Rad

Camalots can be often be 'rocked' just a bit to set them, and I usually do this. It reduces the liklihood they will rotate later, which may help prevent failure or keep them from walking somewhere you don't want them to go etc. Doesn't work for three cam units.

I've decided to try to double your contribution to the Index Fund, and mine, by matching the first $500 of contributions made between now and midnight, Saturday May 22nd. You can post in this thread or send me a pm if you wish to remain anonymous. I'll post the tally at the end of each day. If we get to $500 really fast then maybe someone else can make a similar offer for the next block. So if you love to climb at Index lower town wall... or enjoyed it immensely back in the day... or are excited to finally see a bathroom installed... and want to see it preserved for future generations of climbers instead of being closed and turned into a mine... Then please consider contributing to the Index Climbing Fund. $300,000 is needed. MattP can comment on where we stand in that regard. http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/IndexFund/ Donations are tax deductible. Please find out if your employer matches charitible donations, because then we can go even higher. Thank you.

Please post the time and date of your event as I might be interested in attending if it's open to the public. Thx (Sorry, I don't have a device for you, but you can rent a PLB)

Trip: Index - isn't all loose rock... Date: 5/15/2010 Trip Report: despite what you may have heard. That said, Mike's wife was out of commission because a block fell out of Orc Tower and landed on her leg last weekend. She'll be fine, and in the meantime I got to steal Mike for a perfect day at the crag. The sun was out, everything was amazingly green, and the birds were singing. Even the Grinch would be hard pressed to frown. We linked GM to Heart of the Country to warm up. HotC (p3) has got to be in the running for one of the most perfect hand cracks in WA. Too bad it's not longer. This variation is probably more fun and easier than the final pitch of GM. We thought about leading Phone Calls but that upper mantle looks hard and quite a bit above a rusty bolt. Is it possible to get a small nut in to protect the final mantle? If so, I might be willing to give it a go next time. Zoom was occupied so we headed up Mourning Star and on to the Zoom anchor via vertical jungle. MS has cleaned up nicely since I was on it a couple of years ago. It looks like if the chopped stump is cleaned out it will pull out a few blocks that will change the route. We sent Mike up Leave My Face Alone as he hadn't been on it before. What a wonderful climb. Don't be deterred by the moss and lichen down low. It isn't a factor. It was getting pretty hot in the sun at this point, causing some foot creep on knobs, but it was still doable. Looks like someone has ticked spots for better bolt placements. A few of the upper bolts are not in good clipping stances, but the route is well-protected. Definitely bring a 70m rope so you can get back to the Zoom anchor. I then lead Hairway to Stephen. This one has some really fun moves involving multiple mantles. Thin in places, huge jugs in others. Balancy, great rock. I'm not sure where the crux was, but on the second to last mantle I got in so tight, holding onto the tiniest of holds for balance while standing up, that I scraped my sunglasses on the wall. Good thing they only cost ten bucks. A great route. I was psyched to get the onsight. You definitely need a 70m to get down to the Zoom anchor. Time for one more before heading out. Mike drew the straw and headed up Elvis Nixon (aka Kite Flying Blind p1). It took multiple tries to get past the first crux, and then he got stymied by the second crux. I didn't fare much better but did manage to get to the anchors. Mike then got the whole thing clean on TR. We'll have to come back to lead it cleanly on a cooler day when we're a bit fresher. But we did have fun TRing Just Say No to Frank Sinatra. Mike is 6.3" and I am 6' with a positive ape index of +3 so we were able to make both of the reaches without too much difficulty. It's basically a three bolt boulder problem to a much easier finger crack. Worth coming back to lead next time. The country was very popular today. When we left there were 12 people around the base. Two were climbing, two were belaying, and the other eight were lying on the ground staring up at the clouds and the climbers. Everyone was sharing ropes and chilling. We jumped in the river and headed home and found one last bonus: no traffic on route 2, 522, 405, or 520. Now that's a miracle! I made it back in plenty of time for a family dinner followed by my son's first school musical. A different kind of fun. A wonderful day at a wonderful crag. Makes me want to make another contribution to the Index Fund. What about you? http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/IndexFund/ Gear Notes: Rack and QDs Approach Notes: Flip flops.

for Sol and Doug! Trust people and it makes the world a better place.

W Ridge Conness. Probably longer than 3000 ft too.

I think Crest Jewel is much better than Royal Arches, though very different creatures. Hike in and out from Tuolumne, leave the rack behind, and avoid the North Dome Gully descent.

NE Buttress of Higher Cathedral is choice. Braille book is fun too. Nutcracker is crazy popular, and I think both of the routes above are better. If you do it maybe go in the late afternoon to avoid a mid-morning crunch. It has several variations that all lead into the third pitch, so there tends to be a funnel of newbies channeling their enegies there. Better yet, go solo the thing first thing Monday morning and score yourself a new set of cams they left behind.

or at least Uranus

Thanks. Best case is dry. Worst case is A0. In the middle is free with a little xtra adrenaline like when pi DHLA is wet, which it often is. I feel confident the goodness above it will be dry

I've only been on it in the summer. Any comment on whether it is likely to be wet the day after some showers and rain? thanks.

Yes, but we're not telling you what they're rated

I don't understand the fuss about ratings. If a climb is great does it matter if one book calls it 10d and another 11a? Or if one person's TR calls it 11- and someone else 10c? The climb is what it is. Ratings are subjective. As long as they are within a letter grade or two of the consensus then any would be suitors have some approximation of what they might expect. In this day of videos and endless internet beta, it is sometimes really fun to go climb something where you have no idea what it's rated. You stand at the base with your partner and say, "yeah, that looks fun and doable with solid gear, let's give it a go". Then one can be free of preconceptions of "this will be a total cruise" or "no way I can free that route" both of which detract from one's ability to be positive, focused, and climbing at one's best.

summit, newsflash: the internet records all of your annoying gadfly tactics for the whole world to see for all eternity. Avatar anonymity is a sham as anyone with half a brain will eventually connect you to you. Try sharing some positive energy here and you may find partners and friends. Or you can just keep digging your hole deeper and end up a grouchy old geezer who hates bolts. Golden rule... cheers, Radrigo

Heart of the Country has a 10a hands section and an 11b crack, if I recall correctly.

In the 10+ to easy 11 range you might try Cunning Stunt, Tunnel Vision, Angora Grotto, Leave My Face Alone, and Heaven's Gate. Others I haven't done but want to are Kite Flying Blind, Hairway to Stephen and Golden Road. They're safe so go for it!

Want to learn about investment? Read thirty years of shareholder reports for Berkshire Hathaway written by Warren Buffet. Not only does he know how to invest better than anyone on the planet, but he's a great and funny writer to boot.

There will be plenty of great climbing to be had. Shoot me a pm when you get back, Tim, and let's go climb something.

chicken heads rock, but that middle one is not perky enough to keep anything on board.

Weather in your window will determine your options so while researching is good, make sure you have options in different places (e.g. Rainier or Forbidden area if weather is good or Enchantments or even farther afield if weather is poor in Western WA.

Nope, but I've seen lots of leaf cutter ant colonies. They are really cool too. BTW, one defn of civilization is division of labor - and ants qualify! But humans are still better because we have middle managers, and even micromanagers...

"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to do, Nothing ain't worth nothin', but it's free."

Thank you for the work!

Great. When I put up a new route I'll make sure to use 1/4 steel that rusts away within a couple of years. That way people can get really scared on stuff that was safe on the FA.

yep...that old aluminum hanger is just like the one used by the FA!! , likewise them bomber 1/4"-ers!!!!! Same as the day they were put in, i tell ya! keepin' it real... This sums it up for me too. I've clipped bolts in Yosemite and Pinnacles and many other places that might have been safe and solid when they went in but are garbage now. Reputable areas and organizations, including Yosemite and the Access Fund, support upgrading crappy hardware to make it safe. The focus is usually on anchors, but the same logic applies to bolts. Perhaps not to pins. That said, I too enjoy seeing and clipping old gear. It's part of the magic of experiencing older lines, so I would hope hardware is only replaced when absolutely necessary (i.e. failure is imminent). Finally, this is an issue for the Castle climbing community to decide, not the interweb SWAT team.