Bill_Simpkins

It sucks. We got broken into at Larrabee. My friend had all his climbing gear stolen out of his truck in his driveway, $5000.00 worth! His renters insurance paid for it but he couldn't get any coverage after that claim.

The CAMP bolo doubles are the same weight or lighter as a SINGLE BD stopper in the small sizes and just slightly heavier in the larger sizes. You could carry as many of these as BD stoppers and have doubles or triples of every size to boot. The only problem is that I think there are a few size gaps in them, that's why I throw in a #5 and #7 BD.

Glad you made it out Bob.

Glad you're ok man.

I also put in a few BD stoppers, as stated in my previous post. I've NEVER ran out of gear(knock on wood). We are talking light alpine here (I think). If REAL rock climbing is involved I just bring a full set of stoppers. If a little 5th class here and there, I bring the double dongs. My usually philosophy is that you can make whatever you have with you work. I can't even remember though the last time I've used more than 5-6 stoppers on a pitch, unless it was aid.

Actually, the double dongs weigh in alot more, but a "set" ie. a full range of sizes weighs in less than a set of standard nuts and 3 of these + 2 BD's take up a lot less room that a set of standard nuts. The superlights look more like RP's.

Do you already have a pair of strap-on crampons? If you do, you can take the front half of them and rig them with light webbing and they serve the same purpose. I do this, works great, plus you get front points. I can take a picture of how I do this if you would like.

I have a set of these for alpine: I bought them at www.gearshack.co.uk You can carry only three of them and have all sizes. I usually only carry (from left to right), #1,3 and 5. I throw in a #5 BD and a #7 BD for good measure. Also put in a pink and red tricam and Camalots, you have your self a nice neat little alpine rack.

Maybe you could consult the new Mt. Erie book for the correct route of Zig Zag and beta for other Erie routes. Possibly mention New Halem. Leave out mention of Shuksan Crag. It's an old, small route. Again, mention parking fees at Vantage and where to get permits. People bash on your book man, but I used that thing till the bindings fell apart my first few years of climbing. After I became more familiar with the areas, and I if liked the areas, I bought a local guide. People should stop comparing local guides with this one, they have different purposes. If someone is road tripping through Washington, do you expect them to buy local books for each crag? No! That would be dumb and a waste of money. This book will get people around just fine. Once they get there and climb a few things, they'll figure it out. You get the best information about a route by climbing it. Frankly , I like the short descriptions for the routes, it doesn't give everything away.

Oh no! You're one of them!

I DO eat fruits and veggies! lol Just for reference, Ill give you a typical day now: Breakfast: Oat meal with nuts, soymilk and fruit or low fat cottage cheese and fruit. Lunch: Turky or tuna salad and fruit. (meat, lettuce, nuts, celery, olive oil, vinager) Snack: Hummus or light cheese and fruit Dinner: Baked halibut and green beans or Chicken with broccili and snow peas with fruit and nuts. Desert: fruit or veggies. That's basically what I've been eating. I've been eating more fruit and veggies now than I every have. I think since I'm losing weight too fast, I should either: A) more portions B) more water(even though I drink a lot) C) add some whole grain to my diet (which seems the best balance). I think I'll do a little bit of all three. I mean, it's all obvious stuff, I just never thought about it too much and now I'm paying the price as I get older. Plus, maybe this thread could help others in the same boat. Talking about it is motivating. Thanks!

Ketosis can be dangerous. My diet has carbohydrates in it, all from fruit and veggies. It may be, since I'm following recipes almost exactly, that I'm not getting enough calories and it's inducing ketosis for my activity level. I should just eat a little more to compensate, I may be starving myself. The last thing I want to do is start eating up my muscle tissue, expecially in my heart. Thanks.

"so even @190 lbs you would be at upper level of "normal" (and remember what normal is is statistics like that)" Well I hope so, I'll be cranking pretty hard if I get to 185.

Dude, my arm weighs about 190. Yeah, I changed my habits a bit since a few months ago. I get out a lot more. I used to just sit in front of the computer and nothing else for a few months. Bad idea. No really, I followed Micheals advice, and lost a solid 5 pounds since Thursday. Crazy. The book says I should lose a 1-2pounds a week, but I'm losing about a pound a day, steadily. Riding my bike to work also, about 15-20 minutes, going to the rock gym 1-2 week and doing something bigger on the weekends. I'll keep you posted to see if I lose another 5 pounds of video game weight next week. Basically I cut out grains and sugers and high fatty foods. Lots of fruits and veggies at every meal wih some lean meat. I eat 5-6 times a day. I didn't NEED a book, but it helps because my wife likes to prepare my meals and I like following specific regiments sometimes.

"At 215, you're not obese (unless you have a really thin "frame" underneath); " I'm not even fat! i have a large frame underneath. At 190 lbs, I looks like I'm on crack. Once, when I was 185, my friends would ask if I was sick because my me neck was so skinny. Speaking of crack, maybe if I lost 20 pounds, I could get out of the ass jams easier:

Studded gear sling! Brilliant! "Hell bent, hell bent for leather!"

Answer: Light rack, runner (I prefer a tied runner so you adjust the length and use it for a rap sling). Heavy rack, sling. Got a route wired down to nuts and a few cams, just throw it on your harness. Other than that, just throw the crap on and climb.

Good one!

"Another Prophet of Disaster Who says the ship is lost, Another Prophet of Disaster Leaving you to count the cost. Taunting us with Visions, Afflicting us with fear, Predicting War for millions, In the hope that one appears."

Imagine if all this happened..... Look what consequences divorce has. Case in point: Little girls parents get divorced, little girl visits dad 1-3 times a week. Energy crisis. Little girl is either a)momless or b)dadless. How selfish we are. If there is such a crisis, I think the family unit will once again become very important. Divorce maybe was a bi-product of prosparity and subsequent independance. What are all you divorced, commuting families going to do with no cars? Disposable cups, disposable rags, disposable cell phones, disposable friends, disposable mates....but children arn't disposable, but everything around them is. Disposable Earth.

You don't need plastic boots in the lower 48 states. They are miserable. You can do most routes, including volcanoes, in tennis shoes. That been said, a pair of Makalus or simular style will get you just about anywhere.

Well, I'm not a fat slob, and I'm in good shape. I can still jog all day in the mountains with a pack. I think MVS may have a good point. My parents and my sister have big time troubles with their weight, and they eat pretty reasonably. I'm not fat, and most people consider me in good shape, but I have to work for it. It's getting harder and harder, like I'm fighting something. It is very possible that the food I am eating is throwing my insulin balance out of wack. My father has diabetes, maybe I should look into it more. Thanks.

Cool! I also just talked to a lady at work. The first thing she asked about was my stress level. I've been pretty stressed out lately. Is it true or a myth that stress can lower metabolism and release cholesteral into the bloodstream?

Thanks for the discussion. It's nice to hear things from other people sometimes. So lets say I start riding my bike to work EVERY day, and extend my routine exercise a bit longer. I think that would help. Maybe my exercise durations were a bit short on average. One day a week when I climb a mountain or hike 14 miles isn't enough consistancy with my shorter daily work outs. My daily stuff should be longer, and really try to cut out any crap from my diet and not pork out after the long day in the mountains or at the crag. I'll try to do longer sessions in the morning and see if that helps. (my wife has been telling me that all along, but I'm too stubborn). Thanks again!