catbirdseat

I would say you need the death heads in addtion to the route commentary, because there will always be people to simply glance at the page and don't bother to read the text. The death heads get one's attention and force one to read the comments, and hopefully, think a little first.

I would move Exit 32 up on the scale relative to Exit 38.

I heard that JGowans was interested in doing the Emmons this weekend. He's a strong dude. You won't have to worry about him holding you back. Put him in front and yell, "mush".

I might as well put in Victor Kramar's comments for reference. Arete (5.8), one start, one death head. "Normally top-roped but can be led with modern protection." Comments: even with small to medium Aliens, the pro is still pretty marginal in shallow, flaring, horizontal cracklike pockets. Slab (5.7), One star. "The initial cracks provide solid placements, but protection possibilities dwindle near the top.Comments: There is nothing at all above a 4 inch ledge. You might be able to get a knifeblade or two in if you tried hard enough.

Truth is stranger than fiction sometimes. I take it that you will not be joining us in the Chat Room tonight?

The new Trask Sucks Ass forum would be classified as "Sub-Spray". It would be the catch all for all posts too obnoxious or crude even for Spray.

Anyone who posts as often as you do Gowans had better ought to show up at Pub Club. BTW, we did have PC at Queen Anne. Dexter and Hayes counts as QA, doesn't it? IMO, karaoke with cc.com would be a total crack up.

Hey Dru, thanks for the tip. I appreciate it.

Onetoole was up there a couple weeks ago.

I have no doubt that you'll reach one grand before I reach two grand.

Greg, you need another gun like the Eskimos need more ice cubes.

There is something rotten in Denmark when 60% of the posts in the Spray forum are from JGowans.

Teddy LaBarge's name reminded me of my favorite rhyme, The Cremation of Sam McGee. There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold, And the arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold. The northern lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was the night on the marge of Lake LaBarge I cremated Sam McGee. This guy figured that if he continued to buy lottery tickets that it was inevitable that he would win. What a lot of codswaddle! I'm proud to say I have never wasted a dollar on a lottery ticket.

The concepts of honor and fair play are an Anglo-American abberation. It's catch as catch can everywhere else. In other words, if you can get away with it, it is okay. You know, like in baseball.

Gowans, you really, really need to go climb something at the first opportunity. You are going crazy, man.

Cold water may be a good idea, but alcohol is a very bad idea. It acts as a penetration enhancer. It can carry other chemicals across the stratum corneum that wouldn't otherwise penetrate. In other words, just use good old soap and water. When I was a little kid, my mother gave us baths after we were exposed to poison oak. It had the effect of spreading the oils over my entire body. A shower obviously is a much better idea.

When I had plantar fasciitis, I first tried Superfeet and got some relief, but it wasn't until I go custom orthotics that the problem went away. Don't go to just any podiatrist. Find one who specializes in sports medicine. One such doctor is Stanley G. Newell at Northgate. He sees all the UW athletes when they have foot problems. I liked him. His phone number is 206-527-4177.

I climbed both the 5.7 face climb and the 5.8 arete on top rope and it seemed that the arete had at least a little marginal placements higher up, although it was still pretty run out. Seems strange that our local hardmen could get passionate enough about a beginner's roadside attraction to chop bolts.

The wolves steer clear of humans, you'd likely never see them. Snafflehounds are a different matter. The little buggers are always trying to chew on your gear. I doubt wolves would have much impact on the snaffles we find in the high places, because frequently they are too lofty for wolves to get to. Birds of prey are probably the main control there.

Some people are completely unaffected by poison ivy, while others are extremely sensitive. I've heard that some become more sensitive with each exposure. What I do know is that rashes are made more severe by hot weather and sweating. It probably aids penetration of the oils. The oil is known as Urushiol and is a phenolic compound with long unstaturated hydrocarbon side chains that are very similar in structure to the compounds in hot chili peppers. It basically fools your immune system into thinking it is under attack. If you have been exposed, wash with soap and water (warm, but not hot) as soon as you can and you may likely avoid getting the rash. My father once was exposed to smoke from burning poison ivy and got a horrible whole body rash. Severe cases can be treated with antihistamines and corticosteroids.

Great discoveries require intense dedication to the work. I think that the report is right on the mark. Marriage is comfortable and acheivement doesn't come from comfort, but by a highly motivated striving to make one's mark in the world.

None of us were at all happy about it at the time. There was nothing we could have done to avoid it. The whale dove directly in front of us and there was no time to steer away. We didn't know for a fact that we hurt it. It swam away. Sometimes juvenile whale lose their mothers and they are really goners anyway. The mother was nowhere in sight.

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.