Ireneo_Funes

Nice photos... my favorite detail is the sun visor. Start of pitch 2: right-side up and forward. End of pitch 2: backwards and upside down. Pitch 5: right-side up and forward again. I'd like some shots of the transitions! Seriously, great photos. I can't wait to get out there. Love the color and texture of the rock!

Yeah, that's what I thought too. The summitpost page was the only beta I'd seen on the rap down, so it had me concerned. It's no fun when the rap down is way sketchier than the climb up - though sometimes it's unavoidable.

Thanks, dberdinka. I'm really looking forward to my first trip to the Sawtooths -- getting away from the crowds. So you rapped the last pitch - that's good to know; thanks!

I'm looking for beta on the standard (Southeast Face?) route on Warbonnet Peak in the Sawtooths -- has anyone here done it recently? From the descriptions I've read, the climbing route itself sounds pretty straightforward, but it's the descent that sounds a little tricky. For those of you that've done it, did you downclimb the last pitch and then rap the route, or is there an easier way down? Also any advice on the approach would be appreciated - it sounds like there's a few miles of cross-country travel to Bead Lakes. What's that like?

Yeah, but now they've got Tommy Stinson...that's got to count for something.

Thanks for the information, guys. I don't think that I've ever actually taken a good look at the east side route, except a quick glance from above or on the rap down from the top. I just pulled out the Dodge book, and I think that the route that I was trying to describe is what he calls the SW Face (5.6 A2). The rock looks solid but it's a little hard to tell. I imagine it doesn't get that much traffic.

I don't have the book in front of me, but I seem to remember that in "Portland Rock Climbs" Tim Olson mentions that there's some variations on the standard route to the top of Rooster Rock. Anybody ever try anything different than the 5.3 route? I'm thinking that one potential route might start from the bolted belay anchor and go left, then straight up - but it's hard to tell from the ledge.

Justin's right. Moore's a filmmaker, not a politician, and he can promote or defend his movie however he wants. It doesn't make him a hypocrite if he's selective about who he gives an interview to. And Off White pointed this out already, but Hitch isn't even close to "liberal" these days, if he ever was. He's a guy who gambled a big part of his reputation on the belief that going to war with Iraq was justifiable and a good idea...and probably isn't feeling very smug these days. He justly calls into question Moore's intellectual honesty, but anyone who's ever read Hitchen's practically slanderous "No One Left To Lie To: The Triangulation of William Jefferson Clinton" will know that the pot's calling the kettle black here.

It's definitely worth practicing self-arrest with a pack on (esp. head-downhill, on your back)...you might not get good at it, but at least you'll appreciate how difficult it is. And maybe then you'll try even harder not to fall in the first place. Practicing and realizing the limits of self-arrest has made me a more careful climber.

Very nice, Wallstein. It's easy to forget why we do this, and to get caught up in tick lists, resumes, pointless competition... all the usual egotistical and materialistic bullshit. It's good to step back from that and just enjoy the moment for what it is.

North - did you make it up 3-Fingered Jack? What was the PCT like on the approach? I talked to the ranger last week and she made it sound like the trail was sketchy, with loose snags and sinkholes from last year's fire... Also, was there much snow on top?

The death penalty's barbaric, whether or not innocent people are being executed. The fact that innocent people have been executed just highlights the barbarity. And no, I'm not saying we should go easy on murderers. But the death penalty doesn't work as a deterrent and it's morally indefensible...just like torture.

Yeah, Betty's Pies - worth stopping for.

You'll probably get lonesome for the mountains in MN, but if you like canoeing, the BWCA is the best spot in the world. I can't recommend it enough. As far as rock climbing goes... I never climbed before I moved out to the PNW, but if I were you, I'd check out Shovel Point/Tettegouche State Park on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It's a beautiful area. I'm definitely heading up there if I'm ever back in MN during the summer.

John, that's terrible. You have my sympathy. Seems like the average burglar wouldn't bother with a bunch of esoteric climbing gear...but I don't profess to understand that mentality. Good luck; I hope they get caught and you get your gear back!

Carnies should scare you. Just saw on the news this morning that 2 Rose Festival Waterfront Village employees were arrested on drug charges. One, a ride operator, arrested for being under the influence of meth, the other, a booth attendant, arrested for selling meth on the job. You won't see me on the tilt-a-whirl this weekend.

Seems to me that using just one rope would eliminate the extra potential failure points and opportunities for screwups that you'd have with two 30m ropes. If I had to choose between the options laid out, I'd probably go with the 60m myself, even though I wouldn't enjoy lugging the extra weight.

I've only climbed Thielsen in late season, but it seems like it would be a nice climb on snow -- less scrambling over loose rock. My choice for a 3-day climbing trip in OR would be to go to the 3 Sisters Wilderness. But you've probably been up those peaks, I'm guessing.

How 'bout something a little obscurer? From the pioneer days: I'm just an addict, addicted to music Maybe it's a habit, I gotta use it Even if it's jazz or the quiet storm I hook a beat up and convert it into hip-hop form Write a rhyme in graffitti and every show you see me in Deep concentration, 'cause I'm no comedian... Bonus -- one for the international audience (Dru should have no problem with this, since he's required to parle francais half the year, right?): Ils s'etaient rencontres sur les bancs d'l'ecole Entre une heure de colle de maths ou d'un cours d'espagnol C'etait un fille fun fana de football Lui ne craignait pas les balles, c'etait le goal... No google searches! Use your noggin.

"Little Dorritt" is fantastic. Dickens deserves more respect than he gets nowadays. "Hard Times" is my all time favorite Dickens novel.

So we get bad weather now, and wildfires later. Nice - the best of both worlds.

Tenet was a Clinton appointee, not a Bush "crony" by any stretch. And yeah, it's been demonstrated that the CIA is run by a bunch of incompetents, but don't be fooled - Tenet's just a scapegoat here. If we're judging our top officials on the job they're doing to make the world safer for Americans, there's a couple other top officials who might want to think about resigning.

Too bad - hope you beat the odds and catch the thief. It seems like every time I go to the Butte I see some kind of "suspicious" activity going on... I never leave my pack out of sight on top when I'm climbing. Good luck.

Nice, thanks!

Is there much in the 5.7-5.10 range, or are the routes at Pete's mostly harder than that? How many routes are top-ropeable?