catbirdseat

Many Americans think that all nuclear power plants are alike, and that what happened at Chernobyl could happen in this country. That is not true. The US has never used graphite moderated reactors. It was the graphite fire and steam explosion that accounted for the wide dispersal of radioactive materials. There are now designs for small modular reactors that are completely incapable of meltdown, even if all the water is drained from them. A power plant would consist of a large number of these smaller units. It is highly unlikely that they will ever be built.

This is WHY they call him the Thinker. He does some of his best thinking in this very private space.

Lots of novices do it and survive. You'd be all right if you stayed on one of the two main routes and climbed in close proximity to other parties who could render aid if you got in trouble. I'd still recommend a rope team of three, rather than two. Practice the following skills: Ice Axe Arrest Team Axe Arrest Prusiking up a rope (garage rafters) Building Snow Anchors Rescue Pulley Setups Go to Mt. Pilchuck or Paradise and actually practice this stuff until you can do it in your sleep.

ncascademtns is into it (geocaching) with his kids.

Thread resurrection has gotten out of hand. Along with the steaksauce, another sign that the end is near for CC.com.

Walk across the street to Duckboys.

Actually glucosamine is a component of hyaluronic acid, which is present in skin as well as synovial fluid. The stuff is ubiquitous.

This is the best I could find on Biscuit. Click on "images". Much more impressive than Vince the Pug.

A sort of moving top rope. All you need is a couple of the little guys on each of two separate strands, playing leap frog as you ascend. They'd have to be fast climbers, though.

I looked into Pharmacy School. They told me that despite having B.S. in Chemistry I'd still have to take the full three years. Screw that. Doesn't pay all that well, but at least you could get a job just about anywhere you wanted to live.

The solvating power of supercritical CO2 is weak for hydrophilic substances, such as ordinary dirt. It would do a good job of removing grease, however.

This Dog Can Ride a Skateboard

It is my understanding that the term "sandbagging" came from the days when fishermen used sailboats to reach the fishing grounds. In order to make their boats faster upwind on the way out they would pile sandbags on the windward rail as ballast to keep the boat flat. For the downwind trip home, they would dump the sand out. Later when yacht racing became popular, the practice of sandbagging was considered unfair.

Are you fond of "Hemlock water"? There are a few places where it is elevated, but by and large it is very, very low. THM's are high in MUNICIPAL water supplies in this state because they generally do not filter their water prior to treating with chlorine. Levels of THM's ranged from a low of 48 ppb at Poulsbo to 167 ppb at Bainbridge Island. Risk of miscarriage in pregnanat women increases at 75 ppb. Seattle has been fighting tooth and nail to avoid filtering, but eventually they will be forced into it. Organic compounds tend to be higher in supplies drawn from surface waters as opposed to wells. However the surface waters in the mountains are generally low.

The water we would be purifying here in the PNW is usually very low in organic compounds, so no one should worry about that.

Amen to that.

Pasta water? Is it turbid?

The device is an electrochemical cell that converts chloride ion into hypochlorite ion, if I understand it correctly. Hypochlorite is ordinary bleach. I don't believe it reacts with organic compounds to produce chloroform the way Cl2 would. Under certain conditions it is possible to generate chlorite or even perchlorate ions electrolytically, which would probably not be good for you. Hopefully, this doesn't happen. Why not use ordinary bleach? Has anyone tasted the water from this device? Does it taste good?

Is Titan made with a Spectra core. It should melt easily. Spectra is an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. It may be that it would rather burn than melt. It certainly is heat sensitive.

I don't think there is one accepted spelling. I've seen it both ways. And besides on cc.com spelling is all relative.

I'd take CPOly's advice if I were you.

If you don't like breathing dust in the gym, just go to Cascade Crags. They have replaced the gravel with ondoor/outdoor carpet over resiliant foam. The foam is not as safe for landing as gravel, so they have provided thick, cushy crash pads for bouldering and leading. They keep the carpet well vaccumed. The air is much nicer to breath there. I like it.

It would be easier if you said something stupid. That's what I always do when I want to be made fun of.

I've heard it said that one should not use high tech cord for prussiks because Spectra has a lower melting temperature than nylon, but in reality, only the core is high tech material whereas the cover is ordinary nylon, which insulates the core from any heat that may be generated. And you shouldn't be generating any heat if you are careful when resetting the knot. Gemini cord, which is made using a blended core of spectra and kevlar tends to be rather stiff. I would suspect that it would not do well, when tied as a prussik, at grabbing the rope. If you are really worried about your prussik holding, you can have a backup prussik. Just make sure that the down hill knot is longer than the uphill knot so one doesn't push against the other. This is the very setup that some SAR people use for a belay when lowering two or more people (the only difference being that the prussiks are set on a Mariner Knot so they can be released if they grab).