DPS

Caveman and TimL, Maybe I will run into you guys in Smith. Aidan and I are headed down after we satisfy our Thanksgiving committments with our families. Dan

David, What time did you hike up to Muir? We skied up and down on Sunday as well. May have seen you. Dan

I had something along like a watermelon, but it wasn't for me to eat.

Oh,yeah. I soloed the Tooth naked once past a group of Mountaineers.

I wonder what the record on the Tooth is. A friend did in 3 hours and claimed it could not be done any faster. I did it 2:15, car to car and felt I could easily have done it faster. (I stopped to eat a Cliff bar.) I am sure Burdo could do it much faster than that. (In addition to climbing ridiculously hard, he is a near world class runner).

Very nice indeed.

Last time I checked Second Asecent had a decent pair for around $80.00.

Well, I don't exactly know what to climb. As it being too wet for rock, I guess that depends on who you ask. It certainly did not stop Cpt. Caveman from cruising the Lizard at Index. My thought was to go to the east side and do Colchuck. There is a chance one of the couloirs has some early season ice. If not, Colchuck glacier would be an ok consolation prize. Although the weather might be crappy.

I live in Tacoma and so far the closest decent trail running I have found is at Tiger Mt. Also Mt Si and Ganite Peak are good (Mt Si less good) My all time favorite is Cougar Mt. Access from SR 900 about 5 miles east of Renton. Mowich lake trailhead on Rainier is about a 45 or so minute drive from Tacoma with ample hiking and trail running opportunities. If you are looking for very close to Tacoma there is always Pt Defiance Park, although not very satifying if you are like me and crave elevation gain.

So I have Sunday and Monday free and I was hoping to do some climbing. Is anybody available for those days?

Black Diamond does not make Scarpas, just distributes them. Black Diamond has a track record of making innovative products that are popular with many climbers, then discontinuing them for no apparent reason. (fin gate 'biners, carbon fiber Black Prophets, etc). Oh yeah, and my Pulsars were WAY better than my Shrikes. Those tools bite. [ 11-09-2001: Message edited by: danielpatricksmith ] [ 11-09-2001: Message edited by: danielpatricksmith ]

Pulsars, no question. I still like the Pulsars better than many of the newer tools.

Go to Second Ascent in Ballard. They have many used and nearly new plastic boots for very reasonable prices.

You get what you pay for.

Does anyone have experience with Integral Designs tents? I am considering purchasing the MK I Lite model, similar to the Bibler I tent. It seems to be exactly what I want; small footprint, light, simple and 100 bucks cheaper than the Bibler. I am interested in hearing opinions on quality and durability, storm worthiness, etc.

I don't think anyone has mentioned it specifically, so I will. You said you have only rock climbed in the mountains. To get better and develop the skills necessary to lead safely you must go to the crags. The short approaches and more difficult terrain will hone your budding skills far quicker than climbing peaks.

Ha! November is without a doubt the worst month possible to climb anything in Washington. Change those plane tickets to Bend, OR or Palms Springs and go climb in the sun at Smith Rocks or J-Tree.

I will be dressed as a marine biologist because I have a cruise. That's right, I will be WORKING on Halloween, all night. The maximum diurnal flucuation of the tides and availability of the research vessel just happen to occur on Halloween night!Unfortunately, NSF rules dictate the research vessels be dry-no alcohol. How is that for cruel irony?

I believe it is open, but I have no details. Someone posted that info a while back.

I read a post the other day that got me thinking. There are quite a few climbers in Tacoma, yet we do not have our own gym. I know VW just opened in Bremerton, but I have no desire to commute there just for some gym time. The gyms at UPS and the YMCA are quite limited. I wonder if anyone has considered the feasibility of starting a co-op to build and run a non-profit gym in Tacoma. Warehouse space is abundant and cheap. A small group could build a few walls, and expand as more people join/invest. Costs could be kept to a minimum, as staff salaries and profits would not need to be met. I know a fellow who has designed and built a couple of very nice gyms who could be enlisted as a consultant. I have no idea if liability insurance would be needed or if there are other considerations I have not thought of. At any rate, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this and if anyone else is interested, or if this is a completely crackpot idea. Dan

I climbed Hunter the first week of June. Conditions were perfect. We climbed a route on the south side and I know a group that did the Moonflower during the same time period over on the north side.

This is kind of off thread, but I recently retired my Chouinard Bod harness in favor of a new, die cut foam, super adjustable rig. The webbing is much thinner and narrower and the buckle much smaller on the new harness. The old Bod harness just seems so much more durable plus the webbing is made of polypropelene which is more resistant to chemical and UV degradation. I doubt I will get as many years service from this new harness. I do like the belay loop though, it is much easier to use when at a hanging belay. The old harness bunched up making it difficult to open the carabiner.

Thanks for your concern folks. I am recovering from what is apparently a fungal infection. Makes influenza seem like the sniffles.

What gets me psyched? Waking up in the morning and not feeling so sick I wish I was dead. That inspires me to go to work, come home and collapse so I can do it again the next day.

In Tacoma Puget Sound University sells community memberships for its gym. Around $140.00 a year I think. Although small, it is well designed and built using Vertical World sytle panels.