mankato

PLC, maybe I will see you at seatac tomorrow, I am flying to Phoenix. Sounds like mostly good news except for the Canadians. I'll post back and let you know if I make it through, or get sent to gitmo.

I'm flying tomorrow, and plan on taking a sport/top rope set-up in my carry-on bag. Rope, some draws and biners, belay device etc. I won't be checking a bag. My concern is that I'll run into a TSA agent who thinks my climbing gear is part of a terrorist plot. Has anyone had any problems getting climbing gear past security at airports?

Went to the orthopedic surgeon this morning. MRI shows tear in the posterior horn of meniscus. He says it will not heal on it's own, and I should have arthroscopic surgery to remove that part of the cartilage. My concern is that I've read that if cartilage is removed, it means almost certain arthritis in the future. Once the cartilage is gone, it's gone for good and you can't get it back. Right after the injury, I had really bad cracking/popping/clicking noises in the knee. That was about six weeks ago. I've recovered much of my strength and the noises/crunching have mostly stopped. But still have pain when hiking or biking longer distances. Haven't tried climbing again yet. So I'm not sure if I should just wait and try and rehab it on my own, or go under the knife and risk arthritis later on or what. Difficult decision to make for me. Add into the mix that my insurance sucks so I will be paying for much of the procedure on my own. Anyone been through this? Have you had a partial meniscus removal, and how did it work out for you? Thanks for any responses.

We will be in Victoria next weekend, and hoping someone has some beta on rock climbing areas near the city. I've searched the web a bit, and found some info, but nothing specific. There is a wall near the city, Fleming Beach--does anyone know if these climbs can be top roped? Are they bolted? We will be on bikes, so somewhat limited on how far we can travel and how much gear we can carry. Thanks in advance for any replies.