rbw1966

Not necessarily germaine to the discussion at hand but some might find interesting from the perspective of screamer use. Anecdotal experience: when I fell last winter (~20-30ft) the screamer fully deployed and the screw held. No physical change to the screw whatsoever, at least not visible to the naked eye. The placement felt solid at the time and went in to the hanger but given the conditions of the ice where I fell, I am not so sure it was good ice. Maybe its not terribly logical of me to feel this way, but I am convinced that the screamer saved my life. I'm with Alex, and will use screamers as much as possible.

I got a report that it was -19 in Lapine.

Better question was what were you doing looking at that trash?

And its not sustained.

Tex--where do you see anywhere that they said WI 4 or 5? I see mention of WI3-4 which I can generally agree with depending on the conditions although much more likely to be WI3.

I've had the opposite experience from Alex. Try to find a local (sobo used to be local and might know someone there now) to give you an idea. Its a long haul in to find nothing there. I've done it several times from Portland myself.

Fuck that. Bring your own shit. What are you taking down with you that weighs so much that you want to leave out essential climbing gear and take a chance on worn or outdated stuff that may or may not fit correctly?? Do you really want to be hustling around Quito trying to find shit that fits? If you got big feet you might as well forget about renting boots. You don't need plastics either. I climbed both illinizas, cotopaxi and cayambe with makalus on and I am a long way sfrom being a hardman. If you are worried about cold feet bring supergaiters or overboots and some chemical warmers. You aren't camping out; you're staying in huts. Its not that different from climbing volcanoes in WA or OR. If you are worried about lugging around excess gear when you aren't climbing, keep in mind that most hotels/hostels have space available for storage. We stayed in the same hostel every time we returned to Quito and they stored our gear for gratis. Safe and sound.

Hey Oleg-- Be wary of people telling you they worry about being too warm in their sleeping bags. Don't you guys know how to unzip them and open them up when you get too warm? I used a Western Mountaineering bag for two trips to Alaska that was rated at something like -35. Yeah, it was warm down low but when we pitched our tent at 17K in a storm I had to put on my down parka in my bag to stay warm. As I'm sure you know, a good nights sleep can be the difference between success and failure so why sell yourself short? I didn't think I'd ever use this bag again but its served me well on two trips to south america too. If you can't afford to buy one, then rent or borrow one.

When you get to S. America pick up one of those huge, colorful plastic weave sacks that are ubiquitous down there. Keep it with you and stuff your pack in it whenever you travel by bus as well as use it when you return to the US. It will skillfully camouflage your expensive backpack from greedy thieves as well as protect it from road damage.

Its my understanding that poison ivy is an east coast phenomenon and that poison oak is what you get out here in the PNW. I am very allergic to poison oak and have had to endure steroid therapy (prednisone) for it several times. MDs are the only ones who can prescribe that medicine. I tried naturopathy and it didn't work at all. Each of the medical professions has its own intrinsic value. I suffered through months of shoulder problems with my MD prescribing pain killers, surgery and PT to no avail. I passed on the surgery and went to a chiro instead and was pain free in 4 visits. There are quacks in every field.

Chris is right--that trail is way better, faster and more direct.

Prison? Is that what they call Animal Control now?

I'll add to what hemp said wrt dogs: the rangers there WILL fine you if your dog is not leashed. They tend to stick around the main areas so if you want to avoid the stink eye head over to the marsupials. The mud pile has lots of fun stuff too. Zebra Zion is probably the funnest route out there. Get on it early. Bring warm clothes, its gonna be very cold!

Thats great news Paul. Congrats!

Yes--we need to dress appropriately.

I'll try and make it too.

Send it to BDEL. Same thing happened to me three days before I went to Alaska the first time. The repair was completed and I had my tent in hand within 48 hours.

I'm not going.

We booked a pretty good package deal online for that same time period at a hotel. Room and lift ticket at about $100 per person/per day.

Carver has quite a bit of bouldering.

I like how the kid in the red shirt sitting on the bed is mining for a zinger to commemorate this auspicious occasion.

I wasn't going to weigh in on this, since I haven't climbed out there at all this year for various reasons, but what the heck. Its finally slower at work and the vicodin kicked in. I've been climbing out at Beacon off and on for close to 10 years or so now. Like many others, Opdyke took me on my first trad climb (smoking bowls at every belay). In all that time, the only 'controversy' I have ever heard about centered around the bird closures and climbers violating the closures. For the sake of full disclosure, I was busted climbing there once during a closure. The ranger that cited us (I don't recall his name) was very nice and civil about it, but he did mention he had had bad experiences with climbers out there during the closures. Not once--let me say this again--not ONCE did he mention any other point of concern. We talked to the ranger about doing some sort of community service project in lieu of the fine, such as climber awareness projects concerning the bird closures, anchor replacement, etc. but in the end he didn't seem terribly interested (i.e. he didn't return my calls). Overall, my impression was that he recognized climbers as a problem only with respect to the birds, and perhaps trash--which is more of a problem with tourons hiking the trail. Thats why I was pretty surprised to hear about this new collective Joseph has organized. Apparently things have really gone to shit out there. Anchor replacement has been ongoing for years, some bad some good. I applaud the efforts at replacing anchors, cleaning routes, building consensus and bettering the relationship with the park staff (was it REALLY a problem before?) but this whole tree thing seems kind of overblown. Is a tree growing on a rock really threatening access? I love Beacon for its mellow, laid back trad attitude and ethic. In all the time I have climbed there, park staff presence was minimal--I can't recall ever seeing a ranger while I was climbing until I regrettably did something stupid (i.e. break the law). In reading this bickering about a tree I am reminded of the bolt wars of the east coast. I am hereby volunteering my services to help with bird watching. Bill, drop me a note when you need someone and I will be there if I can.

I'll make a donation.

Then perhaps for a second course you ?

I've always marveled at the eagerness to send the men and women of our armed services (as opposed to the profiteers in the private sector) in harms way of those who have never served themselves. Isn't Iraq and Afghantisan enough for now?