Chad_A

Thanks for that; I figure, I can go up to WWU and go for the degree...in the meantime, I have Nursing to keep me afloat. Not to mention the North Cascades. Did I mention it's time to leave Hell (I mean Portland)?

I feel your pain...I've been recently told that I'm at 4.6% body fat and "at risk for injury and illness". Zone, well, I just make sure I get more than 70 gm of protein a day, and after that, eat the carbs and fat that looks good to keep my appetite satiated. I'm 158 lbs, and I'm guessing that the 2800 or so kcal I'm taking in isn't cutting it.

Ditto that. And, I've learned to live with a 32 degree MHW Phantom for just about everything; I just sleep in all my clothes.

Nice try; other would have saved their gas cash and stayed home

Thanks for the input, all. I've been in Nursing for the last decade, and I'm just not feelin' it right now. I've run out of ideas for venues in Nursing that I'd like to work in. Too bad that it's a tough field to get into; somehow, I expected as much. Maybe PT is an easier field to get into, and take exercise science courses later to supplement....hmmm.

Couple of weeks ago, I went to the Central Oregon C.C. to have my fitness "evaluated" by a sports physiologist. They figured my body fat %, and determined my VO2 max, Lactate Threshold, and my Max HR. Then, they came up with a plan for me to maximize my training before leaving for my big trip in the midst of June. This was quite awesome to me; fascinating, even. I'm burnt out on Nursing, and I've been searching online to see if any schools exist around Portland, or in Washington...the only thing that I've come up with is Central Washington Univ and OSU. Anyone have any experience with that school (CWU), and is there anyone here on the board that is a Sports Physiologist, or is involved with Exercise Science? If I'm going to move anywhere, I'd prefer to move north rather than farther south

I wish I could post something more original; this is so sad. Certainly, my condolences to family and friends.

Big que to ignore this from your mind....your ego is talking. It's referencing back to the way you USED to train, and since your conscious mind knows it can't do that, it's telling you that you're weak and overweight. Don't believe it. You're strong, and yes, you're starting over, but take the lesson you've learned and run with it. Nutrition (even if you gain a bit of body fat, which in mountaineering, is not necessarily a bad thing) is necessary. Trust me, you will not let yourself become overweight, so don't worry about that. And throw the scale out the window. It doesn't matter right now. Eat to fuel the effort, train, then replenish, and don't skimp. Remember, even on an hour and a half trail run, you can easily burn up 1000 calories above your RMR (resting metabolic rate). Keep up the effort. And remember, to get stronger, you have to eat and rest.

Good experiences, here. The've done good crampon hole patches on my climbing pants, too.

Hmmm. I've used the clove hitch a bit; but this picture indicates that it would be way too easy to end up with the wrong strand loaded.

Same problem I had; didn't think about it until I had it home (d'oh!). Is it a Beal Joker? A pal of mine did Kurt's trick for me; lasted a while, but it's mainly gone now. I just keep the spot marked with a bit of duct tape wrapped around and check the position every time I take it out (there's prolly a better way.)

Nice pic! Hey, Sobo, who is the gent on the arm-powered vehicle? I think he may have been on Rainier in '99 trying the Kautz when I was up there. I remember climbers shuttling up white gas n' such for his attempt; never did hear if he made it.

Nice pics! Love the Mt. Stuart shot; good to see it. Thanks for posting the TR

Haha, don't get me wrong. I was there too.... ....but if I only have one day off to do something, well then, the Eliot's fine with me.

Thanks much for the info. They do look sweet...though I'm sure the old version will work fine for me while I get good enough to need the new version Speak for yourself, John. Come September/October, I'll take what I can get!

I used to think that the more razor-sharp, the better. Now, I just keep them sharp enough not to be like a butter knife. Case in point....straight from BD themselves: "Tech Tips Not Too Sharp, Not Too Dull By paying routine attention to your crampon points, you can improve your underfoot traction on hard snow and ice while keeping your rope, gaiters and $400 Gore-Tex® pants protected. You want to maintain the sharpness of your crampons’ points without turning them into a bunch of slicing and dicing Ginsu® blades. When sharpening your crampons, you should always use a hand file. Power tools eat away too much metal too quickly and can ruin the temper of the steel. Hand file the tips of your crampon frontpoints making sure to maintain their original angle. If the points are curled or smashed, file the steel down so that it is as close as possible to its original shape. Sharpen the rest of the points by filing along the flat edge of the sides of each tooth. When you are finished you should be able to press on the crampon point pretty hard with your thumb before it hurts. Be diligent and inspect and sharpen your crampon points routinely." As far as the gaiters go, I use the REI or OR shortie Scholler gaiters. Cheap to replace, and they're not too bulky.

Thanks much for that update.

Care to elaborate on the new BD screws? What did they make so much better on them?

My thoughts exactly. Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. My parents taught me that at quite a young age.

So is Molson Canadian

Get a haircut, hippie! Just kidding. Glad you guys got out; I've been keeping my eye on the temps up there, and I'm surprised that there isn't more ice. Glad you guys made it work, looks like it was fun.

Hmmmm....discontinuation, or just spring clearance, I wonder.