mtn_mouse

One day the pika will be replaced by the mountain mouse.

Frostbite removed both my big toenails years ago. End of toenail problem.....

How do you remove brown klister from your skis?

Great TR. There used to be a glacial camp across the Blue glacier from the moraine, run by Cal Tech. They used it for several years, in the 70's. Maybe that barrel came from there. Also, there is a great climb to the summit straight up the rib on the very north side. Don't people use that much anymore?

Cables are not easy to cut through. I have worked with 3/8" aircraft cable like for a truck winch, and bolt cutters and hacksaws are very difficult to work with. The strands justs do not respond well to that kind of cutting. I have only been able to cut the cable using a cold chisel, hammer, against a hard block of steel. I don't know if this applies to thin 1/8 cable, but you could try it out.

Its hot over here. HOT HOT HOT. We were talking about skiing, on the porch today. There is not a snowflake to be found in all of northern Oregon, or Idaho. I may have to give in and visit the cascades.

Just when we were starting to believe trail pass funds were going right back into trail work, I read an article about the USFS in northern Idaho, (or could have been western Montana-- if the surveyers had not gotten drunk at lost pass, Western Montana would be Idaho) The article said that due to the requirement Bush has given that they contract out at lease 25% of all USFS jobs,they have been diverting trail rec funds to pay for that implementation study.

I have been using a Thommen altimeter for years, at least 20 years. It has no batteries, always works, and is absolutely bomb proof. GPSs are good for lots of things, but I ever rely on them for altitude. If you are expected to go high, get a thommen.

Yes, the ted-mobile, a mobile four wheeled landfill. Your yard cleanup will take some time, but it is all biodegradeable.... Ted said he never wanted to see spanaway, yelm, or hwy 161 again. So, the reason for the circuitous route. Is it true that muir snowfield has become a 4000' sled hill?

Left blue mtns for a good alpine start (about noon). Encountered difficult route conditions driving through Pasco. Appreciated though. Followed obvious descent gully through Kennewick and Richland. Made awesome time though in my 4 cylinder mtn vehicle. Stopped for a carb load in Umatilla.. not sure what state or country Umatilla is in. Seeing visions of glacier clad mountains as I headed west. Fan belt snapped at I 84, Hermiston. Mtn vehicle short hauled to Pendleton. Trip over, found my glacier in a cool McDonalds ice cream. Enjoyed the 110 degree weather. Home nursing wounds. Mtn mouse.

hey ursa eagle, thats my avatar! give it back. mtn mouse.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!

A quick way in to the blues on the Wa side, is to go up the tucannon river, and hike the short trail up the Panjab to Dunlop springs, or drive further up to Godman springs, and hike the short trail to Oregon butte. There are no jagged peaks there, but they are forested and high above the monotonous wheat fields below. The views are out standing of the surrounding area, down into the canyons, south to the wallowas, and west to the cascades. On a clear morning, you can see Mt. Rainier from Oregon Butte. Summer is quiet there, the horses and hunters don't go in till fall. You will only find the odd hiker now and then, or a group of smokejumpers hiking out from an incident. This area is in the Wenaha-Tucannon wilderness, and is quite large. The blues are quite large in fact, and circle way into Oregon, beyond the Wallowas and the Elkhorns (Anthony lakes ski area) and down towards the Malhuer. Just an amazingly huge area of sparse populations, wilderness, forests and wildlife.

My cc.com life has been fullfilled now!!! I live in the blue mountains. The best thing about this area is the chance to hike without seeing anyone. There are no interesting peaks to climb, but they are nice conditioning hikes. The hike from Diamond peak to Oregon butte is nice, there are several springs all along this high ridge, and there is a fire lookout on the top that is manned each year. This is best done as an out and back, because it is time consuming to set up a shuttle. Stay out of the canyons once summer arrives, rattlesnakes abound, and enjoy the powerful lightning storms on the ridge tops. I go to the Wallowas mostly though, to hike and climb in one of the most beautiful mountain ranges anywhere. There are awsome ridge traverses that go on and on and on.

I use a similar CD mapping program, Map Tech. On there I just go to File, Export, and save to disk. The file saved is a .tif which works great for emailing to others.

I had heard that yoga was a good way to help back pain. So, one day I screwed up my back, and had shooting pains down my leg for several weeks. I saw a doctor and he recommended an MRI. Looking at the mini torpedo tube, I crawled out quickly after being inserted half way in. So much for machismo. So now it was time for yoga. I did an hour a day for a few days, and the pain was gone. I continued for a while, and my back is fine. I carried heavy packs all summer last year with no problems. I dont know how bad your back is, but don't knock yoga stretches for a good option.

Out here we float the Snake with big rubber rafts. Where are you going to put your coolers, dutch ovens camping gear, and of course beer, in a tiny little kayak?

Stones of Silence by George Schaller An interesting story of the search for the snow leopard in the Himalayas. Not as good as the Peter Mathiesen book "The Snow Leopard" but the two books overlap in content and time.

In a surprising statement by Rumsfeld today, some of the 120,000 troops to be added will actually be... penguins. Specially trained by the US Navy to look for mines in the gulf, the penguins are beginning their swim to the middle east as I speak. Here is a picture of one starting out.

PP- I went into the trinity alps all the time during the time I was going to college in the 70's at Humboldt. Maybe I ran into you up there. I enjoyed the winter ski trips into there, and did go up Mt. Thompson in December/January of 77. There was great bc skiing and also fishing up there. This is where I learned about avalanches. Big avalanche country! My friend Bob, of castle crags, has registered as thru hiker bob, and you may be able to talk with him about his experiences in that area. He has also climbed Shasta many times, the Bugaboos, and was a climbing guide in Colorado.

OK you whippersnappers, I was showing this web site to my friend Bob, and it turns out that he was the first to climb the north face of castle dome. I'll let him tell the story in his own words, so sit back and enjoy an old tale!........ "In May of 1967 John Weiland and John Williams and I explored the north side of the Dome. We climbed quite a way up the north face until we hit a large ramp that ran across part of the face. At that time we stopped and went back down. Later I returned with Ken Edsburg and Alan Cunningham to finish climbing the face. Weiland and Williams were busy and were not able to go. We climbed the face to the summit. The toughest part of the wall was a section of about 50 feet that was friction with no holds, no nothing except balance. Ken Edsburg led that section of the face. After we reached the summit we hiked down the trail from the dome to the Ranger Station. A ranger told us that we had been the first to climb that face. Later, many climbers used to hike up the trail to the Dome and then descend down the gully part way and the climb and traverse around to the north face that would place you above the Ramp, and then climb the top section. John Weiland and Jerry Sublett were the first to climb many of the peaks in the Castle Peaks."

I picked up a rope at mountain gear in Spokane the other day. I was looking for an Edelrid which I have used for years, and they didn't have them. There were no Mammuts either, so I bought a Blue Water 10.5, 60m, dry. Looks great, now to get out and put it to work!

Hold on everyone! This post should promote me beyond LURKER status.

Powerbars Powerbars Powerbars

'Mammut on the Rocks' I've got a nice 9mm rope of theirs. Seems kind of picky asking all these questions, but once in the backcountry you sure appreciate proper eqpt!