under the tail there. It's either that or a hard case, Lithium Batteries, and keeping it as close to your body as you can get (or not, as noted above). Hope we get some pics when you get back. Safe journeys!!

I've been backing out. It's such a pain in the ass. I canceled a lot of you folks as friends....but didn't get everyone, so I keep getting more friend requests. Thinking of deleting my account all together.

Oh, if anyone wants to argue with Raindawg on the bolt issues, the last of the many arguments he started went for 27 pages and is located here: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/898674/1 I'm not sure that fixed draws were covered in the hundreds and hundreds of posts on that link, so you can break new ground: but please go post there and re-fire up that discussion about Don's feelings about bolts or draws if you are so inclined to have a discussion on it with him.

Most of those Colorado guys use Mt Project, so I put it over there.http://www.mountainproject.com/v/general_climbing/colorado_thief_caught_in_the_act_at_smith/106998197 Nice catch guys!

That could have gone bad for the guy:-) Sounds like he got lucky with some nice guys being the ones to catch him, and only verbally educating him. If he wanders down to Shelf road or lots of Colo locals, and someone like Bob D'Antonio catches him stealing his stuff it would be a different outcome. In the pic up there, the teacher in Tim looks to be coming out, like he might be saying, "THIS is a carabiner...THIS is how it works, see the gate?....it is owned by someone, if they chose to leave them on route it is for a reason....it is still not your's...." Glad things worked out!