tshimko

Wow...14/16 on the second one. Only got 11/16 on the first. I wonder what that means......

The Charles Shaw merlot is the best IMHO, and at $2.99/bottle, a pretty darn good bargain. Still the better boxed wines (like the Black Box) come in at just under $5, and are definitely much better.

Try the Black Box wines, especially the cabernet and the merlot. very tasty. I like Hardy's shiraz as well. For nicely priced, good drinkable wines, good (not the Almaden or Franzia) boxed wines are the way of the future. Australian boxed wines are way ahead of the curve than anything else here in the US.

the TSA said "Camp Stoves - Can travel as carry-on or checked luggage only if empty of all fuel and cleaned such that vapors and residue are absent. Simply emptying the fuel container is insufficient as flammable vapors remain. TSA recommends you ship these ahead of time as they are frequently confiscated due to fuel vapors." Despite the TSA info on stoves, airlines can and will disallow stoves that are not unused. As mentioned, your best bet is to ship ahead, or clean properly and dry properly and put into the checked baggage, and take the chance that you will not be found. Arguing with the airlines will get you nowhere.

If I was doing it, and I have done so, I'd clean out the fuel bottle with alcohol and then with water, and then dry it carefully. This takes away all the flammability hazard. Then I'd either: 1. pack it in checked luggage, maybe in separate bags/packs, and take my chances with the airline. I have not been bit yet, but it is true that the airlines will confiscate if the find it. 2. Ship UPS ground, don't tell them what is in there...if you have done the thorough cleaning above, you are certainly meeting the spirit of the law. The problem is that stoves and fuel bottles are such a miniscule problem that the airlines/shippers don't want to go to the bother of really reseaching what needs to be done, and then have to verify somehow it was done properly. It's so much easier to just ban it all. (see signature below, which definitely applies to this)

Here's the reason why I'd never choose alcohol over white gas: The heat of combustion per gram of white gas is about 1.6 times that of ethyl alcohol, and almost twice that of methyl alcohol. You need way more alcohol to do the same job.

I too have rarely had problems with O-rings on MSR products, although did choose to replace one years ago, it was very old and slightly cracked. I don't specifically recall if it leaked. The stove/pump is almost 20 years old. A few years ago MSR was about to introduce the Simmerlite...with a new pump that had a bayonet type attachment to the bottle, which also included a safety feature that would not allow the user to turn on fuel if the pump was improperly attached. Having the pump improperly attached is a significant cause of stove fires (duh...). Eventually had to scrap the design and revert to the old pump (screw on) system for the Simmerlite, as the O-ring would sometimes take a set under cold conditions and allow fuel to leak past the seal. Sealing geometry in a bayonet link is way different (and more sensitive) than the screw on arrangement, which is almost foolproof. Just to make this crystal clear, the leaky system NEVER made it to the marketplace. Still, I suppose there might be circumstances where an O-ring could take a set under very cold conditions, and if it were removed cold and then replaced cold and maybe not fully tightened, you could have a leak. Do you normally leave the pump in the fuel body, or do you remove it after use? I'd recommend leaving it in the bottle. Did have a Simmerlite pump, which is the same pump as all other MSR liquid fuel stoves with a molding pit or flaw on the sealing surface of the needle valve, which leaked when the bottle was pressurized...discoverd this on the second day of a 3+ week outing. The symptom was that fuel seeped out from the place on the pump that fuel would normally flow from during use. Needless to say this was a serious aggravation as I did not have fuel bottle cap. The MSR engineer that looked at this claimed he saw the molding pit, although my view through the dissecting scope was less conclusive (I'll also admit that my eyesight is not quite as good as it was, one of the joys of getting older). When I took the needle valve apart in the field the first time (this was a brand new stove) there were a lot of gray plastic shavings inside the valve, looked like stuff left over from the process of threading the inside of the valve. I even hoped that by clearing out the crud that I'd have solved the problem (it did not). I wondered of the shavings that were in the valve might not have damaged the sealing surface when the metal needle valve pressed them into that surface.

Nyphomanical Jill Got some dynamite sticks for a thrill They found her vagina In South Carolina And bits of her tits in Brazil

1. Have a "meaningful" discussion with our girlfriend. 2. Be open to our feminine side. 3. Climb with a "Mountie". 4. Spend an evening at the opera or ballet 5. Just two words...ice dancing (this be horizontal ice) 6. Attend an event wehere we'd be clothed in formal wear 7. Bake a cake. 8. Make a pie 9. Spend a week with girlfriend along the Oregon coast (motels, dining out) in the summer 10. Spend a whole weekend without thinking/talking about climbing.

That's 2029. You just might make it.

We all otter thank you foe that one Jon.

While Tyvek is rated as moisture vapor permeable, do you really thing that something like polyethylene sheet is vapor impermeable? Think again. Almost any plastic film will transmit moisture vapor (or in fact any other vapor). The differences are how fast. I don't have figures, but I'll bet you probably not notice the difference overnight with either as a ground sheet.

Great trip report. Sounds like a great trip. Good job guys.

I used to work for Cascade Designs (thermarest, platypus, Sweetwater..., plus now all the MSR products). I did product development for them. Cascade has a lifetime warranty on all products. Early thermarest were made with a fabric that was prone to degradation by bacteria (ever seen the development of a multitude of pinholes around the valve?). Cascade will replace those, no matter how old. You won't get a brand new first quality mat, but you will get a brand new "second" mat (meaning cosmetic defect(s)). The warranty does not cover damage due to negligence. REI generally takes back Cascade's products because they know they can then send them back to Cascade for a credit (I know, I've seen the "returns" boxes from REI). I've had many successful "returns" of Cascade or MSR products. A "return" means that I get me a new or reconditioned replacement, or the product is repaired. I have a whisperlite that I bought in 1987 (before I worked at Cascade) and it developed a leak in the fuel line last year (after I left Cascade). Got my stove reconditioned for free. I'll have to admit that I know the people who run the returns/repairs department at Cascade, and I generally get excellent service, possibly slightly better than the average customer, but I still think that almost anybody would get the repair/replacement that I have gotten. Had a NF tent that I had not used much that developed general leakage on the fly...I argued that while the tent was old, that it's use had been minimal, and never abusive (never left out in the sun for long periods), and that the fly should have still been good...they eventually provided a replacement. Had a pair of LaSportive K3's that had broken shanks after 2-3 years. Got a new pair of boots. Sent my BD Moonlight back when it malfunctioned (you needed to hold the wiring "just this way" for it to work). Got a new one. Bought a pile of ropes from BD for the climbing club I belong to. Many of then developed serious "kinking" while rappelling, even with devices like the ATC. BD replaced them. I think if you are reasonable with your expectations, and make a firm but respectful request, you generally can get a replacement of a used product.

Put bottle in sock, slam against wall or rock, catch beer in cup, the sock straining out the glass shards. Very fast, requires no tools.

Image lake is a long way from Glacier Pk. I've climbed the Kennedy glacier, which is on the NW side of the peak, access from the Whitechuck river rd. It's one of my favorite climbs, have done it maybe 10 times. The icefall has gotten steeper over the years, sort of bulged out near the top, just below the north edge of the caldera (the "false summit"). Descend into the caldera and then up maybe 700' to the summit. Return to the north side of the caldera, and then get to the notch between the caldera and the "Rabbit Ears". Descend via Frostbite ridge after calimbing up through the rabbit ears for a real alpine experience. Years ago, when the Whitechuck River rd was closed, considered going in via the Suiattle, cross over the river, go up Milk Creek, eventually get to the PCT. From here, go up the Vista creek drainage (have not done, no knowledge of route) which would eventually take you to the vicinity of the base of frostbite ridge. Up the ridge or traverse slightly to the right to access the Kennedy.

Its a way to use almost the full length of a rope on a single rope rapppel and retrieve almost all of the rope. The top end of the rope is tied to the anchor, then comes the sheepshank. You rappel from below the knot, but before you go, while the knot is loaded, you cut the middle strand of the knot, the one that is not loaded (be sure you get the right one). The knot stays together so long as it is loaded, but once you get off rappel, a shake of the rope loosens the assembly, getting all the rope down except for the little you used in the sheepshank knot plus the knot for the anchor. I'm told that sailors used to use it to descend from masts in the old days.

.....and a free transfer gets you to downtown or almost anywhere else in Tacoma. I use this all the time when I fly. Afterhours, try Shuttle Express...Seatac to anywhere in Tacoma for about $24-28.

It's still a statistical tie, but ya know, somebody has to win, even if it's only by one vote. Gregoire and the Dems followed all the procedures, and at the end they/she won. It could have gone the other way. It's funny that when he was ahead, Dino encouraged Chris to concede for the sake of the electorate and the election process, and was stridently against any sort of re-canvassing of votes. Now that he's on the other side, he wants re-canvassing of votes, now that he does not like the results, he want's a redo. Pretty fuckin lame. Dino, somebody had to lose, and you're it. Sure it's tough to lose by so little, but hey man, grow up. I'm hoping that unlike dubya, Chris won't interpret her squeeker of an election as a mandate, because it WAS a statistical tie.

Imagine the Ptarmigan Traverse, but without the glaciers, 5 times as long and at an average elevation of around 10,000'+. Granite peaks at 12,000' to over 14000'. In 1982, Steve Roper wrote about his version of the ultimate Sierra alpine traverse, called the Sierra High Route, covering about 200 miles of prime Sierra travel, from Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon Sequoia NP to north of Tuolumne Meadows, some on trail, when the trails stay high, but mostly off trail, when the trails go below 10,000'. I headed down to CA this summer to do about 60% of it, ended up doing more trail than off trail as my partner was just not up to the more strenuous off trail travel, but the parts of the High Route that I did were incredibly beautiful country. An area that a guy I met along an off trail "short-cut" of the John Muir Trail from Palisades lakes to Dusy Basin, mentioned a place called "Bear Basin", so-called because all the lakes are "Bears"...Brown, Black, White, Teddy, Big...he said "you gotta go there". And so as the trip progressed, I figured out where "Bear Basin" was and we went there. Spent a lot of time along and around lakes at 12,000'+, many with golden trout up to 18" (I actually saw one this size!). I'm not a fisherman, but these lakes would convert me. Absolutely incredible territory, saw no one there, eye-popping views everywhere. And the opportunity to scramble granite peaks by the boatload. I'd go back in a heartbeat. I'm looking for some like minded people to travel with. I'd choose non-technical climbing just to keep from having to carry the gear. Ice-axes/crampons might be advisable, but possible not necessary. I know the area well, having traveled the Crest Trail through most of this in relatively early season (mid-late may), and of course earlier this year. Could be done in 5 legs, with 4 caches/food-drops. I know all the logistics. I'm an alpine climber who still does some technical climbing, but I'd do this one as primarily a scramble trip. This outing looks easy, but is not for "hikers" as it involves lots of off-trail travel, generally class 2 but sometimes class 3. It requires people with climbing skills, comfortable moving with a pack over sometimes difficult terrain. Looking for 1-3 like-minded alpine enthusiasts to do this with me. I'd look for people who find the Bailey/Ptarmigan/Isolation Traverses to be fun alpine travel, who'd like to combine that with scrambling of big granite peaks, and fishing for trout at the end of the day. People who enjoy spending time in the alpine. Roper did a second edition in 1997, published by the Mountaineers (first edition was a Sierra Club Totebook in 1982), if you want to read more. PM me if interested.

I've asked the question of several airlines. Basically if they search your luggage and find the stove, any kind, unless it is unused and in original store packaging, you cannot fly with it. I have not flown recently with stoves, and so do not know how this goes now, but I have flown post 9/11 and I used to just clean out the MSR fuel bottle with alcohol, air dry everthing, and just pack it. While it is true that a "dry" stove is just a piece of metal, airlines have taken the stand that any stove is a problem and cannot fly. Certainly do not take canisters See line below.....

if you do try to walk the road, look for the trail shortcuts..there's two or three that shortcut the road along the way.

Physics are for stomachs

Imagine the Ptarmigan Traverse without the glaciers, but 5 times as long and at an average elevation of around 10,000'+. Granite peaks at 12,000' to over 14000'. In 1982, Steve Roper wrote about his version of the ultimate Sierra alpine traverse, called the Sierra High Route, covering about 200 miles of prime Sierra travel, from Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon Sequoia NP to north of Tuolumne Meadows, some on trail, when the trails stay high, and the rest off trail, when the trails go below 10,000'. I headed down to CA this summer to do about 60% of it, ended up doing more trail than off trail as my partner was just not up to the more strenuous off trail travel, but the parts of the High Route that I did were incredibly beautiful country. An area that a guy I met along an off trail "short-cut" of the John Muir Trail from Palisades lakes to Dusy Basin, mentioned a place called "Bear Basin", so-called because all the lakes are "Bears"...Brown, Black, White, Teddy, Big...he said "you gotta go there". And so as the trip progressed, I figured out where "Bear Basin" was and we went there. Spent a lot of time along and around lakes at 12,000'+, many with golden trout up to 18" (I actually saw one this size!). I'm not a fisherman, but these lakes would convert me. Absolutely incredible territory, saw no one there, eye-popping views everywhere. And the opportunity to scramble granite peaks by the boatload. I'd go back in a heartbeat. I'm looking for some like minded people to travel with. I'd choose non-technical climbing just to keep from having to carry the gear. Ice-axes/crampons might be advisable, but possible not necessary. I know the area well, having traveled the Crest Trail through most of this in relatively early season (mid-late may), and of course earlier this year. Could be done in 5 legs, with 4 caches/food-drops. I know all the logistics. I'm a now 55 yo alpine climber who still does some technical climbing, but I'd do this one as primarily a scramble trip. This outing looks easy, but is not for "hikers" as it involves lots of off-trail travel, generally class 2 but sometimes class 3. It requires people with climbing skills, comfortable moving with a pack over sometimes difficult terrain. Looking for 1-3 like-minded alpine enthusiasts to do this with me. I'd look for people who find the Bailey/Ptarmigan/Isolation Traverses to be fun alpine travel, who'd like to combine that with scrambling of big granite peaks, and fishing for trout at the end of the day. People who enjoy spending time in the alpine. Roper did a second edition in 1997, published by the Mountaineers (first edition was a Sierra Club Totebook in 1982), if you want to read more. PM me if interested.

In researching Gunsight in the CAG I noted that Lloyd also did the FA of that peak on July 3, 1938, with Lyman Boyer and Agnes Dickert.