catbirdseat

Think again if you are melting snow at Camp Muir or someplace where lots of people have been camped. I know people who have become very sick from melted snow.

I was at a Seahawks game long ago at the Kingdom. Two drunks got in a fight. One of them picked up the other and hurled him down several seats. He landed on empty seats on his back. That had to hurt. The guy actually got up and went at the other guy again, but security was there before they could batter each other some more.

Mark and I made the approach today almost to the wall only to have to wait out a huge thunderstorm under a dense stand of trees- torrential rain wind, the works. We listened to several loud booming thunder strikes within a mile or two. We figured that the wall would stay wet, so we split. I suggest bringing a pair of Tevas for the stream crossing. It's much easier to just wade than use that slippery tree and the subsequent brush bash.

Who is the Erden person? Try a search.

I agree with you, Joe. Use the most appropriate pro for the cracks you have. Don't use a crappy expando flake for a nut when you have a bomber crack that will take a cam. DMuja, all this will become more apparent as you gain experience. Some of it is just having a good eye for good spots to build anchors. Many of the routes you'll be doing have well-established belay locations, chosen because of good ledges and protection. As you get out on more adventuresome routes, it will be less obvious, and you'll have to use your head a lot more. Another tip I forgot to mention. Sometimes it's smart to climb up a bit above your chosen ledge to place a piece or two, then downclimb back to the ledge where you'll set the belay.

I wonder how it was he used up so much ballast? It may be those balloons leak a lot of helium. I'd want to have more than 8 lbs of ballast in reserve for the landing. I assume he used the GPS as an "altimeter". That would be the most important gadget to have. You need to know the rate at which you are rising or falling, which could be difficult to discern other than a small sensation of wind.

- Use as many different cracks as you can. That way if one of the blocks moves, chances are the others are secure. In otherwords don't put all your eggs in one basket. - Use stoppers if you can. You might want the cams for the next pitch depending on what it is. - If you use stoppers either place them high in the anchor, or very low in the anchor (usually just one for an upward pull). If a shift in your position could dislodge a nut, set it in opposition to another piece using a sling. Two situations where cams can blow out a crack is if there is a loose block or an expanding flake. A stopper set high on a flake, especially an oversized one, is a way to deal with such flakes. If you use a cam, use the very largest size that will fit the crack so that if the flake flexes, there is some range for the cam to expand. Understand you might not get this cam back. Don't go hanging on it if you don't have to.

This has got to be the solution, but the trails have to be completely separate.

Hargrove's departure probably didn't hurt.

He ain't lying. These are pretty good routes. The first two could use a wee bit of additional cleaning, but are good to go. These routes feature moves that are unique for the area. Worth a visit.

If you take Rover with you, don't forget to protect HIS eyes.

My way of thinking is pretty much in line with Jay's. There was a story in the paper today about the execution of China's chief drug watch dog for taking bribes to allow the approval of an antibiotic that killed 10 people. That sort of thing would never bring a death penalty in this country.

You definitely wouldn't think of wearing gloves or goggles. Only a sissy would do that.

There's got to be some happy medium, but 10% grade is not it.

Post deleted by catbirdseat

The trail starts near a brown sign about a hundred yards down the road from Hammerhead Rock. The trail follows a gully for a short distance and then switchbacks to the right up to a bench above the highway. The bench is level, so as you walk along you are getting progressively higher above the road. After a bit you will start to climb and you are at Mad Meadows. You'll see boulders all over the place. Hike the trail as it wends it way through the boulders. Eventually you'll pass the boulders and be facing up a big slope. Look up and you'll see Baby Steps first.

That sums it up pretty nicely. Save this one, like we did, for a day when it is rainy and blowy at Washington Pass.

I just climbed The Rash today on Three O'Clock Rock. From the belay it is 70 feet of 5.4 climbing to the first bolt. I felt like it was a free solo. Surprisingly, the worse part came after the bolt was clipped. It goes from 5.4 to 5.9 in a hurry. If you fall off before clipping the third bolt, you break your ankles on the knobs below.

That's AID climbing, Rudy. In aid climbing, an inattentive belayer is a bigger risk than ripping all your gear out. Just because a GriGri makes sense in that context doesn't mean it's the best choice for free climbing in general. dude...you are a tool...in one breath you say "I absolutely want my belayer to lock off"...in another, you say "no gri gri"... same thing... AND I WAS TALKING ABOUT FREE CLIMBING ON ELCAP... so...I wouldn't hesitate to have someone belay me with a gri gri... My statements are in no way inconsistent. A locked off ATC cannot put more than 2 or 3 kN of force on the rope, no matter how hard you try. A GriGri will put 7 kN of force on the rope. Do I look like a mind reader? Most people would assume you were referring to aid climbing, in the context of El Cap.

Half of baseball is 90% mental -- Yogi Berra

He flies by the edge of his seat. We'll be there until the fat lady freezes over. A chicken in every roaster. What's good for the goose is to take a gander.

What do you mean "mixed with nylon"? Are you saying that there were slings that combined two different fiber types?

This is the sort of question best asked on RC.com. Chemically, the material is the same but if I remember correctly, the yarns are spun differently, one being finer than the other. It is said that the finer yarn version gets fuzzy faster, but I doubt it makes a difference. You can't really go wrong with the Mammut.

Chances are it was using both.

This helps explain why sport climbing was invented.