tanstaafl

Andy -- I spent that same hike down stopping at all the little huts to see if anyone had found the rock shoe I'd lost on the hike in. No one had found it, but we got some really nice oranges from one of the farmers. Most amazing of all, the shoe was lying in the trail next to the watering hole we'd stopped at for a ten-minute rest about an hour from the kraal where we left the car three days ago; not eaten by a cow or picked up by a schoolchild or anything. And I got to have the memorable experience of climbing Blouberg wearing one Mythos and one Trango S Evo. The Trangos climb astoundingly well; I only had to aid like three moves on the route. Such an amazing place.

According to Rob Kelman's Epic Rating Scale, you're at E4: E1. Delay in completing route resulting in being an hour late for dinner with your significant other. E2. Same as E1 except that climbing partner is of opposite sex. E3. Same as E1 except that bivouac is required. E4. Same as E2 except that bivouac is required. E5. Hung up on short route requiring rescue. E6. Same as E5 except injury is involved. E7. Same as E5 except route is isolated and elaborate rescue required. E8. Same as E7 except that injury is involved. E9. Some, but not all, members of the party are killed. E10. Same as E8 except a major, dangerous effort is needed to rescue the injured and recover bodies. E11. All members of the party are killed. E12. The entire party vanishes. Congratulations! Sounds like a great time.

I looked at those routes a few weeks ago. Then I went away and flailed up Rattletale instead.

Mark Trombold at Proformance Rehab is awesome.

I took six months off in 1995 to backpack around Europe, was laid off upon my return and got a better job in a better location for more pay. Worked there for five years, then quit and took an 18-month road trip to climb, came back and they hired me back. I made slightly less money at first but they let me work four days a week, gave me my seniority back so I get four weeks of vacation, and let me take ridiculous amounts of time off without pay, which I care about a lot more than I care about money. I have no debt or dependents though.

I did get on that route. I remember joking with my partner that "It's 5.8 plus, how hard could it be?" She came off following and had to prusik up the rope to get to the belay. That was entertaining.

Roommate wanted for large 2BR apartment on 47th Street and Fremont Ave. Third floor, huge south and west facing windows, lots of light, view of Rainier, laundry, deck, dishwasher, garage. Easy walk to Greenlake, the zoo, MarketTime, restaurants; easy bus to downtown, Ballard, U District. The rent is $587.50/month plus ½ utilities, which run about $50/month in winter and about $10/month in summer. Share with F climber/skier who is frequently away on the weekends. I am pretty clean but don’t freak out about a little mess occasionally. No smoking. $40 credit check and $550 deposit. Available June 1. PM me if interested.

Modern Times crux. Not my picture, I grabbed it off the web a while back and don't even remember where I got it.

Paddle Flake Direct

It's in Cashmere.

Andy is that Oscar in that pic?

Defining moderate as climbs I actually enjoyed while I was on them, instead of climbs that seemed great once I was back down sitting around a fire with a drink in my hand: Cragging: Davis-Holland/Lovin’ Arms – Index, WA Something of Value/Last Moon/Moonraker – Blouberg, South Africa West Face – North Early Winters Spire, WA Camp Farm – Cochamo, Chile Hyperspace – Snow Creek Wall, WA Buch Goin - Refugio Frey, Argentina Alpine: North Ridge – Forbidden Peak, WA East Ridge – Wolf’s Head, WY Lost Marsupials – The Throne, Little Switzerland, AK Squash Head/Backoff – Santaquin Canyon, UT Triple Couloirs – Dragontail Peak, WA

Spectacular Hansel commentary.

Just a note: the route Washburn climbed with his wife was not the West Buttress, it was Karsten's Ridge to Denali Pass in 1947. He did the FA of the West Buttress in 1951 and she was not on that trip. Also, prior to the Denali expedition, she had been on the FAs of Mount Bertha in 1940 and Mount Hayes in 1941, so she wasn't totally inexperienced.

They're nice for reducing glare on snow/glaciers when the only sunglasses you have are ones you found on the ground.

I can't remember my fingernail status in that pic but I know I hadn't showered for about a week. Those were the days.

Yuppy (ok, not so young), check; overpriced Tshirt, check (I did win it in a raffle though); hair not pulled back, check. Not a housewife however. Do I win a prize?

Pretty much. But the thing about the creek is that grades are kind of irrelevant; it's all about your hand size. I found that often 5.11+ climbs were easier for me than 5.10- climbs, just because they tended to be thinner cracks and my hands fit that crack size better.

Never been to trout creek, but I learned to jam in Indian Creek. It was perfect because if you couldn't jam, you weren't going anywhere, so I learned fast. Trout Creek sounds similar from what I've heard.

Porter you lucky lucky guy. Soooo jealous.

I was at Peshastin weekend before last; it was coooold. It was actually really nice in the Icicle last weekend.

If your course was from the Red Cross, it's not too surprising that it wouldn't use new American Heart Association guidelines. Even the conventional CPR is taught slightly differently by the two agencies. Note that hands-only CPR is recommended only in cases of *witnessed* collapse of an adult. Children, infants, and adults you didn't actually see keel over still get conventional CPR.

Keep moving and you'll stay warm during the day wearing light clothing. Maybe you do. I am perfectly capable of moving and freezing my ass off at the same time.

Nice! Sounds burly; I'm glad I didn't try to horn in. K

Got this announcement in my email this morning, thought I'd pass it along: The Northwest Sherpa Association is organizing a memorial service for Late. Sir Edmund Hillary. Sir Edmund Hillary was one of the first persons with Late. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain on the Earth. Sir Edmund Hillary has also been one of the pioneers in helping the Sherpa Community in the Everest Region of Nepal by providing facilities for education, scholarship opportunities, and medical facilities . Late Sir Edmund Hillary (July 20, 1919 – January 11, 2008) The Northwest Sherpa Association is deeply grieved by the sudden demise of Sir Edmund Hillary at the age of 88, on January 11, 2008. Thus, to pay homeage to the departed soul, we have organized the memorial service at Nalanda West Buddhist Monastery. We would like to request the mountaineering community of Seattle to attend the ceremony. Event information: Date: January 19, 2008 Time: 9:00 AM- 10:00 AM Venue: Nalanda West 3902 Woodland Park Ave N Seattle, WA, 98103 Please arrive by 8:45 am. Tea and Cookies served by the NorthWest Sherpa Association. Thanking you, Sincerely, Northwest Sherpa Association, Seattle , WA