catbirdseat

I've climbed three routes on SCW now and I've noticed that in each case the chickenheads are first seen after about three or four pitches. Am I correct in my assumption that this is because the extent of recent glacial ice was about 500 ft from the base of the wall? Any protruding features below that line were sheared off? I had always thought that the ice was deep enough to completely cover the area, but this must not be so.

If I remember correctly, in fall gas prices would typically drop about twenty cents per gallon. That would be about 10%. A fifty cent drop against $3 would be 17%, perhaps a bit more than usual.

Climb: Snow Creek Wall-Orbit Date of Climb: 9/17/2006 Trip Report: Three friends Jim, Erin, Jenni and I got together to climb Orbit, 5.8+. I had climbed Outer Space before with Mattp who told me that despite it's lower rating, Orbit was harder. I'd been wanting to climb this route for two or three years, but since I had wanted to lead this myself, I held off doing it until I felt my skills had improved. Arriving at SCW we dropped our packs near a single pair of shoes and a pack in a large tree. We never met their owner. Traversing to the left I spotted the large knarled tree with slings that marked the start of the chimney pitch and headed for it trailing the rope. I soon realized I'd headed up too early, because this wasn't 4th class. I figured this as the "bonus" pitch and decided to start putting in pro. I found a nut someone had abandoned set loosly in a crack. I moved it 12 inches to a much better place and clipped it, then backed it up with a yellow TCU. After one tricky move past moss and lichen, it was pretty fun slab climbing at about 5.7. One or two nut placments dug out from dirt and I'd reached the tree. I told Jim to go the other way. Seems to me that, cleaned up, that pitch could be a worthwhile alternative to the standard scramble. The exit to the chimney was awkward as advertised. The trick is to get your left foot up high to a face hold, but I'm not very flexible, so my antics were quite entertaining to those below. Proceeding upward, I discovered that the hornets are still there and was stung on the elbow by one who wouldn't quit until I brushed him off. I warned the others, but Jim ended up with a hornet inside his helmet, but fortunately, it didn't sting him. From a belay on the left trending ramp near a rap station, I proceeded up the 5.9 finger crack. It was pretty cool and you should not avoid it in favor of the 5.0 bypass if you can help it. The hard move for me was at the top of the finger crack, stepping left into a hand crack. My partner, Jenni, fell here. The only time there was ever a question of where to go came below a roof where there was a tree with slings on it. I still had a lot of rope left so didn't want to stop here. It appeared there were routes both to the right and left. My recollection of the route description told me to go right and that was the correct way. Jim came along behind and not seeing which way I'd gone, went left and had a little adventure involving some downclimbing. I was really amazed by how cool the climbing was. It was just more and more cool moves one after the other, past a rap station with old and new bolts. There was a step around to the right that was neat and I finally came to a tiny belay stance with terrific exposure and a nice horizontal crack for an anchor (piton scars evident). The next pitch ended at a spacious sloping ledge below a small roof with a 1-2" horizontal crack for an anchor. Above lay "chicken head land". The opening moves of the next pitch were so neat. You start by moving left and then step back right, directly onto the roof over the belay with great positive holds. About 5 feet up you get a medium nut and then it's about 30 easy feet to the next placement. Some would call this run out but it's very easy so no worries. The rest was all easy and fun chicken heads. This is a great route. I highly recommend it. Time from base of wall to top: 5.5 hours. Gear Notes: Double set of nuts Single set cams 0.75 to #2 Camalot Blue, yellow and orange TCUs (Bring lots of slings because you'll use many nuts)

You should have bet.

Thanks Fern. You cut right to the chase. Longer axles = more stable.

Didn't Fred get the FA of Devil's Thumb in Alaska. No, it's not in the Cascades but a cool peak, nonetheless.

In all seriousness, the word contrived means "planned". So if you impose special rules about what features are in and what are out, the route can be said to be contrived. You win your bet.

Friends #5 Red 84-136 mm, 346 g #6 Green 116-194 mm, 533 g Camalots #5 Purple 85-150 mm, 381 g #6 Green 114-195 mm, 557 g

Contrived is what you might call a route you aren't good enough to climb, instead referring to it as not worth climbing.

Now that I've climbed the route, I understand what happened to Josh. He should have continued climbing past the tree he belayed at on the previous pitch (mentioned in later post). He would have come to a small belay stance with a 1/2-1" horizontal at eye level for an anchor (piton scars). From here he would have made it all the way to a spacious belay ledge below a roof with a 1-2" horizontal crack for an anchor. This is immediately before the start of the chicken heads. So the bolts are really midway through the pitch and would have made a horible place to belay.

I saw this letter in today's PI and I thought of JayB and Fairweather and of course you all.

Ronald Reagan had many buildings, etc., named after him while he was still alive. There is no rule that says you have to be dead to have a Mountain named after you.

You guys suck for crapping on a post that seems to be quite sincere, and I know it is if I know Rad. I agree that Fred should be so honored.

I agree with Lowell. If you learn that someone you might have just shared a beer with at Pub Club goes and climbs some incredible new route, you feel a connection to that person, and relate directly to their accomplishment. These are people who have to work in construction or in a laboratory or doing odd jobs to make a living and climb in their spare time. That they can do these great things means, in theory, you too could do great things.

I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam!

You must have me confused with someone else.

What's this world coming to, when you can't get some decent spinach? This is why I get mine out of a can.

This is a tangent but I watched a program about a father and daughter who were killed in a head-on collision with a drunk driver going the wrong way on I-90. They were in a car behind an SUV and there were both IN THE LEFT LANE. The drunk was in what to her seemed like the right lane. The SUV swerved to the right and around the drunk, but the father and daughter didn't see her in time and they struck head on. This accident wouldn't have happened at least to these particular people, if they had been in the right lane where they belonged.

Time to launch a Fido-style assault on other websites to get cc.com to the top!

It seems to me that the thread turned into a healyj appreciation event. He made out in the end.

I'll second Forks and Darrington.

Minx, he said "talking" matters not "taking". Reading comprehension. I think he meant what he said.

That's like saying of the engineer, "he may be slow, but he's inaccurate".

The documents themselves were not leaked, only an outline of the existence of the illegal programs. The people who did the leaking were taking big risks with their lives and their future freedom.