Rad

I will have to miss the party today. I hope the weather holds for y'all. I was at X38 yesterday and despite the sunshine a lot of climbs were drippy from seepage from recent rains. Others were perfectly dry. I'd expect the same today. Cheers, Radrigo

The 'shit' needs to be divided into 3 classes: 1 - Acts of God/nature (totally unpredicable rock falls, landslides, lightning strikes, and perhaps some avalanches). We cannot control or predict these. 2 - Human error (rappelling off rope ends, tie-in errors, belayer errors resulting in dropped climbers, slipping on ropeless approaches/descents). These are preventable. 3 - Hybrid acts (slips on wet rock that was difficult to protect, avalanches that might have been predicted, leaderfalls due to broken rock/ice, rockfall in gullies). Most of the accidents we hear about are in categories 2 and 3, where experience and good decisions make a huge difference. Yes, shit does happen, but we should keep practicing, keep learning, and keep our minds focused in dangerous situations.

If we can learn something from the mishaps from our fallen comrades that's great, particularly if the discussion is reasoned and respectful (2 things that can be rare here). My hat's off to people like Genepires and Alpinistandrew who shared their own mistakes/bad luck stories, risking ridicule, so we can learn something.

Thanks Blake. I sent an email supporting rebuilding the road. We're off to Stehekin in a few weeks. Will you be at the bakery there this summer? yummm.... Hope you enjoy the remainder of your time in NZ. Rad

Nice post. CC needs more folks like yourself willing to post their moderate adventures here. As you've seen, lots of others will read and appreciate them. Your story also reminds me of the number one reason to wear a helmet: people above you might drop their expensive toys on your head! Cheers, Rad

Sorry to hear of your fall. Trust may take longer to heal than your injuries. At VW the belay test is with your own ATC and then they set you loose to belay with GriGris - with no training on them or test that you know how to use them. That seems like a screwy system. Perhaps they've improved it since I tested some years ago... I had used ATCs for years but never touched a grigri before I first went to VW. I figured it out, and still don't like lowering people, but I've never dropped anyone. ................ Dude, looks like you're the poet who can't spell it.

The arch probably wasn't damaged the other day. The reputation of climbers was. Dean Potter, like it or not, represents all climbers in the eyes of the public. To call this climb an act of communing with nature is ludicrous given the presence of multiple cameras, the timing to coincide with optimal film lighting, the repeats to make sure the cameras got it all recorded, and the press release. It was clearly intended to be a very public performance. This clear public rejection of land management policies and accepted practices sends a clear message to the public: climbers refuse to play by the rules. This attitude may undermine access efforts of many climbers around the world. Why should land managers work climbing into their approved activities if climbers just ignore the resulting regulations anyway? What's next? Pouring gasoline down a rock face and setting it on fire? Remember that? It was certainly a more egregious crime, but Climbing magazine responded immediately and correctly. What will Patagonia do?

"Just Do It". CC.Com group outings can be good - it's like speed dating with ropes - you can watch people to see how competent they are (where's that brake hand?) - and if you don't click with a partner you can switch on the next route or on the next outing. Ask yourself: Can I trust my life to this person? Can I spend ten hours with this person without going insane? Climbing ability may actually be less important than these two.

OK, so it trades sexism for Disney values. Hollywood is all cliches, right? The main point is the climbing footage and mtn scenery are way better than the ES.

That's what I thought too so I saw it again last year. Ugh. What a bunch of male posturing, worthless womanizing, deadpan dialog, and Eastwood sweat scenes leading to some mediocre climbing footage, unimpressive mountain cinematography, and a completely cheesy finale. IMHO this is a much more beautiful film in all those dimensions (available through Netflix, no less): Third Man on the Mountain (1959)

Awesome echo effects at Lake Serene...but then it wouldn't be so serene.

Chris, 1 - Don't look for approval on this board. There is definitely some useful info, but it is often buried under a thick coating of slime. Certainly don't let posts here dampen your new-found enthusiasm. 2 - If you were happy with your guided experience then it was money well-spent, no matter what others may say. Welcome to the Northwest. Come visit again soon and spend lots of money to support the economy.

No worries.

Alex, Chris, and I stayed and did the two routes on Croc after y'all disappeared into the mist. The right one is juggier and cleaner than the left one. When we got to the NBBnG no one was there. Until next week...

I'm keen to check out Neverland (X38 Far Side), but I'll go with the flow...

Bump. Same bat time, same bat channel?

Deja vu tomorrow at the same rendezvous?

Gene, I'm glad it wasn't worse. Thank goodness for your skull bucket. Get well soon. In the meantime, you can still belay with that good hand, right? Cheers, Rad .............................. It's good to keep these things in perspective: TAOISM ... Shit happens. ZEN ... What is the sound of shit happening? HINDUISM ... This shit happened before. MORMON ... This shit is going to happen again. PROTESTANISM ... Let the shit happen to someone else. CATHOLICISM ... Shit happens because you are BAD. JUDAISM ... Why does this shit always happen to us? CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ... Shit is in your mind. EXISTENTIALISM ... What is shit anyway? RASTAFARIANISM ... Let's smoke this shit. CC.COM ... Shit happens, and then you spray about it.

Sounds great! See you there.

Is this going to happen tomorrow? The weather looks great. Where are y'all going to meet/climb? I can get away early and have space if anyone in Seattle needs a ride.

The data in question, thanks to Mike: Mount Rainier visitor and climber numbers

This winter my wife and I had an amazing, if outrageously pricey, day in the mountains: heliskiing in the Whistler area backcountry (boarding, actually). That day I met Chris, an avalanche assessment expert who audits heliskiing companies all over the world, from Alaska to Patagonia to the Swiss alps, to New Zealand. He flies and skis with the guides and watches/evaluates their avalanche safety/rescue skills. The day I met him he flew/rode with us for three runs. Now that's the guy I want watching my back in the backcountry. I bet he doesn't make much money, but the benefits

Wear your oxford and khakis, go to a tall building, ascend via stairs, descend by elevator to save your knees some hardship. Similarly, carry a lot of water up a hike (Si, Granite etc) and then dump it at the top. Yep. Actually, that's a local favorite of mine because I live nearby. It got even longer now that there's a "park" under I5 that connects up with East Lake. It can be crowded. There are actually long staircases sprinkled around Seattle. Poke around for others.

Didn't see any fixed gear. Someone must've snagged it. Thought about that last pitch variation but decided to spend our time in other ways . Also, I didn't see the start of it and didn't scratch it onto my receipt/topo. Gene Pires has a story like this that ends in a ring! Amen. Everyone wins.

A 12 step program: 1 = Approach via tulips on a sunny day with no crowds (see photos below - sorry, left the camera in the car for 2-12.) 2 = Draw the topo and approach map on the back of a receipt from the Erie store because the guide is sold out (Apparently Dallas is planning to print another 500 copies in June or so, and this time the page numbers will appear in the route index). 3 = Eat a picnic lunch of PBnJ overlooking the lake behind the Erie store. Watch an osprey dive for fish while an immature eagle chases it to steal the fish. 4 = Hike up the trail to the base of ZigZag (5.7?, Snag wall) without getting lost. 5 = Climb the pro-eating open book to the first ledge. 6 = Avoid the so-called zigzag (left off the ledge, up, and back right to the P1 anchor) by climbing fun moves over a flexing flake straight up off the small ledge. It holds. 7 = Luxuriate at the monster bolt anchor while your date cruises the dihedral and flake with no problems removing gear. Enjoy the 180 degree views of lakes, Whidbey Island, the San Juans, and the Puget Sound. Bask in the sunshine together - not too hot, not too cold - while several eagles and hawks float right in front of you on a light breeze. 8 = Scamper up the second pitch with fun moves up the undulating wall. This pitch eats stoppers. Find two bomber nut placements in the last 15 feet of steep crack - good thing because you already placed all your cams down lower. Two harrier jets cruise by in formation, and a trick plane zips past the cliff face like a Blue Angels victory pass. 9 = Repeat step 7 while your date cruises P2. Elect to rap the route rather than get lost in the pricker bushes and cliffed out on the descent. 10 = Make good use of a private moment on a grassy ledge in the afternoon sunshine. Any locals with spotting scopes down there? 11 = Pick up ice cream bars at the Erie store for the drive home. 12 = Cruise to Seattle between 5 and 6pm with NO TRAFFIC!!! Pick the kids up at daycare less than five minutes late. OK. My date was my wife. It still counts as a date, right? Approach notes: Tulips, as noted. The trail to Zigzag, as drawn in the old mounties guidebook, is idiot-proof. Gear notes: Standard rack was fine. Rapped with one 60m rope just fine down good anchors. Tulips are at their peak now. See 'em soon!