rocketparrotlet

I may be interested if things don't work out. geckozoo@gmail.com I have a little bit of glacier experience, know z-pulley, snow anchors/belays, etc. -Mark

Hey Josh, you're back! Glad to hear you climbed Mt. Baker! Are you (were you) safe? -Mark

I'm just learning to lead, but I like nuts the best. The cams I have (Technical Friends) have a tendency to walk a lot, and then get stuck. Or maybe I just suck with cams. Anyway, nuts are great, I should get doubles in the middle sizes. Nuts are great, hexes are cool, tricams are mostly a novelty (except rarely when you really need them, especially pinky), and cams are a pain but necessary. At least in my experience. -Mark

When did you leave high school? It's not all fun 'n' games. I'd rather be out climbing ANYDAY! -Mark

I might be able to get out on Sunday, not sure where yet. The crags would always work. I can follow trad to 5.9 and alpine to 5.7, still learning to lead. I'm 16, can't drive, only got a day off, but if that works for you, awesome! I'd love to get out. -Mark

The Tooth is kind of a testpiece; at least it was for me. It was my second alpine climb and my first lead (I led it before any sport/trad route). I might consider writing a TR for it (or some of the other mountains I have climbed, for that matter) if they weren't so frequently climbed. It's the "umpteenth TR of Tooth syndrome" that keeps me away from trip reports. tvashtarkatena: I completely agree with you here. -Mark

I'm looking for a climbing partner for any type of climbing. My dad is moving away soon, and I will need to meet some people to go climbing with. I am interested in all types of climbing. I know basic skills such as following/leading on rock and z-pulley on glacier. I have been practicing leading at Index; I can lead up to 5.7 and follow up to 5.9. I'd love to meet up with some new people, I'm open to climbing suggestions! I love both the crags and alpine settings. I am 16, and I do not yet have a license, so I'll pitch in for gas money wherever we go. I have basic climbing equipment and a moderate rack. PM me or email me at geckozoo@gmail.com if interested. Thanks, Mark

Are you sure about that? My understanding is that rope tends to lose about 30-35% due to knots, but webbing loses closer to 50%. I've heard less- webbing loses 20-35% (an overhand knot would be on the lower end), and rope loses 15-30%. Also remember the strength webbing is rated for, compared with the strength of a bomber placement. That's what I was taught in a Mountaineers climbing course, anyway. If you do not feel comfortable with this approach, then just do what makes you feel comfortable. More redundancy is never a problem. -Mark

The first step, before you get off belay, is to build your anchor (if necessary) and put your personal anchor in. Then you can be safely taken off belay, and set up a clove hitch to belay on. This is sufficient protection. I use one personal anchor and one clove hitch. Actually, I fell on my personal anchor yesterday when clove hitching in. It was kind of scary, but they are rated to something like 22kN, and my fall was probably like 1 or 1.5kN, so there wasn't much to worry about. -Mark

An overhand knot would cause a sling to lose 30% at most. Even after this loss, it's still stronger than a bomber placement. You could also just double it. -Mark

Presentation I did on this a while back: http://cascadehikers.topicboards.com/north-cascades-f5/north-cascades-glacier-project-t81.htm -Mark

Do you know folks who have died in the service? I know several who have died in the mountains. Every time someone I know dies, I sure do rethink the climbing thing. My dad climbs, and he also was in the front lines in the Navy in the Gulf War. He seems more scared of climbing than war, but the dangers are not really comparable. -Mark

Johannesburg is a very hard mountain; I think you should reconsider. I have heard many nightmare stories, although I have not climbed it myself. Can you lead? If so, I might be interested. -Mark

At that point you're looking for a partner...not a follower So wait...if I want someone to lead it, I'm looking for a guide. If I'm looking for someone to follow it, I'm looking for a partner, and I'm not acting as a guide...? I just don't get it. -Mark

I totally agree with you all the way! I'm learning to lead right now! I might be able to lead this trip myself next year, but then I'd have to find a follower. I definitely wouldn't even consider soloing this. -Mark

I just can't afford a guide...I'm broke. All my money was spent on ropes and cams. I guess I'm just gonna have to call off this dream. Maybe I'll lead Liberty Bell myself in a month. -Mark

???

Bump Nobody's interested? -Mark

The war's not over until you fire the gun on yourself. Your ego and not letting people help you has turned the safety off. You can dump the ego, be happy for what you got, and win. Or you could keep on pretending to be ready for things you are not and avoiding people's advice, and screw yourself over. Your choice. -Mark

JOSH- You are not ready for Rainier! Stop trying to weasel your way onto a climb! You don't get it do you- people are TRYING to help you. And you won't let them! All you do is, when people try to give you helpful advice, you tell them that they're wrong. That's why people get so mad at you sometimes. Cut the crap here. Your response to Maine-iac had nothing to do with what he was telling you. He's trying to say, take it one step at a time. You're not doing that. Please. For the sake of yourself, your climbing partners, and anyone who cares about you. Learn some humility, stop pretending you're a big strong climber with a lot of experience, and stick to stuff you can do SAFELY. If you have to question whether you are ready or not, think about what would happen if something went wrong. And don't take the easy way out and imagine yourself dead. Imagine you having to carry the dead body of your climbing partner down and show it to their loved ones, knowing you were responsible for their death. If you are not able to confront that horror, do not take the risk of climbing above your level. Learn your skills this year, practice them constantly, and by next summer, you might be ready for some easy glacier/rock routes, maybe even Rainier. -Mark

I didn't say McDonalds was cheaper, I said it wasn't AS BAD as Taco Bell. Still bad, though! Don't eat any of that crap if you can avoid it. -Mark

Definitely a good idea. If you have to eat stuff on a budget, Taco Bell is the worst you can get. Even McDonalds is better (but I wouldn't recommend it unless it's necessary!). My suggestion is, buy some beans and rice, then melt some cheese over top of them, and sprinkle seasoning on it if you want. That's similar to Taco Bell food, except it is actually very healthy for you- it has a lot of protein and usable carbs that you can burn before a trip. I always bring fruit bars- dried fruit is great for a snack. If you need some, the fruit bars I eat are like $0.25 each if you buy a box of them at Costco. As for water, a good trip leader will give you a chance to stop and filter water if necessary. If anyone has a SteriPen UV filter (like the one I have), it only takes 90 seconds to filter a liter of water- just make sure someone has a Nalgene bottle so that the filter can fit. You can stop at a stream whenever you need to filter water. Filtering water at camp is also necessary. Before a trip, make sure that you have fruit, protein (meat or cheese), and a couple of snacks. Don't go entirely on snacks- anything made by Little Debbie is bad for you. Only bring one or two crap things like that. Remember how I had my one Oreo-cake bar? That was it- everything else was at least reasonably healthy in my food bag. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are good food too. I would suggest peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, rice and beans, cheese, dried fruit and nuts, cereal, oatmeal, and just a little bit of junk food. -Mark

Josh, don't listen to what people like this say to you. You are ready for Stuart, and good luck on your trip! I have heard, however, that it's not too fun, but that's just a matter of opinion- if you are not enjoying it, turn around. Having fun is the most important thing (well after safety, of course!) -Mark

Even those pussy-posers at nwhikers have dialed into the fact that Josh doesn't listen, so why give the fucking genius advice? Maybe the poor bastard stupid enough to take Josh out needs to be taken outta the gene pool too. His buddy Mark says he "runs away!" LOL!!!! That's a fucking riot. Yah, some twit who does that will listen. I can see why they warned me about this place... ...well, if it gets me a climbing partner, that's all I need. -Mark

Already one step ahead of you. I already have a 16 year old mentor named Mark Struab. But another one might come in handy because he had experience, but to do climbing, another person would be nice to have, especially on glaciers. That's great, and incoherent, and all, but isn't a "16 year old mentor" a bit of an oxymoron? ...sigh... Why does age always have to come into this? My age does not dictate whether or not I am fit to teach someone. I feel the exact same way. Josh, when you can learn to be responsible in the mountains, and stop letting desire overrule ability, then I will continue to teach you, help you out, and take you up some summits. Here's a priority list I saw somewhere, I really like this one. In order of importance: -Come back alive and safe -Come back still friends -Make the summit Please remember this, and you will be much safer and happier in the future. Saying that you want the mountains now isn't going to get you anywhere; it took me two years to get from the beginning (having trouble hiking up Mt. Si) to now (just climbed Ingalls Peak and The Tooth). Patience is the key. -Mark