catbirdseat

Climbed at Vantage Saturday with bcollins in nice weather. It was so warm it was making us sleepy. Almost took a nap at 2 pm. Sunday cleaned out the chicken coup (yuck) and did yardwork. Took the dogs to the beach. It was like a summer's day. Amazing.

By "braiding" do you refer to the method that electricians and builders often use for their extension cords?

I noticed that someone removed all the hangers on a two star sport route at Tilted Pillars. I believe it's a 5.10c- don't recall the name. It's next to Pound it Again. It's not a bolted crack- the crack is a seam that won't take gear. What's with that? <edit> Kevin Pogue provided me with the answer. The route is called Professor Pogue's Prolapse. The hangers were taken in the Great Hanger Heist two years ago. He replaced hangers on 17 routes that winter, but this was one route he never got around to replacing.

In that thread, I mentioned that an advantage of the eight is that it can absorb some energy when it tightens up. Someone once told me this and it seemed reasonable. The energy absorbed would reduce the impact force on your protection. Whether the amount of energy is significant I can't say. I tried doing a web search and couldn't find any data on it.

Gumnuts untie!

or Tobin Sorensen...

I know that. Where did I say you couldn't back clip it? Biners can come unclipped from bolts as well as the rope from the biner. It has happened. The Frog is equivalent to a locking biner on the bolt hanger. Sling unclipping from biner.

Yes, of course I did. I am not an engineer or a physicist. Just a lowly chemist.

Whatever floats your boat as far as I'm concerned. Whatever knot you choose, just be sure to finish tying it.

It's a route that likely no one will repeat, should you live to tell about it. Be sure to have someone on the road with a telephoto lens to document your accomplishment, just in case.

Thinker had your avatar image while you were gone, but he slyly switched it back.

I've been using an Alpine Bod harness since I started climbing 5 years ago. I just bought a real harness with a belay loop and real padded leg loops. I love it. It seems decadent by comparison. One can better lock off a belay with the device further in front of you and rappelling is easier too. I'll still use my bod for glaciers and alpine stuff. I can get into it in less than half the time it takes to get into the other harness.

I submit that one evil is far greater than the other evil in this case.

Are you referring to the recent demise of the column on which the route Tammy Faye's Dildo was located? When climbing Shady Chimney recently I was cognizant of the fact that I was stemming against a detached pillar and that 70 ft off the ground the leverage is pretty significant. Say its 75 lbs of outward force. That would be 5250 ft lbs of torque. Mind you, the column weighs about 500 tons. All the same, I was glad that all my pieces were in the crack in the back. That would be a trip to have a column fall while you were climbing behind it. It would probably take out your belayer, or cut the rope, even if it didn't take you with it.

It has occurred to me that while they have extended the range in one dimension, the width of the cam is fixed in the other dimension. Thus one worries about the stability of the cam laterally when at its maximum extension.

Dru, be sure to save the last shell for yourself.

Great trip report. In fact, the best I've seen in a year. Good job.

bcollins showed me a nice way to finish up an eight. He called it the Yosemite Follow Through. You take the tail that ordinarily you would use to tie a overhand backup and instead take it around the standing part and back through the bottom of the knot. It looks very clean. I could show you more easily than I can tell you.

Read "Aliens" it's really funny. http://maddox.xmission.com/aliens.html

Tahoma Trails huts are really nice and easy to get to, but unfortunately no hot tubs. I think Scottish Lakes has them, but I've never been there.

Who can forget Glen Campbell. Like a rhinestone cowboy. Riding out on a horse in a star spangled rodeo. Rhinestone cowboy Getting cards and letters from people I don't even know And offers coming over the phone

If you've got even a little bit of Tim the Toolman in you, you're going to have to put your hands on one of those babies. Arrrrggghhuu!

I'll get my revenge. Peter, take this you cad. "Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite Looking forward to a little afternoon delight Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ingite And the thought of lovin' you is getting so exciting Sky rockets in flight Afternoon delight Annnnn afternoon delight"

Oh dear God, noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The horror.

I never would have been clever enough to maintain the secret combination like that. Hey thinker, are you trying to masquerade as JoshK?