Sherri

I think the downhill slide started with this: Jon and I have been discussing.... Made us feel all guilty about hanging around here and not being real climberz.

I'm thinking your avatar has fun where ever it goes.

I need to make up for the rainy days which cut into my spring climbing fix on the last trip. Anyone going to be around? I'm up for following any of the moderate(sub 5.9) multi's--I can swing leads if it's 5.6--or getting some mileage cragging at Willow Springs, Brass Wall, Sunnyside etc. I'll have rack/rope. Think sun.

Cool that it's all working out! It is inspiring to see you working through all the various challenges of this project and caring so much about making it a work of art of which you can be proud. That's my girl! :kisss:

My avatar wants to move to Leavenworth, too.

If all else fails, you could try hanging out at Panty Wall(a popular sport climbing crag), Newcastle(a toprope/sport crag), Moderate Mecca(a trad/sport crag), or Cannibal(mostly sport). All are pretty easy to locate with a guidebook, usually crowded, and you may find some folks willing to swap belays. You may also end up connecting with some new partners thru the clinics and festival activities. Shoot High_on_Rock a PM. He's usually down there with a pretty cool crowd and might be able to help you out finding some folks to climb with, too. Good luck, Bro!

Sounds like you're on the right track then(ie--it's meant to use with your stain.) Follow the directions, listen to what SexyCocoa said, and KEEP THE FAITH. You'll be aces!

Without seeing the product or instructions, I'm guessing that the sealer they gave you is meant to prevent the grain-raising, so probably not. Seems odd to seal something before you stain, though. Usually the idea of applying a stain is that it soaks into the wood to give color and depth to the grain, not sit on top like a coat of paint. Double check the directions on the stain and sealer, just to make sure. If the stain says use on "bare" or "new" wood, I don't know that I'd want to apply other products under it.

Good point! I'm going to keep that in mind on my next trip...not that it's going to rain again....

The water-based products are generally less toxic than the oil-based, so I use them wherever I can, but they have a tendency to raise the grain(once dry, the wood may feel a little shaggy if you lightly graze your fingertips across it.) If you want a smooth finish, you may want to "pre-raise" the grain by swabbing the entire piece with a damp cloth and lightly sanding it after it dries. Remove all sanding dust with dry cloth, then proceed to stain as per product instructions. A finish is as much a tactile experience as a visual one--people are going to want to touch it--so it's worth thinking about that aspect, as well.

Me, too. I want to work on my posing.

Sounds like Red Rocks last week.

pics?

Trip: Red Rocks --Some rain and some climbing - Date: 2/26/2008 Trip Report: So, we decided to kick off our spring climbing season with a trip to sunny Red Rocks. We were greeted with this scene instead. Thankfully, our campsite stayed dry... ...and was surrounded by forest trails for those quick morning runs. The sun shone upon us the second day. So I worked on my moderate trad leads at Moderate Mecca... ...and posed. Our third day brought another wave of precipitation, which made for some surreal "desert" scenery. Like waterfalls and ponds at the First Pullout.... ...And seeing Panty Wall waterstreaked and climber-less. Our final day was a sun-kissed beauty. So, more posing before heading on to the classic "Cat in the Hat" (the left side of the orange-capped Mescalito peak in the background)... ...Though the recent rains made for some interesting desert trekking(anyone pack waders?). It was Kelly's first full-on Red Rocks multipitch. Here she is styling the traverse from the belay on the 5th pitch.... ...and a glimpse of the fun crack awaiting shortly thereafter. That route was booty-laden with four cams, one of which I managed to free.... ...and promptly gave away. I'll take all the good karma I can get for the next trip.

Looking good, E!

Reminds me of my first girlfriend, except for the nose ring.

Awesome shots, Hemp! We're heading out right now to soak up some more snow and scenery...

So cool to see your projecting coming together, M! Awesome job you did there. I didn't see the post early enough to chime with any advice to your query, but I think the first thing I would have considered doing would be to get my Dremel and sand off just the part of the offending loop, leaving the the straight bit under the "p" as it was. Depending how deeply the woodburner cut the inscription, this might have been a good way to discreetly fix it. Looking foward to the finished pics!

I figured you'd get a chuckle out of the irony of it all. I thrashed up a couple 5.7's yesterday that would have made you proud.

I must admit that it is kinda cool to see the desert in this light, even though it's a long way to come for soggy scenery. Indeed, beautiful places are beautiful in any weather. There is some strange ju-ju around though. Yesterday was bizarre. We chatted up a group of Canuck's who were climbing next to us at Moderate Mecca and insisted that they get off of that chossy crag and head over to do the much nicer 2-pitch Physical Graffiti. Later when we wandered over there to do something on it ourselves, we discovered that they botched the descent route and got themselves stranded up top. Ooops. Soon afterward, the folks we were climbing next to at Cannibal Crag lost their dog, "Granite". It was dusk and they were needing to leave to head back to Idaho that night, so we assisted in the search, driving around the Calico Basin neighborhood looking for it. Instead of finding "Granite," we were waved down by a French guy wandering the streets. He was lost and asked us for a lift to the visitor center to rendevous with his party; he had been hiking in the canyon since 10 that morning and got on the wrong side of the Calico Hills. When it rains, it pours. So to speak.

I couldn't stomach the casino vibe, but we did seek shelter at the Red Rocks Casino cinema after our crag cleanup. "Step Up 2 The Streets." Made me want to learn to break dance.

Question: what is wrong with this picture? Answer: IT IS THE FIRST DAY OF MY CLIMBING TRIP! Despite the "sunny, 68 degrees" which was forecast when we booked this trip, this is what we got: wet rock. And sleet. And snow. And thunder. And hail. I musta had some baaad climbing karma banked up. In an apparently futile attempt to turn back the bad-karma tide, we sloshed around Calico Basin doing a little crag clean-up. (If I had a dollar for every trail-side poop bag we picked up, I'd be able afford to Billcoe's rack.) Today we got a reprieve from Mother Nature's Wrath and found a couple dry routes to climb at Moderate Mecca, but tomorrow looks like more fire and brimstone coming our way, starting with 60mph wind gusts forecast for tonight...

Squamish stokey!

If pets are called a "luxury," the categorization does not diminish or belittle our responsibility to them. "To whom much is given, much is required." Affluence comes with a price, any way you slice it.

Excellent point.