tvashtarkatena

Off topic, but a webolette (Metolius makes em), 2 biners, and a locking biner properly used make for a quick, full (except for the locking biner at the power point) redundancy anchor kit.

All the major companies supply data to the government, some begrudgingly, some not, so it probably doesn't matter. Essentially, the government has wisely outsourced its surveillance technology to those who do it best: for profit companies. Free market solutions and all that. And free data. The Obama administration shares a love of Big Data with its predecessor. Congress will make some noise for show - and the erosion of privacy will continue at pace behind the curtain.

They'll all be stronger than your picket, so any of them will do. Just quickly check the knots and tails on your tied runners every time you use them to avoid surprises. Don't tie non-nylon (dyneema, etc) webbing - it slips too much. RE daisy chains - you can adjust the length of your anchor attachment by clove hitching (easily adjustable) the rope to a locking biner clipped to a fixed length runner. Daisy chains are very tangly and kind of a pain in the arse.

I've had some interesting border crossings, but I've never been denied entry anywhere, fortunately. My aforementioned human trafficking incident happened because the line at the truck entry was too damn long.

Ross is patrolled by a ranger in a boat. No permits are required for Ross Lake, however, so routine stops are unnecessary unless there's something fishy about the party. Still, there have been smuggling busts there. Note that it would be quite difficult to launch from Canada without a long, muddy portage until the lake fills up for the start of fishing season - July 1.

If you're interested in using your rack, one strategy might be to run up Formidable, Le Conte, and Sentinal (no gear required, all quick side trips) and concentrate on the beautiful granite in the Dome/Gunsight area (perhaps running up Sinister as a bonus). That's a pretty remote place these days - and arguably the most spectacular part of the trip. Might as well make the most of lugging the gear in by staying a while. Mixup's got a very dicey, fractured pitch at the top. Not hard climbing at all, but be very careful of it if you go there. With 12 miles of road walking at the Downey Creek end, I'd say the Stehekin exit is looking pretty damn good these days if you can get somebody to drop you off at Cascade Pass. Plus, who'd pass up a chance to tag the Queen of Quality Rock, Mt. Agnes?

This past Feb. Thought I'd try one more time before ordering a new one.

I drove into Canada across a ditch between two parallel roads and came out the same way, but that was before 911. I suspect there may be a camera there now. Ah, what the hey, it's only 10 grand fine + a session of non-consensual fisting if you get caught.

the longer the better. clip the sling to the lowest hole on the picket you can dig through soft snow to get to. IE, the picket should be cantilevered vertically as little as possible. Dig a trench for the runner so that it runs free, downhill, towards the direction of a possible fall. This keeps the sling from popping the runner up and out. If the snow is so soft that a picket isn't going to hold when placed vertically, either stow it (you probably don't need it) or deadman it if you need it to provide security for a more technical ground above or below.

EcoNazis, after destroying NYC, move west!

If, in fact, my car is being detailed, I'm going to say "Thanks, brah!" On the other hand, when Immigration details your vehicle, it tends to start with box cutters. These two questions are good ones and recommended. If you are ever ASKED to be searched by any officer, ask them these questions as a reply. DON'T GIVE YOUR CONSENT IF ASKED. Unfortunately, law enforcement's criteria for probable cause can, on occasion, be a bit on the broad side. Nervousness (who would be nervous at a border stop?), sweating, fumbling, weird smells (not that climbers would ever have to worry about that) - and you're off to the races. "I smelled marijuana" is all the officer need include in his report to justify an afternoon - or much longer, of Bend Over. Make sure your monkey ass doesn't smell anything like a dank nugg - determining this may require an objective opinion from your climbing partner. Pick a devoted one for such trips. The only time we had our car raped at the border was when we innocently answered "skiing" as our reason for coming to Canada...just as we watched our buddies drive away in front of us - with all our skis on their rack. Guess what question the officer asked next? Regarding Jason4's post - border agents are trained to ask you the same question different ways to see if you screw up. Apparently, this technique backfired on the poor bastid.

We did a little walking safari in Umfolozi Preserve (SA). Every night, somebody would ask "So, what are we eating?". The reply was always the same: "Roadkill". The Kruger NP gift shop offered elephant jerky for those seeking the 360 degree wildlife experience.

JEALOUS. Always wanted to go there. Went to SA for a month and loved it. Anyway, great TR. Love the extraterrestrial shrubbery.

Jams Brown.

Mushy until about 8000' still. I'd take flotation.

Ironically, we ran into Cedar Wright on that route, as I recall.

We rapped into a pile of poo and paper at the base of Zion's Moonlight Buttress. Having a brown out enroute is one thing, but ya couldn't squeeze those brownies out of the oven just a few feet over?

No poo on Sherman yesterday! Just broken drive belts, spark plugs, Rockstar empties....

US Immigration has a tremendous amount of power. They can and have set up checkpoints up to 100 miles within the US border. 4th Amendment be damned, that's 'legal'. They can search your electronic devices - and require you to login to do so. They currently have 45 agents on the Olympic Peninsula (with a total of 1 point of entry) and like to hang out in church parking lots so they can ask people coming out of Spanish masses for their papers. "Who wants a trip to Mexico today?" (yes, that is an affidavit quote). They've harassed the local community so badly with such racial profiling that even local law enforcement is complaining. Ironically, native Americans get some of the worst of it - hey, they look like Mexicans, right? Canadian Immigration probably has similar, relatively unchecked powers. Assume otherwise at your peril.

It really socks.

One must admire the sheer will of that.

Trip: Sherman - Squak Glacier Date: 6/6/2013 Trip Report: Pretty much had the mountain to myself yesterday - one snowmobiler passed by, and I spied a snowboarder and a telemarker coming descending from about a mile away while on the summit. An Alpine Ascents class was parked in the far distance above the Railroad Grade, visible only as a dotted collection of tents. No crevasses to speak of. Skiing to and off the summit is straightforward. Snow below about 8000' is still mushy, grabby and easily sloughs on steeper, east facing slopes, of which there are few and not necessarily part of the route. I cut them on the way down to check it out. FS 13 is clear of snow except for the last several hundred yards. Zero traffic on the I5 Skagit bypass in Mt. Vernon on the way up - about a 15 minute delay on the way back at around 4:30 pm. Not too bad. Overall, a mellow trip.

That's not good advice. Border rules change all the time. It's quite possible these days that your record is still accessible by Canadian Customs. Contact Canadian customs and ask them directly. You may well have to pay a fee to get in. Or not get in at all. Or everything will be just fine. Ask. This is not the place to get a specific answer to your particular case.

Yes, Doctor.

IT IS MY DESTINY I'd troll for a partner for Lincoln, too, but why do that to a friend?