Raindawg

Groupthink is the crushing of the HUMAN spirit. Enjoy goose-stepping with the masses! That's truly weak. Accept it all! Here ya go! And while you're at it: Read his hat:

How is it a "service to the crag" when you added permanent metal to an otherwise clean climb with a long history? Whatever, dude. It ain't about "feeling better". Chopping alone isn't good enough...that can leave scars. It requires "restoration". As I said before: "too bad you dumbed-down the experience by drilling an anchor. Timson and everyone else who climbed that route in the last nearly 30 years apparently didn't require such an installation. The climb would have remained essentially how it was for those before and those after (essentially natural) until you decided to make it more "comfortable"." Chop it yourself and fill the holes.

Not so, pal. How long have you been around here? I've posted some pretty funny stuff on this site over the years, although much of it has been satire. Sorry I don't have much positive to say about the way alot of climbing is conducted today... But here's a couple of positive things just for you! Another four years, another pair of silly choices. You can decide who's less experienced...'bama or Palin.

Four years ago, a group of climbers gathered together in an attempt to elect THEIR MAN, Mr. John Kerry, to the office of President of the United States. Organizing in ways that only climbers can in an effort to swing the election toward THEIR MAN, Mr. John Kerry, they have been described with the following goals: * "Motivate Climbers to Vote," * "Raise $150,000 by July 25th for the Kerry campaign" and *"Send a constant stream of climbers up the NA Wall on El Capitan in September to 'Take Back North America'." Some joyous Kerry supporters klimbing for THEIR MAN. Go team! A post-election Kerry being Konsoled. If you didn't Klimb4Kerry, or at least attempt a Yosemite Big Wall in his honor, then you got what you deserved: another four years of Dubya. Yes, it's your fault. But check it out! You've got another chance to climb your way to a liberal president: Climbers for Obama It's got 37 members now and I bet they'll all vote for the guy, Big-Wall 'Bama, that is!

No, dude...it ain't just about "aesthetics". It's a matter of to what extent you want to add permanent artificial alterations to the climbing environment. If the tree isn't being harmed, you can always use rap-slings of an appropriate non-blaring color and then not allow the "tat" to accumulate...a solution that's a lot better than adding metallic scrap to one of the oldest and most classic climbs at Index that has somehow survived for 40 years or so without the "improvements".

You got up a hard climb...good job, but too bad you dumbed-down the experience by drilling an anchor. Timson and everyone else who climbed that route in the last nearly 30 years apparently didn't require such an installation. The climb would have remained essentially how it was for those before and those after (essentially natural) until you decided to make it more "comfortable". And who cares how much traffic it gets? Really! Is there some sort of attempt quota needed to satisfy some sort of requirement? No.

Bring up ol' cigar-plantin', blue-dress stainin', soilin' the Oval Office Billy C. as an example, eh? Here's why it mattered with that clown: If you or I pulled those stunts, a) the boss, teacher etc. messing around with an intern/student, WE'D LOSE OUR JOB. b) if you or I lied to a grand jury (no matter what the subject), WE'D GO TO JAIL. "Yah...but that's nuthin compared to....blah, blah, blah...none of our business...blah, blah, blah...." [And it became his business and eventually ours because he was being sued at the time for sexual harrassment.] Again, you and I would lose our job or go to jail.

Support top-roping as an alternative to sport-bolting. You makin' the same moves, right?, and only doing a fraction of the damage with a couple of anchors at the top.

Hey Steph! Great pictures. Is your dad Marty Abegg, the famous scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls? If so, I remember him from "back in the day" when he was in seminary and climbing a whole bunch. Right on!

Me 'n "pope" did Stevens a few years ago....it seems to me that we climbed Unicorn and from the area around the spire, we just dropped down the south side and worked our way a long ways down a bunch of slopes and slabs heading east until we hit a pass, and then it was all hiking up heather slopes and such to the summit of Stevens. (I don't recall any serious scrambling.) We felt it was well worth doing and it's apparently rarely climbed. It's quite a ways out there and you'd have to get up very early if you wanted to include it in some sort of traverse goal. Coming back to Unicorn, we got lost on the slopes below (the beer "pope" hid in a snow bank didn't help)and we emerged near Boundary Peak which we climbed and then came down the usual way from Unicorn. Stevens Peak....good times!

Someone gave me one of those GPS speed/route/distance/heart-rate thangs that you can plug into a computer afterwards and chart your outing/training. I was giving it a try for the second time. Ain't convinced it's anything more than a novelty yet but I'm not familiar with all of its features. The other watch I know how to work. "ginormous hips", eh? Whatever, dude. I'm an endurance athlete and they serve me very, very well. BTW, You sound like a catty little girl. Go out and do something adventurous and you'll feel much better about yourself.

Didn't see Trash/big-talkin'-whatever in RAMROD...if he was there, he must have been near the back of the pack after I turned off to run UP the nasty hill to Paradise while everyone else turned on to the Stevens Canyon Road (a detour required of the cyclists due to construction at Paradise). Didn't see Tokogirl, either. Wheredya go, Missy? DID SEE Alpine Tom, ridin' hard and lookin' good somewhere above the Nisqually Bridge before Narada Falls. Racing across the Nisqually Bridge, mallet at the ready should cyclists become unruly. He shoots and he scores!!! P.S. ""Mailbox Peak is where I had my last birthday party!"

Scary stuff for sure but for those Eiger "purists", note that he was climbing the top 600 feet of rock, not one of the traditional giant alpine routes. So, it is what it is, whatever it is, and perhaps unique with the BASE set-up, although perhaps one might argue that it's just a freakish way of protecting oneself from damage or death as would a crash-pad or rope. Speaking of the Eiger North Face, it seems to me that I once saw a picture of Dane way up on that thing. That true, mister?

Actually, it was last year (also?) because of the damage done to the roads from flooding. My memory ain't that bad cuz I distinctly remember running last July! Check it out: RAMROD 2007 Anyway, see you on The Mountain.

--Poi Dog Pondering These "poi-dogs" are big on message but ignorant in history. The Ancient Egyptians (and the Polynesians) had their own vehicles on the highways: boats. The Nile was like I-5 for the Egyptians and the Polynesians cruised around from island to island in canoes. The Incas built some of the greatest roads ever and the Mayans had their own to connect their cities. The Persians and the Romans built expansive road networks across their empires. In some places you can even see ruts in the stone pavement from wheeled vehicles. Rutted road at Pompeii:

After 3 1/2 months of unrelenting effort, Timmy-Beth Sharma pink-pointed a 23 foot crack/slab boulder-thang! Upon hearing this exciting news, these enthusiastic hippies rejoice with their own special style!

That would have been last year: 2007, including the long ten mile uphill haul up to Sunrise from White River. Sure was perdy, though. Oh my! I'm thinking maybe green! Maybe with a little cap, a cute belt or some fairy wings!

Ain't ridin'. I've done my running croquet game (CAMROD) probably every year since at least 1995. Ask the regulars. - never tried it on a bike but I'd like to someday...it's a tough route. Sorry to disappoint you and "Tokogirl", but my shirt and running shorts just happened to match that year.

Sport-climbing? It's obvious what Mr. T's opinion on the subject would be! Men climb trad...they don't clip a line of closely-spaced, rap-installed artificial outdoor-gym installations....errrrrrrr! "Enough is enough!...There's going to be pain if men don't start acting like men again!" Listen and learn: And when you're done with that, here's some more advice for you: Warning to Speed-Walkers

I'll be there. I usually leave Longmire around 8:30 AM and you'll probably see me...the only guy running with a croquet mallet...somewhere between there and Paradise and beyond...My crew sets up wickets every couple of miles so you might see some of them by the side of the road. Make sure you say "hi", Tom!

Dude...you're like very needy. I read your thing, but last we heard from you was this: Sounds like you weren't interested anymore. If you want me to comment on your new area with the top-ropes, than I can say, "well-written and thoughtfully presented" and we need more of that philosophy. In fact, take that philosophy to places like Vantage, set up some top-rope anchors on the cliff-tops (as a compromise) and you'd eliminate a couple of tons of unnecessary metallic garbage from the rock. Are you done "ROTFLY big AF? Take your time, because with responses like that, I doubt you will hear from me. That ain't a promise to the rest of you...yet...but even I'm getting sick of the foul-mouthed morons on this site.

Really, are they climbers? Yes, please, let's re-hash the same tired argument over and over and over with the same principals... How is talking about poo redundant? No two poos are the same. Don't take yourself so fucking seriously. Inflated sense of self importance. I don't care how they perceive it, I climb for me. There is more substance in the one line banter than in all of the drivel you're ever posted to this site. You don't need to write paragraph after paragraph to make a point. Stop taking yourself so seriously and try to enjoy life a little. As usual, you've contributed nothing of substance. Sit down.

I was explaining the "style" issue to Porter. It's true...you don't like mine and I don't like yours. Not complaining. Just stating an opinion. You are welcome to agree with us or not as you see fit. We've said nice things about you before. (Remember the whole "Alpine Buddy of the Week" fiasco?) Interesting comments coming from one of the most arrogant individuals I have ever met in 35 years of climbing. Let me explain it to you: I'm expressing one end of the spectrum...the other end of which are a whole lot of people doing things to our public resources that in my opinion are utterly unacceptable. Let the ideas on all ends and in between be expressed and debated from all angles and if there is ultimately some acceptable middle ground, so be it, otherwise the competition for ideas and action will continue. If climbers are aware of the controversy, and ignore its implications, and an area get's shut down, then they had a chance. If they aren't aware, perhaps they'll ask the question why. If you can somehow convince the public and the majority of climbers that you've got the answers to the dilemmas, then put it out there, because I haven't seen much more than a bunch of excuses from most people. Furthermore, it's not just "Dawg's way"...there are a lot of us who have been fed up with the way many "climbers" behave for a long time. It's a competition of ideas...isn't that what "democracy" is all about?

I think it’s ridiculous that passionate subjects such as “ethics”, one of the most important, and sadly most neglected topics in climbing, almost automatically get tossed into “spray” because of its volatile nature. “Spray”: the same forum that includes Kevbone’s request for your “favorite morning music”, “photos of extra-large housecats” and “I’m tired and its Monday”. First of all, YOU might have not seen a new argument, but you’re not the only guy reading this. I’ve met many people who have no idea that there is any sort of controversy about bolts, access, etc. until they were exposed to it on this site. I, for one, am intent on educating people on this issue whenever the opportunity arises. As I’ve stated in other places, I’m convinced that most new climbers have little if any environmental awareness of their practices (including permanent alterations to the rock, mountains, etc) with the exception…maybe…of picking up their garbage…but even that isn’t guaranteed. “Clip ‘n go! It’s all good!” If some long-time site users are tired of hearing about it, maybe they can just pass on by when they see the name “Raindawg” or “pope” associated with some sort of ethics topic. New readers of cc.com, however, might be exposed to such ideas for the first time. And guess what? There’s a whole lot of other “redundant” stuff going on in this site including loads of important and fascinating comments such as “ I think we should be talking about poo”….now that’s clownish. By the way, see anything clownish or clown pictures in our posts in this latest “discussion”? We expect our opinions to be drug through the dirt because they are unpopular and uncomfortable and the implications are threatening to a lot of folk’s favorite hobby and sense of fun. Even without our satirical perspective - which clearly demonstrate our disdain for a lot of what goes on - we would receive little respect as has been shown many times, no matter how polite we might begin. It’s not necessarily only the messenger….it’s certainly the message at its core. (And some of our posts present the message in ways which we think make our point in a direct and amusing, if not darn funny, way….thus the sandwiches, clowns and the classic, “Via Feratta boy”). “MattP” has tried to lecture me on style….how the “in your face” approach doesn’t work...well he can choose his own style for whatever and I’ll choose mine. Does it work?..maybe not for everyone, but I’ve been told that I’ve changed the mind of quite a few, if not at least made them aware of the controversies. By the way, if “MattP” is correct about our approach, then he should be encouraging me ‘n pope to continue the way we do because we (MattP and us) apparently don’t agree on much and we’ll have little effect. There is the whole concern, too, that The Man might be reading this site and be made aware that there is no true consensus among the “climbing community”. Good. I hope he does. Maybe it will make some climbers consider how they treat public property and how their personal hobby might be perceived by outsiders. You want to talk about improving this site?? My suggestion: move the ethical arguments, including this one, to the new Ethics Forum, in which “minx” will not be allowed to moderate (she has long shown a disinterest, lack of understanding or just plain boredom with such subjects), and eliminate the pages and pages of one line irrelevant “banter”.