catbirdseat

If all you have for protection is a placement behind a weak flake that might break off in a fall, and you have a choice between a nut and a cam, which piece is less likely to pry off the flake, the nut or the cam? Assume that the nut cannot be slotted, but rather must be wedged. The former would obviously exert less outward force.

It remains to be seen whether this tape is subject to "fouling". Unless the surface were absolutely clean, bits of lichen, sand, dirt etc. might eventually cover the surface and its ability to stick would be lost.

You're the tree expert, Dru. There's a good reason I haven't climbed the north side. I'm not good enough yet.

You're right about the trampling. As I said, it is a much drier environment. A few Ponderosa pines aren't going to make the moss grow like at Index. It's a shame they didn't leave one or two. Anyway, I realize that you can't judge someone's ethics 40 years ago by today's standards.

Nice. Great photos!

I was wondering who cut the trees on Logger's Ledge on Castle Rock. Those trees will never grow back because of the drier environment. That was a very bad move as the shade would have been welcome.

Here's the Champagne TR. This is probably one of the two easies routes on Sno Creek Wall and was chosen because White Slabs was reported to be gay. We climbed the Easter Tower Notch route to get to the start of Champagne. I made the mistake of climbing a finger crack rather than the chimney which put me on slabs with no protection. I scrambled run out up the slabs and found a place for a belay (if you go- just do the chimney- it's fourth class above). Mistake two was bringing two packs up to the notch. Should have just left one or both in the cave. The first pitch of Champagne was easily recognizable. The hardest moves are the first few out of the notch. I did a traverse on a narrow ledge and then continued up a crack to a roof where there was one old 1/4 inch bolt. According to some reports, a few belay here, but it looked sucky and we had a 60 m rope, so I continued on up the knobs with a crack for pro to a nice belay spot by some bushes (probably not reachable with a 50 m rope). The climbing was very enjoyable and protection was easily available. My partner, Toast, continued on the next pitch of what seemed to be 5.4 climbing and ended up in an easy gully. He thinks he was off route and that he should have been off to the right on knobs and chickenheads. It would have been more challenging. The belay was on a large ledge with big trees off to the left. For the third pitch, I headed right along the ledge for about 30 ft and then found the 5.6 chimney mentioned in Kramer as a note on the topo "Chim. 5.6" (arrow pointing to right). That was really neat and it would be shame for anyone to leave that out of the climb. It protected more easily than I was led to believe. There is a chock stone to get you started and you can use a variety of nuts on the right side. Fun, fun, fun. Toast had to hang his pack from a sling to get up the narrow part, ha ha. (Hint: If you take a pack, convince your partner that the chimney is hard to protect, so he'll let YOU lead it) Toast led the fourth and last pitch up low 5th and 4th class. The crack was too wide for the pro we had so Toast had to sling a chicken head 20 ft up to get some pro. The pitch finishes on another big ledge. Moving right takes you to the ridge top with big trees and a rappel station. We had the choice of two raps down the backside and hiking up to the top of SCW with the long scramble down, or going down the ridge. We chose the latter. After 4 single raps we were just below the notch with April Fool's Tower (Note: the first rap requires a 60 m rope). After the 3rd rap we were standing under a burnt tree which seemed to be raining ticks. In five minutes, I had two on my left arm and Toast had one on his ear. Scrambled up into the AFT notch and did a short optional rap down the dirty gully on the S side of the notch. From here it was easy traverse back to our packs in the Easter Tower notch. Finally two single raps down the Notch Route took us back to the cave. If you go, bring some leaver slings and rings for the raps, almost every one we went on was a single sling. It was hard to pull the rope sometimes, hence the rings would help. Toast was pining for a 3.5 inch cam (our largest ws 3"). I told him, "what are you whining about? I didn't need one on any of MY pitches". Also, he thought a couple of larger hexes would be good, if cowbells float your boat. BTW, Caveman, thanks for the advice. We had a good time.

Johnny, be careful. You're starting to sound like trask.

Gosh, I wonder what daisy knows about it?

I agree that you don't want to be falling when you are way up on some multipitch far far from the trailhead. Take your falls when you are at the crags one pitch up and 1 minute from the road.

Dru, you are now the undisputed king of , having siezed the honor from the Good Doctor, unless you are the same person, that is.

Best feeling in the world! Okay, the second best, but who's counting.

I laughed my ass off. Gotta remember that one.

Nothing like the subject of Cavey to bring out the creativity in people. This is great. I can rhyme worth shit so I won't try.

You can get any statistic you want with a poll. It is all a matter of what question you ask and how you ask it. The foregoing material shows how Bush will support the agenda of his campaign contributors no matter how many lives it costs. African lives are not worth one tenth of one percent as much as American lives anyway.

Talk to Wayne Wallace (wayne1112). He built a wall in his bedroom recently. It looks similar to the one cited above. He doesn't have much headroom so always does a sit start.

What are you trying to say lummox? The you fall, you've already lost the game? It doesn't matter what saves your ass? I'm with erik. You should put in the piece that works best. Putting in the right piece will give you the best protection for a fall, regardless of what that piece might be. Here's an example. Up on Bathtub Dome there are mostly horizontal cracks (that result from weathering of the stone?). Oftentimes, there is a constriction where you can slot a big nut and there isn't any way it is going to come out. In this case the nut is way better than the cam. A cam would just walk in and tip out.

Your coordinates put you in Port Angeles. If you live in Capitol Hill, as you say, then there's nothing stopping you from joining the fun after work.

Bird, don't you live in Port Angeles?

How about Baring?

That's news to me about the jaws. Seems like they just came out with it. It must not have sold well.

Dru = Attitude =

Do you use tape on your willie? That would hurt when you have to take it off.

I said you climb 5.9 AT LEAST. It was nice to meet you.

Interesting to note that a rock route would have a sexual preference, but whatever. Sounds like White Slabs is very dirty and that it is better to rap the route.