johndavidjr

Young instructs that "all climbers should smoke [tobacco]" because this "suppresses thirst and unnecessary talking." He also warned against treating guides as equals because one mustn't forget their inferior class....& he offered many other charming ideas...

Just personally, the most interesting book on mountaineering I've ever read was an Edwardian-era "how to" text called "Mountaincraft" by Geoffrey Winthrop Young. I guess it's not an "adventure book" per se. As for above list I'd be surprised if I've read ten percent of them...

Lynn Hill is practically illiterate. I strongly suspect there are others on the list. Why isn't Beckey's "Challenge of the North Cascades" on the list? He's a good writer. Also, "Feeding the Rat" by Al Alvarez. a Brit climber who is much better known as a genuine high-end literati and critic.

Photo in question was displayed Oct/Nov. 1969 "The Kodak Colorama" sign has an historical Web site where you can ferret-out the photo. http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/coloramas/colorama.html Nothing against photos of Shuksan, but the Kodak signage was more Times Square than Grand Central Station.

Perhaps you're referring to a giant Kodak-sponsored back-lite display at Grand Central of a color photograph that was changed on a frequent basis from 1960s to about 1980. No doubt Shuksan was displayed at some point on this sign, now long gone and not missed.

Most benighted anti-semite I ever met was from Wenatchee. She thought she was a liberal. Never met a Jew. This was in the day when only stuff she could read was "Daily Apple-Picker" or whatever they published out there....I remember Seattle newspapers from mid-70s were total drivel..... We had to get Christian Science Monitor in the mail....In those long-past days, CSM was actually (hard to believe, I know) still a half-way respected newspaper, and only such thing at all available in Washington......... Washington remains full of very silly folks. Sad, really. PS. Am myself an anti-Zionist.

Not exactly, but Herbert Hoover is said to have provided my grandfather with personal laundry services at Stanford University back in the 1890s. Gramps is said to have left San Fran. after the '06 quake for NYC, and long after a gilded and doubtlessly amusing youth, died there a drunk and unfortunately, quite broke in 1945.

I used almost exclusively an REI tarp from 1971 to 1979. From 1980-1988 I mostly used a K-Mart pup-tent-- sometimes in circumstances for which it wasn't intended and a few times to my great distress. This tent only slightly under-performed my COTTON REI puptent with coated nylon floor circa 1968. It was probably half the weight. A version of the REI tent for years was seen in editions of FOH textbook in foreground of photograph of Mt. Fury, a place I've never visited. During this period I also acquired a Eureka four-pole dome tent & eventually a Sierra Designs single-person single-walled bivouac tent which I used almost exclusively until not too many years ago, despite its fairly dubious performance. (Nice design with canted front arch much deserves revival; "breathable" textile very poor). Today I mostly use a Go-Lite "Hex" "tarp tent" almost always with very light bivouac sack & not uncommonly without sleeping bag. (I try to preserve the costly stuff for when actually necessary). I think all of these tents worked very well within their intended parameters, and all but the Eureka & REI cotton tent were acceptably light. Their prices were quite variable. Other tents I've owned include a Mt Hardwear one-person, Sierra Designs Half-Moon, MSR Twin Peaks, an ID tarp tent, a Mt. Hardwear tarp tent with netting, and potentially others that I can't remember. PS: I've also thatched two lean-tos with conifer sprigs, built a tiny log cabin with hand tools, and used a poncho and a cotton tarp sewn by my long departed mither. I currently can't afford & don't want, to buy any other tents.

The late authority James Beard (Oregon native and long-time Manhattan resident}, in a book on historic American cookery, says that "The squirrel is to American cuisine, what the grouse is to Scotland." I believe the fox squirrel of the midwestern and mid-Atlantic states may be optimal for human consumption. Squirrels that feed on nuts of any kind should be relatively good. The red squirrels of Washington I'd pass on. They are small and feed mainly on conifer cones. I shot and ate an acorn-fed eastern grey squirrel. Shoulder and butt meat weren't bad. Lamb-like. The rest not so appealing. Disgusting work to prepare. The robin I ate was much easier and about as good. Actually not bad........

To all you chicken-shit weakling & utterly stupid self-described "climbers:" Thou art unfit for any place but hell. [Thou] appeareth nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. Thou froward weather-bitten pumpion! Thou warped ill-breeding moldwarp! Come, come, you talk greasily; your lips grow foul. Thou wimpled doghearted lout! O illiterate loiterer! [Thou art] a very superficial, ignorant, unweighing fellow. Thou dissembling beetle-headed giglet! Sell your face for five pence and 'tis dear.

[Thou art] spacious in the possesion of dirt. [Thine] breath stinks with eating toasted cheese. Thou bootless hell-hated lout! I think thou wast created for men to breath themselves upon thee. You starvelling, you eel-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, you bull's-pizzle, you stock-fish--O for breath to utter what is like thee!-you tailor's-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck! Thou cullionly half-faced fustilarian! Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit. [Thou art] a very superficial, ignorant, unweighing fellow. Go, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, Thou lily-liver'd boy. http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/index.html

In Canada, it's part of the $300/day fee. In Bellingham, this goes into real estate mortgage markets......

So true. Thread's point is that Canada's long-established training system for guides is more effective, versus the non-system in U.S. Completing Baker via Easton Glacier with guides over a period of several days, and etc., one doesn't brag about. AAI's training is, nonetheless, often fairly competent, and they have employed over the years, some competent climbers. Parochialism of a first-rate U.S. guide is point of comment, rather than my remarkable prowess as of twenty (or thirty) years ago. Your point is apparently merely to piss on the thread, which we fully appreciate. You are very competent in this regard. When I'm sleeping soundly (and competently) in my three-pound Wal-Mart pup-tent on an August evening, and you're a few miles away trying to swat bugs and snooze in your $500 bivy sack, we'll both have sweet dreams.

I remember climbing Baker on AAI program about twenty years ago and a somewhat elderly guide (an extremely accomplished and rather unsung mountaineer & Bremerton native), was pointing out a few peaks. I pointed to a peak near Slesse, and asked about it. His response, with a shake of his head was "aw, that's Canada."

Fascinating question. Homes in western and central Europe don't have summer window screens. Residents believe there aren't mosquitos, but there actually are some. The north is I suppose different. I' ve been very worried about this question. Camping in alpine snow swamps in Washington, I've opted for m. nets....Batten down the Hex & it seems to create a credible bug barrier.... BUT I DON"T KNOW really

You guys are what they call "know-nothings." Not actually a compliment. Is a historical term but can be compared with current S. Palin fans & other weird stuff. I think Grassi Lakes is place for one-pitch sport climbs? You may find alpine mountain guides working there, or maybe not. I gather you aren't able to research and/or acknowledge/understand the history and circumstances regarding the training of guides in the U.S., Canada, & Europe. But Whadda I know????

I take it back: The U.S. dollar ain't what it used to be, so the cost of hiring Canadian guide is now about the same as in U.S. However, an ACC program, which costs per day about what AAI wants, includes food, a camp cook, perhaps porters or often, helicopter access & often hut accomodations. And on average the guides are much more highly trained as such, if not necessarily better at climbing, which is a somewhat different skill set. Also, ACC is a club rather than profit-making enterprise, which has subtle & salutary effect. ...and the mountains are perhaps somewhat nicer

I put this in the basement because am too lazy to carefully back up my assertion. Facts are available however. American cert has made strides toward improvement (mainly on the backs of the few starving guides willing to pay for courses) but in Canada, and Europe, they are waaay ahead of game & can't work without this training. Some of the world's finest climbers are active as American guides, but don't have the certification...which is potentially irrelevant in that case.....One can also engage many American guides that may have lots of raw talent and drive, but little training or long experience. In Canada, all guides really go through the mill...YOU KNOW they've been checked out ad infinitum for years by their peers.....based on their level of certification.........AND in many instances.(See ACC programs)..they may cost a bit less, will generally do the cooking, and the mountains up there are nicer........

I use neoprene socks. Useful for several other purposes also. VBLS also worth thinking of......... As for pedals, I've used this for ten years. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175537_-1_201502_10000_200435 Sometimes available on sale for $20.... People sometimes prefer $200-plus variations and I credit their accounts!!

Mountain bikes are for the mountains. They don't work well on paved roads. Caliper brakes are fine. Pedaling upwind is a good time to get down on the drops. Quality is over-rated. You no longer need to pay a Vincenza craftsman a living wage (in Euros) to spend a day polishing your bike components using hand tools. Modern manufacturing and Chinese slave laborers can turn out a perfectly functional machine at a tenth of the cost of the olden days. The product won't be beautiful or cool, or aesthetically satisfying, but will be functionally equal or superior to finest bikes of a few years ago. To carry any significant weight, racks are required for comfort and safety. I no longer do so, and limit myself to a small belt pack. Best deals on crappy Chinese bikes I know of are at Bikesdirect.com I recently purchased a "Windsor" single-speed for $269 shipping included. Same bike with different "brand" decals, handle bars and some color-adonized parts goes for $780 at my local shop. Shop owner am sure just wants to make a living and send his kids to college, but good luck!!

Rarely out more than one night in winter. Generally I wake up & bag is fine. Stuff it, get home, bag is a hopelessly wet mess, condensation from the night having become thoroughly distributed through stuffing process.

Item on British Mountaineering Council Web site suggests they are superior to cams in iced cracks. I used a borrowed hex only once on (summery) lead, and was very glad to have it. Cheap too. Like Wal-Mart pup-tent, very effective in correct circumstance.

Consult tables regarding bright morning moonset around last week of July. This is fairly simple to determine, but the window varies. A nearly full moon setting around the time of dawn twighlight is a very nice and helpful touch. Weather around Aug. 1 is nearly always perfect, contrary to rampant bullshit about rain in the Northwest. You want the snow as much as possible to cover the crappy scree to a reasonable extent.

AAI is good. Repeat after me: Canada is Better.....Canada is Better...Canada is Better. First, take my word for it -- because I know this is a fact. Then do research. Yamnuska is the easy choice, but there are many others. Joining the Alpine Club of Canada and signing up for a beginner trip is probably very best choice for you. Gotta get to Canmore region is only downside. Scenery is much better and instruction is somewhat more reliable. Let me explain. AAI may be the best, or as good as any that you'll find in Washington. This is in part due to their guides' training program. In Canada, guides' training is regimented and more rigorous than in the U.S. No Ca guide service would rely merely on hotshot climbers who want to earn a couple of bucks for summer work. They are therefore, on average, more committed to the mundane, and somewhat demeaning, task at hand. They are also acculturated more uniformly on the social graces, talent at which predictably varies in any population. Alpine Club of Canada, is a remarkable organization that employs large number of professional guides. It's probably what many Northwesterners might wish??? The Mountaineers were/are...... They charge a great deal for their many trips, which are catered and invariably employ professional guides.... THEY ARE CHEAPER than any comparable travel service in Washington, Including, I fear, AAI. Also, since you're merely a "member of the club" rather than some rich guy hiring Dunham Gooding's gold-plated service in Bellingham (which pays a relative pittance to guides, which is international occupational fact of life), you retain a very insignificant amount of personal dignity that is otherwise lost.

Little-known trick with the Wal-Mart tents: use seam sealer. Otherwise, THEY LEAK! My go-to tent these days is Golite Hex3. Spooky sometimes without bug-net. I spent about 100 nights in Wal-Mart puptent, including one during which 10 inches of snow fell & I damned-near froze to death due mainly to condensation. Took 10 years, nearly, before I'd touch a down sleeping bag again. Spent maybe 200 nights in Sierra Designs single-wall one-person, manufactured up until about 1990. Horrible condensation problems in certain conditions with that, & only slightly lighter than a stripped-down puptent. Much better in wind however, in that if it blew down, you'd hardly notice the difference. They all have their place. I'd love to get a First Light too. But have recently gone, employment-wise, from middle class to zero-class & may soon be living in a (Whillans??) box tent.