Serenity

Rudy you had me going there for a second. All's well that ends well. It's been so long now, but someone else will remember this post, it was by the guy who owns the brewery out in eastern Oregon. He wrote about when he really 'lost' his daughter in a white water accident. Probably the saddest thing I've ever read on this site. Posting was in 2000-2001 time frame.

Inshallah

"Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment." The only sure thing about luck is that it will change. ~Wilson Mizner

Thanks for the report. So how did you Waddington trip turn out then?

Short list of critical incidents in Pakistan since zero day of Bhutto's assassination: Synopsis: The total death toll in the country over the last three days of rioting stands at 38, with another 53 injured. According to Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema, rioters have torched as many as 174 banks, 370 cars and 765 shops in several cities. Railway stations and police stations have been damaged, and transportation has been brought to a standstill in the most volatile areas as Bhutto supporters have ordered cars and buses off the road to protest the assassination. Karachi * Four people were killed Dec. 29 in shootings in Karachi in Pakistan’s Sindh province, and two of the deaths are confirmed, Stratfor sources in the country said. Twenty-six people were wounded in shootings, and some were looters shot by the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers. * Stores in the Zamzama shopping district near Defense were looted and damaged. * Seven large fires were reported, one at a stadium close to the U.S. Consulate, and one large tire fire in the Korangi area that can be seen from at least 4 miles away and is producing significant smoke. * The Port of Qasim has been closed since the news of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s death. * Residents are afraid to leave their homes during the three-day mourning period after Bhutto’s death. * International flights and some domestic flights are operating in Karachi, and the route to the airport is secure during the day. The U.S. Embassy has prohibited its employees from taking domestic flights over the next few days. * Several shops tried to open Dec. 29, but angry crowds forced them to close. * The situation is “uncomfortable” for residents who do not have stockpiles of food. Sindh province * The National Highway in Sindh remains closed, and mobs are attacking and burning any vehicles traveling on that road, Stratfor sources in Pakistan said. * A shutterdown strike continues, enforced by mobs armed with Kalashnikov weapons. * Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said some domestic flights will resume in the near future, and Pakistan International Airlines has resumed international flights to and from Karachi. * No city in Sindh has a curfew, although curfews remain an option, police said. * The army is present in the streets in the cities of Sukkur, Larkana, Badin, and Hyderabad. In Karachi, the army is only present in two neighborhoods. Naushahero Feroz * On the National Highway, 150 vehicles were torched. Hyderabad * Gun battles took place between the Sindhi and Mohajir communities, wounding eight people. The clashes occurred despite army presence in the streets. Khairpur * Police and protesters clashed, at least 50 people were arrested, and one truck was torched.

Yeah, move there. You can rent my house.

I'm running Mozilla 2.0.0.4 and I can read it just fine. Nice site Wayne. You've kept detailed logs of your climbing.

You've been on crack for as long as I can remember.

Short concept film laying groundwork for other efforts unrelated to climbing. Afghanistan

dmuja, I had a similar incident around that area in the winter of 2002-2003. My ski tracks quickly formed an abrupt "ELEVEN" pointing downhill. Mt thoughts and concerns go out to the family of Kirk Reiser.

What gave me away?

Yeah, cuz you were logging trees back in the day when it was all that. Those were the days all right.

Trash, you sound close to batting for the other team. All of your solutions center around appeasement of an enemy that has demonstrated time and time again it's willingness to kill Americans. I guess maybe you and I grew up on different sides of the hammer. I don't necessarily agree with the current administrations approach, but I am not privy to any of the high level information. Clearly there is something amiss that is worth sliding down the razor. The thought that we will be out of Iraq anytime soon put's paid to your "when we're gone" theories. We're not going anywhere. Saudi Arabian influence will make sure of that. Being that I've met Barzani and Talabani and no one seemed particularly interested in ruffling the Iranians because their Turkomen issues dominated sort of negates that theory. The fact that they have received support from the Iranians in the past also nullifies the theory of our erstwhile allies conducting super clandestine cross border incursions. Furthermore, the fact that Kurdish military commanders and politicians refused the initial Baghdad security push mission, citing lack of interest in becoming involved in Sectarian retardation further exonerates them from being used as pawns in US policy. The Kurds will do what the Kurds want to do, when they want to do it. They maintain stability of a vital oil rich region, and they know they are sitting on a gold mine. All it takes on their part is patience, and they are willing to deal with the US. The US never left Korea, and maintains the better portion of a full infantry division (2ID + Corps Elements), plus an additional 2 combat brigades (Ft Lewis) as a QRF slash speedbump in immediate reserve. You seeing a pattern here of US involvement. Iraq is not Vietnam. Cite your economics. Quoting dad is not reliable information. No offense or disrespect to your dad intended.

I guess that's one way to look at it. I live in a rugged and austere area of the world, and when I come home I appreciate places like Whistler. To each his own.

I'm all for the theory of keeping our enemies closer by engaging them in some way. Like it or not Iran has maneuvered themselves repeatedly into a position of relevancy. We should continue to play chess games with an eye towards the check mate. No need to make sudden herky-jerky movements around itchy trigger fingers. The US is developing ballistic missile shields, there is currently no nation that maintains nuclear parity. A nuclear assault of any kind on US interests is a guaranteed strategic death sentence. Holding their nation hostage as a nuclear shield is the Iranians ace in the hole. However, the fact remains that Iranian operatives acting under orders from Tehran kill Americans in directly targeted assassinations and kidnappings. This indicates a certain desire for Tehran to widen the conflict into an expanded low intensity manner. They fail in that they are being shut down by a change in US policy with regards to Iraq. Engaging the Sunni's was the right thing to do from the get go, considering that Saudi has some reliability, and the Shiites are a minority in the wider Muslim world. Sadr is crapping himself, which is why he spends more and more time in Iran instead of on Iraqi soil. He knows he exists in Iraq because we allow him to exist. In the wars previous Sadr would have been gone a long long time ago. As early as 2003. For reference the Karbala operation which involved 5 disposable armored SUV's valued at approx. 200K each, American uniforms, American weapons, 12-15 english trained operatives, reliable intelligence resulting in 4 American soldiers executed was a planned Iranian operation. You deal with the government you have to deal with, and I don't see the Mullah's turning over anytime soon. Maybe in your Utopian pipe dreams, but that's not the real world. Furthermore, your economic logic seems flawed in some sense. I would say the overwhelming cause of the teetering US economy is the demise of the inflated real estate market. This would have been caused by greed or perhaps misguided speculation, and has no direct relationship to foreign policy or the military industrial complex. The reality of the war machine is that it consumes less than 4% of the GNP. The reality of the failed mortgage industry is that it is bankrupting middle class America.

Whistler, somehow it always comes back to Whistler (COUGH-REVELSTOKE). Although Vancouver based, and independently operated, Intrawest is ultimately owned by Fortress Investment Group LLC. Whistler-Blackcomb is a subsidiary of a large investment chain based out of New York. What the end relationship there is I can't say. Doesn't matter. To me it's all the same. Our misfortune, while temporary, is also your temporary misfortune to a point. Furthermore Whistler-Blackcomb was initially financed and developed by an American firm which later chose to divest. Intrawest is an awesome company, and should be a true source of pride for Canadians. It has been a joint venture from the beginning, with sweat equity and capital coming from both sides of the border. Intrawest is involved in Les Arcs in France and numerous developments which provide an endless source of enjoyment for the type of people who gravitate towards their resorts. Jmace, the trips I was referring to were overseas trips, not BC trips, which have an impact on the business owners who were all Canadians. Fortunately our relationships are good ones, and I don't get the kind of condescending attitude like you throw off. I also spend about 20-30 days a year in Whistler, Nelson, Canmore, Banff, Rossland, Squamish, Pemberton, Revelstoke, New Denver and points in between. Frankly, if the attitude of the majority of really AWESOME people I meet in Canada was anything like your's I'd be spending my money in Chile and Peru.

Yep. That's pretty much the long and short of it. They are producing the materials at a rate which insures their nuclear weapons entry in the next couple of years. With their records of global antagonism, directed belligerence traceable to their direct action intelligence directorate, combined with their hard line government they will probably ignite some hell in the next decade.

I've already canceled two vacations that were tied into Canadian adventure travel (bummer for me). This is bad for Canadian tourism industry, of which British Columbia has a heavy stake in. So why are you gloating? The value of the Euro dollar might look great on paper, but when you spend some time in western Europe, and see what high prices they pay for everything, it tends to make our devalued dollar spent back home look pretty sweet. We're doing fine, and will continue to be fine for many years to come.

Dude, if you really wanna savor that sweet Renton granite I'll go with you. It's just that good. Or so I've heard.

It is precisely the dislike for motocrossers that must be rallied. It is widespread among backcountry enthusiasts (throw snowmobilers in there, too), and the key to winning this fairly simple us verses them battle. Stop playing nice by finding 'common ground' with the global warming issue and tap into the anger those who give a damn about the backcountry feel towards this destructive sport. And ally yourselves with larger organizations that have some reach, if you haven't already. Yeah, tap into your anger, until someone gets in your face, and then tap into your attorney.

That segment came from "7 Sunny Days" from Matchstick Productions. I'll look at the credits later and see what the track was. The jumpers are Norwegians according to the track in the movie, and the location is Norway.

They have a good gym out there, make sure you stop in, and add some vomit on the floor. http://www.gymjones.com/

Cool report, and cool screen name. Good pictures! That's a really overlooked area, but to those that know, the ski descents into Gold Creek are all time. Alta's a pretty big face when it gets loaded up, not as burly off the top as Alaska, and not quite as intimidating as the daddy at the valley head (never stepped up to that one on skis). Long hike out once your in, but you can tow in from the snowpark if you've got the stuff. Thanks for the reminder, it's been a few years since I've gone back there.

You must lack job, meaningful relationships, or both. Good for you!

In THAT case it is apparently a 100% chance then. READ BELOW: HELL EXPLAINED BY CHEMISTRY STUDENT The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid term. The answer by one student was so 'profound' that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well : Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law(gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities: 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose. 2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,' and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting 'Oh my God.' THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+ AND YES THIS ICE CLIMB WILL FORM!