Lisa_D

yeah, I think I'm getting a pro deal from the company I guided for last summer (woo hoo!) so I might just buy both. I really, really hate bugs and am allergic to mosquito bites. And it's going to be a long trip. And I think we want a floor anyway.

Glad to hear it wasn't arthritis!! Have you thought about this? http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/01/different-strokes/ Also, sometimes getting a PT or Chiropractor who is an expert in helping endurance athletes makes the difference. There is a guy named Steve Noble in Bellingham who does amazing (and legit) work with supplements, chiropractic treatment, nutrition, and more. He helps a lot of cyclists I know. Eric Moen is a PT in Kenmore who also does amazing work. Of course I'd recommend switching to cycling as cross training rather than running, but I'm biased because I love my bike One advantage it has, though, is that you can go for 2-3 hours within the first few months of your training. With running, you can't physically go for that long. It builds a lot of endurance and burns many more calories.

Yeah, I think it's kind of a fine line to decide on. The mega bug and mega lite together are about 5 lbs, but they offer much more space than our current 6 lb 2 person tent, and they compress well for going into the panniers. It's just that we'll be on a really long trip, hopefully all the way around Europe and far north to the fjords of Norway. Are the bugs worse in the north, then? I have no experience in Europe!

Hey, we are thinking about taking the plunge and getting a Mega Lite. The only question is regarding how to protect from bugs. I lived in a Beta Mid with the bucket floor (no bug net) for 5 weeks in the summer of '09, 3 of which were in the Olympic Mountains. I seem to remember being able to seal the floor and the tent body together enough to keep most of the bugs out, but sometimes had to use my mosquito head net and wear a raincoat to avoid getting bitten. We'll use the Mega Lite for climbing, of course, but the main reason we're getting it is for our extended bike tour. It will be our home for long periods of time and we think the extra room, ability to cook in the tent, and to sit up in the tent, will be pretty nice. We will be bike touring in Europe to start, and possibly touring for up to 3 months. I don't know how the bugs are in Europe, but to me, it sounds like the Mega Bug would be a worthwhile addition. However, we've also heard of people putting 12" of bug netting around the bottom of the mega lite. Does this work just as well or should we just go for the Mega Bug?

Do NOT do this. You will immediately be recognized as a weakling by other riders. Or worse yet, a road weenie. I use shoe covers if it's less than 50 degrees outside: protects my injury-prone achilles tendon and keeps my toes warm. Knee warmers if it's less than 55 to protect the knees. Then again I'm a roadie talking about 3-4 hour training rides, wearing the racing kit with ads on it...don't give me too much crap, I actually race! For muscle imbalance, I think a few days a week at the rock gym and some core strengthening does it for me, plus the occasional hike or ski. Some people lift weights but I get bored with that.

Simply amazing place. I want to go. My husband and I are taking 14 months off after grad school before we hit the grind of real life, and we're going to spend a lot of time in Europe. I might send you a PM and get some advice!

nice! Glad you didn't put yourself through another Prusik in a day sufferfest. Maybe it will still be snow-free oct 22 when I finally have a full free weekend.

Yes to helmets: when I'm rock climbing, when I'm on snow that requires an ice axe, going up gullies, skiing, and especially biking. I've been in school too long to risk hurting my head!

La Sportiva Trango Guide Boots, size 41.5. An excellent lightweight all around boot for anything from trail to brush to mid-fifth class climbing. They are too big for my husband - he bought them, wore them maybe once or twice, and they have been in the closet ever since. They are basically brand new. We have a really small apartment want these gone. $65 OBO not including shipping. We are near the UW and can arrange an exchange in the North Seattle or UW area. The boots are no longer made, but previously retailed for $250 or so (?) http://www.spgear.org/gear/1422/trango-guide.html email: lisa.doubet.toner@gmail.com Thanks!

Verizon wins again!

nope I'm self employed, disagree with the FS pass, and avoid paying for camping at all costs. I was just envisioning my habit of sleeping in the car at trail heads, coming late/leaving early. We have seen camp grounds charging up to $35 for a lousy patch of dirt....yeah, if given a chance, they'll probably start busting people for bivying/sleeping in the car at trail heads that too. Aren't there more important things for them to worry about?

ha, in some ways it's great that they upgrade all the trail heads because then ... almost-free camping in the parking lot with all the amenities of a campground if you have the $20 pass!

They recovered the body yesterday. God bless his family and friends. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012910013_climber16.html

Thanks for the beautiful report!

hard call.. I'd stick with Washington. Bellingham is my personal favorite and has a huge hospital, but is likely saturated job-wise. Great skiing 1 hr from town, great mtn biking and local foothills to hike and run on 5 minutes from downtown, 2 hours to the North Cascades, nice waterfront, good roads for cycling. Downside is that it's 2.5 hours to the nearest major crags (squamish: world class but across the canadian border; leavenworth: also pretty good but a little harder to navigate; Index: excellent but hard). Seattle is a great city to live in if you like cities. Traffic is pretty bad, especially with the upcoming closure of the 520 bridge. The UW is a great medical community. Lots of good parks in neighborhoods. 45 minutes minimum to get to decent mountain biking and hiking trails (which are crowded). Road cycling scene here is big and a great way to stay fit and meet people. I know a lot of people who are from Wenatchee and love it, and they are neither conservatives nor rednecks. I've heard mixed things about Ellensburg and Leavenworth, but there are probably good people everywhere. It depends on whether you want 300 days of sunshine per year, or 300 days of clouds/drizzle, which isn't actually that horrible, but maybe I don't mind because I grew up here and see rainy weather as a good opportunity to get work done. It also depends on whether you are really into cragging, want to be close to a ski area, or want to be in the mountains so you can get to the alpine quickly. Good luck!

Thanks for this informative thread! While we're on the topic, has anyone been in mid-September? It seems like the weather would be deteriorating a bit at this point, but could you also get lucky with some high pressure?

Ah, we'll have to go back for that one. Love the photos!

ah, that looks so fun. I have been working too much and climbing too little this summer.

If anyone from Seattle will be passing through Mazama in the next few weeks: my husband left his really nice sunglasses at the Mazama store. I called and the store is holding them under his name, waiting for them to be picked up. However, we don't know when we'll be able to make it over there and get them back. If you wouldn't mind doing us a big favor, there would be beer and/or dessert in it for you. send an email to lkdoubet@u.washington.edu to coordinate. We are in North Seattle but could meet you anywhere within 5-10 mi of the UW.

Nice work and way to get it this time! I'm impressed that you took so many busses, and bummer about those fares. Someone should have offered you their seat when you were on the way home!

Anybody been to Goode lately? We are wondering what it's like up there about now. I think my main 2 questions are about getting from the Goode Glacier to the NEB, and also the descent via Park Creek (how much snow is on the descent route?) Anybody have pictures of the descent, past or present? Hopefully we will post some updates about the area after next weekend!

sounds like an enjoyable trip. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go on the SE face of Torment!

You finally got it! I hope your foot is feeling well after the climb.

Just saw on the K5 news that he and his party had been ascending the Gibraltar Ledges Route and that he was an experienced climber. All his gear was found. This does not sound good! Hopefully the high pressure weather will kick in tomorrow and lead him being found safely. Also, those posts on komo are ridiculous, thank you to you who posted in reply.

Beautiful. Looks like you had good luck with the weather!