JosephH

Gotta Get Rid Of Some Of This Shit... All In Good Shape / Prices Firm / Pickup In SE PDX (or Dropzone) 1 - Petzl Pro Traxion Pulley (barely used) / $45 1 - Petzl Basic Ascender / $20 2 - Petzl Ascension Ascenders (used a couple times) / $80 (pair) 1 - Petzl Haul Bag Swivel / $20 1- BD Single Gear Sling / $10 2 - Metolius Rope Hooks w Biners / $5 (each) 22 - Petzl Spirit Biners / $66 (all or none) 2 - Yates Big Wall Ladder (used once) / $50 (pair) / SOLD 7 - Random Locking Biners / $25 / SOLD 1 - Moses Tomahawk / $10 / SOLD 2 - BD Fifi Hooks / $5 (each) / SOLD 6 - HB Brass Nuts (unused) / $20 SOLD 5 - Metolius Brass Astro Nuts (unused) / $20 / SOLD Pics on request...

Hmmm, that basalt columns fall at such PNW cliffs isn't exactly news...

As a united pilot my father flew into pdx fairly often after WWII and crews were put up at the Benson. He said you had to constantly step over drunks and the homeless on the sidewalk the length of Broadway to get anywhere. Said that's why the temperance folks got the water fountains installed. Seems like it was better for a couple of decades, but being the cheapest city on the west coast has caused an influx at the top which has progressively pushed tons of folks out of housing at the bottom. Not sure what can be done - tough problem in a 'free enterprise' system and society which doesn't put a high intrinsic value on human life.

Trump got elected strictly because of the demonization of hillary by both the right and left such that enough progressives, young voters, blacks and latinos stayed home - it won't happen again, it's going to be four and out.

Not to be confused with Mark Def's 'Wind Walker' at Beacon Rock.

Anything whatsoever that helps stems the moronic new tide of bolted alpine routes is to be applauded.

Folks can call it whatever they want so long as they keep going to Ozone.

Tweakers and asswipes on Gorge patrol is definitely happening on both sides of the river.

Wind and solar are problematic in that they generate when they generate and that's not necessarily when there's demand. Here on the Columbia the BPA simply dumps wind power when the water level is high because they can't use it. What's needed is what are called utility-scale storage systems which could store wind and solar power in times of low demand and then access it when it's really needed as opposed to when generated. An example would be using wind power to pump water out of the Columbia and up to a lake at the top of the Gorge which could then be run back down to the river through a generator when needed. Another example would be using wind power to compress air in an underground cavern and use that to run a generator when needed. Big batteries of various kinds and ultracaps are also beginning to be used for such storage and some folks think using everyone's electric car batteries at night in their garages should be added as a form of distributed grid storage. Other ideas are things like using solar power to run heavy railroad trains up a long grade during the day and letting it roll back down at night to generate using what's called regenerative braking power (no really).

The entire transmission system is 'balanced' and synchronized by power generation 'spinning reserves' which are reliable sources of power (dams up this way, nuke plants elsewhere). That is combined with operating engineers in all the regional transmission organizations (RTOs) trying to operate their grids under capacity by 10-15% to accommodate spikes and with standby gas generation plants which can be spun up fast in the case of sharp drops. Unfortunately - since the days of Enron / deregulation (separating power generation from power transmission) - the operating engineers' transmission reserve capacity has been ogled by power marketers who think the operating engineers really only need 3-8% transmission line reserve capacity and that they should be free to use the rest to sell more power. CEOs tend to listen to the marketing and finance guys more than the engineers so sometimes they gamble and use the reserve capacity to sell more power. This usually happens when they are incented by high demand / prices, but that's also when both power and transmission systems are stressed and operating close to the bone with everyone doing their best to keep the loads / system balanced. The practice often leads to 'brown outs' and the SW / California were particularly prone to them during the Enron days when traders would convince / pay power plant operators to fake outages and stand their plant down to drive prices up.

The gallery is currently on-the-rails (down) and the contact page isn't displaying a submission code.

You're a history guy, you know people were a dime a dozen centuries even before the current population explosion. But I suppose losing you would definitely put a serious dent in cc's overall humor and literary index so it's good you survived your brush with Darwin. And whew, what an undignified way for a teller of epic tales to go. A step up from getting killed in a crosswalk no doubt, but not by much.

Seems to me they had a sign warning not to throw rocks, but the inhuman nature of teens being what it is, it just encouraged them to do it so they took it down.

I would suggest you consider looking into the legal and liability side of things before you get too far into the venture as that's a significant assumption of risk on your part.

Hmmm, which block exactly? Climbed it Saturday and didn't notice anything. The first anchor is the little perch in the dihedral below the offwidth. Are you talking about the blocks when you first come up off the vertical section (and also where Dods meets FFA) where you could in theory squeeze on over to the top of FFS and Windsurfer?

Hmmm, which block exactly? Climbed it Saturday and didn't notice anything. The first anchor is the little perch in the dihedral below the offwidth. Are you talking about the blocks when you first come up off the vertical section (and also where Dods meets FFA) where you could in theory squeeze on over to the top of FFS and Windsurfer?

Brooke, Adam and Kurt were way ahead of their time on this one. Edit: forgot about Kurt...

Do be aware that the olympic bottle distance throwing, hooker john heaving, and syringe dart decathlon events are all slated to begin out there any day now.

It's alright, better people get a real under-the-hood look at what a bunch of the energy out there is all about - I'm more sorry you now are having to deal with it in turn.

Same here, but I will say any and all retrobolting should be open to discussion by everyone without it being considered hijacking.

Removed.

I understand the argument, but for me it's a matter of precedence. It's how the route was established and, given it's had many subsequent ascents, I think the route and those leads should be respected. I get that's likely a minority opinion these days, but it doesn't make it any less valid or the opposite opinion any more valid. Not at all, the question was about retrobolting a route to deliberately take the risk out of it. There was nothing whatsoever 'personal' about my answer to Micah, but rather an opinion 'traffic' shouldn't be a criteria in retrobolting a route that has been done many times to-date without the bolt. I'm missing where that is personal. You may take that personally, but that's a different matter altogether. Whether I get on the route or not is another matter as well - the conversation is on retrobolting and everyone should be free to comment on its acceptability, especially so given the fact retrobolting has already moved east fifteen miles with likely pressure for more of the same over the coming years. Arent got the FA because he was willing to break off the expando flake at the start of the layback while at that time I wasn't quite to that point and was still trying to figure out a way to leave it. I don't in any way begrudge him the FA as I would have come to same conclusion, but it would have taken a couple of more goes before I had. Arent and I traded emails over several years concerning the first bolt which we were in complete agreement on. Arent used a #6 at the first roof while I went with a black metolius just under the roof. I even led it three times each way just to evaluate both options and a bolt (having gone out and bought a #6 for the occasion) so it wasn't idle conjecture: both of our ways sucked at the first roof in terms of foot entanglement and so I actively pinged him numerous times about placing that bolt or marking it and offered to do it myself. In fact, the only reason you were out there doing it with him was I had just pinged him yet again about it offering to do the roof bolt for him if he were too busy. Oh, and no 6-4 wingspan was or is required to protect any part of the route without the bolts. The chicken bolt is the second bolt. The roof bolt doesn't really change the character of the route, the second bolt changes its character completely eliminating the most committing section of the route. I led the route 20+ times without that second bolt and repeatedly asked Arent not to bolt that section even though I supported the roof bolt. I even sent a picture of the pro at that spot - both the pro I used initially and the bomb pro I subsequently found and used. Bomb pro in the layback by the second bolt. Here's the pic I sent him with the old, good-enough placement I used many times (and Hudon called it a 'thing of beaty' when he used it), along with the location of the even better placement: Now it's clearly Arent's prerogative to retrobolt it as FA, but the second bolt absolutely robs the character of the route and anyone who thinks they've done the route clipping that chicken bolt has sadly missed out on one of the best routes the Gorge has to offer. I have nothing but respect for Arent's climbing and I'm inclined to believe he did it for the sake of 'traffic' as opposed to no longer being willing to do the route as it was, but again, I find 'traffic', 'open up' and 'comfort' to be perverse rationales for retrobolting and would still urge him to remove it as it's a travesty to what the route's true character offers. Damn few, but it gets done and got done onsight last weekend by a couple of really bold climbers who just saw it and jumped on it - no guidebook. I originally did do one [failed] TR to clean several large rocks at the top of it before leading it and got it on the first lead. I also have to work up to leading it every year and not a single one of the fifty or so leads I've done of it over eight years (last weekend included) has ever been 'casual' in any way. Bottom line is if someone isn't up for the challenge or that level of commitment they shouldn't lead it. If they want to TR it, it's a 5.2 traverse from the Atonement anchor. To be honest, I'm more confused as to why the question isn't "how many are strong enough to lead it" (and kinda wtf, I mean I was 56 when I put it up and will be 64 in August and I still lead it). Once established, people leading a route any number of times as is should give a route some independent status quo / weight. Dumbing down challenging and bold routes after they've seen many leads does absolutely no one any favors and simply diminishes the route, the people who do low-commitment leads of them, and ultimately the sport.

Removed.

Removed.