Macson

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/CrossFit_Mark-Twight.pdf Looks like things are changing at Gym Jones.

Connor, Joel and Kyle....my three sons. Joel climbs in the gym a lot, and has climbed at Lworth and Mazama. Kyle freaks out about half way up the wall at the gym. Connor wants to go really bad, I just haven't brought him yet.

What's the story with the smiles? Do all women climbers go to the same dentist or something? Damn, they all have beautiful teeth!

Best wishes Olympia Climber! Get well soon.

Is it too late for me to change my vote from hitchhiking home to getting laid at this moment?

Winter direct route on Washington

Haven't read Rock & Ice yet, eh?

I spend about $12k on tax software every year. It's made by the same people who make Turbo Tax. I don't know what Turbo Tax doesn't do, but I'd be willing to bet it's alot. Cindy, with your situation you'd be wise to talk with an accountant even for just half an hour. Did you and your husband have any assets? Make sure you ask someone about "step-up". Do not rely on H&R Block to explain all the ramifications to your recent loss.

I couldn't find a thread on this, which kind of surprises me. For the last few years we've dutifully purchased our $65 Golden Eagle Pass at Olympic NP to use for national parks and the NW Forest Pass. I haven't been paying attention, and today when my wife took the kids snowshoeing at Hurricane Ridge and tried to buy this year's she found out that we had to buy a new "enhanced" pass, the America the Beautiful Pass. How is it enhanced, you ask? Well, as far as I can tell the only enhancement is that you get to pay an extra $15. That's the part that really annoys me. They couldn't just say that they were raising the price on the Golden Eagle Pass, they had to try to convince me that I was actually getting more for my money. Such bullshit. It's just like when my insurance company started charging a $5 fee a few years ago for monthly billing. They sent a letter that started out "For your convenience...". Ya, right.

Did you have nitro strapped to your back?

In a self arrest grip the pick is pointing behind you while you walk. The self belay grip is the same, with the pick pointing forward. Personally, I find the self arrest grip more comfortable so I use it in most situations, unless the slope gets quite a bit steeper (like steep enough to use low or high dagger) when I switch to self belay grip.

Will you do this before or after the check clears?

I get my term insurance through my professional association, and they have no restrictions regarding climbing or other "dangerous" hobbies. Anyway, I don't know what kind of associations you might belong to, but Google tells me that you can get term life through the ICA... http://www.chiropractic.org/index.php?p=services/main or through the ACA http://www.amerchiro.org/level2_css.cfm?T1ID=23&T2ID=112 If you're a member of one of these groups they might be worth a try. I know I get a way better deal this way than if I bought the same coverage through an agent. 9 cents per month per thousand of coverage ($108 per year per $100,000) and I get a refund based on how many claims they pay out, which means I usually get about half my premium back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(climbing)#YDS_Class

Many a hand has scaled the grand old face of the plateau Some belonged to strangers, some to folks you know Holy ghosts and talk show hosts are planted in the sand To beautify the foothills, and shake the many hands There ain't nothing at the top but a bucket and a mop And an illustrated book about birds See a lot up there but don't be scared Who needs action when you got words finished with the mop then you can stop And look at what you've done The plateau's clean, no dirt to be seen And the work it was fun There ain't nothing at the top but a bucket and a mop And an illustrated book about birds See a lot up there but don't be scared Who needs action when you got words Many a hand began to scan around for the next plateau Some say it was Greenland, and some say Mexico Others decided it was nowhere except for where they stood But those were all just guesses, wouldn't help you if they could

Jay, I think you are right on that. And by the way, I myself made an informed decision to have all three of my sons vaccinated. I've also donated my own time and money to eradicating polio through my Rotary club. I hope Strumpette will come to the same conclusion.

I think that you owe it to your child to make sure you understand those indisputable medical facts, and that you can weigh the risks and benefits yourself before making the decision to go forward with any particular treatment. I'm not saying that you shouldn't put a cast on a broken arm, or treat cancer with the amazing drugs that are coming out. I'm just saying that you have a responsibility as a parent to know the medical facts about those drugs. Especially when, like in most cases, those fact are disputable.

I have to say that I applaud you for not simply doing what you're told and making sure you feel educated enough about the decision before allowing others to alter your child. That said, in the case of vacines I think that with enough research you'll end up deciding that the pros outweigh the cons and that it's the right thing to do for both your child and society. I can only hope that when your child is older you exercise the same care and diligence by not just "caving in" when people try to make parenting decisions for you (like drugging your kid to mask ineffective teaching methods).

Arc finally stalked you to the office, eh?

First, I use an MSR Simmerlight stove. I usually bring 5 oz per person per day of white gas, and I usually have a fair amount left over. Year before last I started with 3 oz per person per day on Rainier to save weight, but one of the guys in our group forgot his fuel, so I ended up with only 2 oz per person per day for 3 days. Ran out of fuel on day 3 and had to beg...which sucks, believe me.

I don't have a lot of faith in the scientific community's ability to render informed, ethically sound judgments about anything, much less ethical dillemas that will only be solved courtesy of FDA polititions.

I think that if some people have a moral objection to eating a cloned animal, there should be adequate labeling to inform consumers whether what their buying is cloned or not. Whether it's safe or not is not the only issue.

Lookout Mountain, Hungry Mountain, Merchant's Basin (long trek in Winter). I have another, but I don't want to broadcast it on the interweb....if you need more than three days worth pm me. I'm heading to the valley myself for Xmas and will probably snowshoe one of these, skiing back down would be so much nicer though.

Sure, I can support a bad weather ban....as long as I can sue if I get hurt when the mountain is open. And when it's closed, well I'm not above poaching lines now and then.

is that the same action suit Twight wrote about?