Denizen

sorry the skiing sucked

Every time you choose to use a cell phone to call for help you are also putting the lives of your rescuers in potential risk.

if it is within your free health care and/or budget to have an MRI, do it. x-rays don't pick up soft tissue damage to the acl, mcl, or meniscus. good luck getting back on the rock!

a climbing carpool is a great idea - start a thread? start a board? dedicated climbers will still find a way to climb. trailheads will just be full of smaller cars, but still full of cars... maybe not as many sweet dirtbag trucks though. buy plane tickets to your climbing goals in other countries in the next few years though before airplane fuel prices catch up with that of cars.

Don't we all.

way to get after it. hope to see more trip reports, don't let the sprayers stop ya. oh yeah and your aviators are stylin.

whatever happened to personal responsibility and acceptance of risk in backcountry travel?

anyone been up above Camp Muir lately? Conditions?

Timmy - The new climbing guide to the Olympics is a great resource for climbing Mt. Olympus from the Bailey Range. To do this you will have to climb from Queets Basin. Also, the traverse from Low Divide to Anderson Pass area is feasible, just have good maps and routefinding skills. And if you decide to go on it when there is snow, be prepared for very steep slopes along the way. It is rugged and SO SO worth it!

here's a pic of my ass

depending on your location you might want to check out the Mountaineers or the Mazamas, or the outing clubs of local universities to see if they would let you go on trips. you can always find someone motivated to learn beyond the basics in such clubs and organize your trips. also, if you go to high school ask around to see if there is a teacher who might sponsor an outdoors club, then organize trips or bring in trainings yourself. check your local area for any climbing seminars around. any of this would allow you to meet other climbers face to face before committing to a climb with them. read, read read, and practice rope systems in your basement or yard so you will have an idea of what you are doing before you go out trad climbing. also, if you get your hands on a rack go to bouldering areas and put a harness on, place as much gear as you can at eye level, and jump on it with all your might to start understanding what will hold and what won't. good luck, be safe. trust your intuition as to who might be sketchy, and don't let desire to climb lead you into unsafe people situations.

are climbers required to hire guides? is climbing possible in mid-march, or is this getting to be too late in the season? please chime in with any other helpful information. there are four of us and we are planning to try the mountain in mid-march. suggestions for any other routes in south america that would be good in this season would also be greatly appreciated!

WageSlave and i are headed to j-tree for about 2 weeks if any cc.com'ers are going to be there. we will be in a big red toyota t-100 with a camper shell in hidden valley campground so come climb with us!

why does chuck norris never have to wax his skis? because they are always slick with blood.

The River Why by David James Duncan Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver The Bone People by Keri Hulme The Shipping News by Annie Proulx The Back Country by Gary Snyder Kiss or Kill by Mark Twight