tanstaafl

That was probably us. Yes, we got out fine (thanks for asking), although it took a while with only one headlamp. Since we started from the parking lot at 5pm, we only got what we asked for though. Fun times.

Was this accident Saturday or Sunday? A guy fell on R&D Saturday and was evacuated by climbers present, loaded into his own car, and driven away to the medical clinic by his wife, but I never saw or heard any ambulances and I don't think anyone called for one.

Is that like the Washington version of the Trailer Park Boys?

AlpineK, halfway up the slope, after some time of skinning along in peaceful silence: “This is BULLSHIT!” hehe. Rat also makes the best breakfast in Leavenworth, btw. Yum. Super fun. I made up for being the only person not to get buried in snow by falling down three times as much as Rolf and Kurt combined. Thanks guys for a great day with no death or dismemberment.

I dunno, dude, I find the meaningful relationship to be an elusive little sucker.

Doesn't the WSJ have far more important things to do than go to the trouble of scanning college newspapers with a view to finding overwrought letters by 20-year-old girls to snigger at?

From "Climbing African Ice" by Asa Firestone: "Last August I, a college student from Colorado, linked up via the Internet with a 35-year-old adventurer living in Rwanda for some hearty equatorial ice climbing in Kenya....Having never before used the Internet to meet a climbing partner, Africa did not seem like the place to begin. I made sure to purchase a machete before meeting Ken Ford in Nairobi...just in case."

But don't you have to be a Mountie to get access to their library?

Despite my best efforts both on and offline, I've never been able to get the complete list of all the peaks the Ptarmigans climbed on the first Ptarmigan Traverse and which were first ascents, etc. Can anybody help me out? Lowell maybe??? TIA

Positive reinforcement. Not sure if it works, if there is nothing to reinforce. damn, man. Teenagers, like other people, tend to live up or down to expectations. I'm sure it has not escaped your son's notice that his father thinks he is stupid, lazy, and devoid of anything positive to reinforce. No wonder he wants to stay in his room with the door shut. Nobody likes to spend time with people who hold them in contempt.

Hey I wanna go too. Exit 15 off I-90 and then look for the P&R? Do I need to bring ropes and rack or just harness/tools/poons?

And that was 25 years ago too! 30, actually. Published 1975. One of the interesting things is to look at the list of hot climbers of the day and see whose names you still know. The bio for one that I didn't know, Al McDonald, said he'd recently taken up whitewater kayaking, "so we don't expect him to be with us for very much longer." heh.

Downward Bound by Warren Harding. First edition no less. Likewise, [almost] afraid to read it; I'll definitely decrease its value by handling the thing. Contains the following quote: "When one considers the amount of time [Fred] Beckey spends driving to and from Seattle, talking on the telephone, and shitting, it seems more than likely that he has done virtually no climbing at all, despite the fact that he is reputed to be the oldest climber in the United States."

hee hee....I'd call it a full-on goatee, but I bow to your superior facial hair fashion sense.

Turns out my biggest accomplishment was climbing with Fern. Can I be a bigger idiot next year, please?? After a couple of good ice climbing trips early in the year, I didn’t get up a damn thing I meant to climb this summer. Failed on multiple routes in the North Cascades, due primarily to being a huge wimp. I did however settle unfinished business and got up Sun Ribbon Arete on Temple Crag. Also made it to the Bugaboos where I climbed about half as much as I'd hoped, and made my first trip to the Gunks as well, where my accomplishments included pulling on gear on 5.7 and hanging on 5.8+. Finally led 10d clean (not at the Gunks). That was nice.

Ummmm.....yeah. Off the top of my head: MLK Jr. Mahatma Gandhi Dr. Paul Brand C. Everett Koop Dali Lama Leo Tolstoy John Donne Henri Nouwen Mother Theresa Oscar Romero Dietrich Bonhoeffer Sargent Shriver Founders of: Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Northwest Medical Teams, Oxfam, etc. I know a number of local people of faith who are pretty active in attempting to better society as well.

This all reminds me of a conversation I had at a party in Jackson once. I was talking to this guy about skiing and climbing and so forth, a perfectly normal conversation, until suddenly he comes out with, "Yeah, I do pretty much everything there is to do in Jackson, and not to pat myself on the back, but I do it well." I had to make an exceedingly quick exit in order not to laugh right in his face. True or not, what a jackass thing to say.

Actually, Jay, most short guys, like most tall guys, want to date women shorter than themselves. Take a look at the personals sometime---you'll find a gazillion men in search of a "petite" woman and maybe one looking for a tall one. And that dude will be 6'5". Again, that's just the way it is. And sure, all other things being equal, tall is nice, but all other things are never equal, so I don't worry about it.

I'm 5'9", shortest guy I've dated was 5'6" (though I knew a 5'4" guy a couple of years ago who I would have dated in a second if he had showed any interest). At least one of the guys I dated had to point out that he was an inch shorter than me; I hadn't noticed.

I once had a two-year stetch of dating only men shorter than me--that's just how it worked out. Big deal. Does that mean I'm not shallow? I doubt it. Out of curiosity, any men here have ever dated a woman taller than they are?

I won't argue the social status point, but would point out that social status and financial status are not the same thing. Hence, essentially homeless dudes who climb super hard and ski patrollers who live in yurts on public land can get girlfriends. In other circles, being a pastor, a writer, or the lead singer in a garage band might confer social status, without conferring any wealth whatsoever.

That's 'cause your pumpkin is smokin' hot! PM/email me about the Pickets, I wanna hear it all.

You don't have to be a particularly good climber in order to inspire others. Some people are more inspired by non-superstars. I certainly never thought anyone would be inspired by my weekend-warrior-level climbing, but a couple of people have told me that they are. You never know the effect you might have on others.

I whined and snivelled on my leads. Fern was a rockstar. Dru, as noted, was paparazzo/human guidebook. It was a good time.

Good God man, if you don't like someone enough that you *want* to treat them well, why bother dating them in the first place?