catbirdseat

Damn, Curt, you are so clever. Okay, my joke, but I never said it's a good one. Question: What has an older woman got between her breasts that a younger woman does not? Answer: A navel.

I once knew a fine girl named Alice, Who used dynamite for a...

Come on Snugtop, pretty please?

I know a guy, named Dave, who jumps off the top of the bridge on the way back to the cars every time he visits the Far Side. It's like a ritual for him. He showed me that there is a mark on the rail, above the place where the water is deepest.

Access Denied (Usage Limit) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The owner of this file has exceeded their daily usage limit.

I'm sure that the store where you bought the crampons would gladly help you gratis.

You are so right.

I've thought about how to back up a block. We rapped from a block on Mixup that I wasn't 100% confident in. There was another block above it that could back up the first, but then I was thinking that if the first goes, the second has to be able to hold the weight of the first plus my weight. The original block was about 500-1000 lbs. We ended up by transferring some of the load to the second block. Finally, you have to say at some point, "good enough", and take your chances.

I've got a boob joke I so want to tell, but I just know minx will be all over my case and archenemy will call me a sexist again.

The last time this came around the democrats killed it in congress for the very same reasons given in the article. But they lost their majority in the Senate and they got Bush. It's just a way for Bush to pay back farmers in the Red States for reelecting him. There is research going on to use biotechnology to make biofuel production more energy efficient, but it appears to be a long ways from being a means to reduce oil importation.

I'm guessing you meant On route at 10:30AM, otherwise that would be one long 1,500' climb! Apparently this was too obscene the first-go-round, as the moderators deleted it. This is obviously an error in the TR, and I'm not making fun of it so get over yourself moderators. Okay, aready I fixed my mistake. I never saw whatever smart alecky comment you may have made. Yep, that's the one, except that you were standing on at least ten feet of snow, most of which is gone now. No ladybugs, just butterflies. There wasn't much cornice left. Thankfully, no goats around to kick rocks, either, although we followed goat tracks on the traverse.

The Ballroom is the one that doesn't have pitchers where we willstrickland came to visit last year, right?

Bump. I added some pictures.

I used a pair of Cassin aluminum crampons on an alpine ice climb at 45 degrees and they performed well. I avoided walking on rock as much as possible, however. Just make sure they are sharpened each time you go out, that they are fit your boot correctly, and use proper French technique wherever possible.

I tested my Metolius for the first time yesterday. I mean on a beer bottle. It performed admirably.

"He has hiked up Badger Mountain, an 800-foot peak in Richland, more than 1,300 times with 40-pound weights strapped to a backpack in anticipation of the 50-pound-pack he would carry up the steep glacial slopes of Rainier. Painter also bicycles about 100 miles a week. His wife of 58 years, Evelyn, rides alongside. But she stays out of his way in the kitchen." If someone were to show this fellow how to pack light, there is no telling what he might accomplish!

This sounds interesting. I wonder if any of you have climbed this. http://www.summitpost.org/show/route_link.pl/route_id/108/object_id/230 This year probably isn't a good year for it, though. A fellow I met on Maude who had scrambled Seven Fingered Jack, was surprised we'd succeeded on the N. Face Route, because he said it looked melted out. I am sure he had the couloir route confused with the N. Face route.

Oh, for a minute there, I thought you were actually posting about something that you yourself had climbed.

I see you have a good excuse for not joining us- East Ridge of Forbidden!

Climb: Mount Maude-North Face Date of Climb: 7/24/2005 Trip Report: Richard Conner (waterboy) and I did this climb Sunday, with support from his wife Leigh and dog Boady. A third climber bailed at the last minute. After a bivy at the Phelps Creek TH on Saturday night, we departed at 4 am. Leigh and Body headed up to the basin at 7 am. We reached the col between Seven-Fingered Jack and Mt. Maude at 8:30 am. Roped up for the traverse. Protected a couple of sections with gear placements on running belay. Traverse is 3rd class with lots of exposure in place, some snow, but mostly rock. On route at 10:30 am at about 7,500 ft elevation. Condition is mostly alpine ice, essentially very hard snow. We did cross one section of very old, dirty, glacial ice. This stuff is practically bullet proof. On the ascent we used running belays the entire way, with usually only one piece between us. The climb was done in two long blocks and one short. By taking advantage of occasional nut placements, we were able to conserve our snow pro and extend the pitches. Ice conditions were close to ideal, especially near the top where it reached about 45-50 degrees. There was only minor rock fall, most of which funnels down the center of the ice. We stayed to the right of it at first and then to the left. The summit was reached at about 1:30 pm. Decent was via the South Ridge, except we chose a variation that went down a gully system to the notch. It was loose and unpleasant and not to be recommended over the standard scramble route. On the traverse back to LeRoy Basin we had to cross a mud gully that was unusually hard to cross, steep unstable dirt and rock on the sides. It is easier to cross below the usual crossing point. Reached LeRoy Basin 4 pm, Phelps Creek, 5 pm, TH at 6 pm. Gear Notes: 37 x 8.5 mm rope, set of nuts, pink, red, blue tricams (used only pink), #3 LoweBall (used twice), 3 pickets, 2 flukes, 1 ice axe and 1 ice tool, two-way radios for communication with support crew. Might have used one ice screw had we brought one. The aluminum crampons I brought were fine, but I took them on an off to avoid walking on rock in them. Approach Notes: Just a few blow downs on LeRoy Basin Trail. I forgot to mention the wildflowers were really pretty and we saw many colorful butterflies at the summit.

Two missionaries were travelling in darkest Africa. One was a wise, old exprienced one and the other was a greenhorn. One day they were captured by natives and were tied under a tree to await their fate. All was quiet until drums began beating. "Why are those drums playing? Is it bad", said the young missionary. "On the contrary, it's really quite good. The time to worry is when they stop", said the older man. "Why is that?", said the young man. "Bass solo", was the reply.

Horsecock-eating cat! Post of the week!

You have a knack for stating the obvious.

Ask Toast. He was up there last week.