ken4ord

Ditto, not too much traffic on those routes and should be a real adventure newbies. RR on Higher was my first Yosemite climb when I was a newbie, luckily for me all leading was done by my partner. BB's first couple pitches weren't bad from what I remember, steep, but not to hard, but I didn't make it much further because the sky dropped in on us and it started pouring. I haven't heard Royal Arches mentioned. It has large ledges so it is easy to let groups past if you need too.

Damn I must of been super stoned, cause I don't remember DNA-RNA time regression, hey wtf is that shit anyways? The only regression I remember in that cloudy haze, was regressing back to becoming a climber again.

A poli-sci college professor of mine, who's focus was on civil administration in developing nations told me a story of how he was pulled over for some similar shit in Ethiopia. He just refused to pay any money, and told the police that if he broke a law to take him to the police station, jail, or whatever. They police didn't really know what to do, so they just let him go. That worked for me on Zanzibar. When got pulled over for not having drivers licenses or permit. The police insisted it was going to be a big fine, but that we could pay them and it would be ok. We told them if we were guilty they should take us down and we would pay our fines. It went back and forth for about an hour and eventually they realized they weren't getting any money from us. We agreed to meet at the police station the next Wenesday and settle our case, yeah right, our flight was on Tuesday so it didn't matter. Later that day we were stopped again, the same thing happened, they tried to get a bribe from us but never succeeded. Another time in Mexico, we were in a car accident where we rolled the car. The first thing we did was to make sure we were alright. The second thing we did was to hide most of our money in case the police showed up. The third thing we did was to hide the car from the police as quick as possible. Gotta love developing countries, I guess it suits my anaarchist tendencies.

Yeah think again! Baboons have been giving me a hard time at the crag I have been visiting lately. It is bad enough that I don't get to climb as frequently as I would like, but then to have them cut my days short, sucks. You can read about it in my TR on the last couple times I have visited a cliff we have dub as Panga .

Yeah I think I'd tell her anything she want to hear with a gun pointed at me.

Well Dave you got your work cut out for you. Make sure you have some help getting home, damn I definitely needed it that night . Also don't plan on going into work the next day, I didn't. I wouldn't even think about it. Good luck. Oly do your part John as says. Bring your wife, I am sure everyone is dying to meat her. She is hot, if she is anything like her avatar. Fandango, damn are you crazy saying something like that. Shit you might as well show up to the door in a sheep costume handing out velcro gloves. Hope it is your cup of tea. Mos_Chillin, good thing I had a good friend looking out for my ass (literally) otherwise I am sure Klenke Klown would have taken advantage of my drunken sorry state. And for the rest of you freaks have fun

Toulouse is awesome city, spent some time there last summer. The climbing I went to was Valle du Lot, very nice wine country, good sport climbing, caving.

Wildass Western climbing.

Did someone say Renton?

South Africa has it fair share of problems when it comes to climbing. Cars can be broken into or stolen, robberies at the crag either at gun point or machete, and the wildlife too. Cool though, I am starting to get used to all this crazy climbing. Hell when I get back to the states to climb it is going to feel like a walk in the park compared to the full on adventure climbing that Africa has to offer.

I think you still need to learn how to spell....

Yeah yeah yeah, you so suck. I want to live some place like New Zealand, hopefully someday.

Well I have joined the ranks of ex-pats world-wide. My girlfriend moved out here for a job, I followed suit a few months later. I was originally just going to be a house boy, but that was short-lived and I ended up getting a job within two weeks setting up a laboratory for HIV clinical studies. We got maybe another year here, then who know where we will go.

Eh?

Oh yeah the second language there is Portugese. Also a co-worker of mine lived there for 3 years, she loved it. All aspects of it. The diving over there is suppose to be phenomenal.

There is a ton of untouched rock in Mozambique. Over the last several year there has been numerous trips to Mozambique from Europeans and South Africans establishing big lines. As for cragging though from what I have heard there is not much established, but I am sure there is a ton of potential. Check out Alards Big Wall Climbing for some info. There was also a trip that I read about where some guys rented a big overlander and went across the country mainly doing single pitch trad and sport routes for a month or so, sorry I can't remember where the article was. From all accounts of climbing I have read, the rock is somewhat featureless and void of cracks that people states side are use too. As for culture and people, I have no idea what it is like there. If it is anything like the rest of Africa, people are generally cool and laidback, even though in some areas they struggle to get food on their plates. And like in other undeveloped countries, you just have to keep yourself from being open to thievery. As for Mulange, it is not jungle climbing, but quite dry. Actually the last they have been in a drought. The route up it is 1700m it goes at 5.9, but is a 5.10 leaders 5.9, most of the route does not take natural gear and the bolts that are in place at 10+ year old 1/4 inchers. Be prepared for long run out slab climbing and very tricky maze like descent. I have friends that own property at the base of the mountain and they said it really easy to get lost on the mountain, in fact they lost a friend up there, she dissappeared never to be seen or heard from again, even after numerous attempts to find her. The thought is maybe she came accross some poachers or hyenas got her. It is unknown. Well if you move down there we should get in touch and maybe plan a trip, though I am not sure how much I will be able to get away in the upcoming years for a bit at least.

Well I am not climbing as much as I was before (I use to go every weekend). I am lucky if I get out to the cliffs once a month. What I have been doing is a lot of cycling and I am working on building a woodie in the backyard. I ocassionally go to the gym and workout with weights, but that is boring. Right now my biggest weakness is the mind, there is only one way to train that and that is to get out frequently.

Now you call yourself a climber, damn dude how can you leave home without at least your shoes??? I don't go anywhere without them. We found some great horizontal roof problems you would dig, and with my new woodie in the back, I am going to flip some coin for a Rwandan bouldering pad (aka. a foam mattress and a chunk of carpet to throw over the top of it). I am sure it will work pretty good, but it will be a pain in the ass to lug around. What is that suppose to mean? Not getting enough these days?

Hey hey hey what about me???? Right now it is too long of a flight, but damn I would love to go out there. How is their HIV problems out there, if they have any? Misti and I have talk about getting off this continent, we would love to get to some place in the Himalayas, but if that was the case though I would find it difficult to leave. If end some place south though, different story. How long will you be out there? What about you been getting any rock in over there? I know right now it is colder than hell, but the rubber really sticks in cold conditions and you wouldn't need any chalk. Seriously I have seen all your cool landscape photos any rock photos to through into the mix?

What is with the dude playing pocket pool down in the left hand corner?

No shit that is Pygmy meat, there is no way I would pay that much. If told a Rwandan that you spent that much for sheep they would think that you are completely nuts.

I am sure we have about 1000 times as many people to livestock here in Rwanda. It's crazy.

yep it's gotta be a troll, nobody would really ask that dumb of a question or would they?

You poor bastards. We got a couple German butchers in town that have really good meat though expensive. I can get steaks for $2.50/lb, bacon less than a $1.00/lb, pate $0.75/lb, ham 0.50/lb. If I go to the market I a can buy a whole goat for $20-30 completely dressed and a whole sheep for $10-12 completely dressed. Alcohol though is beyond the local brew is expensive, my Chimay costs me $5 for a little bottle, but I can spend the same amount and drink Mutzig or Primus until I fall down. cost $10 for a half and it's not half bad.

What about the rock and ice????? I was looking into moving there at one point, it looks like there is a lot of cool shit climb out there. Got any pictures?