high_on_rock

While we all wait patiently for the road up Rainier to be finished, let's not judge the road to Everest too harshly.

Thousands, hundreds of thousands of people devote their entire lives to build shrines in which to bury their kings and important citizens, then along come some “scientists” who remove them and place them on a shelf in a museum so that they can say “I have this in my collection!” When does grave robbing become “archeology?” Priests spent their lives trying to hide these bodies to keep them from being disturbed, then here come the archeologists. Is nothing sacred? Yet placing a bolt on a remote mountain is an ethical catastrophe to Raindog. Confuses my little mind.

merely melt if clean snow, melt to warm and Iodine tab if questionable.

Congrats to both. Cannot help but thinking that digging up bones could lead to another ethics argument though, but since not climbing related, probably better for another page.

If my partner had a power drill, I would not have any problem with her placing some bolts if no other suitable anchor could be built. Peace, love, and independence.

The trick is to pick who gets to sleep through a night, and that person sleeps outside. God I remember those days, you have my empathy. eric

It all goes back to the body image socialization, and my lack of ability to overcome the negitive socialization of my upbringing; but I still think that some people should be naked, and some of us jst should never be naked in public. My bad.

If I am climbing established routes, then I guess I do expect my partner to set up an anchor that will hold us both. If I am back country exploring, I guess my expectation is merely that s/he will do the best s/he can with what we encounter. I think this is where the old philosophy of "don't fall" comes in, not knowing if what the leader encounters will in fact make a bombproof anchor.

Heyerdahl was in my mind when I named my son "Tor."

I remember when my first baby was born, I was about 40 years old, and on that day I finally relized why I was alive. It was like a light bulb went on telling me what I was put on earth for. They are beautiful arn't they! E

Vote loud, and vote often! http://vikingclimber.com/congress.htm

Erden once told me a story about being out in the middle of the Atlantic with stars shining on both sides of the boat. This has had my mind captivated since. I have never spent much time on the water, and his adventure along with my mind’s vision of the stars has me wanting to set sail. Perhaps this should be in the pirates forum. Here is wishing Erden a fantastic journey! Eric

Put me down as a sucker. While I don't agree that you can be anything you want, I do believe that you can be anything you are willing to work for. While there may be dumb rhetorical questions, any true question is never dumb. Hang in there Kev, ignore the haters. Eric

kid photo time Emily and Tor

Tater chips are the key to converting the healthy. I really like the concept of merely becoming more accepting of ones own weight. However I don’t think it works at this late stage of life to try to completely undo all of the socialization of a lifetime. In our culture we are socialized to find skinny people attractive. At this stage, I keep trying to convince myself that fat is beautiful, but I just cannot feel it. Life would be even easier if I could convince myself that I found men attractive, because they are sure easier to get along with. But my mind just doesn’t go that way. Trying to convince myself that Big is Beautiful seems just as hopeless, thus my life of solitude. Finally, somehow one needs to convince ones self that it is OK to smile as their body goes to hell as they get older. Another mind game that seems impossible, even though you know it is the right thing and the smart thing. Socialization is hell. Perhaps we can merely raise our kids better and try to socialize them more openly. Man, I am a sensitive MoFo And don't worry about it arch, no matter how big you get, you still have a real purdy mouth (I mean, nice smile.)

Perhaps another argument for having a fat belayer, the fat belly within my harness acts as a large mass of movable counterweight to make belays dynamic. Fat is beautiful baby!

Maybe we should all start a "fat is beautiful" craze, and merely be nice to Sherri the way she was to us when being in shape was the craze

anchors also take the danger out of climbing. so does holding on to the rock. I often use my feet also to take the danger out of climbing. Kind of the way I like it. Those of you who want the danger, man maybe you should climb with blasting caps in your pocket just to jack it up a notch.

"Big wall climbing": Verb, would imply a certain style whyich for many would include multi-day, aid, hauling a lot of gear. "Big Wall": Noun, would not depend on style, merely the length and steepness of the rock itself. If it came down to "aid" as being the determining factor, then any long climb over 5.7 would quicky turn into a "Big Wall" for me. Hell, I cheat all the time.

i agree, nice TR sir.

OK dads, the new Tim Russert, "Wisdom of our Fathers" is a good read. Eric One Sensitive MF

Since the term is vague, it is open to ones personal judgment. “Big” would seem to imply more than a handful of pitches, “wall” would imply a fairly vertical single plane. I would think that your IB route would arguably satisfy the “big,” but by my opinion not the “wall.” Of course, like Rainddog, I have never climbed the route and have no valid opinion.

I also am a big fan of mutt, both in dog and human. I think that race mixing and breed mixing produce the greatest results. All of the best dogs I have known have been mutt.

Hey, we would have just as many pot heads if they would quit locking up all our drug users! We need to retake the record.

Muff, I respectfully disagree. Expecting one to either join at the hip or stay away should not be a valid expectation. Seems he could reasonably make a joint vacation and enjoy his own stuff too. Not ignore the inlaws and her family, but also not be expected to sit and watch then knit all day either. Be yourself, go have fun.