shapp

So Kurt, Assuming you weren't a climber and didn't happend to know any climbers personally, how would you have handled the situation. From what I understand the rangers happened to get luck and knew a climber, who knew a nother climber that could go and help. From you posts, I assume that A) you are not a dog lover, possiblly you were bit as a child, B) you are on the search and resuce squad and you are trying to justify not going out and saving the dog cause you don't think it is worth the time. So is it just good bye to old fydo in your book or what? I mean this stuff happens, the kid just lost a hold on the leash and the dog jumps off the cliff. Do you have no sympathy or what?

Based on my conversation with the rescuer the dog was a yellow lab or golden retriever about 70 or 80 pounds about 100 to 120 feet down, with another 60 or 80 feet of nasty vertical cliff below and I think that some heineous death river/water course was below that. The rest of the story goes that the rescuer showed up at about 3:30 or 4am cause he couldn't sleep worring about the dog on th ledge. He wanted to go right away when first told on sunday night. the rangers or who ever didn't want to get there until 7 or 8 am. Anyway he goes up to find the dog with the rangers directions, but directions are wrong. Soe me makes several exporatory raps and jugs before the rangers finally show up and they get to the right spot. Then he raps down and the dog freaks when he gets close and jumps off the ledge, but catches his leash on some sort of snag or protrusion and the dog is being hung in the air by the leash. For some reason the rope barely makes it (figure 8 tied in the end, I think the rope was a heafty but short static line, not a standard 50 meter rope). Anyway, bottom line is the rope barely makes it to the leash snag, but he can't actually reach the dog and with not time to re-rig cause the dog is hanging himself he grabs the leash and hand over hand pulls the dog up to him. Then he quickly throws a but bag around the dog and clips him off, the whole time the dog is totally freaking. Also, the people up top can't communicate cause of the loud falls/river. Basically he dude nuts up and jug hauls this freaking out mutt like some kind of haul pig on crack. He said one of the hardest things he has ever done. Kid that lost the dog and parents ect. were up on top to retrieve their 4 legged family member with much joy and I expect a lot of tears.

TLG, Bottom line is that more people own dogs within the City of Seattle than have children (based on the City's stats), so a lot of people out there should be aware that if something happens to your animal you will be very lucky to have it rescued by anyone. Based on this incident the family was extremely lucky to find anyone to rescue the dog in time to save its life. BTW, I know a lot of dogs that I would rescue first before some people I know.

Yeah you're probably right. They made the right decision in leaving the dog to starve on the ledge.

Two sets of regular stoppers and cam hooks, in addition to your standard free climbing cam rack is all you need. The cam hooks are the single best thing you could bring to speed your aid on LC as long as you know how to use them.

Congradulations to the CC.comer who got a call on sunday night and went up to Wallace falls early in the morning yesterday and single handedly recued the dog that fell over 100 feet down a cliff to a ledge. The Snohomish County Search and Rescue wouldn't do it, the cops, fire department, parks department all would do nothing to save a boys dog that fell down the cliff. From what I understand it was clear from the top of the cliff that the dog had survived and was safely on a ledge.

Put it in a vice, and bust it in half with a big hammer. Take it to a popular 5.7 sport route and hang half the broken biner off a hanger about 1/2 way up.

Those crags in the seven devils are a long way from the limestone climbing on the idaho side of the Snake River just upstream from Oxbow. Likewise Riggins is far away. This thread ain't about the littly bitty rock near Riggins, but the fast amout of limestone near oxbow.

I am amazed you couln't reach the bolts. Most of the newer sport routes seem to have bolts every 5 or 6 feet.

I have not gone to hells canyon this way cause I was always coming from NE oregon, but I know freinds from boise go north towards payette and head off west eventually hitting a gravel road that drops down to hells canyon, which is more direct than going to Baker then over to Oxbow. Should be able to find it on the Gazetter. Also, if you are going from boise then the TG Brewery is defenitely out unless you are making a detour to go repeat some Steve House route our going to the dihedrals p.s. anyone know anything about the dihedrals upstream a couple miles from Wallawa Lake. I found directions in a hiking book. Went and checked it out about 7 years ago. There were a bunch of bolts and I climb a few pitches. Not too bad.

That brewery would make a long detour unless you were traveling from Lewiston, but the beer might be worth it.

I forgot to say that if it was a hot climber chick that lost the cam, Robinhood would pimp that action regardless of the maidens financial status for all the booty!

Robinhood would assess the financial status of the potential cam looser, and if the looser was poor, give back to the poor bastard. If a rich microsoft employee, then Robiinhood would realocated the cam to a climber of lesser financial stature such as myself. Jesus would quickly multiply the cam in to many thousand using his devine powers and distribute to all climbers around the world who would here his message of peace and good handcracks for all! I would keep the booty in good finders keepers loosers be damned tradition!

The grades don't seem stiff to me at the lower grades, below 5.10 they seem soft to me. Probably right on above 5.10+. The trad grades seem pretty right on too. Move along, move along, these are not the steep featured limestone routes you are looking for. Try Verdon, it is only a little farther and you can buy a guide book.

No Sobo, you take the Mt. Emily Summit road exit, not the Meachum exit. See Pogues site listed above for the correct beta.

Camp any place along the summit road once you get off I-84. There are several good spots off the last spur to the climbing area. Please pack out what you bring, use established sites, only build fires in established rings and while you are at it, pick up a few more pieces of garbage that might be there already.

one should not rule that possibility out! I hear Californians are into bondage and pink lycra

Just the old Abalakov cam with a new twist (Abalakov's design which was reportedly "borrowed" by Lowe for their fundamental tricam design). Incidently, Metolious may have "borrowed" from an old Russian design when comming up with their curved hex design. I climbed with an East German on a climbing/bicycle road trip of the western U.S. in 1995 that had some Russian color coded anadized curved hexes that looked almost identical to the new metolious curved hexes. We climbed together for a couple days at Smith. Maybe some of those metolious lurkers were there that day?

Dr. Flash is right again. I have a freind the grew up in Ashland, went to college, became a professional and moved back to teach. He and his wife couldn't afford a place in Ashland so they had to move to talent and commute. You shouldn't have to commute in a town the size of Ashland. However, Dr. Flash, my understanding is that a lot of the Californians moving in are retirees not 2nd home buyers.

As a native Oregonian (and evan as one that grew up in the Eugene-Sprinfield area) I must agree with RuMR. Southwestern Oregon is way cool. I have lived all over oregon from the coast the way east side, and even John Day. You get what you make of it in any small oregon town. There are cool people and places to go climbing and do othe stuff all over Oregon. Only one disagreement, Ashland is way better than Monroe, North Bend ore Leavenworth. There is nothing artsy fartsy about any of those places. I don't believe you can catch shakespear in Monroe (maybe a disease from a convict or an ass rape by a molestor). Although they do have a better movie theater than Everett!

actually located in the blue mountain, not the wallowas. Very good mostly one pitch sport and trad routes. Best bolted route that goes nearly free with bomber natural gear is Flaked Out, very fun trad routes include Pod of God and Chopper, best mixed route is Epiphany (finger crack) then go straight up over the bolted roof instead of cutting left. Very favorite trad route is Hospital Corner. Many Many Many Many sport routes all of which are mostly high quality, and don't worry about runouts cause there are more bolts than you have draws. Can be crowded on the weekends by Whitman kids.

I too am working on a piece of art and need several items for my "ode to crack" master piece. What I think would complete my piece de resistance are 2 metolius number 1 TCU's, a couple of Leeper cam hooks (the small and medium sizes); a number 5 BD cam, a couple more KB's (short and thin) and some of those new WC zeros. I would like to pay as little as possible as I am an indegent climbing artist with a big beer habbit. Once these supplies are aquired the masterpiece will be disclosed to the masses latter this summer. Thanks for any help on my artistic aquisition list

Amen to Skyclimb, I had several freinds that took some wingers on some of those routes to the right of the tube. Left with a little road rash and battered ego (just cause they could crank 5.11 in the gym, but couldn't get up a 5.10- outside). That road rash just made them aspire to new levels, climb a little harder, focus a little more and control the sewing machine leg. How do you learn to do this on the new routes I see in these pictures. I would by no means have considered any of the older routes as "run-out". Just "sporty" just far enough to make you think about what you were doing. Yeah the bolts were spaced a fair ways apart, but you would'nt be taking like 30 or 40 footers. Like skyclimb said, maybe a 20 footer at the most. Too dam bad. To the new Flagstone route setters, don't come to Darrington! Or let me rephrase that, come on up to Darrington, I am sure we could really show you where to drill your next hole ---- right behind your right ear! to the hilt!

No doubt there are more things to be concerned with, but this is a climbing website. I didn't say anthing about chopping bolts or other BS like that. Obviously after reading this long thread, that would accomplish nothing. Fuck off to all the on-line editors as well. Bottom line: if you have to place a bolt closer than your own body length on a slab within spitting distance on either side from more than one established climb, maybe you should rethink drilling a route. Spend your $600 on something else besides a power drill, like maybe a guide to take you out and give you some more climbing experience. The reason I posted was that I have climbed a lot at Flag, although a long time ago. I was surprised to see the photo in the gallery with the bolt line next to the tube. It practically looks like an aid climb from the photos that the other folks posted. It just makes me kind of sad to read through these serveral pages on this thread. If you can't understand this type of feeling then there really is no hope for you. I guess the old days are gone forever. Flagstone was a very special place for me too. I remember the first time we came up to the base and walked around to the right. It was like christmas. The rock seemed so bomber and unlike any other place that I had climbed in Oregon. So much different than the basalt crags or Smith. It defenitley is a nice spot in terms of variety from the standard Smith nubbin vest. It was so much fun launching up some of those routes, without a guide, nor any knowledge of the routes, taking the small run-outs on for what was then an unusual rock type that felt a little uneasy at first. For bolted climbs, the adventure was indeed very good.

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=9993&size=big&sort=1&cat=last7 I just came across this photo in the gallery. I haven't been to Flag for about 12 years now, but we used to go there all the time in the early 90s and savor those tasty slabs with the spicy bolt placements. So is this really how things have become. I can't believe all the bolts on this route. When did this route to the left of the hydrotube get so many bolts, and who among you thought it a good idea to ruin this part of the crag! There were already a bunch of routes left of the tube at least 3 routes where located there between the tube and the steeper wall around to the left. I can't believe someone would try this type of crap. What is the current state of affairs at flagstone now. Jason