jkeller

Biodiesel is people!

Just got the new issue yesterday. I haven't read the article yet, but it includes this picture of his feet: http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0611/feature1/gallery3.html Just thought I would share with the class.

I could find a lot of better ways to spend the money we are wasting in Iraq. Down here in Medford, they are trying to pass a $180 million bond to rebuild most of the schools. What's that, like 1 day of Iraq spending? Also the VA hospital down here was built before/during WWII. They keep patching and fixing, but the place is a wreck. It is truly sad how we treat our veterans. For a billion dollars, hell, even 500 million, they could build a world class health care facility. Unfortunately, the money being spent in Iraq is not actual money - it is all deficit.

Is this good news or not? What will the Chinese government do when they start running out of oil?

It’s time to taste what you most fear

As I read the first post I kept expecting him to find the skeletal remains next.

It was all good except that two strong riders were left out of the field 24 hours before the start. I'm all for Floyd Landis winning, but what if Ullich or Basso had been there? CSC (Basso) and T-Mobile (Ullich) had the strongest teams, especially T-Mobile. Those guys were kicking ass almost every day.

This is not new: http://www.greenfuelonline.com/technology.htm

Um, sure... What kind of car do you have?

http://www.shastaavalanche.org/reports.htm

I saw two bolts: one on top with a long red sling and another down at Chicken Point. The second one is pretty useless IMO.

Climb: Mount Thielsen-The usual route - SW ridge Date of Climb: 6/10/2006 Trip Report: Nothing real exciting, just thought I would report the snow levels. I hit snow at about 6,000 ft - right after the Spruce Ridge trail junction. I followed the trail until just past the wilderness boundary, then wandered uphill through the trees until I popped out on the SW ridge. Good snow until about 8,000 ft then a scree slog up to Chicken Point. This is a fantastic summit! Gear Notes: Crampons - used but didn't really need them. Ice axe - didn't need. Rope and harness - wished I had when I came down off the summit. Would have saved a drenching of flop sweat and a case of the shakes. Approach Notes: Bring insect repellent if you plan on stopping anywhere between the trailhead and about 7,000 ft. I almost had to run down to avoid the swarming skeetters.

I'm sure the local SAR and other climbers in the vicinity would appreciate you letting them know in advance that you know exactly what you are doing and you don't want anyone risking their neck after you get hurt. When I see someone doing something I consider stupid that is the first thing that occurs to me: "Shit I hope I don't have to try to save that guy."

Letter to the editor in the SL Trib: ___________________________________ Ruins it for everybody So Dean Potter feels that Delicate Arch, or any object worth climbing in a national park, should be fair game to be bagged and sees nothing wrong with joining nature by "climbing one of nature's most beautiful features." Perhaps Mr. Potter did no damage, but what is the cumulative effect of hundreds of climbers? Or would Mr. Potter limit the enjoyment of nature solely to himself? I would like to enjoy the Mona Lisa by tracing the gentle curves with my finger, feeling each individual brush stroke. I would be very careful and only blow a little dust away. Surely there would be no harm in my doing that? Delicate Arch belongs to all of us. When I visit, I don't want the vista spoiled by a bunch of free climbers scampering over it like ants on a dropped ice cream cone, nor do I want to look at it behind a 12-foot-high fence erected to keep the Dean Potters of the world off. Responsible climbers should roundly castigate Mr. Potter's irresponsible actions. His attitude is one of entitlement: The arch is there, I'm entitled. I submit that he obsessed over climbing it for four years precisely because he knew it was wrong. Finally, like a 5-year-old gazing at the cookie jar, his egotistical desire for self-gratification won out. Congratulations, Mr. Potter, your childish actions have taken one more tiny bit of freedom from the rest of us. Steve Chambers Cottonwood Heights ________________________________

Elevated ego: Climber who scaled Delicate Arch deserves stiff penalty Tribune Editorial Salt Lake Tribune Dean Potter and a few irresponsible all-terrain vehicle riders have two traits in common: They are stubbornly determined to go where no humans have gone before, and they believe that rules meant to protect the landscape don't apply to them. Potter is the professional climber who scaled Utah's most prominent icon, Delicate Arch, Sunday, despite Arches National Park rules against climbing all its named arches. Making the ascent had become an obsession, he said. We see it more as an ego trip and a chance to advance his climbing career. That Patagonia, whose outdoor gear Potter promotes, had plans to use the climb in its advertising seems the most probable motive for the stunt. Potter obviously did not consider the potential harm he could cause by disregarding park regulations. Or he simply put his own personal gratification - or was it a need for attention? - ahead of any concern for the unique rock formation he claims was "vibrating with energy" as he stood on its top. If the huge old arch could vibrate, indignation or outrage would be a more likely cause. His rationalization that he did not harm the 45-foot natural sculpture - "I respected the arch to the fullest. I did no more than blow a little dust off a few handholds" - does nothing to excuse his behavior. It's the same reasoning that takes ATV riders off established trails and into untrammeled territory. How much damage can just one vehicle do? That argument has a hollow ring. Once an ATV has shoved its way through formerly pristine forest or desert, its track becomes a trail and others will soon follow. That may also be a consequence of Potter's climb, and Park Service prohibitions will only make it more of a challenge to those who, like Potter, care little about the reasons behind the rules. His legacy may well be a damaged and violated Delicate Arch, not a notable sports achievement. Whatever penalty the Park Service exacts, we hope it includes a lifelong ban of Potter from Arches National Park. Potter wonders "What has our world come to" if climbers are prevented from scaling "one of nature's most beautiful features"? Despite what he seems to believe, the world is not Potter's personal playground and it will be better off if no other climbers follow his hedonistic example.

There are two types of huts in the Alps: those owned by the various Alpine Clubs and private huts. I think the club huts are mostly in Germany and Austria with some in the other countries. Switzerland and Italy seem to have mostly privately owned huts. Each alpine club hut is sponsored by a club chapter in the cities - which city runs the Berliner Hutte? Uh, let me think about that... Alpine club members from any country or chapter get a reduced room rate in any of the club huts as well as other benefits. Americans can join European alpine clubs too. The best I have found is the Brittania Section of the Austrian Alpine Club, since they speak English. The private huts are run more like hotels and are generally low in elevation with longer seasons or located on ski resorts so they can stay open all year. It is a great system. Nothing like spending all day in the mountains and coming into a hut for a comfortable bed, warm food, cold beer (wine, schnapps, etc) and good company without having to hump all your extra crap along (food, stove, fuel, sleeping bag, tent, etc.) or go all the way back down into the valley (often 1000's of feet down). It would be very difficult to build similar huts in the US, becuase of all of the rules and regulations - building codes, health codes (water and sewer), ADA, etc. - let alone permission from the land owner (NPS, FS, whoever). I've stayed in huts where the third floor fire escape is a knotted rope tied to the roof beams next to the window. Can you imagine getting by with something like that in the U.S.?

Sweet! "There is no ski patrol, grooming, avalanche control, or the like." Due, no doubt, to the fact that non-Americans seem to be able to take responsibility for themselves and don't hire a lawyer and try to sue someone(anyone) if they get into trouble.

There is a ton of snow down here compared to last year when I walked the PCT from 140 to the McLoughlin junction about this time. Are you going to ski in? There will probably be tracks from the summit snopark to the summer trailhead on the old road - I think they call it the "lower canal trail" in the winter - but you will be on your own from there. Thick trees and no way to even see the mountain 'til you get to treeline. You really have to know where you are going. You might want to consider starting from the 4 mile lake snopark and going up the road from there to the summer trailhead. It is longer but may be easier going since the road will probably be packed down by snowmobilers.

A whopping $10.06 each

That guy is crap compared to this guy: http://www.kurtwenner.com/street/

Biodiesel is people!

How about this then? Ananova: Inventor turns dead cats into diesel A German inventor says he's found a way to make cheap diesel fuel out of dead cats. Dr Christian Koch, 55, from Kleinhartmannsdorf, said his method uses old tyres, weeds and animal cadavers. They are heated up to 300 Celsius to filter out hydrocarbon which is then turned into diesel by a catalytic converter. He said the resulting "high quality bio-diesel" costs just 15 pence per litre. Koch said the cadaver of a fully grown cat can produce 2.5 litres of fuel - meaning around 20 cats are needed for a full tank. He said: "I tank my car with my own diesel mixture and have driven it for 105,000 miles without any problems." Annelise Krauss of the Dresden Animal Protection Association blasted Koch's new diesel though, saying: "This is as bad as experimenting on animals."

Just checked the REI website, they don't even have the BD 1/2 Dome listed. I'm sure it is a direct result of your ranting at the Bellingham customer service. I did find this: "In the case of a severe or significant blow, your helmet may be destroyed. By deforming to the point of destruction, your helmet can absorb the maximum amount of energy. Always retire a helmet after a severe impact." and this: "Although the principal purpose of a helmet is to protect the head against small objects falling onto the wearer, it may also offer limited protection to the head in some cases where the wearer falls onto other surfaces. ALWAYS wear a helmet." in the 1/2 dome users manual, which you can download off the BD website.

Check out skyauction.com. You can get some good deals, but most flights are from the east coast. It can cost as much or more to get from west coast to east coast as it will cost to get from east coast to Europe.

Ashland Outdoor Store: http://www.outdoorstore.com/