mccallboater

My bad. I got the link from a friend at Idaho Power, who inspects dams, so I didn't check his references. A closer look shows Ibex, not Rocky Mountain goats. I stand corrected. Still amazing, yes.

Big Horn Sheep on the downstream side of the Buffalo Bill Dam, Cody WY

Anybody climb this yet? Storm Peak dome

OMG. I look at those pictures now and wonder how I soloed that thing around 1981. I will not rub salt into your wounds though. What I remember was lots of slab, lots of exposure, and wondering what I was doing up there alone. I'll repost a pic I took from the top a few years ago. The rock is really cool. The second picture is the E side of Harrison Peak, viewed from the top of the Turtle.

The route is fine. When are you coming down here? You've been teasing me with trip plans for years. I was pretty impressed with the robustness of the camera also. I don't want to give model details, except to say it was a Canon point and shoot. A nice one. There are 67 pics on the camera. Looked like a great trip. I think I recognize Blodgett canyon, perhaps a few shots of the city of rocks. I would say two old guys, but I'm probably older.

I posted some pics from it on my picasa page. Yours? Judging from the last picture, you got to the top, the camera fell 400 feet, and it still works!

My favorite shovel is still a Chouinard shovel head that fits its own handle or on to my axe. It has the perfect curve for building caves, works as a stove base, doesn't weigh much, carries easily on my pack. It doesn't move a tremendous amount of snow though. So if the reason for carrying a shovel is primarily to dig someone out of an avalanche, then I take my burly Voile extendable shovel. Nice image here from the Wenachee Outdoors website. My Voile is like the top one. My Chouinard is like the next. I too like D-shaped handles. [img:left]http://www.justgetout.net/ClientFiles/8ecf9e69-8f8f-419d-91d8-10c7ca9cbcbb/Shovels-300-4.JPG[/img]

I was on a crab boat up there in Jan of 83, trying not to get killed. But there were a few days when the clouds would part and the wind die down enough to see sublime mountains rearing their hoary heads, a child's drawing of a mountain. Enough to make me wish I had time, gear, and health; enough to quit the get rich quick plan and ditch the boat. As it was, the boat usually looked like that last picture. I finally ended that winter with pneumonia, my tail between my legs, bolting for N Idaho where the ground didn't move. Thanks for the reminder that beautiful country still awaits the bold!

I've got Friday off for the holiday instead of Monday, so partners for ice climbing or ski mountaineering are scarce. Any SW Idaho based folks want to get out on those days?

And I thought it was cool when my 6th grade son played basketball on his unicycle...

The Spokane Mountaineer's part of Bill's books was a subset of that entire collection. The last I heard (which was several years ago) SPL was negotiating with Bill and Harriet Fix to receive Bill's collection, but I don't think that ever happened. Steve R, do you know if it ever found a permanent home? Joe Collin's photos are the best collection of climbing pictures from the post WWII era I have ever seen, comparable to Ira Spring's. His famous climber signature collection is wild. Sorry everybody for thread highjack.

Hey Dane, combine your tools with Bill Fix's books and Joe Collin's photos/climber's signature collection and you would have the core of a great climbing archive. Do you (or does anyone else) know what has happened to those other collections?

Was this trip in the AAC Journal? Should have been if not.

the story is correct. Lots of granite in the Salmon canyon, lots of steep limestone on the road up there, and lots of crumbly faces to explore up high. Reeaally purrrdy.

I did the AAI 6 day ice climbing class on Baker back in...1991? I had the privilege of learning lots of cool stuff from Alan Kearney, with just one other customer. Worth the $ for sure. The Spokane Mountaineers climbing school is very good for noobs also. But you have to be a member and it takes a lot of commitment. As it should be.

What's the "usual" route? the aid route or the 5.10 route?

My son is traveling to India for several months, beginning in June. It's part of a class of his at Evergreen. He's asked me to ask you for general tips on travel over there. If you've been there recently, any word of wisdom you can pass on re visas, airlines, cultural etiquette, whatever? How about health insurance? Anything you wish someone had told you about before you left the states/Canada? I did notice the International Student ID card he's getting has a travel insurance piece that specifically excludes "mountain climbing" from covered activities. What's with that? GENERAL EXCLUSIONS These exclusions apply to all benefits. They apply in addition to any exclusions that apply to a particular benefit (called "Additional Exclusions"). The Policy does not cover loss caused by: (a) Intentionally self-inflicted harm, suicide, or attempted suicide while sane or insane; (b) Pregnancy, childbirth, or elective abortion, other than Unforeseen Complications of Pregnancy; © Participation in professional athletic events, semi-professional, or inter-scholastic team sports, motor sport or motor racing including training or practice for the same; (d) Mountain climbing; (e) Acts of war; (f) Military duty or service; (g) Operating or learning to operate, any Aircraft, as a pilot or crew; (h) Air travel on any air-supported device, other than a regularly scheduled airline or air charter company; (i) Loss or damage caused by detention, confiscation or destruction by customs; (j) Any unlawful acts committed by the Insured, a Family Member or Traveling Companion, whether insured or not; (k) Nuclear reaction, radiation, or radioactive contamination; (l) Civil disorder; (m) Mental, psychological or nervous disorders including anxiety, depression, neurosis or psychosis; or (n) Alcohol or substance abuse.

I gained 5 lbs in the past month. Chile partying and food is not good for the waistline, but very good for the soul.

I've very happy with 2 tents, as Jared suggests. 1 BD firstlight. The best protection for two for under 3 lbs for under $500. 2 Moss starlight 2 (not made anymore, but absolutely bomber, roomy, quick setup and relatively lightweight at 8.2 lbs) I would be happy with a Warmlite 3R too, if I had an extra $850 laying around. I've used it and like it.

I've owned, let's see, 7 canoes and at least a dozen ww kayaks and a few sea kayaks. My latest obsession is this 30 year old Easy Rider ES1, still made in Seattle, I think. It's the closest thing to an all-round boat I've ever used. I'd float it down the middle fork of the Salmon or take it up the inland passage to AK. Maybe I ought to do both in one trip!

Here are the best info sources. I'd join you, but I leave for Chile in 4 days! Packing my swimsuit for sure. Idaho ice climbs Alpinist article from last year The best of all Crappy climbers Directions to Jump Creek Falls

Nothing like pulling out the snowblower for the first time this season. 8" in my driveway, but only .14" of water content. It would be great with a 3' base that we don't have yet. Still, the skate skis might come out this afternoon. The predicted arctic temps haven't arrived yet. This was last year:

I spent a week in a Warmlite 3R on a Schweitzer-Kootenay Pass ski traverse. Great tent. Take a little sponge to wipe down the end zones after a cold night. Fire up your tent candle (or stove if you dare) and the reflective coating will warm up the interior right quick. That's when the sponge comes in handy. I know of no other tent with the Warmlite's space/weight ratio. Plus it's pretty bomber in strong winds, if you stake out the ends with something big, like a buried ski pole. Granted, one needs a larger stake out area with this design than with, say, a Bibler. But as long as your journeys do not include camping on chopped out ledges, go for it. I see on the website they've made a shorter version for that specific use now too.

No shit. I just googled you too. Looks like you're one of those 6k before lunch guys. The good news for you is that there are others with that kind of commitment to big vert around here. Last season I skied a day with a recently retired smokejumper, who when asked, in mid March, how many days of climbing for turns he had so far, said "Oh, maybe 80." Guys and gals like that make one a little humble.

McCall beta as of today. Note the snow stake: http://www.brundage.com/web-cams.aspx Pics of the skiing I'm thinking about right now: http://picasaweb.google.com/mccallboater/NewDiscoveriesUpLakeForkCreek# [img:left]http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lrPgLKJMME0/R_QXdI8b5oI/AAAAAAAAA6k/Wcr4wrzSDag/s640/IMG_0610.JPG[/img]