JosephH

I'm going to be out there tomorrow (Sat) around 10am to work on a route if anyone is interested. The first pitch might be a bit damp, but I believe the rest will be dry.

I've got a light-green, still-in-the-wrapper Metolius Monster 60m 9.8m, non-dry rope available if someone wants a good deal, say $115...

The Army raised the enlistment age to 42 in 2006. So, how many of you defenders of liberty are that age or younger? Why haven't you joined up yet? I mean, if you can climb, you can fight - right? In fact, you are the very folks the Special Forces are looking for, that's why the ad is here. Serenity can no doubt give you the lowdown on what to expect and how to navigate today's Army to fit in fast. And if you're older than 42 then are your kids serving or are you encouraging you kids to enlist when they get out of highschool? So, what's the real word here? Is this all talk or are you prepared to support your beliefs with your own life or your childrens'. The recruiting office near you is open today and you or your kids still have time to make it over there. Talking shit on line is about as daring as clipping bolts. Join the Army Special Forces and you'll be doing some dirty, runout trad for at least a little while - and serving your country.

Not particularly into guides, but I have to take my reading glasses anyway or I can't place pro...

Any of the Beacon crew interested in a good deal on a new Metolius Monster 9.8m, non-dry, 60m rope? Say $115 - let me know...

I'll suggest it to him if he makes it out between his trip to the Valley and when his alpine adventures start.

You can borrow some of mine for it...

Ivan, were the pins you 'found' completely covered in moss or were they just hidden by recent dirt and grass/fern growth. I cleaned the route pretty thoroughly two years ago and didn't think I missed an inch of it or any pins - possible, but don't remember it that way. The grass/ferns do grow back pretty quick and might hide them again, but being grown over with moss is another deal which I would take to mean I need to be a bit more thorough with my cleaning.

Bummer, have to bail for a long-standing engagement my wife recently reminded me of. Hope you all have a good time.

The upper pins on Flying Dutchman are all solid. I checked them, but they didn't need replacing, so I suspect they are the original aid pins. Jim did restore a pin on the lower pitch just up from the oak tree.

How much duct tape are you willing to climb with and pull through biners - at least that was the only question back in the day in our neck of the woods when we were climbing on MSR ("knot special") fully-braided rope. It would get big poodle hairballs you had to tape down. We'd retire them when they got to be a hassle to pull through biners...

Cool. Come on down, I'll be there...

All three Reversos I've used over time are drilled and leashed. I also still hip belay a lot. Damn, still uncool after all these years...

Read'em and weep: http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/tenday/97026?from=36hr_topnav_outdoors Gonna play hooky this afternoon and climb given today and tomorrow look like it for awhile - anyone else? Will be out at Beacon about 12:30 - 1pm...

Good job getting out and getting on all sorts of good old lines, Ivan! Flying Swallow is next on my list of cleanups. I only got about half the job done last time I worked on it and haven't managed to get back to it. Folks should consider adopting one of the column routes and cleaning it out. I have all the cleaning gear if you want to borrow it.

Well, I was the unlikely winner of an ice climbing trip this coming December and, given the only vertical ice I've done was on wooden handled tools in wool, I think maybe I'll show up and check out all the modern goods...

Well, if ten weeks of leap-frogging teams repeatedly sieging up and down a wall is your thing have at it. It is the essence brute force and, again, may be the only way some lines are climbed. But to me personally seems relatively pointless due to the overwhelming dependency on expeditionary and logistical inelegance. And from what I can tell of the number of people/teams and the yoyo-ing distances involved in the acscent, I can only surmise we have a different definition of "capsule style". Still - all-in-all - it's burly business no matter how you look at it.

Nothing makes me happier than those dozen cars...

Bejesus! I'm cutting back posting as I think I'm beginning to see a sync'ing up of the posting and accident rates around here! Just kidding (I hope) - get well soon Porter...

Technical Info: Ten weeks of up and down sieging fixing lines. Admittedly a brutal task, but climbing? Sure, in that pre-Habeler/Messner, brute force, any-way-to-the-top, expedition sort of way. Maybe that's the only way some routes will go, but I suspect not everyone agrees with such heavy-handed tactics in light of recent alpine accomplishments.

I might admit to that if you could give me one good reason why I'd be down there while ______ is open... Besides, how would I be able to tell these new bolts from all the other new bolts? That, and whomever it was used way too much chalk writing it to be me. And, to borrow an oft-bandied phrase, isn't all this covered under the "if they bother you, just don't clip'em" doctrine I hear all the time?

"Please remove new bolts"

Not by gym standards - there's always room for another line when you bring your inside mentality outdoors. Such is the risk of developing and promoting an area to a primarily sport / gym community - they may lack your experience and ethics and so not share your sensibilities around such issues. P.S. Looks like a good name for a route...

Granted, that is a complex skill set to master, and one which pre-supposes one has actually made it all the way to a period at some point in their adult life. He's clearly a busy man, but there's certainly no reason this couldn't be a lifetime goal for the President after he leaves office.

As a side note - most all of the pins folks are likely to run into out at Beacon have been checked in the past 18 months - any that were suspect or bad were either reset or replaced. I trust most of the pins way more than the protection bolts at this point.