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rocketparrotlet

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Everything posted by rocketparrotlet

  1. I keep all my gear together so that I have to see all of it and decide what I need and what I don't. I hope you learned your lesson about the sleeping pad though. -Mark
  2. I tried these all and none of them worked! What gives, Tamara?
  3. Thanks guys! These suggestions are great. I'll have to check them out as soon as I get a chance! -Mark
  4. Any couloirs/alpine ice besides Chair?
  5. Don't. Unless you want me to stop climbing with you. Yes you did. That was the most idiotic thing I've ever seen you do. You'll end up like your "hero" Chris McCandless if you keep doing things like this. It WAS retarded. Amazingly retarded. I don't know why you see it in such a good light, people were fearing for your life. Nobody knew where you were or why, I told your mom to call SAR. You shouldn't take pride in this trip. I consider it one of your biggest failures. People will tell you "Nice TR!" and "Good job Josh!" but don't let it affect you. They weren't there, standing around the phone receiver, waiting nervously for days while wondering where the hell you were and if you were dead or alive. Don't burn your bridges. -Mark
  6. My ride to Leavenworth cancelled on me last minute. Does anyone want to head out to Index or Erie tomorrow for some cragging? -Mark
  7. Are there any alpine ice routes in/coming in soon without mixed climbing? Routes like Triple Couloirs look awesome, but I don't have any mixed experience for the top part. Is Chair Peak still in?
  8. Sticky this!
  9. We weren't at the bluffs at that time, but we saw it the next day. It was pretty huge.
  10. Me too! I left my camera at home. I won't next time.
  11. Trip: Agassiz, BC - Cragging in Harrison Bluffs Date: 4/1/2010 Trip Report: Marc Leclerc invited me to go cragging with him for a few days in Canada over spring break, so naturally I said yes! I arrived at his house Wednesday night and met Tamara, his girlfriend, while Marc talked about intense alpine routes. We left for cragging the next morning. After showing me around Harrison Bluffs while it rained and we waited for it to dry, we started up Sleeping Princess, a sweet 5.9 handcrack with a wet crux. I fell at the crux (soon to become a staple of my climbing experience the next few days.) I then tried Great Expectations, an interesting climb with a challenging section on dwindling holds that leads to a roof traverse. It felt a lot harder than it actually is, but it was super fun and a way different feel from Index climbing, which I am used to. I tried a cool arete next to it and had a lot of fun while Marc showed me one of his steep blank slab climbs, Midget Love. Feeling good about the arete, I tried to lead another 5.9 bolted arete, which is generally higher than I am comfortable leading. The first bolt was about 15 feet up, so I put a nut in a flaring pocket about 10 feet up, then fell for my first time on lead. My nut pulled free and I hit the ground- nice first leader fall...so I shook out and tried again after a couple of minutes. I didn't like the committing moves to the second bolt, so I bailed, Marc led it, and I followed. Next, we headed up higher, bypassing wet pitches until we got to another cool arete. Marc wanted to try an overhanging thin hands crack called Tubby and His Pal, and so I belayed him as he worked the route. He's close to sending. We then went and Marc led his project, an unclimbed crack-to-arete pitch that was near the top of the walls. We named it Turbulence, 5.10a R due to the wind. 5.9 A0 for me, because I hangdogged the beginning, not wanting to make Marc sit for 15 minutes in the biting wind while I tried to work the bouldery start. It was really cool to put up a first ascent. We then headed back through the horrendously pouring rain, soaking wet and cold. When we got back, we ate dinner followed by ice cream, the first of many scoops. The next day, we slept in due to rain and headed out in the wet. Tamara scrubbed her project next to where we were climbing, and it was amazing the amount of dirt that fell out. It now looks like a great route instead of the mossy, dirty crack it was the day before. Marc and I climbed Sharkfin Crack, a beautiful steep fingercrack, my favorite! I fell at the crux the first time, came back for another shot, and climbed it with no falls on toprope. I looked at Marc's awesome slab project called the Matrix, even steeper than Midget Love with some awesome-looking cruxes! It was getting dark after our super late start, so we headed home, watched Edward Scissorhands and Zombieland, and ate more ice cream. The third day, we biked over in a light rain to the Bluffs again where we climbed Tree Frog, a fun slab climb, and then I attempted to lead Kids and Old Guys, the easiest route in Harrison. Right before I took off to lead it, it rained, then hailed, then rained again, then hailed again, really hard this time. The crack was horrendously covered in water and hail now. I tried to lead it anyway, but the crack was so slippery, and I was literally scooping out a mix of slush and pine needles, so I bailed off again and Marc led it. We decided to go old-school style, so I belayed him up on a Munter hitch and he belayed me on a hip belay. We both fell a lot on the slippery wetness! I took off on a nice lead of some steep dirt and acted old-school, my favorite placement on the way up was slinging a moss horn on some gnarly dirt. Marc then led a crack to bypass the trail direct, taking us to the exit cracks. We then had to retreat in the storm and reverse the trail traverse. Probably the most epic route I have ever climbed, we settled on a consensus rating of 5.15 A6 WI8 M15, but it's a sandbag, so be careful if you're going for a second ascent. Overall, I had a ton of fun, and I'm looking forward to some more climbs with Marc (and some more sick dirt FA's!) Gear Notes: Rock pro and ice cream. I wish I had brought a camera. Approach Notes: Bike to and from the Bluffs from Marc's house. 8-10km each way?
  12. Those are the most expensive pieces of pro I have ever seen. OP: Nuts are great, use them wherever possible and save the cams for when they are necessary or you are pumped. I have found C4 cams to be best in the mid to large sizes and Mastercams to be best in the small sizes, but everybody has their own opinions. My #8 Stopper, however, is by far my most used piece. -Mark
  13. Want some songs that will never leave your head? (you have been warned) www.getonmyhorse.com http://www.weebls-stuff.com/songs/Pork/
  14. I don't bring music with me, but it's often in my head when climbing. When taking off on an ice lead, it's the Tool version of "No Quarter". Something from Siamese Dream on a rock lead, and maybe something more peaceful if I'm following or on an alpine route. Led Zeppelin's great on the way home. -Mark
  15. Good deal on the fruit boots! Shame I'm poor and a size 10. -Mark
  16. PM sent
  17. How is R&D looking? -Mark
  18. It was there until yesterday at 12:30. It's not GOING to be there if you click the link again. I got a tent and a pair of gloves from them a while ago, both half off. -Mark
  19. No good climbing in Boston?
  20. Mt. Baring North Face was my guess -Mark
  21. Definitely. Make sure you have glacier experience first though. -Mark
  22. No, the snow was terrible on the way down! We were postholing even with snowshoes on, but it was covered with a thin icy crust. Maybe conditions will improve. -Mark
  23. Put up some decent TR's of your own before you start knocking others. Then maybe we'll give half a crap about what you have to say.
  24. New to the Josh Lewis experience I take it? You'll get used to it. -Mark
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