mccallboater

Ship Island Creek gorge in Idaho's Bighorn crags. But I think I'll need Sherpas to haul big wall gear that far. Long backpack from Central Idaho to Canada. No injuries. Happy marriage. Any of these oxymorons?

fixed the link, I think.

Though this past week I've been busy shredding up Idaho's great snow, I did have time to take a peak at this: [gvideo]5362339854737035287[/gvideo] I speaks to me with wisdom and humor.

McCall. Be there.

Related to this?

check out this linky click on Cooking with Big Tim Perfect instructions for how to do it. Don't forget the cookie sheet with tin foil on the bottom of the oven.

Is this ripe for spray, or what? First, read the post in climbers wanted , then read this. From the website, my Italics and boldface print added: Purpose: To share the love and truth of Christ with other climbers on the mountain; to promote encounters with the Divine; and to disciple one another and grow deeper in our faith, understanding, and ability to minister. Secondary objectives include supporting and encouraging our friends at Chapel By The Sea in Anchorage and Talkeetna Community Church in the town that is the staging area for the trip to Denali. These churches and their people, who are the body of Christ, bless us and we will seek to bless them. Another secondary objective is an opportunity to stand on the highest peak in North America (weather permitting). Just what I would want on my once in a lifetime Denali climb: some Christian evangelist hitting me up. If these folks want to have their epiphany, great. But don't be pushing that on other climbing parties. Location: West Buttress route on Mount McKinley, Chapel By The Sea in Anchorage, and Talkeetna Community Church in Talkeetna. Prerequisites: Ability to share the Gospel and testimony of your life in Christ. You must have a servant’s heart, extended cold-weather winter camping experience, solid ability to self-arrest, and experience in glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques. We recommend you have experience exercising at altitude. Exercising what, exactly, demons? Oh yeah, that's exorcising. Leaders: Trip leader is Charleton Churchill and assistant leader is Tim Hall. Both have extensive experience and they summited as part of Mission: Denali 2007. Charleton is a youth pastor and Tim has worked as an instructor for Solid Rock Outdoor Ministries in Wyoming. Jim Doenges of Climbing For Christ will serve as trip advisor. Jim has summited and was trip leader for Mission: Denali 2007. NOTE: This is not a guided climb, except by the Holy Spirit. Trip leaders are not paid, and Climbing For Christ accrues no profit. We expect all team members to haul full loads up the Kahiltna glacier, contribute to the daily chores of the expedition, and fully support the purpose of the mission. I fully expect to be ostracized by those on the list who think this is a great idea.

I've got a house in McCall and in Boise. But I'm in Boise at the moment. Back in McCall soon though. All CCcom'ers welcome.

Grangeville? No, I haven't. That's a LONG way from Boise.

Trip: Poison Creek, near Marsing - ice climbing recon, a little early Date: 12/12/2007 Trip Report: Had a great day scoping out rock and ice potential about 45 minutes to the trailhead from downtown Boise and 20 minutes from the car walking up and over sage covered hills. The Jump Creek and Poison Creek drainages are surprisingly interesting (more pics) with compact, knobby, solid rock encompasing everything from pitch-long freestanding pillars to 4-5 pitch walls with not much pro. Gotta have a helmet on for lunch, right? The ice was just starting to form up. By mid-winter this spot could get very interesting. Gear Notes: Not knowing what to expect, we took way too much stuff. Look for single manky bolts at the top of ice pitches. For trad climbing, bring gear for off-widths in addition to a standard trad rack. Most long routes have walk offs. Bring one rope. Approach Notes: PM me for details. One passes through private property gates on a county road to get there. Nice people, but they deserve some respectful advance warning of your plans. The climbs are all on BLM land though.

Warmlite never went out of business. I don't get what you are trying to say. Their tents are strong, light, and have a devoted following. Ditto the bags, especially in AK and the Yukon.

It doesn't look as impressive now. 24" of new in 36 hours, like everybody else, except the temp went from 9f to 24f, not into the tropical ranges. And it's still coming down.

A view from home.

A few pics from the trip posted here. http://picasaweb.google.com/mccallboater/CityOfRocksNov07

When I saw the title of the thread I automatically thought someone was going to describe a climbing spot with good, sound (as in not choss) rocks. What a disappointment. Reminds me of the book "Eats shoots and leaves".

Great. Sleeping under lots of stars, though Saturday was chilly and windy. I'd post a few picks, but we didn't do anything special. Lucy the wonder rock dog mastered some mid class 5 bouldering. Talk about running it out...she's a wonder on slabs. I even caught her working on jamming a few offwidths.

Great price. Go for it. Just make sure the binders fit your boots. I just realized the word "binders" kind of dates me, doesn't it?

My first suggestion is to get some downhill lessons at your nearest ski hill. You can usually find some kind of first timer deal with lift pass, equipment rental and instruction. A few days with a good instructor and decent gear will do wonders. If you can stem cristie down a steep slope you can navigate most alpine terrain. Then, shop around as the previous posters recommend. Look for deals, check the archives here for advice, and get a light Silveretta setup if you are intent on using your mountaineering boots. I use them to good effect with my skis, K2 8255's, nothing special. I also pack a few ounces of cheater gear; shin stiffeners taken from my alpine race boots plus velcro straps ,to stiffen the boot upper cuff. That improves the downhill performance considerably. I can ski comfortably on a typical resort "black diamond" slope with this gear, though if skiing 50 degree coulairs are the goal, I'll take ski mountaineering boots. But that's with 45 years of practice. Keep your skiing plans modest and you will have lots of fun.

We'll see if we get stormed out. 18 year olds arn't very stoic, in my experience.

As far as I know. I like mine a lot. That said, there were many antique bindings that worked with climbing boots. By antique, I mean not made anymore, not neccessarily poorly designed. Ramer bindings, for instance. But don't expect perfect release function from any of them. What do the special forces use nowadays?

Looks like I'm herding a half dozen high school seniors from Boise down there. All climbers though, more or less. Any CC.com'rs going that way? The weather has been great, though cold in the mornings. We shall see if it holds.

Move to McCall. http://www.littleskihill.org/membership The tyke can ski all year for less than a day pass at Crystal.

Now temporarily retired after selling my own Internet service company. Reference librarian before that.

Ski swaps: $150 for each kid every two years, or grab everything you need from the leftover room at the little ski hill. Season passes: $200, $25/year if you just want to ski the little hill. X/C out the back door: free. Bus to hill after school each day: free. Living in McCall: Priceless. http://www.littleskihill.org/membership

also coming to Boise Details: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, Student Union Special Events Center. $5 advance, $7 at the door.