KirkW

Although I don't usually find myself participating in drum circles perhaps those of you that are so bothered by them would prefer to camp at the much more quiet and sanitary climbers bivy that is all ready provided by the Park? Don't know why anyone would stay at Skull Hollow since last time I checked the PRIVATE "concessionaire" that has control of the PUBLIC land that Skull Hollow sits on is from Utah and couldn't give a good god damn about anything but making money. More Here

Spent the last couple days at Smith and at the end of the trip, between my partner and I, we were down one BD locker (left on top of the Monkey at sunset cause we were in a hurry) my watch on Moscow (dropped because we were in a hurry and I kept looking at it) and another locker on Sky Chimney (dropped because sometimes you get in a hurry and drop something) Total shit show really. At least we didn't drop each other. We don't deserve to get any of this stuff back because we both need to learn not to drop shit and clean our anchors properly but if anyone finds any of this stuff, please put it to good use.

Sounds like you're doing fine. If you have time before you flee the state the North Unit of TRNP is worth the drive to check it out. I've never seen that many wild animals in one place before. The little Missouri river and the Grasslands are truly awesome. Did you run into the herd of wild horses in the South Unit? I got to within about 25 yards of this big ol' stallion. I was thinking that the horses were either accustomed to people and they would let me pass or he would just move as I approached. Wrong. He decided that I was close enough and made it clear that he was a "wild" horse and that I should go around him. Humbling to have a horse dictate your route.

I went climbing at the columns in the Eug tonight and I just wanted to let you guys know that buckaroo is right. The drunk, jittery, homeless lady that was hanging out across the parking lot obviously thought I was some hot shit and certainly would have pro-created with me had I had the time (and $5). She was so impressed with my ascent of Bat Crack that she nearly spilled whatever was in her paper bag as I mantled onto the top of the column. As I looked down at my gear I realized that a: the route had enough sexy springy and clippy things in it that it looked like I had aided it and b: This woman obviously was attracted to me because I was Trad climbing. All the gear was just plain turning her on. The two shirtless 20 yr olds just looked at me with eyes full of awe and jealousy then quietly went back to their top roping. True story. Anyway...thanks for the response Off. Just to be clear. I wasn't advocating for anyone to be reprimanded or banned for anything. I think minimal moderation is the best policy. Let people say what they gotta say. Occasionally fights break out and you gotta break it up. The cattle are just gonna shit on the floor again anyway so let them wander around in their own filth. Especially spray. Serious question...I'm headed to Smith on Monday with a double rack. I was thinking about taking my bigger hexs as my doubles cause I think they're baller on the tuft and way lighter than cams in the bigger sizes, but now I'm reconsidering. I'm worried the constant clanging of the cowbells will attract woman seeking my Trad essence? I don't wanna get raped or even mildly accosted by some 5.13 nubbin tugging hotty. That would be unpleasant and it would really piss of my GF. Is it still safe to use cowbells? Maybe we'll just go sport climbing.

I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I personally couldn't care less about the bolt in question and don't have an opinion as to what should or shouldn't be done about it. Obviously others do and they have been told that they can't discuss it here. Just pointing out that the admins are quick to step into bolt discussions and lock them while they let some of the other shit show threads on this site go on and on. I wonder why the issues of bolts and bolting draws the eye of the admins while they ignore others? If people feel so strongly about bolts I would think that CC would encourage bolt discussion. Perhaps even give the subject it's own forum right below spray and let people have at it. Why do we have this urge to silence the discussion? Some may be tired of it but obviously others are not. It certainly qualifies as climbing related content. Whatever. I'm an idiot because yet again I'm sitting here wasting time on this site while I could be out learning how to set opposed RP's in flaring pin scars to ensure that we don't go the way of the dinosaurs.

Oh come on Off! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I actually think you do a damn good job being both an admin and a regular contributing member of this website. I like the fact that you have opinions and aren't afraid to throw them out there. I never said anything about wanting you removed and I have no wish to start a campaign against you. What I did want was for you to comment on why yet another bolt thread on CC was locked and/or shipped to spray where it will certainly devolve into just another mindless time suck and serve as the perfect platform for the regular crew of smart asses around here to stand on their soap boxes and toss out demeaning insults and entertain each other with mildly humorous comments. Thanks for commenting on your reasoning. I see things a little differently but I can appreciate the fact that what you are trying to do is keep this place from turning into rc.com. I don't find it one of the great injustices in the world and I doubt I'll be losing much sleep over the issue, however I was simply trying to point out (again) that the enforcement of the new "no personal attacks" policy seems to apply to some while not applying to others. Don't you find that odd? At least worthy of comment, in my opinon. I doubt that buckaroo was offended by your comments as he was probably too busy fighting off all the trad groupies trying to steal his seed to notice or care about what someone posted on the internet. Who's got time to get wrapped up in a little trivial matter like the internet when the future of the species depends upon your nested nut placements? Bolt? Ain't got time to bolt.

I was out hiking with my girlfriend for a few days and I come back only to find that I've missed out on 9 pages of yet another bolt thread on CC! To make matters worse the thread is locked and I'm unable to voice my very important opinion on this very important and special bolt that I've never seen. I couldn't really give a shit about this particular bolt but I do find it interesting that a thread that was staying mostly civil (considering it still is the internet) was ended and locked for what appeared to me to be no good reason. I thought the internet was about free flow of ideas? WTF else are all those tubes for? If people wanna bitch and argue about bolts why is CC trying to stop them? The new policy regarding personal attacks is an interesting one. Apparently the admins are having some trouble with it as well considering their inability to enforce this rule with anything resembling consistency. I'm convinced there is a list somewhere with the "made" cc users. Kevbone's probably got a copy by now since I know he's been looking for it as well. Seriously OFF, If people want to bitch about bolts why won't CC let them? I followed your advice and came here and found nothing resembling a bolt discussion but rather, whatever this thread is about. I was enjoying the strong opinions being exchanged by experienced climbers regarding an issue they feel very passionately involved in. The only people that were posting personal insults are the same hand full of people who tend to post nothing but sarcastic and personally demeaning posts yet instead of banning them the thread gets locked. Maybe I should just stop wasting so much time on this website and pay attention to things that actually matter.

You are a lucky man. Two weeks is long enough to make you want to leave but not long enough for the locals to turn completely against you. They'll be super nice in that fake mid western way when they first meet you and it takes at least a few weeks for them to decide that you are a sinner and going to hell. My buddy that lives there tells me that the natives are beginning to turn on anyone from out of state though, because the housing market and general economy is finally starting to tank there too. So, of course, anyone from out of state is to blame. Everyone in town used to love the oil rigs. Now they're dealing with the mess and the screwed up economy of a boom town and the realization that ND is not immune to the problems they've been hearing about on Faux News. They are not happy about it. I don't know if ND is still offering free land but a couple years ago they were offering land and sometimes a home to people from out of state to settle in ND. They were having trouble finding people to take them up on the offer and several people who did ended up giving everything back and leaving the state. I can totally understand why someone would do this. I'd much rather be unemployed in OR than rich in Dickinson, ND. Also...if you need beer (I mean real beer) the only place in town that I found that carried anything worth drinking was the liquor store right next to the hardware store off the interstate. I seem to remember a Subway a couple doors down as well. Can't remember the name but it's not a big town so you'll find it. I just drank a lot of whiskey and tried to mind my own business while I was there. I was serious about TRNP and the Grasslands being kickass though. I pretty much make it a point to stop there on my way back to MN every time now. The place was incredible and no more than 45 minutes outside Dickerville. Have fun!

I spent a half a year working in Dickerville. The local sports are light beer (yes, that's a sport) darts, and shit talking anyone that doesn't look like you (white, xian) There's a local biker gang. They call themselves the fat bastards or something. If you are into guns you could easily outfit your self for the apocalypse (or a black man getting elected president) at the local farm and ranch store. You can't miss it. It's right across the street from the busiest Wal Mart in the world. I don't believe there is any climbing in the entire state outside a rock gym in Fargo but that might be because no body has spent the time to bother and look for it. My refuge was Teddy Roosevelt National Park and the Ma Da Hey Trail (take a good mountain bike). TRNP has hundreds of miles of trails that no one ever hikes on. The park staff encouraged me to just wander off trail and were way stoked that someone was back packing out there. More wild life in one place than I've ever seen. It was like walking through a zoo. Of course that's because the whole damn park (both N and S unit) is completely fenced in owing to the fact that any critters that step off the park boundary are pretty much immediately mowed down promptly stuffed and mounted over someones fireplace. Not that I have anything against hunting but they're not into hunting...they're into killin. The Ma Da Hey is trail that connects the S and N units of TRNP. It covers nearly 100 miles of the little missouri grasslands. I did mostly day rides on it and I didn't ride every section but you could do the whole thing in a few days if you were motivated and in good shape on a bike. It wasn't bad but it was burlier than I was expecting. I took my hardtail and several times would have been having a lot more fun on my full suspension. Water is a problem. Hiking or biking you won't believe how much fucking water you drink and there is virtually none out there anywhere on the prairie. When you do find water it's usually got a dead buffalo in it or it's so muddy from all the bentonite that you can't even filter it. I have very fond memories of the hiking,biking and wild life viewing that I did. Having to endure the rest of my time working was not nearly worth the money that I made. And yes... the weather is as bad as they say. Worse actually. They tend to down play how bad the weather is. Everyone in ND thinks they're a bad ass. May I extend to you my deepest sympathies if you have to spend any amount of time there. Hope you enjoy darts.

I'm sorry to report that Diamond is no longer a rarely climbed peak. Every year I have to kick over the new cairns that show up all over that mountain. Last year I even found some dipshits prayer flags laying in the dirt on the summit. The summit register that was there forever disappeared last year and the memorial plaque cemented to the choss just below the true summit was not there my last trip. After Sullivans last edition came out that mountain got a lot more crowded. Nice trip caver. I tried my hand at tele skiing a week or so after you were out there. We still had awesome coverage in the bowl. Terrifying for me on tele gear, since I'm not a skier, but fun!

I'm assuming since RuMR hasn't posted lately in this thread that he was banned for his personal attack on another poster? Or is he STILL on the protected list of CC posters who get to say whatever the fuck they want without the mods coming down on them? Just checking why he hasn't been banned yet since OFF posted in the same forum and obviously saw his comments. ...and RuMR...I don't appreciate seeing that kind of thing posted outside of spray so how's about you mind your manners a little?

My last attempt to climb the monkey was stymied by a group from CA that decided to monopolize the entire top of the monkey for the better part of a day in an attempt to rig "that swing thing" they saw on the internet. They assured us that it was "all good" though because they brought their brother in law the "engineeer" with and he was gonna make sure it was safe. I didn't bother to mention to them that most people don't rig it from the bolts on top of the monkey's head, which is where they were trying to set up their main anchor. I don't think they ever did actually jump but I know that we weren't the only party that opted to not climb the monkey because these yahoos were screwing around up there all day. I don't see a problem with rigging it once in a while and letting everyone know that the swing is going up. I know this has happened many times without problems. I'm sure it's a lot of fun if done safely and with a little forethought, but I, for one, am glad to hear that it will no longer be so easy for idiots to wander into the park and try this because they saw the video on the internet. Thanks for getting rid of the bolts.

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1024276/Kiss_my_Discovery_Pass#Post1024276

There is no such thing as a dog with zero health issues especially if you insist on getting a "pure"(in) bred dog and most certainly if you want another rottie. I've had dogs all my life and spent much time working with rescues (specifically rotties and pits) She passed this last december from breast cancer. "Pure" bred Dane that I spent a small fortune on. In the end we just couldn't get around the fact that it was her genes that betrayed her despite the fact that she came from the most reputable Dane breeder in the Midwest. Miss her like crazy! This guy has got some big shoes to fill. Dane/newfie/ ? mix recently adopted from the local shelter. Adopt a mutt and you'll both be happier and healthier! Good luck with finding a new best friend regardless of where you decide to get them!

Uninformed generalizations? Who's uninformed? Just because we disagree with the conclusion that you've come to doesn't make anyone uninformed. Thanks for insinuating that we're all idiots though with our useless drivel. As far as these "services" that people keep talking about...In the relatively short time (less than 10 years) that I've lived in OR we've seen fees go up across the board for using our PUBLIC lands and the only "services" that I've seen are the placing of toilets and trash cans at remote TH's that never needed them before the fed/state/county/local government that "manages" (lolz) the land needed an excuse to force people to buy these passes. I've come across many VOLUNTEER groups doing trail maintenance but not once have I come across a paid work crew doing actual trail work for ANY gov't organization in OR, WA or CA. This isn't to say they don't ever do this kind of work but it can't be that often considering how many days I've spent out there, hiking, climbing and camping. I've seen lots of people working to build outhouses, RV pads, roads, huge ridiculous signs telling me I need a parking pass at TH's and lots of other "services" that only cater to the RV and car camping crowd. They put these "services" in attracting people who have no respect for the natural world and wonder why everything is getting trashed. Meanwhile...I've been climbing over the same logs that have fallen across trails for years now and I've never run into a ranger or FS personnel unless I'm on or near land that is currently being or slated to be logged for profit or for the addition of "services". Can someone explain to me why the taxpayers should have to foot the bill for someone to drive their million dollar motorhome up to 5k in the mountains, provide a spot for them to park it on, give them a place to shit because they don't want to be bothered with emptying the septic system they brought with them and then haul their trash out for them because they are too lazy to throw it in the back of the Jeep they have in tow when they decide to head back to the city on Sunday night? I think the people who use these "services" should have to pay for them. But they don't. Camping fees end up in the pockets of private companies (sometimes from out of state) and the rest of us who don't own motor homes and wouldn't, even if we could afford them, are left paying for these "improvements and services" through constantly rising user fees even though we don't need or want the services. OUR public lands should be open to everyone but that doesn't mean I should have to pay for some rich idiot to drive his 5 mpg RV out into the middle of the wilderness so they can park their fat ass in front of a TV and enjoy their air conditioner while I get to enjoy the ecological devastation these monstrosities leave in their wake. Yes...I consider forcing everyone to pay a "fee for services" that they don't want or need to be the same as "fleecing the public". But I'm just an uneducated idiot spouting useless drivel so I guess my opinion doesn't count.

NO...we don't need paved roads and RV pads and all the crap that comes with them. Nor do we need filthy pit toilets without TP in them or garbage cans at TH's. It's not the public or the govt job to keep your car clean. You can shit in a hole and bury it or take a dump at home or in a gas station just like me and why would I expect someone to drive out to the middle of no where to collect my trash for me? Get rid of the "services" and there is no problem.

Nicely done and thanks for the TR. Would love to hear about the non G rated part's of the trip as well. Care to elaborate?

They sure do. Along with NW forest passes, snow park permits, camping fees, extra vehicle fees, administration fees from the concessionaires etc. etc. Didn't mean to imply that WA was alone in it's fleecing of the public but just that I won't be paying this latest fee to enjoy WA's public lands. Hell, I can barely afford to pay the fees to play outdoors in OR let alone pay an extra $30 if I want to climb in WA. It used to be the case that camping and enjoying the outdoors was something cheap and simple that most anyone could afford. No longer seems to be the case anywhere.

Well it looks like the fat, rich, assholes figured out another way to dip their collective hand into the pockets of the poor. AGAIN. I absolutely cannot believe that people on this board are actually defending this pass. Lets make everything so expensive that only rich people can afford to enjoy our PUBLIC lands! Poor people are stupid anyway...that's why they're poor. They shouldn't be out playing, they should be at work or in school getting that college education and racking up student loans, in this here land of unlimited opportunity, that won't be paid off until they're retired. "Things are just more expensive." Just the way it is huh? If we can't afford pit toilets and garbage cans at the parking lots then I say take em' away and stop maintaining the trails. It's not the goobermints job to make the forest accessible for anyone and it's not their job to keep me from enjoying it anytime I want to walk, hike, or bike my sorry ass out there. Don't want to maintain a parking lot? Fine...but you can't put a closed sign on the whole outdoors and the fact that you even insinuate that they can means they have all ready won. Looks like I won't be climbing or hiking in WA anytime soon. I'm done with these bullshit fees that keep going up and up to pay for (non-existent) services that no one needs and few want. How long before WA can no longer afford the enforcement of this policy and they turn to private organizations to "help" them out with the policing of this new policy? Ya know...sorta like how private organizations from out of state are now managing and making huge profits off of campgrounds that sit on public lands and have always been free for the public to use.

When you have personally rescued as many climbers and DOGS in the mountains as I have then you can call me a dick on the internets. Until then come and say it to my face. I'll PM you my address. Pussy.

The owners should have put the leash on at the trailhead. Dogs gotta be dogs, but pet owners need to be responsible and follow leash laws. Not the time or the place. KSWM...I assume this is a photo of the woman reunited with her dog taken yesterday? Thanks again for doing what you do! DPS...Why don't you go ahead and give her a call right now and let her know how you feel. I'm sure she would appreciate your opinion. What a dick.

Kick ass job OMR!

Sweet. Thanks for the update!

Surprised that things are still holding together up there as well as they are! Nice work Dan-e!