high_on_rock

I love the idea of melting powerbars and spreading them on bagels, I will have to try that. I personally subscribe to eating whatever is the easiest and lightest I can come up with. If I am not melting snow then I am not carrying a stove, and eat cold. If carrying a stove I don't like to have to heat the water beyond warm, cook much. Powdered potatos and bagels are great "expander technology" to enhance/enlarge any meal. Back when I drank coffee, I put "coffee bags" in a cup of cold water over night and had "moon coffee" in the morning. Sucked, but beat carrying a stove. Fast, light, and cheap calories is the trick. Edit: "I like my calories like I like my women; fast, light and cheap."

I once told my babies that I would take them when the youngest is 10. Only time will tell if they will be ready, or even interested when that time arrives. You have my full support and your kids have my admiration.

I also had the "city girl" wife, and would not have tried packing her and the kids in somewhere, as that would be too many to have to take care of. Just the kids was much easier, though it was still pure work.

I know that last year they had a kid's roundup at 11worth, and I know that the idea has been considered for doing it again this year. I hope that when it happens it is on a weekend that I can attend, and that you all consider attending too. Kids are the reason for living!

Why, I think I will just walk away from this fight. Sorry I offended you Arch.

I had to look up the word, "hates women?" Sorry girl, I don't understand. Do you mean when I call the girl doing my buddy while she has a boyfriend out there a HO? That would seem to at least loosly fit the definition huh?

I took my two when the youngest was 3 and the oldest nearing 5. We hiked in about a mile and a half, which turned out to be too much for the youngest. I tried having them each carry a tiny bit on their backs to give them the experience, but I ended up with all of that before long. The "outhouse" was a tough experience for the youngest, as he could not relax in there thus making me have to deal with it otherwise. The primary thing to keep in mind is that it is an adventure for the kids, and it will be pure work and problem management for you, not a relaxing time. As with many kid experiences; it was a difficult miserable time that I would not have traded for anything.

OK, here is my data. In Snohomish in 1980 my father was gut-shot with a 30-06 in his garden one night while investigating a burglar. After lying for 13 days in the hospital we finally had to pull the plug and let him go. This had a huge impact on my feelings of personal safety. After much thought I purchased a double-barreled shotgun and cut it down to I think 18 inches. Buddies and I went out and shot all kinds of rounds through it, blasting everything from beer bottles to road signs (27 years ago in Darrington, our ethics were a little lax). I admit that my data was not scientific, we kept greater data on the whisky we were drinking than we did on distance and spread. What I do know is that birdshot through a sawed-off will give you a larger pattern than anything else I know of; and buckshot will give you a decent pattern and stopping power. I used to keep one of each in my shotgun near the bed for protection. About a year later I moved into a motorhome to live. The shotgun was far too cumbersome for the extremely tight quarters, so I bought a Saturday-night-special snub-nosed .38 and kept it under my pillow. I had no misconceptions that I could actually hit anything over a few yards away with the gun, but it was small, loud, and held enough bullets that I could keep shooting if I missed. I kept the gun under my pillow for more than a year. I believe it was the 1983 Darrington BlueGrass Festival. I was on my traditional 3 day wine drunk with my motorhome parked in the festival parking area. On the Saturday morning I woke up, not knowing why. I looked over the chubby girl that I found next to me, looked toward the back of the motorhome, and saw a gun enter the back door. An 18 year old kid came in with a pistol and pointed it at my buddy who was in the back of the motorhome having relations with the kid’s girlfriend. It was about 5-6 in the morning, and I was waking from a complete wine stupor. As a pure reaction I reached under the pillow for the .38 with full intention of killing the kid without hesitation; only to realize that it was not there. A buddy had borrowed it to go “blasting” a couple days earlier, and failed to return it. Had the gun been there, I would have emptied it in the general direction of the kid with the full intention of killing the kid; without any hesitation. As my hand came up empty, the guy was pointing his gun at my buddy telling him to step outside so that he could kill him without anyone else getting hurt. My buddy’s only response was to stick his head under the blanket to hide. The motorhome was a “cab-over” style and I was in the bunk above the driving compartment. I yelled at the kid to give me the gun. I climbed over the “lady” I was next to, and kind of jumped/fell/rolled down to the main floor. It was probably only about 10 feet between he and I, but it seemed like I had to walk about 100 yards; but I kept yelling to give me the gun and I walked right down the barrel as he was pointing it at me. I grabbed the gun and shoved him back through the door to the outside. I went to quickly unload the pistol, only to find out that it was unloaded the entire time. It was just some 18 year old punk trying to show off for his HO girlfriend who was with my buddy. I became so enraged that this punk-assed kid almost made me kill him over something so stupid, that I grabbed him and started beating his head against the motorhome. 5-6 a.m., still wine drunk as hell, beating a kids head against various motorhomes lecturing him on how ridiculous his decision was. I have never owned a firearm since. Had I had that gun that morning, a stupid kid would be dead. I would have been legally justified. I would have probably been morally justified. But I know that I would not have ever recovered mentally from taking a kids life, so soon after I experienced the death of my father. Now, nearly thirty years later, I want to get a gun just so my kids can become familiar with guns. Education rather than abstinence. I also look back at “the night” and reflect that, yes, I would have been justified in killing the kid, and I fully support folks who want to have a firearm for their protection. I personally choose not to. If I did, it would be a shotgun, loaded with birdshot and buckshot; and I would probably try to use it as a club before I ever shot it at someone. I would personally rather take a beating and live, then take anothers life. If I knew it was his life or mine, then I would take his: but you rarely really know that. Again, my data is far from scientific, and I am probably talking out of my ass. But I have put a lot of thought into what I would keep for self protection if I wanted a firearm. Personally, I keep my ice tools nearby, and call that good enough. Peace, respect, brotherhood.

my "data" comes from my old doublebarreled sawed off 12 gauge shotgun, shooting card board in the back yard (wow, it just happened to be in Darrington about 20 years ago). I will stick by my opinion.

Let's be clear, my advice is for an "in home" self defense weapon. tight quarters, close range.

If you put birdshot in a shortbarrelled shotgun, it will hit everything in the general direction; whereas the buckshot will give some stopping power but still not require great skills at aiming.

Sorry, cannot help you. I know one in Wenatchee,but that does not help much. e

There is a difference between "fear of recoil" when practicing, verses "are you worried about the recoil when someone had broken into your bedroom". The recoil may not be comfortable when you are standing on the logging road in Darrington blowing beer bottles into pieces, but I don't think the recoil will be worrysome when using it for protection. skip the slugs, alternate between birdshot and buckshot. One requires only pointing, the other barely even requires pointing.

The only advice I could offer is to go talk to an independant insurance agent; one who has no financial stake in your issue. Take the guy/gal out to lunch, sweeten them up with favors, and get an inside perspective of your options and the inner workings of the industry.

would it cause to wide of a thread drift for someone to educate me as to why the soviets invaded Afganistan in the first place? This is a hole in my knowledge.

It took me about 4 years to get my brother to be able to top on on 80ft pitches due to his extreme fear. He had an imaginary line at about 45 feet that he could not cross. Year 5 I got him up 1500 on Solar Slab in Vegas. It is just a matter of continuing to push th limit, without really crossing it. Try to never climb to the point of fear, but alwasy push the comfort zone.

People who live an unhealthy life should not be allowed to live as long as those who take care of themselves!

OK, mine are 7 - 9 and getting old on me. I need another baby. Anyone out there want to sell or lease one? God I love babies! Eric

Statistics that lines are longer if more people get to stand in them? Edit: It reminds me of a joke I heard recently: When geese fly in a V formation, why is one side often longer than the other? Answer: because there are more geese on that side.

My guess is that the line gets a little longer when we allow everyone to stand in the line.

I vote a 12 gage shotgun. If you are going to shoot someone, you are not worried about the recoil. Pump for the sound. I would saw the barrel down to about 18 inches for ease of handling. Unless you are a total noob at guns, just take the thing to Darrington and pull down any logging road and you can get all the practice you need. Saw it off short, and you will never have to learn to aim it anyhow. just pump, point, and release; a skill most guys master quickly.

If ability to climb hard or recklessly gives one ethical superiority, then the gym climbers own us all pope.

the funny part was that the outhouses were clean and fully stocked in the middle of the pile of garbage. Seemed odd to go into the outhouse to avoid the filth.

The photo is pretty accurate, but the bags are deteriorating and the trash is getting strewn around more. That is a valid suggestion to wait until after the Dave Mathews concert before cleaning, which would be like cleaning the house before the party: kind of a waste of time. Then I will probably take care of the mess around mid September if it is still there. Thanks for the input folks.

The big picture was a bunch of past students invited me to join them this weekend, an honor I could not decline. Spent more time at the river than the rock, but had fun. I may see if I can schedule in a garbage hauling. Anyone know where the closest dump would be to Vantage?