tvashtarkatena

Oh, you don't use pack goats? So last season.

My TR for this weekend: Using various land management websites, I identified the nearest, most recent forest burn (above Leavenworth), then transposed the information to a Google Earth aerial photo. Morel hunting time. Piled my wife and dogs into the Subaru. Off we went. Weaved our way up to the site; following the Google Earth printouts, car camped on a ridge top with beautiful views, wildflowers, cozy campfire, no morels. Promptly hit a rock on the way down, which seems to have caved in half my undercarriage. Damage estimates due by tomorrow.

that sounds really painful Particularly if the tuna is freshly caught.

Sounds like a line from the "May Fix" trilogy. What about wrapping bolt hangers in Ziplocks? Or...

No worries, we didn't use any locktite. Just throwing out a suggestion. As an aside, Locktite isn't an epoxy; you can easily remove a nut with Locktite on it, but if the problem is freeze/melt, locking the nut is the wrong solution. OK, another stupid idea for preventing water from getting into the bolt hole in the first place without epoxy: silicone caulk. Remains flexible and allows bolt replacement as needed. Thoughts?

Spoken like a true gym baby. Conditions on alpine climbs change day by day. A climb that is standard one week can become quite 'noteworthy' the next. Many of us really appreciate the folks who post TRs that describe current conditions and very useful recent photos. Also, many of us enjoy and are inspired by what our friends are out there doing, even if it didn't make the cover of Rock and Ice. TRs are a great way to connect with folks who have just been there, especially if you're planning on doing a route nearby. Third, writing and reading TRs is fun. Not that that has anything to do with the sport. And finally, climbing is a personal game. One man's noteworthy is another's walk in the park. So be it. Every TR posted here has value.

One man's 'just taking pot shots' is another's pretty good discussion on the topic. Moderation is too heavy handed and, as a result, the site is simply too boring for my taste. I went elsewhere as a result. The GW thread was simply the last straw. In contrast, this site has a mix of good, serious information, activism, and a playpen for recreational cyber jousting. As a result, it attracts a broader group of folks, from the top outdoor talent to posers like myself. In short, it has room for just about everyone. If you're a wanker, of course, as several members of your community are just now discovering, you'll be treated accordingly. Look, it's your site to do with as you please. This is just my feedback.

...and Paul Wolfowitz taught post graduate level foreign relations. Any time someone reaches for their 'credentials' rather than debating the point at hand, the audience detects the distinct sound of their credibility flushing itself down the shitter. Your next sentence indicates that you know little about a new generation of drugs that would help a human choose the healthier alternative in the scenario you describe below. And again, your references are very, very dated. It's a broad field, one can't be an expert in every aspect of it, regardless of how many 'classes you've taken'. You might also take a class in basic reading comprehension. My statement was that only some brains have a prediliction for addiction, not all. In addition, upon re-reading (as many times as you need to to comprehend it) my last paragraph, you might find that I suggested the drug therapy is only part of a more comprehensive solution. Nonetheless, the new generation of drugs has already produced some startling results. And finally, we're not talking specifically about cocaine addiction, although you seem to be, perhaps because you read a case study on it. Each of us knows many addicts: their called alcoholics. Nuff said there. Drug addicts come from all walks of life and all upbringings; be and excellent parent, and your kid might still become an addict. There is a huge brain chemistry, and thus genetic component, at work here.

I met Brian M as Brian Hench and I were coming out from Dragontail not even a month ago. My first impression from a distance was that of a Ultimate Fighter with a huge shit eating grin on his face humping what appeared to a gear festooned refrigerator on his back. It is shocking and surreal to get this news so soon after. Mizuki was to join their party the following day. My deepest condolences to their friends and family.

Intersite cyber warfare. Students for Christ verses the Stoners. Daughters of the American Revolution verses the Gypsy Jokers. Wankers verses the (Dahl) Sheep Shaggers. M&Ms verses a Lucky Strike. It was only a matter of time.

I'm not suggesting volunteer road repair, although a dynamite license might be fun. I do agree, as with any public issue, that lobbying is very important. The trick is how to represent the zero impact community effectively with a lobbying effort that has enough critical mass to be effective. Some ideas: Demand it from our gear suppliers. Some already do, but companies signing on to environmental lobbying initiatives can be powerful, particularly when whole groups of companies jump on a single issue at the right time. Consumer pressure can help them in this effort. As I mentioned before, coopting with organizations that share a similar wilderness ethic can also boost a lobbying effort. And finally, where's the CC.com's legislative action forum?

To clarify, Tazz is not a moderator at NWH. She decided she didn't need the hassle of moderating or constant second guessing by wannabe refs. Not that it needs much moderation apart from those who seem to be problems no matter what forum they post in. Sorry for the intrusion. Yeah, that global warming thread that got locked. TOO CONTROVERSIAL! If the site was any more moderated, it could double as a corporate problem resolution seminar. Great marmot photos, though.

i need to climb w/ this fool then - nothing chews up a long approach hike faster than a bard-fest, we could tag-team stanzas! - and no matter how much of that poem i burn into my brain, there alwasy seems to be a thousand more lines to learn... Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And we're kinda sorry you need to get a life so badly.

I can't believe someone actually had to explain the joke to it...

You could stand to update yourself on the dynamics and physiological causes of addictive behavior. Your philosophy of a 'society that needs fixin' is dated. Only a percentage of human beings have a predeliction for addiction, not all. And a newer generation of 'good' drugs are already helping millions of people quit smoking and other harmful addictions. Coupled with other forms of support and treatment, such a regimen can put a significant percentage of addicts, although of course not all, back on their feet. Read up, then review your society wide (impossible to implement) solutions, whatever they may be. Finally, your model of a society waiting to explode into a cocaine fulled, heroin addled frenzy/catatonia is silly. Meth Crazed Zombies Rape and Pillage Squaresville Suburb! Come on, man. You don't really buy that Drug War generated myth. As Ivan stated, social norms, responsibilities, values, and genetic predisposition make addiction unattractive for most of the population and will continue to do so regardless of the legal picture.

We caught a zombie Jesus peering out from the slide cedar. Then again a glancing blow from a rock to the nut (!) might do it. If the bolts are epoxied in, how would the water get into the hole? Granite is somewhat permiable, but not that much. One word: Locktite.

I don't believe the story. No one would try to microwave a baby without basting and browning it first to lock in the juices. 450 for 20 minutes in a conventional oven would do it.

No, it does not pertain to those things, until the damage done to society outweighs the philosophical (and administrative) appeal of freedom. You are free to do whatever you want, until it fucks too much with the rest of us. And yes, becoming a drug addict fucks with the rest of us enough that we have laws to discourage that behavior. That is apparently not how our society works, considering the fact that the overwhelming majority of drug related deaths; disease, accident, and violence, are due to alcohol. In contrast, there are a few tens of overdose deaths due cocaine and herion; drugs which draw a particularly harsh, and in many states, mandatory, sentencing. The harm to society of these 'hard' drugs isn't even on our criminal radar screen, yet half off all prison inmates, and that would be about a million people, are incarcerated for non violent drug related offenses. Study after study has shown that these folks come our of prison harder criminals than they went in. I would say THAT is a pretty large burden on our society. To further debunk your argument for criminalization of drugs; heroin and cocaine were legal readily available, over the counter and from doctors, in the U.S. for many decades. Their use peaked in the 1920s. Criminalization did not curb the rising trend of addiction; a public information campaign on the negative health impacts did. Again, this is neither the main point nor representative of the values of our society. We do not live under the 'tyranny of the majority'; that's why we have a Bill of Rights to protect us from exactly that. This 'island man' statement is so ludicrous it requires no reply. Drug addiction is a disease of the brain. You don't treat a disease with prison time. There are a whole raft of new, effective drugs coming out that will help people regain lives broken by addiction, thanks to advances in brain imaging and other technologies. If you commit a crime, on or off drugs, great. Prosecution is in order. We already have laws for that. Prosecution for possessing or taking a substance, in itself, is a gross violation of personal freedom, as well as being an expensive, counterproductive, and ineffective way to deal with the issue. If you take or are addicted to drugs and do not commit crimes against others, the state should have no interest other than to provide health information and programs to allow those who wish to a way get out of the downward spiral.

It doesn't have to be that way. The National Park and Wilderness Area managers would still be free to restrict motorized/stock (and other environmentally damaging) use while managing volunteer trail crews, possibly supervised by park hired personal. The allowance of volunteers to do some of their work would need in no way impact the park's focus on maintaining pristine wilderness. This is the way trails are maintained in the Columbia River Gorge, and it works very well. No one's clamboring for dirt bike access to that area. In fact, the result was just the opposite. There was a big move several years ago to log some of that preserve, and, because so much of the public had either worked on or used volunteer maintained trail system, the public outcry quashed that effort soundly.

Mountain bike access is not a big deal to me personally, but it seems to make sense that bike access be allowed on roads that are no longer maintained, and appropriate valley bottom trails up to a certain turn around point. The Suiattle River trail is one example. 10 miles of flat trail; road access to the TH is washed out at Downey Creek. Why not coopt cycling clubs to maintain this section of trail (but disalloy the building of jumps, rails, and other cycling park paraphelia) in exchange for access? This would represent a lower cost compromise alternative to rebuilding bridges that may just wash out again. It also is in line with the argument that we need more than just climber involvement to maintain some of the existing infrastructure. Finally, our trail/road system was built in an era of less extreme flooding, more readily available public manpower, greater park funding, and logging. That's all over with. If we want to see some (you're not going to see all) of the existing infrastructure maintained, volunteer labor will have to become a greater part of the picture over time.

Mountain Wanker PM'd me, asking why it should change it's name. I think it has a crush on me.

Golite Jam. Great pack, and not just for summits. In any case, get a pack with compression straps (the Genie has none, plus it's too small for what you're looking for).

NCNP strives to be more like Alaskan NPs; favoring wildness over convenient weekend access (which, after all, is what we're all talking about here). It's refreshing that the lower forty eight has at least one (and, unfortunately, only one) park that maintains pristine wildness as a priority. It's amazing that this jewel is in our back yard. I think the road closure is appropriate, given the unique difference in the park's mission. Plan a little more time and put out more effort. Welcome to the 21st century. As for trail maintenance, we'd do better and probably get further as a community to organize and lobby for permission to maintain the trails ourselves and gain mountain bike access for those long valley bottom trails and closed roads than to beg for more budget money or complain about closures. There is more than enough manpower in this community to do the job. Besides, if the past 10 years is any indication, a higher budget will only go towards fancier sign kiosks and not towards trail maintainance or improved access. Finally, eliminating the use of stock would do more than any other one thing to reduce trail maintenance and environmental impact of human visitation.

Whats the matter Alison? I seem to remember you wanting to go with us on that vantage trip until you found out a certain person you disagree with was also going.. Now all you can do is talk $hit? Funny you got banned from our site for this crap.. and now you've just moved it to a new forum where even less people care what you think. Ummm, a bit of advice: I'd change your avatar name if you're going to post over here... ...Mountain Wanker.