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mountainsandsound

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Everything posted by mountainsandsound

  1. Really? So a climber can't just get an average Joe life insurance policy and plan on having everything besides climbing covered? Seems pretty stupid on the part of the insurance companies considering most climbers seem to have healthier/more active than average lifestyles that would contribute to longevity, should they not die from an accident in the mountains.
  2. The expeditions are packing up and leaving, not because anyone has closed the mountain to climbing, but because the Sherpas will not work. In a pursuit where self-reliance and independence are supposedly paramount, the show can't go on because the Sherpas won't fix the ladders and lines for the "climbers". Ironic.
  3. Thanks for the info, and since I've completely taken over the OP's thread, let me ask you: Do you think it might be better to stick with an out and back on Big Beaver up to the pass, rather than making it a loop with Little Beaver, just for the sake of a loop? I have heard that Little Beaver wasn't too remarkable anyway. I kind of want to save the full length Hoh for the inevitable climb of Olympus.
  4. Hmmm. Maybe I'll consider the Hoh then. I've only been up the first few miles and I liked what I saw. I just have this weird mental thing about backtracking in general. Driving around town, walking through the grocery store, or backpacking, I'm programmed to go in loops. :[]
  5. Hey man, it's bad karma to belittle 2,000 year old cedars like that. Plus I'm taking that trip with my wife in June, so don't undermine my stoke dude.
  6. Do you guys ever head up there the day before to increase the likelihood of a permit, or just get there early the day of and have the alternative ready to execute if needed?
  7. Oh yeah, forgot about that. I think my Mt. Vernon friend did that in the Sedro Woolley office before we climbed Shuksan. That's a good little rule!
  8. Something I was just randomly contemplating... When a guide service schedules a trip to a park where permits are required but not available in advance (I'm thinking of NCNP), are they just banking on the fact that they will be first in line that morning and get the permit, or does the park actually give them some sort of special permit in advance?
  9. I have the standard Toddy brand: www.toddycafe.com From what I gather, Toddy is the particular trademark brand, and cold water extraction is the method I think, but Toddy is synonymous with the method now. I discovered it via iced toddys at a coffee shop in Bellingham a few years ago. You can have them iced, or heat them up after the brewing is done. It's really concentrated, so you cut it with milk, water, ice, etc... Very smooth though.
  10. A little off topic, but does anyone make cold toddies? I now have a toddy brewer and I'm making my second batch. Good brew, burns through a ton of coffee beans though.
  11. No, I can't get rid of my snowshoes. They were a great deal at an REI garage sale and they help me go places where I would kill myself on skis.
  12. Even the pigs in Oz are heavy beer drinkers.
  13. I just backcountry skied- sort of, maybe off piste is the correct term. I used a pair of wider x-country skis and cruised around some FS roads in my nordic gear. It actually worked fine in that terrain, I didn't need to do anything other than step turn. I had fun, actually I had a blast. Proper BC touring gear might have been better, but I can say one thing: it was way more efficient and way way more fun than snowshoeing. I might be a ways off from buying a touring setup or getting into steeper terrain, but for now I am Stoked Anyone need some snowshoes?
  14. Wow. Restrict day use too? Yikes. I've always thought restricting the maximum group size from 12 would be a good idea, in any wilderness area. I know guiding services would be unhappy with that, but I think it makes sense if the aim is to minimize impacts on the environment. Not to mention it would provide more of a wilderness experience by making it so your next backcountry camp with a couple friends would not be next to a group of 12.
  15. Really prime surf spots in San Diego county. I might not climb very much if I had those competing for my attention.
  16. Chirp- what do you have there for your set-up? Hard for me to tell in the pic. I just have a rod holder and some paddle clips to stow the paddle. I think I should mount something to hold tackle.
  17. I have a 16 ft. sea kayak I set up for fishing in the sound. Lingcod fishing is a great way to spend time in the late spring waiting for the alpine weather to align. Learning to surf is interesting. You really need to keep envisioning yourself riding a perfect wave to be able to push through the unpleasantness of the first few times.
  18. Olyclimber brought up a good question in the decline of CC thread. In terms of hobbies, what competes with climbing for your attention? I'm also curious about what other outdoor hobbies climbers have. Me: 1)surfing 2)trail running 3)plain old backpacking 4)fishing 5)x-country skiing 6)sea kayaking The other things I'm interested in ensure that I will always be a mediocre climber who never gets beyond moderate routes. I'm OK with that. The pattern I notice about myself (and many friends) is that I dive into, and get consumed by, a single new hobby for a time. I buy the gear, practice, get over the steepest part of the learning curve, then I back off a bit. I've never quit any outdoor pursuit outright, it just becomes part of my skill set. Something that I can entertain myself with, the choice of activity being dictated by the conditions and the skills/interests of the company I'm with. Ah, variety!
  19. Don't write off the Emmons. Especially if you can swing mid week. It isn't always crowded and it is a cool route with a good view of Tahoma peak and some outrageous glacier scenery.
  20. Could the car in the grip of the Fremont troll somehow be replaced with Lenin? And then maybe modify it a bit, perhaps the troll checking up on Vlad's prostate or something?
  21. That's a good one for a bivy. But on one occasion the serious hop content combined with a dehydrated Indian food dinner was unreal. Anyway, glad to see I'm not the only one with a list.
  22. More generally though, the most impressive climbers to me are old school climbers who pushed into the unknown with comparatively primitive gear and limited support. The Uli Steck speed climber types, with the lightest, tightest gear and the ability to devote so much time for training... meh. They aren't even in the same league.
  23. Old Joe Morovits. [img:center]http://fieldguides.gsapubs.org/content/9/83/F3.large.jpg[/img] First ascent of the Park Glacier on Mt. Baker. Used a rifle butt to chop steps on a route that many modern climbers use a 2nd tool for.
  24. If I could time travel back to the summer between my senior year in high school and my 1st year of college, I'd be all over this.
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