tvashtarkatena

I ran that one past a couple of Jewish friends, and their response was "so what?". It's best to present only your own opinions on this forum because, after all, you're confined to them whether or not you're aware of it. Speaking for others, i.e., pontificating, will only get the reception it deserves. As for Christians being offended, I've observed that my Christian friends practice their beliefs by living their values as proscribed by a loving god, not by wasting their time on pettiness. 'Sacred' (which has sadly joined 'hero' and 'freedom' as one of the most tiresomely overused and thus diluted words in the language) objects are simply not their thing. Perhaps your example reflects your own sensitivity to insult, which so often goes hand in hand with a willingness to dish out the same for others, more than any empathy for those groups you feel the need but lack the legitimacy to represent here.

Last time I checked, alcohol gives you a hangover if drunk faster than the average liver can process it (about a drink an hour). Wives tales about which form of booze produces the worst hangovers are usually just that. It's really about rate and quantity of alcohol consumed, the form matters little.

I added some abstact photos on the end of the TR. Just looking for feedback on those last four pics (they're various versions of the same scene)

See, we have these political entities called counties, you know, where the county sheriff works, which are smaller than states...oh nevermind.

Does communism somehow occupy the same low moral plane as Nazism now? Advocating a collective economic system and eventual withering away of the state now shares a level in Hell with genocide? Which idiot on this forum came up with that gem?

i got summadat and i don't even know it? damn.... You probably weren't breast fed. It's not your fault.

I took some, but the low contrast lighting just didn't do it justice. It's true; you're only as fast as your trail breaker, and they're only as fast as conditions allow. When you're having to make knee divots to provide clearance for the each foot placement, the scenery goes by REAL slowly.

Bromance happens. You hate yourself for it, but there it is.

The origin of the phrase "box your ears", perhaps?

That's a mountain of alcohol.

"Slander"? In spray? Heavens no! You're "uncomfortable, to say the least"? Stop the presses! Tough toenails, pardner. Don't like the thread? No one's forcing you to read it, brah. The Muslims are all jihadists, right? That seems to be OK here. But when it comes to what is probably the most whacked religious cult on the planet, home of the "end timers", the "tongue speakers", and the "take America backers", you're "uncomfortable" just because these kooks have managed to hijack the word 'Christian'? Somehow, I pegged you as being a bit more savvy than that. These Johnny Come Lately fanatics (how old is the Born Again movement, anyway?) have splattered shit all over two millenia of Christianity, and their critics are to blame? Please to give break, comrade. It's kind of hard to "slander" a fascist zombie world destruction cult. They're, um, kind of self sufficient in that regard. BTW, we've all got Christian friends, (even Muslim ones!). Yes, that even includes us Debbil Worsh'ppers. Kind of goes with the territory of living in this country. My Christian friends, however, don't think science is bunk, fags are evil, Bush was sent by God to take back the nation for Jesus, and the world's gonna end soon anyway so fuck it all anyway. As for the bowl full of assholes who do, and who want to force the rest of us to follow suite, they deserve every ounce of ridicule they solicite by their outrageously fascist behavior.

Don't hate; appreciate, in double oh eight.

At least AIPAC doesn't seek to turn all Americans into Jews nor all of America into "One Nation, Under God", as does the the evangelical movement. And remember, moderate Christianity has never been under attack here, only it's fascist, evangelical form.

I have it on good authority that red wine will begin to freeze in the mid to low teens.

How do you know I'm sneering? Is there a hidden camera on this thing? Hello? Is this thing on? "Patronizing" to The Professor? To paraphrase Don Corlione; "Some men go through life begging to be patronized."

We lit off "flaming ballz with sharp reports" last night until the cops showed up. No problem officer, we were out of ammo anyway. One tonic water and two Perriers, properly consumed with pinky aloft, doth not a hangover bring, but I'm still tired from that stupid snowshoe trip.

Don't taze me, bro.

I am dealing with it....I am providing awareness to him, you and whoever. You think that everyone should sit passively back and just "take it" without commenting??? No riots, no threats, no censorship advocated here....just offering a perspective. A number of participants on cc.com had a jolly time peeing all over Christianity in that Denali Expedition topic....It was probably inevitable that Judaism's turn would come up. No, Judaism doesn't seek to hijack our political system to impose their cult on the rest of us; a pretty obvious conclusion to the layman, but apparently not to a self described expert. Judaism, in its less fundamentalist form, is a living tradition which welcomes questioning one's beliefs. Evangelical Christianity is a cult of zombie zealots who believe the earth will soon come to a violent end. I don't know about you, but the rest of us here seem to be able to discern a slight difference.

hahaha...exactly what i thought of when i saw that. that or dukakis in that tank. That's a Filson Outfitter tin cloth coat he's sporting there, MFers. I just snagged one of those on Craigslist, so don't be making fun of it. The thing could stop a shotgun blast, which, as we all know, is a pretty useful feature when hunting with politicos. What's this about me wanting somebody to put a couple of rounds in Bush's head? Why would any assassin worth their salt do that? I would think any professional would aim for a more vital organ. Besides, my wishes for Mr. Bush include a protacted, extremely inconveniencing case of prostate cancer which will require very invasive surgery.

that's funny man. by the way, i'm jewish and i eat pork. That's not the point. To some, (maybe not you), "DeChristo"'s comments are about on the same level as the so-called "N-word". Now ain't that a funny quote, "TREETOAD"? Whatever. I'm offended by pompous old drunks who won't just STFU.

Trip: Bigelow denial - A wallow up Crater Creek Date: 12/28/2007 Trip Report: Crater Lake (near the Sawtooth Wilderness), December 28-30 2007 Sunset on the first day of the two day approach “FUCK! FUUUUUCK!” “Ras Tafari is not feeling irie” Jess and I turned to see Ivan chest deep in a tree well. “It’s like standing in a fucking elevator going down! How can the trail be at fucking eye level, for Christ’s sake!” I resigned myself to his fate. “Increase the voltage. Continue the experiment.” At 140 lbs, Jess never experienced the buried layer that was giving the slightly larger Ivan such a thorough yoga workout. My pack was lighter than usual by about 4 lbs; the weight of the lunch food bag I'd forgotten in the car, so I was staying afloat (which meant only sinking 2 to 4 feet) as well. No, I didn't miss the fresh black forest ham, mayo packs, home made mint/white chocolate brittle, and Tim's Cascade potato chips I'd left behind one bit. Ten hours of hard trail breaking up Crater Creek (Gold Creek Road) had moved our party of three only four miles. An approach I’d thought we could do in one day had taken two. We finally reached the elevation of Crater Lake after dark, sans lake, and threw down our packs in disgust. I would have blown a senator for a pair of skis, but neither Jess nor Ivan used that mode of transport, so it was snowshoes all around. In any case, snow that deep would have confounded any attempt with any technology to move at even a sloth’s pace. At least we were able to enjoy bluebird skies during the day’s flogging. The following morning, our “summit day” for Bigelow and Raven Ridge, Ivan peeked out of the tent and reported “Well, it’s snowing like a MF, but at least it’s windy, too”. Temperatures had remained in the mid teens; his remaining half liter of red wine was now part slush. Adhering to our new battle cry “Crater Lake is our Everest!” we soon found the lake itself, which served as a rink for the dancing snow devils that blew down from the obscured, wind blasted ridges above. We never actually saw any of our objectives. Jess: “Do people actually climb in this shit?” Ivan: “If God exists, he must be one mean-assed MF” Jess and I inscribed the lake with an ‘FU’ big enough to be legible from space; our mini-version of the Nazca Plains. The more motivated Jess attempted to extend our message to its unabbreviated wording, but, running out of lake room, had to be content with a final “FUCK YO”. Jess tags Crater Lake The underfoot plate on Ivan’s snowshoe sheared at the pivot point. We repaired it with a toe clip strap I’d been using to hold my water bottle on. That afternoon we decided to descend to our first nights camp at the end of the logging road, a pleasant spot with a fire pit, picnic table, and, most importantly, a bathroom. Ah, winter sublime Boulder field, lower Raven Ridge Methow country Once we’d regained the logging road, however, none of us could stomach the thought of messing with the tent another night, so we continued to the car under the Milky Way and a reclining Orion. Fortunately, we were able eat up the final seven plus miles of fresh snowmobile tracks in just over two hours. After a sloppy Mexican dinner in Brewster, we scrapped our plan for a motel and continued home over a very snowy, unplowed Steven’s Pass. “You know what I liked most about this trip? Leaving a day early.” Well, that’s winter for you; the smith that lures both bold and bored onto a cold anvil. There’s nothing like a Donner Party forecast to recalibrate expectations from ‘getting up something’ to ‘getting up off the couch’. A few more abstracts: Gear Notes: Bring a sasquatch to break trail Approach Notes: 7+ miles up Gold Creek Road (high clearance 4x4 required to make it past the Snopark to that point), then 4 miles up Crater Creek to Crater Lake

I climb because my dad always told me that I threw like a girl.

Cueing FW or KKK to repost the Goode/gorilla montage in 3, 2, 1...

Don't forget the details here! You also gotta have a few $$$$ for the McHale. I think it starts at $500, and goes up from there. I don't have the $$$ for a McHale but I have heard that a McHale pack is the final word in packs. Again, if you have the $$$$ for it. For $500 I can get a lifetime supply of Golite Jams, put them in a giant tissue dispenser, and just throw them away when they blow out. Or spend 5 minutes repairing minor tears as they happen. Having said that, mine's been durable. Did the McHales ever come down in weight? They used to be pretty heavy. I don't carry my sleeping bag, pad, and bivvy sack around with me on day climbs, so I don't see the point of an extra 3 to 4 lbs of pack weight around unless I'm hauling the solar powered mini-fridge up to base camp. Granite Gear also makes good, light packs. I recently bought a Marmot pack, and it's got MADE IN CHINA BY PRISONERS written all over it. Gregory has also gone the prison labor route, although their pack weight has come way down. Expect immediate seam blowouts, though. Mountain Smith still has that anvil for a logo...and it's still apropos.