JosephH

Mark, from big ledge? That would work if someone was around to tie the haul bag on...

"Flying Circus" was next up when we shut things down for the year as it requires rapping from the top of the chimney pitch above the West end of Grassy Ledges. You'll have to do that one with me...

You learn something new every day... " Originally noted as Beaten Rock in William Clark's journal, an apparent mondegreen, but soon corrected to Beacon, so called for looking the sort of peak to light a beacon fire upon. Alexander Ross of the Astor Expedition (1811) called it Inshoack Castle (I don’t know why) from which it became known as Castle Rock. In 1961 the name Beacon Rock was officially “restored.” The aboriginal name was Che-che-op-tin meaning “navel of the world.” "

Open source is not a revolution - it simply a bunch of people who don't realize they are working for IBM for nothing and are too young to remember what a real menace looks like...

"...cracks will be filled with tons o grimy crap..." Actually up on most of the South face column routes they are - we need to clean those suckers out this coming season and get on them...

Kev, just a joke twisting on the canine parvo rampant out at Beacon and the NW in general...

Well, closing Beacon until July gets everyone in the PDX into the habit of just heading over your way to Smith and when it opens most of them just keep doing that. That helps keep Beacon trad; that, and the poison oak which is going to be far worse than ever this year taking over virtually every route on the stone. Oh, and there'll probably be a bad outbreak of human parvo, the bears are rabid, the wasps - they crossed with killer bees in '05 and will now chase you back to the parking lot...

Yep, if they're already a climber then they've already put up with endless rounds of your sh#t from someone else. It's a lot easier to go back out to the "world" and reel in one fresh to climbing. Mike's advice isn't bad either. My wife is a great climber, did a couple of years of it getting to where she could lead .10's before getting attached to Astanga yoga and while we rarely climb together she totally understands me needing to do it. So now it's not a problem for me to climb and hell, after 8 years of Astanga she'd kick my ass if she started back up so it's ok if she just stays home and thinks I'm the burly one...

Kev, Only the top photo is related to the Peregrines. The bottom one is hawks. But yes, if they do nest up on the East face then the South face should be open. And you are right with regard to their status, they are no longer listed as an "endangered species" for the purpose of protection under Federal law on a national basis. But that said, they are no where near restored to anything close to their natural range here in the NW. WA State is dedicated to seeing that range restored within the state and our pair being successful every year at Beacon is contributing to that effort in that every year their chicks have been growing up and moving on to other areas. I find it as frustrating as the next person being shut out part of the year, but I also love seeing and hearing them when am out and think about how much poorer and less wild the experience would be without them. I feel the same way in my windsurfing about the Ospreys and watching them so successfully repopulate the Gorge over the twenty years I've lived here. But that's just me and I do understand not everyone feels that way. Rest assured, though, we will be working to get it open at the earliest possible date this year. There are no guarantees it will open early, but we will be on it...

Mark, The BRSP rangers have no control over the Peregrine closure which is governed by the WDFW Peregrine Management Plan as administered by David Anderson, the WDFW biologist. Officially it's entirely Dave's call, but in reality nothing much happens unilaterally out there so a pow-wow between the two agencies would take place because the BRSP has some pre-opening tasks around signage, survey, notifications, and phone messages they have to schedule as well. If we prove to WDFW's satisfaction the the Peregrines are not nesting on the South face, then my expectation would be that wheels would begin turning to coordinate an opening date as soon as is humanly feasible. We would be in the loop on that scheduling and would be sure and let everyone here know what's going on. And thanks for the offer... Here is a shot of the area where I think they may have nested... And here is a shot of the Red Tail Hawk's nest location - it looks like a tall Chinese castle affair of red sticks and is very impressively architected.

Mark, As a free-standing stone, Beacon represents a unique challenge compared to almost any other cliff where you can just stand back and scope the whole thing from one spot. Monitoring Beacon effectively puts you on the move as the Peregrines move. I/we have a circuit that consists of the Boat Ramp (S & SW $ W), Upper Picnic Area (N & E & W), the tracks about 100 yards East of where the trail drops down (S & SE & E). If the Peregrines are really active it can get pretty aerobic getting down to the SE corner and back all day. Some times they perch up on the SE or SW corners (up by Eric's rap anchors) for hours and hunt from there often heading out across the river or to the SouthEast. Occasionally they head due North and typically land high up on the East face when they do. I rarely if ever see them head or return from the NE (Hamilton) where one might think would be a reasonable alternate nesting area. Other times they stay in the air for extended periods taking long exursions up or down the river always returning to soar the ridge lift right above Beacon. They get in that ridge lift and can really pick up some altitude before heading out. That's roughly their behavior. When I've seen them land on Beacon it is typically somewhere on the South face about 90% of the time I see them land. I've never seen them visit the NW face or land up on top anywhere. That doesn't mean they don't, just that I haven't seen them do it. Again, my guess is they nested in this one spot way up on the East face high above the parking lot and in about 50 yards. I think they are just at Beacon too much for the chicks not to be there too.

Kevin, We, after the fact, only proved the Peregrines didn't use Big Ledge last year. We never did succeed in finding out where they the did nest though my own suspicion is they nested way high up on the East face. They were definitely nesting in nesting season, though, and again we just don't know where on Beacon it was. Bill thinks there is a possibility they didn't nest on Beacon but I spent a lot of days out there this past pre-season monitoring and they were all over Beacon pretty much every day I went out. Beacon is closed in February so as not to influence the Peregrine's choice of nesting sites. My hope is that this year they return to where ever they nested in 2005. All of us will be putting in a lot of energy into locating the nest this coming season. If we locate it and it isn't on the South face then I suspect Dave Anderson will be amenable to opening up climbing on it. The key is we have to know with certainty where they are nesting - knowing where they are not nesting is not sufficient (nor should it be) for opening the South face. That is because even though they may not be on Big Ledge they could still be elsewhere on the South face. We did manage, however, to establish (after overcoming much suspicion) a good working relationship with David Anderson, the WFWD biologist responsible for the Peregrine Management Plan, and that was a big accomplishment in and of itself. This year we'll just build on that relationship and, in fact, we hope to get him out climbing at Beacon. Believe me, Bill and I want Beacon opened as much as you and will be working hard to make that happen if it is at all possible and will keep you and everyone else here posted. Joseph

Will do!

It really depends on the winters how often you get out on rock - this one has been particularly nasty. On the otherhand most folks shift gears to alpine or skiing. I usually windsurf the first part of the year until Beacon opens but there's always the res columns and Smith and points North also...

Thank you and you're welcome. From here on out it's would probably be best to just follow the SuperTopo and RC threads as I had just answered that question as best I can on RC... http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=140782&f=0&b=0 http://rockclimbing.com/post/1289794#1289794 I will post back here if and when we get another round of significant info from CCH... Josesph

Just goes to show you should really be dismounting from those highball problems and that pads are for pussies...

I got a quick response from Dave/CCH regarding the questions I emailed him. No doubt we will get a more comprehensive information once he has a chance to do a real post mortem but for now here are now the answers he sent: ------------------------------------------ Remaining Questions Stem Braze Failure 1) Why were cams marked with a "center punch dimple"? What purpose did this mark serve? CCH: "The centerpunch identified the company that made the braze." 2) An orange cam failure reported on RockClimbing.com sparked the investigation leading to this recall - was that cam marked with a "center punch dimple"? CCH: "Yes." 3) MGear tested nine cams resulting in 3 stem brazing failures - were those 3 cams marked with the "center punch dimple"? CCH: "Yes." 4) Has there been any reported or tested stem brazing failures of cams without the "center punch dimple"? CCH: "No." Mis-drilled Axle Holes 5) Do you know what product (dates, sizes, and type) were affected by this defect? CCH: "0305 is the date associated with the axle hole issue. All the cams I have seen with the axle hole off are 0305. Perhaps it extends to 0405. It is not a safety concern according to tests I have made. They hold well in excess of 3000. 6) Is this erronous displacement of the axle hole from its designed location the same on all defective cams or does it vary from cam to cam? HEALYJE: See #5. 7) Will you issue a seperate recall for this defect? HEALYJE: See #5. ------------------------------------------ Dave followed up these answers with: CCH: "I will keep you informed on this matter. I will be talking to more experts on brazing in the next few days - Dave I let Dave know I very much appreciated his quick response and again, I have no doubt we will hear more on the matter as information is available to CCH... Joseph Healy Portland, Oregon

Not the topic of this article but I'm hearing more and more about how prevalent this disease is in the NW. If you have dogs you take out where they may be exposed to coyote and bear feces you should probably get them vaccinated and/or leave them at home... http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/national/15wolf.html

Yep, Philbox over on RC is trying to clean up all their CCH threads too. I'm sure something like this is all pretty daunting for you moderators...

I've emailed CCH a set of comments and remaining concerns and spoken with Dave regarding that email. Please see my last two posting in this thread for more details: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/s...true#Post535731

To fellow CC'ers: I just got off the phone with Dave at CCH after calling him to let him know about the above email. Though obviously very busy he did answer the phone and take some time to speak with me. He understandably probably can't fully respond to all of the above answers immediately and does not currently have all the information yet himself(like whether Kevin's orange cam that sparked all this or the 3 MGear cams that failed testing had the dimple marking). I let him know I'm not looking for an immediate response but rather would prefer he wait until he feels he can reasonably craft a response that addresses my[/our] concerns. Dave expressed a clear understanding that there may be lingering questions and doubts not specifically addressed by the Brazing Recall notice and a sincere desire to address all those concerns. He definitely "gets it" that he has fiercely loyal customers that nevertheless still have some [legitimate] doubts about their cams. I attempted to reiterate that I am one of those customers, use his products, and that I felt that every climbing gear manufacturer we have is "precious" and valued and absolutely no one wants to see him do anything but continue to make and sell the products that have built him a this vocal following. So again, Dave said he would respond to the questions in my letter and we may all see his response at the same time, but if his response comes via email I will let everyone know at that time. So let's give him a some time to get on with this recall, do some more research, and get back to us. Joseph Healy Portland, Oregon

This is a copy of an email sent to CCH today: ---------------------------------------------------- Regarding the CCH Brazing Recall Notice Thank you for investigating the circumstances around the recent failed stem brazing on an orange Alien as reported on RockClimbing.com and for instituting a voluntary recall of cams specifically identified in your recall notice. That Brazing Recall notice covers cams produced from 11/04 thru 2005 that are identified as "marked with a small center punch dimple at the base of the round ball where the axle goes through the cable eye". This recall by CCH is a very positive and productive step toward restoring the climbing community's faith and confidence in what we can all agree is a great product. However, there remains several important questions left unanswered by your recall notice. These questions relate to the several product defects observed during 2005 and to the issue of what product is actually affected. The remaining questions are: Remaining Questions Stem Braze Failure 1) Why were cams marked with a "center punch dimple"? What purpose did this mark serve? 2) An orange cam failure reported on RockClimbing.com sparked the investigation leading to this recall - was that cam marked with a "center punch dimple"? 3) MGear tested nine cams resulting in 3 stem brazing failures - were those 3 cams marked with the "center punch dimple"? 4) Has there been any reported or tested stem brazing failures of cams without the "center punch dimple"? Mis-drilled Axle Holes Some cams were produced with mis-drilled cam lobe axle holes that were assmebled into finished products and shipped to retailers. Below is a photo of a cam with this defect that was purchased at the REI in Bend, Oregon in December 2005. The photo notes where the axle hole center should be located to achieve CCH's 16 degree cam angle. 5) Do you know what product (dates, sizes, and type) were affected by this defect? 6) Is this erronous displacement of the axle hole from its designed location the same on all defective cams or does it vary from cam to cam? 7) Will you issue a seperate recall for this defect? General Quality Comments Again, I applaud both your products and your renewed efforts to address the defective stem brazing issue. But incidents in 2005 have raised legitimate concerns about what quality methods employed at CCH. Given the scope and scale of your business I for one certainly don't expect CCH to initiate an expensive, world-class quality initiative. But as climber that often trusts my life to the integrity of your products I nonetheless feel justified in expecting minimal but effective quality measures. Simple Quality Tests Three CCH cam defects were observed during 2005 - failed stem brazing, mis-drilled axle holes, and torn trigger sleeves. Defective trigger sleeves, while annoying, are unlikely to endanger a climbers life. Stem brazing and axle hole defects on the otherhand do represent a clear safety hazard. Each of these two defects could be largely eliminated from shipped products with the application of two simple quality checks. Pull Testing The bottom line is that after the events of 2005 climber confidence has been shaken. The Brazing Recall is a great first step to restoring confidence in your product but does not adequately address lingering doubts and suspicions still clearly evident in on-line discussions. Instituting pull testing of every finished cam prior to shipping would go a long, long way towards a total restoration of confidence in your product and company. Such testing would not be an overly expensive, technically difficult, or particularly onerous quality check to implement. Cam Axle Hole Location Test A set of aluminum plates/jigs could easily be machined with a negative cam lobe shape embedded in them that includes and axle stub. As cam lobes come of the CNC machine at the start of each run a sampled cam lobe from the run could simply be dropped into the appropriate jig and tested for proper axle hole location. This quality check would be cheap, simple, and inobtrusive to implement. Summary CCH provides unique and valued product to a fiercely loyal customer base and no one wants to see the loss of CCH or Aliens. I and others would, however, simply like to see CCH reflect that loyalty by providing solid products, simple and honest communication, and responsive customer service that acknowledges and responds to our ongoing needs as valued customers. A response to these questions and comments would be very much appreciated. Joseph Healy Portland, Oregon

Wild looking place, how is the rock?

Isn't it true some don't have this stamp... especially the older ones? Yes. Some of the older ones have date of manufacture stamped on the TOP of the trigger bar. So I have a couple questions about this whole deal that I have kept silent about until now. 1) How did that guy on rc.com happen to be taking rapid frames/sec pictures of the fall and how did he happen to have the faulty alien immediately backed up by some other cam? Chance? 2) How did all the defective aliens happen to have a dimple on the bulb at the connection point? Chance? There is something weird going on. Alpinfox, We are way past the hoax stage at this point. I think there is something "weird" going on too, but it has more do with why some Aliens have "dimples" and others do not. Hopefully along with the recall we'll get some answers...

Archenemy, Sorry, trying to help sort through this issue across three sites is making me a bit terse - but could we please skip the humor posts on this one.