joeschmoe

Lookouts can be rented and must be reserved in advance. Here is the link for the cabins/lookouts and reservation info http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/recreation/rentals/

No, Pamelia Lk. road is not plowed, but they sometimes plow open the road entrance so x-skiers can park there and get off hwy 22. I was up there the Sat. after Thanksgiving on a snowshoe trip up the Grizz. and there was about 16" of snow on the road but we still managed to drive all the way to the trail head. Beware though, that the trail washed out very badly back in Oct/early Nov during the flooding and it now has a lot of big boulders and blown downs. Someone did go through and flag the trail, but we found it easier to get to the lake with map/compass than following the route through the boulders (as if you could get lost there, anyway...it's a straight shot to the lake). One bit of good news...the bathroom at the trailhead is brandspanking new as of the fall. I will post an update on the access board if I hear anything else.

I used to be a gear junkie too...but have given a lot of stuff away to SAR over the years or loaned it out and never gotten it back. Now I just stick with what works and what I use the most. I tend to be more thrifty in my old age...if KK were closer I would hook her up with some stuff

How did D-a-n Osman die?

don't forget to check sierratradingpost.com you can get some great deals there. go to their site and request a free catalog

EDIT: this is really weird: I keep typing "D-a-n Osman" but some crazy reason, CC makes it appear as "he Osman", no matter how I try to correct it. Go figure. The word D-a-n will not appear. sk8r...I know...it was driving me nuts too, D-a-n just will not come up, must be a glitch in the forum type somewhere...not sure whether or not I saw the Osman video...send me a link if you have it. I got that one from a member of a climbers e-group. back to workkk on the dreaded first day of the year..augh!

thanks sk8r...I have been trying to get this post up on another forum, but it keeps coming out weird for some reason. I think I have a keyboard glitch tonight...check this out...a good video of what the best of the best can do http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4832527121139830698

i give up

testing, 1 2 3 dan, dan, dan

what's up with this dang keyboard! it is DAN POTTER

that would be Dan Potter, on the nose...July 2006

I hate computers...sometimes

Kat; Well, that’s a loaded question. Technically, alpine means above the tree line, so alpine rock climbing is climbing a rocky mountain above the tree line. If you are climbing just rock, the kind of boot/shoe depends on the rock type. Most NW rock climbs can be done in a good flexible pair of cross trainers, though places like a gym, Smith Rock and some granite climbs require bona fide rock climbing shoes (small tight shoes with sticky soles for rock climbing only). I have soloed Mt. Washington here in Oregon (a volcanic rhyolite mtn that is all rock climbing, except for the approach) many times in just my Saucony runners, but I have seen climbers on the routes with rock shoes, too. If you are carrying a heavy pack, though, you need more support than a pair of trail runners. Rock shoes should NEVER be used for anything but rock climbing or you will ruin them. To me, mountaineering is climbing with technical equipment like crampons/harness/ropes, etc. whether it is rock/snow/ice or a mixture of two or three of those. Some climbers do the approach in a pair of good hiking boots, then don the mountaineering boots (very stiff boots that can be used with crampons) for glacier/ice/snow, though some don’t like lugging the extra wt. of a heavy boot in their pack, so they just wear the mountaineering boots for the hike too (which are very expensive, and very stiff with no flexibility but are warm and great for snow, but hella hard on your feet on dry ground). Ice climbing is just that, climbing ice, whether it be a frozen waterfall, a glacier headwall/crevasse or an icy snowfield, all of which require crampons (the metal spikes that fit on the soles of your boots). You can use a good stiff hiking boot with some crampons for hard snowfields but it is never recommended if you will be on ice or any steep slope (the flexibility of the boot won’t allow you to dig into the ‘good ice’ and will slip off the hold too easily). You may not get to use crampons in your climb school until you are actually on a climb that requires them, but walking in them is easy to master, with practice. I hope that answered your question. I tried to post this once and lost the connection before I sent it and had to retype…augh!

Kat; Well, I just spent 20 mins posting a reply and my wireless computer connection timed out...AUGH. I will post it again in a few mins.

Kat; Well, I just spent 20 mins posting a reply and my wireless computer connection timed out...AUGH. I will post it again in a few mins.