TBay

The reason for why I bring this up is that an aquaintance, who has a handful hard aid FA's in the Ditch and Zion, mentioned that sometimes the intensity and risk involved for him was so great that he would eat some "mind candy". Avoiding the sobering reality of scaling vertical rock And why bother climbing ("loaded" or "enhanced") if big coporate sponsors dont exist for the sport?

(Re-post) Ethics Question If an athlete is caught using performance enhancing drugs they are stripped of accomplishments, titles, etc. Then should the "First Ascenionist" status be stripped from those who admit using "mind altering drugs" during a first ascent (specifically Yosemite Big Wall Routes)?

Doped up athletes only care (at any cost) about fame (attention), chest-beating, fortune, the American bling and not their sport. Ethics Question If drug enhanced athletes are caught using and are then stripped of accomplishments, titles, etc. Then should the "First Ascenionist" status be stripped from those who admit using "mind altering drugs" during a first ascent (specifically Yosemite Big Wall Routes)?

Specialed is right. Jens got good suggestions. If i'm thinkin' about the same spot the face is littered with killer mono-digit holds (read: bullet holes) AAhhh yes, known to the locals as "Lil' Michelle" (late 80's early 90's): Keggers, family (limbless) tree propagation, guns, fireworks, and of course cliff jumpin'. never knew of a rock climb there, but this place is one of the better cliff jumping locales i know of in WW (be confident with your trajectory when lauching from greater heights - serious). My suggestion Only heard of one other person doing this so listen up. *Drive to Pothole Lake - Bertha Mae Lake (view map link below) *Scramble up to the furthest western most peak (can't remember the name of it) of the sawtooth ridge. *Traverse along the ridge all the way to High Rock Lookout, Give Bud the "what's up", drop off some jelly beans. Imagine yourself in the middle of a mosh-pit and keep your elbow up high. Bypass High Rock Lookout crowds and the rad in-your-face view of Rainier. *Scramble down (loose 4th class) gully to the base of Toad Rock. Gully located a coupla hundred feet downridge (SSE) of Lookout. Option A (Two-day event) *scramble to the top of Toad Rock for one of the most memorable bivies you'll have. Option B (One very very long day) *Scramble up Toad Rock for super killer views minus the HRL mob scence. Make mental note of descent route down to Cora lake. *Make your way down from the base of Toad Rock towards Cora Lake. *You'll come across Trail # 252 on your way to the lake. Take the trail down to the 252/251 intersection. *Cruise west on 251 right back to your vehicle. *go drinking at the Highlander in Ashford (best climbing watering hole) General Overview Down load the real maps USGS

Anyone want to admit to polishing off an "El-Cap-in-a-day" (31+/- pitches) outing at Index. Great Northern Slab (and such) doesn't count!

sounds like i got some explorin' to do next time i pass thru. definitely on the tick list for ski-touring. thanks to all who contributed so far. (feel free to add more.)

While fillin' up the rig in Baker City OR, i couldnt stop starring at the ruggedness ('cragginess') of the Elkhorn Range. the Rand-McNal road altas indicated a town called Granite located up in the Elkhorn Range. With little more than an hour of daylight left we headed out of Baker toward Granite on the Elkhorn Scenic Drive. While on the road to Granite it became evident that the town was named such for good reason. Didn't quite make it to Granite, but spent the alpenglow bouldering on some choice granite boulders just off the road. Sweet Country. I'm stoked to drive the full 100+ mile loop next time i'm out. this is a call out to anyone regarding beta on rock climbing, bouldering, alpine climbing/scrambling, ice, etc., in the Elkhorn Range. Are there any established routes, crags, etc., in the Elkhorn Range?

Is the Bush Plan effective? The Current Stats

Things will get VERRRYYY interesting in approx. 8-10 years when the first wave of B-Boomers retire. The first thing they'll want is their hard earned SS. What ya suppose they'll do when Uncle Sam acts out the 'Dumb and Dumber' scene where LLoyd and Harry open the suitcase of million(s) dollars with of I-O-U's/reciepts? Wirlwind, I'm in the same boat as you, eff SS, i pay into 401K. (i like the knew rule change allowing one to borrow/take out a loan against oneself for up to half of one's current retirement worth w/o being penalized.) But i am concerned. I work with a coupla B-Boomers that plan on cashin' out their 401K after retirement and stuffing it into a savings account ('under the mattress'). They see it like this: retirement at 65, the average US life expectancy is 77, that give 12 years to live it up. They spent 30+ unable to touch any retirement funds, no way in hell they'll let it sit there untouched hoping for further growth. Remember 12 years to live. I'm curious to see the reaction of every 401K participant (let alone the US economy and international) when the US stock market TANKS due to all B-Boomer cashin' out their 401K Stock? Now imagine the compounded reaction of B-Boomers not getting SS, 401K participant losing all retirement, mass unemployement, inflations, etc....doomesday? I predict that a wheelbarrow filled with wheat and a gallon jug of water will become more precious than gold?

typo correction: Destruction The only thing in (broken) english this crazy Uygur nomad uttered to us was, 'Destruction is eminent!'

Worst president in history? Perspective: Liberals claim President Bush shouldn't have started this war. They complain about his prosecution of it. One liberal recently claimed Bush was the worst president in U.S. history. Let's clear up one point: We didn't start the war on terror. Try to remember, it was started by terrorists BEFORE 9/11. Let's look at the "worst" president and mismanagement claims: FDR led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us: Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year. Truman finished that war and started one in Korea, North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,333 per year. John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us. Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost, an average of 5,800 per year. Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent, Bosnia never attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions. In the two years since terrorists attacked us, President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Lybia, Iran and North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. We lost 600 soldiers. Bush did all this abroad while not allowing another terrorist attack at home. Worst president in history? Come on! The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking, but... It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation. We've been looking for evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records. It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Teddy Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick. It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida! Detruction is eminent!

hey chalkball, do not underestimated the power of duct tape! due to one or two people showing skepticism i'll provide some field experiences- 1.) two days hike north of shelter cove (Lost Coast), my brother blows his take-off and gets the work-over by surfboard fins and wave. 4 inch long deep gash even exposing meat on the back of his right thight. What to do in such a remote area? Washed it down with fresh water, sutured the gash then wrapped the wound by wrapping around leg all with duct tape. 2.5 days later in Garberville, wound was unwrapped and the doctor amazed at amount of healing and no infection. (wound was then reopened and properly cleaned). 2.) last shot of the day while day touring out by Fernie, we watched a split-boarder huck a cliff, land in less-than-optimal-terrain, and ride down the rest of the slope on his back. upon inspection, ankle was broke. dealt some codeine to him (OTC in canada), found a coupla sticks and splinted the shit out of his ankle with duct tape. and yes there was a sufficient amount of duct tape wound-up on ski poles. under his own power we made it out before midnight. 3.) approached a party sittin' on their packs on the interglacier complaining they'll never make it to camp shurman. 3 of 4 members had boots off and bitchin' about hot spots, blisters, and raw flesh. "No i dont carry moleskins" was my response, "but what i do have works better." i peeled some duct tape off my trekking pole and gave each enough to protect their meaty lookin' heels and told them this is what i always use. well,look who rolled into camp before sunset, in high spirits! for the rest of the night they were testifying to all the other trudge-o-lites the power of duct tape, one was even showin' off his meaty heels... i remember at a Jim Donini slide show, shown a slide of his damn-near-sliced-off finger he suffered while climbing a route in the Ruth with Couch. did they bail. in true fashion, Jim present another slide showing his finger dressed with duct tape. then he climbed another 1000 feet of finger crack and what not. once back at basecamp he removed the duct tape, Jim provided a slide showing the miraculously healed finger. so obiviously he decided not to call for proper medical attention.

Go super-fast and super-light. Duct Tape (roll it up on your ski poles) A bottle of Codeine Its been effectively field tested.

could that handle double up as a snow saw now? if so, can i mail you mine. speakin' of snow shovel handles... back in the early 90's, i once labored in a machine shop along side a tele-wook. on break Mr. Wook decided to tap a coupla extra holes into his shovel handle, why, i dont know, maybe a backcountry bong or for a backcountry 'native american fluting' experience. anyways, a jerry garcia solo kicked in on his music box, so he leaned forward resting his head on the top of the drill press and began rolling his head back and forth with the rhythm (or whatever you hippies do during a JG solo). the dude was reallly gettin' into the jerry thing. well the dumbass forgot to turn the press off! Question? have any of you ever happened across a (live) deer-elk-antelope hung up in a rancher's fence, flopping around, high pitched screams, the look of absolute terror in their eyes? well picture this, his long nappy hair once tucked behind his ears ended up in the proverbial rancher's fence. First came the blood curtling screams. Secondly i saw a body floppin' around like a gaffed fish. Thirdly the stench of burning hair (burning pachouli?). Luck for him, what bound-up hair that didnt get pulled out was greasy enough to allow the drill to continue since he didnt feel like pushing the big red STOP button. Upon approach i gained visuals of an 'effed-up' right hand (an initial reaction to not hit the BIG RED BUTTON but rather he attempted to grab the actual drill). he lived. not too sure if he ever punched holes in his handle. if anyone offers you a rip from a snow shovel handle up at roger's pass ask to see his right hand and head.

Subject: The Ant and the Grasshopper OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold. MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself! MODERN (Politically correct?) VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green." Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake. Tom Daschle & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Peter Jennings that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share." Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act," retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government. Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case. The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood. MORAL OF THE STORY: Vote Republican

...hit the wrong button. MisterE check out this site for the world of Trip-Hop pleasures Ninjatunes ...once your done listenin' to the lollipop lickin' music, tune in for sound of dub DubLab Your first DUB purchase should be: Kruder & Dorfmeister - The K&D Sessions (my mom even like it)

expand the mind

hey MrDoolittle, What's the difference between bouldering and gay sex ?

An old school hardman once asked, "Why climb a boulder in the shadow of a mountain?"

picture this, the opening scene starts with... that is hilarious... hilarious, because it is the dumbest scripting i have ever read/heard. you can't script worth shit! you can't even pretend. it is to nobodies suprise after reading that pulitzer prize winning piece, that you are forever doomed to be a stagehand/janitor. you will never see the bright lights of tinsletown, only changing them... good luck

"Dishes are done, Man!" (pronounced with your best Chong impersonation) a bold FA (turned into a solo) on thin Maple Canyon ice. FAer managed to dinner plate the entire route off the wall as he ascended. zero ice to be climbed for a second ascent that day.

does this mean you are attempting to unionize the "Mounties"? that might actually be a good thing, probably hopeless though.

opposition in all things. anyone can do a web search and find their goal is to promote the union agenda. inside the economic department, as with economic departments of anyother university, one would almost be guaranteed opposing opinions on the matter. like web-based policy centers, college research is and has been influenced with funding by special interest groups. you,ve answered my question on why the curious relationship between union states and above-national-average unemployment rates. i finished shootin' from the hip with you. i'm treadin' deeper into the socio-economic waters with which i become increasingly unfamiliar with. marylou, let liberal/union operated newsources like the New York Times, LA Times, etc, tell you that your wrong. (forgive me j_b, but this is a non-scientific unopinionated news-article database) http://www.stopunionpoliticalabuse.org/Frames/news.htm i'm not suprised that you would completely defend union reps and deny any wrongdoing. as would: -every active pro-baseball and pro-football player denying that their is absolutely no steroid abuse occuring, despite that fact subtle comments are made by retired players and the now federal case involving 'roid distribution to Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Romanowski, etc... -every mexican in a social security card line anywhere in SoCal denying there illegal entrance, despite the fact that they have zero proof/documentation of legal admittance. need i say more on the topic... if i have to tell you a second time i'll make catbirdseat the proud progenitor of the longest cc.com thread ever. how many pages did dan hewitt have? never trust anything you read on the internet good night

was at the airport last night. while hanging out at the baggage claim, i noticed a blind man making his way out a nearby bathroom. i got to thinking and now am very befuddled as to how a blind man knows when he is finished wiping his ass. any idea(s)?