catbirdseat

Fence, next time all hell breaks loose and you get caught in a bail situation where you have to leave gear, you can think about all those booty pieces you have scored and it might not hurt so bad to leave the gear behind.

We did top rope it. I did not lead it because a fall would likely resulted in a broken foot as there is a small ledge that would interrupt a fall before gear could catch you. There are not as many well protected 5.7 trad (especially crack) climbs in the icicle as you would think. There are 31 in Kramar '96, but many are either not in the icicle, are bolted face climbs, or accessed only by first climbing harder routes, etc.

This is so bizarre, I didn't know where else to post it. I was climbing at Poison Ivy Crack. Being very sensitive to poison oak and poison ivy, I stayed well clear of the plants. When I was putting my rope away, some dust was raised and breathed it in. My throat and lungs were on fire. It was like breathing hot peppers. I just about coughed up a lung. We cleared out and the condition soon passed. Can it be possible that oils from the plants might have condensed on the soil and were carried up with the dust into my lungs? I don't know any other explanation.

Glad you had fun. 'Twas nice and dry in Leavenworth.

I'll tell you where it's headed. Wolves.

Hippies are all about living life for today. There is no tomorrow. While I'm no hippie I can relate to the philosophy in as much as I don't belive in an afterlife.

I can top that trask. Years ago, racing in on a 40 ft sailboat out of Newport Beach, we struck a baby grey whale with the keel. Coincidentally, a dead baby whale was reported in the vicinity later that week. Although it was a baby, it was still 20 ft long and gave quite a jolt to the boat when we struck. I once ran over a ground squirrel on my bike. It darted out in front of me. I had no chance to avoid it. My kids were with me and thought I did it on purpose. It was difficult to convince them it was an accident, which it was.

Went back to Poison Ivy Crack today. That cam is still there.

I have your shoe. It was sitting on a rock at Little Bridge Creek Rock. Will you be at one of the Pub Clubs, either Seattle or Everett? Screw the $25. I will exchange one shoe for one beer. Someone ought to put one or two bolts near the top of that 5.7 route. It would make a good beginner's lead if it weren't for the 20 ft runout.

Count me in.

That looks like trask's house. He said it was on the water, didn't he? Come on, don't be so stingy. Give the guy some credit.

Trask, your current Jack Nicholson avatar image is a near perfect fit. Throw in some Ozzie Osbourne and some Jerry Springer and there you are.

I agree with you, but the statistics don't, to my knowledge. One would predict a higher accident rate, but this is not so. I think that men are more likely to DELIBERATELY break the law by speeding, tail gating and running "stale green" lights. So women's greater tendency to distraction is offset by men's greater aggressiveness.

I'll second Anacortes, WA. A nice small town feel, but with all the amenities, good weather, sailing, fishing, close to the North Cascades, friendly, with good weather because of the rain shadow. One or two brew pubs, all the burbs have views of the Sound. Not that I could afford to live there.

I think he is a Sub-Genus not a Sub-Genius.

I met Maryk at Pub Club. She is real all right (unlike Miss Normandy). I PM'd her and she said she didn't remember me . Can't blame her though. There were an awful lot of blokes there.

What is so significant about the year 1965?

Brilliant, Tex! Case closed.

Erik, you and Iain are just SO helpful. Which store, knucklehead?

I really think he intends to use it bent onto his regular climbing rope for double rope rappels, or for a haul line. Where can you buy 7 mm Vectran?

North Face of Pilchuck. Broken glass and urine below the lookout tower.

What's a camel toe? A slice of pie on both sides. Fabric in between.

No one has said it yet, so I will. Why Not? Why do we let the planet go to hell in a handbasket? It's like the frog heated in a pan of hot water. If you heat it slowly, he won't noticed he's being cooked. Our planet is like that. It is degraded slowly around us and we don't all realize how bad it is getting until we travel to a place where it is still pristine. If you care about the planet, you will turn other people on to wilderness.

Has anyone been up there lately? Are there snow patches for water still up there. Going this weekend.

Like Colin Powell, the allure of Swartznegger lies in what people DON'T know about him. After a while in the political arena, there will be plenty of negative opinions.