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sprocket

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Posts posted by sprocket

  1. Clearing out shelf space and have a bunch of climbing books, some DVDs and some cycling books if anyone is interested.

    $1 or $2 per book or whatever seems reasonable, except the Beckey Guides, $5-10 for those depending on which edition.

    Would prefer to have them go in batches and local pickup in Seattle.

    Thanks.

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  2. "Why would you want to go to France, it's full of French people!" -Jean Reno

     

    Also, Switzerland is really (really) expensive.

     

    Go to the Dolomites in Italy, great hiking, lots of refugios, amazing scenery, good cheap food.

     

    Cinque_Torre.JPG

     

    Not to cause thread drift but any day hikes in the Dolomites you'd recommend? We are planning on heading there in 2017 mainly to ride our bikes but plan on doing some hiking too.

     

    Thanks.

  3. I've been taking my car to Lioe's on Beacon Hill for years. They've always been honest and reasonably priced. If they can't/don't do specific work (body repair, alignment, etc.) they have referred me to places I've been happy with.

     

    I live in West Seattle and have heard really good things about Maestro. Haven't used them just because of my history with Lioe's.

  4. No issues. A five-dollar permit (per person, per day) can be purchased from the Yakama Nation ranger/attendant on patrol in the Bird Creek area during the summer. Bring cash. You can also call the Tribal Center in Toppenish and get one that way.

     

    I don't think non-members are allowed on tribal land during fall, winter, or spring.

     

    Thanks, I'd read many years back that it wasn't easy to get permits. That sounds straightforward. I love this area but only make it down there every few years or so.

  5. Oh - BootsandPants - FYI - loved that Iceland report and pics - may be emailing you in future for some trip advice. Awesome trip report.

     

    Ditto on that, loved reading that and the photos. Forwarded that onto my GF since we had just decided to go to Iceland when you posted that. No skiing for us but definitely some nature viewing.

     

    Thanks for the input so far.

     

    Binoculars would be for general viewing, travel, sporting events etc. Definitely want optical quality over weight saving and not too powerful so stability would be an issue.

     

    I just saw the Seattle Audubon Society's website so may have to take a look at their selection. The Nikon Monarchs seem to be featured on their website and are favored by a lot of birdwatching websites. I've looked at these and really liked them but the recommended model (5) is a little out of my budget unless I go with a used pair.

     

    As far as camera lenses go I have a lot to learn in this area. My GF expressed an interest a few years ago. Based on info from a couple of friends who are avid photographers I got her a used Canon body and a couple of zoom lenses off of BH Photo and she's played around with that set up a bit.

     

    Obviously the image quality isn't the same that our friends are getting with set-ups that are in the thousands of dollars for newer electronics and better lenses.

     

    I was just wondering if there was an affordable lens I could get her that would be cool for our upcoming trip to Iceland and Croatia. Budget is a bit tight right now with travel expenses but I thought I'd ask since I see a lot of really great photography on this site.

     

    Thanks again.

  6. There seem to be a lot of people with outdoor photography experience on this site and I assume many of you use binoculars while scoping routes.

     

    I’m looking for some help/recommendations for a pair of binoculars and a lens for a Canon SLR camera.

     

    Binoculars would be under $200 unless there is a vast improvement for spending a little more.

     

    Quality optics and waterproof are priority, weight secondary. General use, 8x magnification.

     

    I wear glasses, stigmatism, so eye relief is important.

     

    I’ve looked at Nikon Monarchs and have found the 3’s for under $200 and like the optics.

     

    Have read reviews praising the Vanguard 8x42 Spirit ED Series since they have the ED glass and can also be found for under $200.

     

    The camera lens question might be more problematic. My GF has a Digital Canon SLR, older model, with a couple of basic lower priced zoom lenses, 28-80 & 100-300. The optics aren’t great for these lower end lenses.

     

    What I’m wondering is if there is a modest priced fixed length lens that would really produce sharp bright images. I know there are great zoom lenses for $1,500 and up but this is not in the budget right now.

     

    What focal length would you recommend and at what price point would you really start to see the difference in photos?

     

    Thanks

  7. We were up there last weekend and there were tons of skiers and snowboarders and snow most of the way form the circle trail.

     

    Expect some of that has melted by now but should be plenty of turns.

     

    It was pretty soft early, we were moving from the lunch counter around 5am and didn't put crampons on until the last 800 or so feet to the false summit.

  8. FWIW most if not all tent sites including the one on Piker's Peak are dry.

    Plenty of running water at the Lunch Counter if you look around. We carried an extra stove, fuel and shovel but didn't need them.

    Snow almost continuously from the point you cross the circle trail.

    Conga line to the summit unless you got an early start on the holiday weekend.

     

  9. Anyone know which one you need to park at the trailhead?

     

    WTA site says the Discovery pass but in the past (it has been a few years) you needed the NW FS Pass.

     

    Also if it sounds like the trailhead is accessible on weekends.

     

    Thanks

  10. Never lived in either but spent some time in Yakima during my college days back in the 80's and it was nothing to get excited about, haven't done anything there since but drive through on the way someplace else.

    I really liked climbing at Tieton but as mentioned before the climbing around Leavenworth (hence Wenatchee) is on better rock.

    I go to Wenatchee 2-3 times a year to snowboard at Mission Ridge. It's my favorite ski area in the state, less crowds, nice local vibe and they have a high-speed quad. It's less than a 1/2 hour from downtown Wenatchee. Terrain is mostly moderate but there are some steep areas, especially if you don't mind hiking a little. They get a lot less snow but a few times a year they can get really dry powder. I've ridden some nice days there but sometimes you talk to the locals and they'll tell you about the time when the temps dropped into into the low teens for a few days and Thursday morning (they close on Tue & Wed) there would be a foot of dry powder and only a few hundered locals on the hill. One of these day I hope to time it right but it's a long drive from Seattle.

    The town itself isn't too much to get excited about but there are plenty of outdoor activites.

  11. I'm a huge fan of the Methow Valley. We go over there several times a year mainly to camp and go on road bike rides. Just this year we did our first foray into cross-country skiing and really enjoyed that. We also rented mountain bikes a couple of times and enjoyed that too. The above mentioned MVSA maintains winter and summer trails. The weather is what makes it, sunny and dry. The town of Winthrop is small and touristy but it has a great little brewery and a couple of other good places to eat. I haven't rock climbed for a while but my favorite alpine area was definitley the Washington Pass close to here. There is a crag in the valley that has had a fair amount of development.

     

    We did a week long bike ride in Colorado last year which was my first real trip there. I can say that if you like that kind of weather anything west of the Cascade crest is going to be dreary and wet by comparison. We spent nights in Creede and Telluride and I don't think Washington has anything that compares to either. Leavenworth is nice and probably has the best access to all the outdoor activities with two decent ski resorts within an hour or so. There aren't any real big destination resorts in the state although Whistler and several of the big interior BC resorts are within a day's drive from most of the state.

     

    Not sure how set you are on Washington but I would consider Bend Oregon or even Sand Point Idaho. It all depends on what is a priority. I really like Bend, weather is great, tons of paved roads for road riding, probably my favorite ski hill in Mt Bachelor(although it has a ton of moderate terrain so riders that like real steeps aren't as fond of it), tons of breweries, great outdoor community (almost any outdoor sport you can name), access to wilderness, rock climbing nearby, the list goes on. I've heard it is hard to find good employment and cost of living can be high. I'm not sure how it is recovering from the recession but it got hit pretty hard.

  12. I would also consider the Methow Valley in Washington. It has one of the best trails systems in summer and winter and is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth. Also has good access to Washington Pass for rock climbing. The negatives (or could be positives, depending on how you see it) is that the valley is a bit spread out and you have to drive a lot, and there's no ski resort so skiing is all b/c sno-mo access - though its exceptionally good.

     

    Loup Loup ski area is just outside of town, Mission Ridge is a couple of hours south and I'm guessing it's not too far into Canada before you reach a resort there.

  13. I've seen or climbed with folks who have dogs at Icicle Creek, Vantage, Tieton, Index, Exit 38, Smith and Squamish.

     

    I have seen a fair amount of lax behavior by owners that put their dogs at risk. Areas with rattlesnakes worry me since dogs like to investigate.

     

    Also see folks leave their dogs at the base of notoriously chossy walls like Vantage where rockfall is a serious concern. Had a dinner plate sized rock come loose while climbing their once and somehow managed to keep it plastered while I yelled down to notify the owner that his sleeping dog was right in the fall zone. That rock would have done some serious damage. The owner said he thought his dog would have sensed the rock coming and would have moved. I think he was delusional.

     

    Icicle Creek has goats which can be aggressive around dogs, had a friend have his dog gored pretty badly by one so take care there and once you get into the wilderness area dogs are not allowed.

  14. Sucks that these guys got their stuff taken.

     

    I'm always worried leaving my car at a trailhead or gear in my tent when camping.

     

    Been lucky for the most part although we had a full cooler lifted from our campground on a family outing early in the 70's at a state park in eastern Washington. Sheriff blamed it on migrant farm workers. Possible but unlikely, never saw any while camping at this same place for several years. More likely local kids looking for beer.

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