KaskadskyjKozak

A mantra of a friend of mine. He applies this to mountaineering, among other things: "It doesn't have to be fun to be fun" Used at auspicious moments, like when dry heaving on the summit of Rainier. Another one, cited during rest breaks: "The mountain is not getting any closer"

Do you like lamb?

You're three???

What a f**king idiot...

I just double-checked the price at Pilchuck - $159 to lease for a season and $99 to buy out at the end. Renting for the season (not leasing) is $110. There are some ski packages at other stores on line for kids for $219 for new stuff. There's gotta' be less expensive options...

Hmm. You just gave me an idea for the next time I head out to Si...

I've looked into this option at one shop (Pilchuck). As I recall it was about $200 or $250 to lease skis and boots for a year. Is that really less expensive than it would be to buy used gear of a comparable quality? On the gear lifespan point, I do have younger ones who could inherit the gear as my oldest grows out of it...

He's 7 - I picked him up a helmet on sale at REI last year. It still fits...

I used the same 3 AA E2 batteries in my BD Gemini headlamp for a Rainier climb AND a Baker climb, and they still did not go dead. The headlamp was on for 7 hours on Rainier and 4 hours on Baker. Temps on Rainer were in the low 30's, and around 0 on Baker (with windchill). I was not leading, so I used the LED bulb on my headlamp (rather than the halogen one). As an added bonus they are 1/2 the weight of regular batteries.

With fried SPAM?

Ementhaler. Gruyere. Mmmm.

less-fit? that was the 2nd hike I took my kid on - he was 5 then...

What are some good places in North Seattle/Everett or the East Side to pick up used skis and boots for kids? Any recommendations on brands/models would be nice as well. I'm looking for gear for a 7 year old.

Ah... that must have been fun then.

I was at Baker on Saturday as well. The snow *was* thin at the bottom, but there were only a few places where "snow was mixed with mud". Overall the conditions were more like the end of April than December. The views of Shuksan were nice though. :-)

I thought Giardia took several days (if not a week or two) to develop. Your friend must have drank the tainted water prior to that trip, or maybe it was not Giardia...

I liked it better than Shrek or Monsters Inc. It's got lots of humor mixed in that only adults will "get". Definitely worth seeing.

I highly recommend the burgers at "Good Food" located just outside of Marblemount on Hwy 20, West of the turnoff to the Cascade River Road.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at with my needling... but people were playing the idealist / PC card...

Not to mention their breakfast cereals. Ever had Wheetabix? A visit to the bathroom after eating a bowl of that makes you feel like you're baling hay. Fortunately not... and I haven't tried "spotted dick" either.

Even if you *do* have 3 months of salary saved, you should always have at least that much liquid assets as an emergency fund. Better to hold on to it than squander it on a ring - a wise policy for everyone, not just newlyweds...

Ah, so you do have one then. Now do a Gedanken experiment here - if you never had got one, you would be 100% cool with that? You never would have held that against "your man"? It seems this whole thing works against human nature...

Has anyone been to Baker this week? What are the conditions like? Is it worth a trip?

Yeah but that kind of s**t sure hits the spot after a glacier slog!