catbirdseat

One wonders whether absinthe in the nineteenth century took the blame for dementia from other causes, such as alcoholism and syphillis.

Potentiometric or colorimetric?

I guess everyone has their own point of view. The bolts were so obviously placed while on rappel, all in a nice neat line. Their locations often didn't make any sense. Hard moves frequently came just before the next bolt was reached. In the case of pitch five, while I would have preferred to see the first bolt come earlier, I felt that a reasonably careful climber could avoid loose rock getting up to it. There was one 5.8 move before it could be clipped. Three feet lower and it could have been reached to protect that move. I felt that the 5.9 crack on P5 was most definitely the crux and goes at 5.9, but it' a short crux and the rest of the pitch goes at 5.8. Be sure to double up, using a red and green Camalot before pulling the move, if it looks like it's going to be hard for you. The topo gives the first pitch as 5.8+ and the second as 5.8. It should be the other way around. Overall, I'd say the first pitch was the hardest of the route. Not sure Craig how you got by with 9 draws. You must have skipped some bolts. I used all 15 draws on the second pitch, and 14 on the fifth pitch.

Too late! The Heliums are gone.

I've got medium size hands and found fist jams the entire way on First Blood. You sometimes have to reach deep, or reach high, but they are there. You also have the option of teacupping your hands, if you like. I'd agree that it's pretty hard for 5.8. Remember that you can lead the much easier Mushmaker, 5.7 to the left and top rope First Blood, if you like.

One time we slept in the lot prior to a winter ascent of hood. The parking lot had patches of snow on it here and there up to an inch deep. The bastard running the snow plow decided that it was critically important to clear the area in the immediate vicinity of our truck at 2 AM. He spent about an hour blowing snow within 20 ft of us. The spin drift wafted over the truck. My friend jgowans slept through the whole thing, but I didn't. If I'd had a shot gun I would have let that fellow have it with both barrels.

This unilateral action has got to stop. It's total bullshit. It's time to do things by consensus.

It may well be the most common cause of RAPPELLING accidents.

I detect plagarism.

Man, oh man, you are dating yourself.

Graffiti in general.

People who like to pad their post counts.

I just regard the gym as a necessary evil. I try to make it as fun as I can and not get wrapped up in comparing it to outdoors. It is what it is.

I think it was Groucho Marx, actually. My father was fond of that quote. He'd trot it out whenever we started whining about, "I wish we had this or I wish we had that."

I saw that on TV last night. It was pretty graphic. It is remarkable how criminals have a way of attracting attention to themselves.

You could do it either way. It's probably easier to lower on one because you wouldn't have to worry about the two twisting about one another going into the belay device. If you were using a Munter Hitch, it definitely would be easier to lower on one strand, while dragging the other.

Sure, you just might have a problem. That's why you have the option of rappelling a single strand while on belay with the other strand. Best of both worlds. You control your rate of descent, you are backed up by the belay. In the previous discussion, there was one fellow who says he always ties into the end of the rope(s) he is rappelling. So in that case there is a bight or bights hanging down the route. If the rope became stuck, you could tie a backup knot right below you, untie from the end, pull up the rope, rethrow, tie into the end again.

Muffy, I think you meant Z-Clipped.

I was waiting for someone to mention the option of lowering. I think it was Mattp who mentioned that once in another thread. If you wanted to, in a double rope rappel, you could rappel one one strand, with the tail in a bag, and be lowered or belayed on the other strand. Or you could just be lowered one strand and drag the other along.

Best news I've heard from our local gubbermint in a while. Bad news is how long it's going to take before it's finished. 2029!

My man, you got me all wrong! Black is beautiful! It's like my wife says, "when it's brown, it's cookin', when it's black, it's done!"

I have a live trap you are welcome to try. You may get lucky and catch a coon. If you don't like drowning them, the recommended procedure, you can take them for a long ride in the car and make them someone else's problem. I suggest that you bar the door at night. The coons will only enter when they know you are asleep in bed. We don't have problems with coons entering the cat door because we have a dog. Here's another idea. Put the cat food where the cat can jump but the coons can't. I don't think coons can jump as high as a cat.

Pots and Kettles arguing with each other about their relative blackness.

Funny you should mention this. Look at what is in the news.49 More Miles of Light Rail: You'll get to vote "The expanded light rail would take the line as far south as the Tacoma Dome and as far north as Ash Way near Mill Creek, and would include an extension to Bellevue and Overlake, plus additions to Sounder commuter rail and express bus service. These changes alone add more than $1 billion to the base cost estimates."