andyf

My cover is blown! Glad you liked the routes, Kevin. Chunk on!

Yes. That's how I led Explosive Energy Child, at Smith.

I generally don't like fixed draws, but I've equipped some select bolts at a steep, remote cliff with the Frost draws. They're a great product. You can call and speak to Tom directly; he's incredibly gracious.

Yeah, last fall maybe (?) I posted beta on the Edgeworks site about some new routes at the Chunkyard (just east of Moon Rocks) and a few other cliffs. Someone else cross-linked to cc.com. I'm too lazy to hunt it down right now, but PM me if you'd like me to send it directly. Hope all's well Kevin.

Yes, it was a really nice day. Thanks for asking.

No, I'm usually the one getting gavelled at. Left shoulder, rotator cuff and labrum tears. Surgery in a little more than two weeks. Hoping to maybe climb again in 2010.

I'm out of commission awaiting shoulder surgery, but explored some new areas on Tuesday. Found 4 ticks on me (none attached). I was high up in the drainage, though, and crashed through a lot of heavy brush. Had many more encounters with elk/deer/cattle. And chipmunks.

I just got diagnosed today with a significant labrum tear (not SLAP, though; it's on the top and back from what I understand) and a halfway-torn-through rotator cuff (supraspinatus). Surgery's ahead, although it may not be for a few weeks. Jon, when you're talking about "substantial recovery," what do you mean? More than the 3-4 mos mentioned by most? Also, I am WAY worse after undergoing the MRI/arthrogram yesterday. I could barely move my arm AT ALL last night; only marginally better today. Anyone had that experience? Guess this blows 2010.

My story: http://www.mountainproject.com/v/washington/leavenworth/icicle_creek/106337716 A few weeks later, I argued a case before the state Supreme Court. The courtoom was packed. A colleague offered to take my crutches from me once I got to the podium. "Sure," I said, "as long as you bring them back when I'm done." I finished my argument and turned to look at my colleague. He smiled back with a "Good job, but I've completely forgotten you're a gimp" sort of look. After staring at him for what seemed like an eternity, I hopped on one leg back to the counsel table. The courtroom busted up.

Right. I climb at the same gym. At least when my shoulder's healthy...

25 years climbing: 1 broken ankle bouldering; 1 broken ankle in a gym fall (roped, leading); 1 severly sprained ankle hitting ledge when lowering off a #2 RP that ripped (guess that wasn't such a good idea). I still love to boulder. You can pretty much get hurt anywhere, anytime, roped or unroped.

For point of reference, I climbed at South Fork about a week and a half ago (hiking up from below). Didn't look at Goose Egg, but I think you'll be OK.

I was a sophomore in high school in Yakima, along with wdietsch. Well, not actually in school on a Sunday... Highlights of the day: Woke up at 8:30 AM to a funny light coming through the window, saw the darkest thunderhead I'd ever seen coming in from the Cascades. Went outside with my mom (who was supposed to leave on a trip to England that day) to look at the weird cloud approaching. It was like seeing the earth's shadow on the moon, only cutting across the valley. I remember saying "Guess we'd better head in" when I heard what I thought were raindrops starting to hit the pool cover. Everything went pitch black. We couldn't see the porch light across the street. The emergency broadcast system utterly failed. Finally, the news officially broke. By then we'd long figured it out. I spent the afternoon watching the TV. The Mariners were playing the White Sox at old Comisky Park. The TV showed a split screen: one half erupting mountain, one half ballgame. My mom let me drink beer. I think the M's lost. We lived up near the top of a high ridge. Late in the afternoon, a bolt of electricity zapped from a metal sliding porch door to the light fixture over our dining table. My parents had just installed a pool the fall before. Finally, late in the day you could see a few feet outside. There'd been media reports that when the ash hit water, it would create sulfuric acid. My mom looked out at the pool, saw what looked like a vile green acid bath with scum floating on top, and started to cry. 30 years later, I'm still running into ash behind blocks and in cracks while cleaning new routes in the Tieton! Dusting from Heaven...

That was Benjit, buy the man a beer! Crux bolt was replaced earlier by another climber, with hardware courtesy of yet another climber.

Years ago I had a reverse rockfall situation with a belayer. I was toproping the thin seam and face just left of Wildcat Crack (Tieton). My belayer was standing at the edge of one of the 10-15 foot columns that form the starting ledge at the base. I was sketching through a high crux when all of a sudden I heard a loud "WHOA!," followed by a bunch of crashing sounds. I looked down. No belayer in sight. The rope trailed limp past the ledge and disappeared below. After a few seconds of stillness, my belayer re-appeared from the bushes, yelling up "I still got ya." WTF? I thought he'd stepped off the ledge by mistake, but he said part of the ledge gave way beneath him without warning. Either way he took a surprise plunge.

Agreed. 8 routes on the middle wall ranging from 5.11a (well, maybe .10d)to 5.11d and from 80 to 100 feet. Plus a bunch of routes on the shorter columns to either side, mostly 5.10/.11, with some easier and some harder. In past El Nino years, I've driven to within easy walking range of Lava Point (another sunny spot) in February. Even if the road's still snowed in, it's not that far to hike up from the Highway 12/Wildcat Creek junction. Keep an eye out for a tick or two...or twenty. Finally, Rainbow Rocks gets good PM sun. Haven't been over there recently to see what's closed, but the closure typically affects the entire south side of the canyon from the Tim Pond Wall (east of Royal columns) to a little west of the Bend. Moon Rocks (farther west, but shady this time of year) has never been included. By mid-April, the closure usually scales back to not affect any crags.

I've climbed at that video crag three or four times when I've had to spend a night in the Tri-Cities for work. Only about an hour drive from the TCs. Not a bad little crag--shaded on hot summer evenings, although lots of mosquitoes. I've always been alone so I've simply "bouldered" the easier cracks. Ratings in Smoot and LaBelle guides seem a little on the soft side; Can't Remember and Genetic Mutant Playbground both seemed far easier than given grades. The only other people I've ever seen have been high school partiers from Othello.

Isn't that Be-Bop Tango? It has bolts now. At least it did when I climbed it. I think Moon Rocks (Tieton) is underappreciated for toproping. Easy access to a nice top-out ledge with bolt anchors above nearly all the major crack lines (5.10 to 5.12-). Need a 60 meter.

I work in Oly, but live in Tacoma. From Oly, I've always figured that (depending partly on the time of year) there MUST be quicker ways to get to the Tieton than driving down I-5 past Centrailerish, only to make a big elbow turn back east; e.g., heading through Yelm/McKenna to Elbe to Morton, or even quicker in spring/fall, through Yelm/McKenna to Elbe, then over Skate Creek Road to Packwood, or in summer, simply heading up I-5 to Tacoma, then over 410 and Cayuse Pass. Via the latter route from Tacoma, I can make it to certain Tieton crags in 2:15 sometimes. I do believe there's a much better Tieton bouldering area on the horizon than anything in Yoder's guide.

11 FAs in the Tieton, but didn't get a chance to send the 12th and best before the snow flew. Found a new crag/bouldering area. Alpine adventure at Chimney Rock, ID and urban bouldering at Lincoln Woods, RI. Bouldered V7...in the gym. Confirmed to myself that despite turning 45, I can still climb harder in the future. Beyond climbing, won a case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and had two governors, two senators, the state attorney general, and the Secretary of Energy on hand to announce the (proposed) settlement of one of my cases.

I think that's about right.

Not unlikely at all! We're doing it! Thanks for coming last night Mark, and everyone else. Keep the checks coming! Andy Fitz Washington Climbers Coalition

Nice, Dane. I can see why you've spent so much time up there. I respect what you've done. So from my description, does it sound like I was at least on route for the last pitch of Tsunami? I followed the FF crack system to its end above the belay ledge, moved straight up on steep rock into a little right-facing blank corner with a key finger slot (where I got in a TCU, which I swapped out for a back-up nut when bailing), then made a face move on the right wall of the corner, with a thin little left-hand sidepull and right hand stretching high to reach a quartzy shelf. I had to do kind of a one-arm burl move till I could match on the jug, then mantle, clearing off black lichen as I was arranging hands to mantle. From there it looked like you could continue up and slightly left through juggy overlaps with the same black lichen. Is that where the route goes? I also looked to the right when I made the above move, which is actually where I expected to go when I started the move. I thought I could traverse hard right to reach a little finger crack through a small roof, with the top (a bush) visible right above the roof. Unfortunately, while the shelf I'd mantled onto extended to below the little roof, there was a bulging, exfoliating, flakey wall above the shelf that would have made it really awkward to move that way, like doing a foot-shuffle around Bhudda's belly.

A buddy and I were there July 27-28 and had the crag to ourselves both days (well, except for the thunderstorm that caught us a pitch from the top of Free Friends, and the bald eagle that circled as we topped out). Speaking of the last pitch of Free Friends, there's a free small C4 for the taking for anyone who wants to get off-route onto the last pitch of Tsunami. You'll have to make what might be an irreversible move to get it, though... Guess I should have studied the guidebook a little better.

Look one post above.