Matt

If you want to get a VW bus/van I recommend you look at the Synchro (VW's all wheel drive) option. I hear it works great. I had a good friend who drove a Vanagon with Synchro and loved it --- until his engine block cracked. He said it is not so uncommon for it to happen on Vanagon engines with 125K miles or more. I used to have a Subaru and it is a great car, but once again, once the mileage gets up there the Sub's reliability decreases. IMHO it is worth it to have 4WD in the Cascades. It's not necessary, but it's fun and there are many places that you can go to get away from the masses.

Thanks Kyle. I'm thinking about going up there this coming weekend. Is it worth it to bring skis? I'd really like to get in a few tele turns if the snow is right.

Haireball, I totally agree. I've climbed with Dick Cilley and he is an egomaniac. [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 08-21-2001).]

In the words of a true patriot: Resist much, obey little. Please do not use the Forest Park Pass. Please protest this form of double taxation. Shame on you Shawn.

I was recently walking my dog when we ccame across an man in his 60s on his back with a bag of groseries. I think he had a heart attack. He had peed himself, was having trouble breathing and his pulse was coming and going-- very faint. I waited with him until the paramedics arrived. I don't know if he lived or died.

Thanks for all the good info! I've participated in a number of rescues and it's about time for me to get some real training.

I am thinking about signing up for a Wilderness First Responder Course in the next 3 months. Does anyone have reccomendations? Good/bad experiences? Words of wisdom?

Justclimb-- I bought my overboots at Climbhigh http://www.climbhigh.com/ in Shelburne, VT about 10 years ago. The one thing I do not like about my overboots is their tendency to peel off the toe of my leather boots when the boot is flexing. It is fairly easy to fit the rubber rand of the overboot around the sole of your hiking boot while sitting in your living room, but sometimes difficult while on route and this happens occasionally. This problem can be fixed by putting a huge gob of shoe gu on the toe of your boot creating a "ridge" that will grip the overboot rand. It doesn't always work though. Sometimes ducktape is necessary to seal the deal. The last time I wore my overboots I climbed the S Arete of S Early Winter Spires in March during full winter conditions. I wanted to wear my leather hiking boots b/c they offered more sensitivity while edging on rock, but it was well below freezing and snowing off and on so I thought my feet would be cold. They worked great! The rubber rand has lasted ten years without any repairs. I recommend this product. Good luck finding them.

I have a pair of over boot gaiters made by Bergshrund. They are insulated and have a rubber rand made with climbing rubber. They are great and I highly recommend them. In the event of an unplanned bivowac at high altitude in inclimental weather overboots may save your toes from frostbite. They leave the sole of boot exposed so they can be used on leather telemark boots, leather or plastic mtneering boots, or whatever you have that needs an insulation boost. They are warm enough to wear over plain leather hiking boots and be comfortable climbing Mt. Hood on New Year's Day. I wore my La Sportiva Makalus for trekking and climbing minor mountains in Nepal and in general I found they were overkill. I felt foolish hiking in my huge mtneering boots while Nepali porters carried 60 - 80 lbs tubs of expedition gear with flip-flops on their feet. To top it off, they carried their loads with a strap on their forehead--- no shoulder straps or waist belts! If the mountains you are planning to climb are mostly non-technical and you think 80% of your trip will be casual trekking then you should consider hiking in approach shoes or super comfy light hikers and carrying plastics.

I'm interested in joining a running group though I'm nowhere near running a marathon doing 5:30 miles. If that's what you two are doing then I think I'll keep running by myself. I'm closer to 8:00 miles. Is this too slow for you?

Last week I drove to Colorado to see a friend get married and I did a little climbing. We went to 11 Mile Canyon and Cathedral Spires on the South Platte. The best climb we did was the Center Route on Cynical Pinnacle. It's 3 pitches of the best 5.9 crack I have ever done. The crack goes from fingers to hands with bomber locks all the way up. We were the only ones on the rock and the climb was challenging but never too hard. My partner and I started a little late so we raced up the crack as the afternoon thunderstorms came in. I counted 4 Mississippis after a lightning strike on the rappel down. It started raining just as my feet touched the ground. Has anyone else done this route? Here's the hyperlink if you're interested: http://www.climbingboulder.com/rock/db/south_platte/cathedral_spires_area/center_route.html I reccomend it to anyone road tripping through CO. I agree that there needs to be more positive postings on cc.com. Please tell me about the best climb you've done this summer. Peace.

Caveman, It's all pointless spray Just screaming into the wind I want to go climb It's sunny outside And work is just another Four letter word--- @#&*! I mean no offense Let us all pass the peace pipe and climb a mountain

Hey Erik-- Do you know what you're talking about? Have you ever been to Japan? Climbed in Japan? Tried to navigate a 3 day weekend backpacking trip using a Japanese map? Climbed ice or rock trying to read Japanese characters? Do you know how much gear costs in Japan? I am ignorant when it comes to understanding REI's domestic influence on land use policy, but I do know that as a company they make a terrific product, in some cases superior to what can be found on the Japanese market. I think it is very popular for Americans and citizens of developed western countries to be opposed to globalization, but making fleece in Mexico and opening a store in Japan are apples and oranges. It is good for America to have stores like REI branching out into foreign countries. The only reason the REI store closed in Japan is because, if you hadn't heard, Japan is suffering through one of it's worst reccessions. The poor Japanese economy threatens to pull down the rest of the world. Our strong U.S. Dollar compounds this problem. REI's failure is not something to celebrate. I was living in Japan when the REI opened and was marginally involved with the opening. I thought it was a great store, something Americans and Washingtonians could be proud of. Now its just another cautionary tale about the hubris of American businessmen and their inability to crack the mistique of the Japanese market. I know that in the end it's all just stuff and things are meaningless; it's people and ideas that are important. Please don't be against it just because it's big and powerful. In the entropic sea of confusion that permeates urban Japan I found REI to be an island of sanity and familiarity.

Always forward, never straight. (the title of my unpublished book) The hardest part's not the holding on, but the letting go. Resist much, obey little. -- Whitman

Pure mountain water people coming and going muddy Mt. Rainer Try something else Dan climbing is an adventure explore the Cascades

Give me a homeland and a passionate woman and a winter alone. Yes Will, I agree that sometimes less is more.

quote: Originally posted by Dru: I can't read what those little mashmellow glob Hello Kitty things are sayin' when they drink their beer. probably something about whale sushi. Hey Dru-- They are saying "Kampai!" which means "Cheers" or "bottoms up" or something to that effect. If you ever drink with a Japanese, you can say "Kampai" and his eyes will light up! Thank you for all the Haiku! It's wonderful to see a burst of poetry amidst the angry threats and insults.

Le Petit Dru climbs like the hippie in Nelson-- higher and higher A haiku for you Dru. [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 07-25-2001).]

Liberty Crack goes clean, leave the hammer and pins at home.

Hey Blister, I have never seen a Snafflehound on the dinner table in China, however, I ate many marmots in Mongolia. The marmot is a delicacy in the central asian steppe, though it should be noted that the Plague (as in the one that crippled Europe) still exists in Mongolia and other central asian countries and it is spread to people via the fleas found on marmots.

It once happened that a child was spared punishment through earnest solicitation Kobayashi Issa [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 07-25-2001).]

I've gone on numerous trips in the mountains where the mosquitos were so strong and plentiful that I spent every evening hiding inside my tent or outside with a ridiculous net over my head and a long sleeve shirt and pants covering my body. I hate being bit my mosquitos but they love me. It must be my sweet blood. BTW, it's funny you mention it, I also bought the Snaffle-Repeller. My wife has a phobia of snafflehounds and the Snaffle-Repeller works great! It's the reason why I decided to test out the mosquito repeller. The SR mimics the sound of an angry rattlesnake and keeps small rodents away. Every climber should have one on his or her alpine rack! Ever have a mouse nibble on your climbing shoes? Ever wake up to see a Snafflehound snacking on your bag of green bud? No more worries once you have the Snaffle-Repeller to protect you. Go to www.snafflerepeller.com to pick one up today! [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 07-24-2001).]

Captain, Just to clarify, all the bolts on Cocaine Crack have been removed. However, clearly somone had done some drilling up there. Like I said, I saw the remains of a bolt at the bottom of the crack, the rusty threads sticking out of the clean granite. Higher up the crack where the face steepens I noticed a drilled hole where I assume there was once a bolt. The hole was maybe six inches from the crack at the crux. Someone had pulled the bolt and done a fine job of it as there was really no need-- a bomber #1 cam placement could be found in the crack. I don't know why someone would drill here but the damage done was minimal. There's no need to go rushing up there guys, unless, of course, it's to climb this cool crack. The existing bolts that I mentioned are on a route not listed in my guidebook. The route is on the far right of the buttress, I think they are to the right of "Ions" and "Tourons", starting on a ledge about 15 feet off the ground. The bolts follow a finger crack and then there are two lines of bolts that follow a face to a set of strange fixed anchors. The anchors are strange because they are missing chains but have 4 u-shaped connectors with pins and rap rings in the ends. Someone should at least fix the anchors. [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 07-23-2001).]

Hi All! Today I bought the battery operated Mosquito Repeller made by Lentex. It claims to mimic the wing beat frequency that dragonflies and male mosquitos make. By replicating this sound it repels female mosquitos-- and female mosquitos are the only ones that bite. It's about the size of a wrist watch and runs on a tiny battery. It claims to create a bug free sphere of 6 to 8 feet. I can't wait to try it out Has anyone tried this product out in the woods?

http://www.restrooms.org/standing.html check this out...