ken4ord

Maybe someone with hard numbers will show me wrong but I was there the summer before last and it did not seem any more crowded than when I first went there 30 years ago. I don't think it is really unreasonably crowded there. Even if the number of visitors hasn't changed, it may be that current and past use isn't sustainable in the long term. As to the kneejerk "government is the problem" crowd, it is telling that you blow your ideological horn without any specific knowledge of the environmental impact assessment. it goes without saying that a via ferrata isn't warranted. All I know is that I was there 3 or 4 years ago and there were probably 20 parties at Applebee and this year there were more like 50 parties, and that's not counting the hut or the lower campground. The place was a zoo! My sample of 2 says that yes, it's way more crowded. Well this year when I was up at Applebee, there was at least 50 parties there for the week we were there. Yeah a zoo, yeah it sort of sucked waiting in line for the shitter, yeah some people were louder than I would have liked, yeah there was waiting on climbs. At least I was there when there was good weather and we got to climb. I'd much rather have that way than more restriction. What blows worse more rstriction, here is true story New Years day waiting for an office to open trying to get a spot for the following winter for use in a restricted area (Oh yeah the office is 5 hour drive away from where you live). The dates you really want were just taken by the party ahead of you in line, so you get the next best dates. Whew, happy to have at least got the permit to get in you make the 5 hour drive back home. All summer you might ocassionally think about it, but for the most part your out getting in some good rock climbing not thinking about it. Fall comes around and you start thinking about the permits you have and getting siked to climb some remote ice. A week before the trip weather reports look like shit, but you hope for the best. Next week you make 15 mile slog in on skis to get to the hut that you will call home for the week. Weather is shit, there is ice, but avy danger too high to do anything, expect for a short buskwhack skis on flat terrain and skins on. Even if you wanted to take some risks still go for a climb, the ranger is there to stop ya. End of the week comes you load up the sleds and ski 15 miles out with out getting a single pitch of ice in. The next week of course is brillant and you hear tales of many pitchs of ice getting climbed, that you couldn't get on. That sucked! I definitely would have prefered to been on the ice with a bunch people than to have the week I had.

Agreed, Buckethead when he was with Praxis was freaking amazing. These days I have not stayed in touch with what he been up to doing these days.

I like it so I can stay in touch with people outside of just the CC com area. Also it has been great to get in touch with old friends and relatives that I have lost touch with. As for it replacing CC com, there is no way. First I sure how I would go about find trip report on FB and especially the one from the Cascades. Also FB is too G rated to have any real good spray. So the verdict, I like em both for differenet reasons.

I am looking forward to hearing from military point of view this war being declared victorious. I definitely agree a lot of the FSO work is most likely inadequate, but I am not sure if I would agree that the military counterparts are more effective. Or at least I haven't heard of examples. It is also a pretty bizzare set-up for these FSO people, because as you say most are female in a male dominated society. Though ones I do know there say in general they are treated with repect, (who knows maybe it is superfical). Then I think that the general Afghani population feels like these people are so far removed from the their lives that their is no way they even begin to understand or help them. And I agrees sitting down and having meetings drinking tea seems so inane and pointless, but what I have found it is that just respectful custom before anything begins. It is part of being native. Even trying to buy a car here in Bangladesh is rediculus, first we sit down have tea talk about families, life, work and all I want to do is buy freaking car. Then the next time I visit we can start talking about available cars and prices. When I started my search at first I went in like an american, what do you got?, how much is it?, and basically I was a bideshis and was getting quoted rediculus prices and told a lot of bullshit.

Like never having to worry about which spouse is going to do the laundry? Go back to your blinders on STFU. Idiot that is not what I was talking about.

Damn I can't believe this winter you all are having.

The other option is not to buy those silly neoprene tube and just blow the water back into the bladder after taking a drink. Cost less and no freaking around.

Yeah I have tried a ton of different shit, Cat Crap, Smith No Fog, Liquid Soap, spit none of it work. I just switched to glasses, there is enough ventilation most of the time to prevent fogging.

Hell if it is freezing as low as it is someone should check out the Amazon wall drip. When Pax and I did HTGT it was about 8 feet from the ground. It would be a cool detached column. There is some bushy stuff off left of it too. There is line I have eyed up past Index that is a preetty good water fall in the spring and dry towards summer that might produce something. Probably a mile or two up past the Index exit on the right, there is tree covered butress. Damn you guys get at while the going is good. I am jealous as hell. Come on too short to be 4- only two funky moves off the ground. Good find on the other Yellow drip thing.

Dasmn I can't that shit is freezing up to climb, I sure as hell hope it stay cold for my visit in March. Sounds like there is going to be an ice climbing season in Washington.

Sweet, that just sounds like a great adventure. What do flights cost between Hong Kong and Yangshuo? I might have to pull off a long layover in Hong Kong sometime.

I just played my LP after years of it sitting in the stack. I'd forgotten how much I liked them. I would definitely put Henry Cow on the list and almost all things done by Fred Frith *Can *Bill Laswell and anything he has worked on *Brian Eno and anything he has worked on *Germs *Micheal Nyman *The MC5 and Iggy Pop and Stooges *Psychedelic TV *Swans *Captain Beefheart

I dont know if Pink Floyd is overated so much but more ahead of their time but "Dark Side Of The Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" was their best,I just found out that David Gilmour played the Saxophone,Synthesizer,Still Guitar,and lead Guitar Plus Sang on both but the Bass (Roger Waters) and Keyboad (Richard Wright) who just died this year wrote most of the songs! I seen them in Portland front row agianst the stage center in 77 Animals tour,it was clean and a well done show, Animals and The Wall Were O.K. but Momentary Lapes Of Reason was Great!IMO Its funny how when i Play Floyd around my 70-80 year old Relatives their like wow thats so good who is it? I tell them its Syphcodelic space music! ELP,YES,and THE MOODY BLUES all were in the Syphcodelic space music and sounded clean live just like their Albums,very good shows! BUT NOT ROCK & ROLL!! Dude you can't be buying that Pink Floyd troll, don't you realize that bonehead talk out his ass and when he is serious he doesn't know what the fuck he is talking about. Their earlier years just freaking way ahead out their time (or should I say spanned tons timepoints and whirled them together sound soup), seriously mental. Over the years though after Darkside it would have been fine with me if they stopped making music, they didn't have the creativity free flowing energy to play and have fun, it became a job and you hear it.

Holy shit I can't believe it you finally wrote something that I agree with you on. I volunteered to get a free ticket to a phish show and left after three songs.

A mess indeed. I don't think that going back to the Taliban would work out so well at this point because there are so many warlord and northern alliance types that have been armed and funded by us for so long that they could keep a full on civil war going without our continued support. The Taliban were a pretty bad group live under and I don't think that the Afgan people would let themselves go back to living that way without a fight. Going back to the days of warlords seems like a better bet, but I would assume that the Taliban or whoever has the most guns would rise up and take everyone over. As for your third point, that's what we have been trying to do, but there is no end in sight. Afganistan has a long history of beating off foreign influence. It's a terrible situation. Hopefully someone who is smarter than most of us will come along with some better ideas. Another good book on the subject is "The Lion's Grave" written by a journalist named Jon Lee Anderson, who was in Afganistan in the late 80's, and went back just after 9/11. It talks about the assassination of Ahmed Shah Masood, a northern alliance leader who seemed to have more support than anyone else in the country. He was killed on 9/10/01. You raise good point about weapons that have been given out to warlord and northern alliance, definitely complicates matters worse in having either warlord or Taliban control. There is that saying that few apples spoils the bunch, in this there maybe a little more than a few, but in general from the sounds of it the Afghanis, who are the bystandards really sound wonderful. I live in Muslim culture and there are some real nice aspects to it.

What I know about this place is because I am here, and because I've been here for 4 straight years. The way you tell it, based on 2nd or 3rd hand knowledge holds a small amount of truth, but in general it is alarmist bullshit rhetoric. Stop stink bombing this place with defeatism. The problem with 'your friends' is that a lot of them are short timers, marking time until they move out to their next USAID assignment or move to a plush embassy in Europe. Or they come in here with expectations which are unrealistic. They won't be here long enough to make a difference, so in their heads it's a done deal. Do they think they are going to defeat the Taliban with the information in their cell phones? How is that making a difference. In the business we call people like that REAR ECHELON MOTHERFUCKERS. You have to get out amongst them every day, go a little native so to speak. You have to have character, commitment, and spine to make this place work, or to get inside the head of this place. It's never going to be Dubai, and right across the border is a haven of nutters intent on subjugating everyone and everything to some arcane law which bears no resemblance to decency or modernity. You're dealing with caveman. How do I know that? Once again, because I am here and have been here long enough to have earned a masters degree in US/Afghan relations. Good luck with your opinions, but I have to raise the bullshit flag on some of it. This is a FIFTY year deal, not a 'were going to tidy this thing up in 2-3 years". Mistakes were made, mistakes continue to be made. However, with some spine things will get done here, just know it's NEVER going to be up to a western standard. Don't expect such. Yes I agree my knowledge of the area is second hand, but from people I consider that have a lot of integrity and commitment in making this world a better place to live. As far the folks I know, they have not come in with great expectation, but are still commited to their work (btw, none are embassy people or usaid and none short timers, expect for one who had a gun at his head but the shooter din't pull the trigger after that he called it quits). As far as being alarmist and stink bombing the place, I call bullshit. Just look at the freaking history of that place, (30 year fighting off Russians, what are we at 6 year or 7 year fighting off US). And now look at the way America and rest of the developed world like to deal with places like this, (basically go in throw a lot of military might and/or money and call victory, job done). Yes I agree if we really want change and to help stabilize the country it is a 50 year deal like you say, will we as American and other nations behind this project do that? My best guess is NO, it is really too bad because it is one of those countries and culture I love to explore and see, but I have a feeling it won't hapen in my life time. And you talk about going native, I hardly doubt you are sitting down with village elders having tea discussing how to work together to make Afganistan a better, safer and freer place. That is what I would consider going native is. If you are I highly respect you. btw- the whole cell phone point more about not making change with cell phones, I don't know where the fuck you got that one. It was point out that the Taliban are not stupid bunch of hillbillys, they are fighters and dedicated fighters and will not stop fighting. They are smart and know how to use technology to their advantage, even if it is much more limited than the technology US troops are using. They will expose and find any type of weakness to keep fighting for the cause.

Yo fuckedweather, I already believe are paying there fair share. Anyone who is paying state taxes is paying ofr the road, sidewalks, schools, parks, and bike lanes whether they use them or not. All of the licensing fee that are associated with the things mentioned in the article go towards enforcement agencies. Why should cyclist pay for law enforcement agencies who could give a crap about cyclist rights on the road? Wake up.

Ha, ha, shit I thought the country I was living in was flat. At least in the hills it gets as high as 4000 ft.

1. No, if you can't climb snow steps, you probably can't climb a ladder. Also would this increase usage of that passage, which question 2 is addressing? 2. No, the season so short there and it currently seems to be managed quite well. I didn't see much trash out and about, no feeces about, but a little errosion issue but nothing major. Granted some of the climbs are quite crowded and I would love to have them all to myself, but not at the cost of increasing difficulty of gaining access.

Afganistan is mess, there is no doubt about that and there is not going to be an easy solution. From what I understand there are three options on the table for the Afgan people, one go back to the days of warlord and regions controlled by small military factions (not so popular). Two go under the control of the Taliban at least there is some stability throughout most of the country (from a western view not popoular from and Afgan view more popular because there stability though it may be too restrictive and conservative). The third is to wipe out the Taliban and put in place democratic government, but really I don't that this can be sucessful there at least now. It not because Afgani's don't want there freedom, but they realize just getting rid of the Taliban is going to allow short term gains like building infrastructure (though I am not sure how much we will be able to build due to the fact that we have streched ourselves so thin in Iraq). Once we leave though and what is feared is that the warlords will eventually takeover again. I really sort of believe our best bet is to get out of there, but working in conjunction with the Taliban. Try to get them to agree on adressing particular issues, of course this would have to be done through the current Afgan administration. No surges or influx of troops going to stop them. Currently we have less troops than the Russians had and less Afgan troop support. The Taliban still have major controll over most of the country and have been closing in on Kabul. They have enough power to get the cell companies to shut down reception at night, track people movement through cell reception, a friend says she can't keep any phone numbers in her phone cause if they stop her and find out who she is working for she could be taken hostage. The Taliban have also still be able to pull off attacks in what are "considered safe zone". I have friends living there now and who have lived there, basically everyone makes it sound like a lost cause. Out of everyone I know who has been there or is there, none seem to feel that their organizations are having a positive impact. All of them agree that they are a risk everyday they are there. I am curious to see how the Obama administration is going to deal with Bush/Rumfield mess.

That is freaking great looking climbing. :tup:

What wrong man the pills ain't working for ya? Maybe just get yourself a guitar and start playing with that instead. All I would like is to be able to get on a freaking plane. I am going on one week of being stuck in Bangkok, I guess there could be lot worst places to be stuck.

In general if there is a walk-off, I'll take that rather than rapping a route with fixed anchors. I think you are being old and lazy. Now if was a non-walk-off mountain then maybe there could be some justification, but really how many descents do you really need?

Though I realize you are being completely sarcastic, it probably will help the situation some do close down Guantanmo. It will be interesting to see what their demands will be with the hostages being held. Isalm in general is very peaceful oriented and devote religion. I live in a country that is more than 80% muslim and feel no concern about safety to be honest. I have found them to be very generous people and very famil oriented more so than most other people in the world, especially considering most of them have been dealt this shit that everyone of them must be part of jihad or some terrorist organization. These terrorist cells are no different than what you find in the States and Europe in white supremecy groups. Their extremist and represent a small minority.

yeah and in my case, add move out of the country to the list. Damn I miss ice climbing hell any kind of climbing. Nice TR, I damn jealous.