Ursa_Eagle

here's the link the story I mentioned earlier: Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a 'Peace' T-Shirt

Interesting, that's the way I view Saddam's treatment of his people. I was speaking strictly in terms of what we're doing to Iraq. As I said, I don't necessarily think he should be in power, but I think this is the wrong way to go about removing him. I'm not saying that I know what we should be doing, I just feel that what we are doing isn't right either. (Last I checked, it took three wrongs to make a right, not two. )

At this point, any girl who makes me choose between her and climbing is going to be disappointed. I packed up my car and drove across the country so I could climb, not be with anyone specific. I tend to spend all my free time outside climbing or hiking, so if she didn't enjoy being outside, we'd spend very little time together. I've got plenty of years left to find someone, but I'm only young and stupid once (now).

Well, you all heard about the guy in Albany, NY who got arrested for wearing a "peace" t-shirt in a mall that he bought in the same mall, right? He was a district attorney too! It made the news back there and the next day, hundreds of people were walking around with "peace" t-shirts. The mall has since dropped all charges, but he was deciding whether or not to sue. I might be able to dig up a link, but it will take me a few minutes.

Personally, I haven't seen any convincing evidence yet about how we are defending our country. IMHO we are attacking another country, and trying to tell them that they can't live the way that they are. People are saying "they're killing the POWs" and "they're not following the laws of war". I see it as a large 250 lb bully attacking a 100 lb weakling. The weakling is gonna kick the bully in the nuts (not following the "laws") if he wants to have any hope of not getting killed. Also, I seem to remember a certain president who demanded that Saddam, without any decent evidence, had to get out of his country in 48 hours or be attacked. How is that not breaking any of these so-called "laws"? Where is the justification for attacking someone because we think they're doing something wrong? We pride ourselves on the "Innocent until proven guilty" principle, yet we seem to be doing the exact opposite over in Iraq. What comes around will go around, I'm half-expecting another potent world leader (or coalition of them) to make the same demand of Bush. (I guess that Saddam already did this, but Bush, being the typical arrogant bastard that he is ignored it.) I'm not so sure that Saddam should be in power, but this is not the way to fix it. The ends don't justify the means in this case.

in English? Some of us don't speak freedom

Not yet, but I think I may plan on it in a few years though! Nice pics!

How long is everyone gonna be there for? I'm going to the ultra-light gear lecture at the Mazama Clubrooms tonight (7 pm), but I have a hard time saying no to some good for afterward. Also, how would a newcomer know how to find the group once inside Horsebrass? (I guess I could prolly look for six empty pints of TG and some vomit, but that would be too easy.)

I've seen a lot of people with the Salomon SM Lite's. SM Lite's at REI People seem to like them, they have a heel counter (not fully step-in compatible, but "Newmatic" compatible), and they're only $180. The most important thing, however, is whether or not they fit. If you're down near Portland, I think they have some good boot fitters at the Mountain Shop.

There've been times when I've been a lot more sore than I think I should be, and it's generally times when I don't drink enough (or have too much drink either before or after) I've also run into problems when I've had enough (water) to drink, but run down a few thousand feet. This past weekend, I was feeling sore after a hike, so I drank a lot of water and felt fine the next day for a good x-c ski trip.

Did anyone go up Hood yesterday? I'm curious as to what the conditions were like. I wanted to go, and the weather looked nice, but I figured I didn't want to take a vacation day to posthole my way up the south side, and I didn't feel like testing my avy rescue skills (or my partners) on any other routes.

I have the Patagonia Dimension which I got at the Patagonia sale a month ago for $120. I was doing some expedition training on Hood a few weeks ago, and it performed flawlessly. We made camp in a driving mix of snow/light rain, and my upper body stayed perfectly warm and dry, whereas my legs (on which I was wearing gore-tex) got soaked. The jacket is a lot more weather-resistant than my other soft shells (and the other soft shells I've looked at), and being able to retreat into a hood is something I wanted. My one complaint is that the front zipper doesn't work well, but that's a component issue and I will see what Patagonia can do for me about that. I love the material that it uses, it's far more breathable than any laminate could ever hope to be. It's a bit heavy, but it's not a jacket I would use when I'm trying to go fast and light. I love soft shells, I think they're a lot more versatile and comfortable than laminates. I'll still use gore-tex when the weather calls for it, but I'm trying to avoid that unless I have to.

I've had an Osprey Ceres 50 for about a month now, and it is everything I've wanted in a pack. It's really comfortable, 3000 in3, under 4 lbs, well built, and has lots of space for two tools, a shovel, pad, skis, snowshoes, etc. (you could take all at the same time if you really wanted to.) Check it out at: http://www.ospreypacks.com/ceres50.html

I find it hard to believe that plastic boots could be fixed to the point where they're as strong as they were before. If they broke, then either they're old enough that they're not worth replacing, or you may want to contact Koflach directly to have them replace it (assuming that the guy wasn't doing something overly stupid when they broke.) I've seen plastic boots break before, but they were really old, and gave out in the toe (I think the plastic was discolored too.)

I've used the standard Raven since last July, and it's great. I have a 75 cm, which is great for general mountaineering, but a little awkward when trying to swing it over my head. It's light, but not too light, and I had no problem getting purchase on Leuthold a few weeks back. It's also a lot more comfortable in the hand than any other axes I've tried. Even after I get a really light Al axe (Cassin Ghost?), I'll still use the Raven for the majority of my climbing. I really don't think I'd want to get a Raven Pro, simply because I feel that going lighter would be detrimental to the performance of a general mountain axe. If you want a strictly lightweight axe, there are much lighter options out there. I'd highly recommend the standard Raven.