AlpineK

Back of the Lake has good quartzite climbing You can climb even in the rain since the quartzite climbing is protected by a huge roof of rock above.

I know Outward Bound has some programs for kids with problems like that.

You could easily spend weeks or months around the eastern side of the Rockies in Colorado. Boulder/Eldorado have a lot of rock. Estes Park is really good. The South Platte would be nice for longer crag type climbs. Heading north Vedauwoo is only a couple hours away. Boulder and Estes are packed on weekends of course.

The whole splitboard thing looks cool to me ( a non snowboarder). I imagine since it's a relatively new snow travel device there are problems that need working out. I heard one skier comment last night that I think applies to Jay Chute. "Splitboards are cool; too bad there are so many snowboarders that are the equivalent of rock climbers who only sport climb." There should be some kind of outreach program for skateboarding snowboarders.

Interesting boot design. If it was dynafit compatible it would be even better.

Nope. As a teenager I was obsessed with Robson. We tried the Kain Route, but heavy new snowfall stopped us. An attempt on the N face got shut down by hot weather and snow sluffing on the face. Then one try on the Wishbone was shut down when our hair started standing on ends with electricity. Eventually we made it up the Wishbone and summitted as a new storm started slamming the summit. Robson can teach you a thing or two about bad limestone climbing Gargoyles

I've skied all my life. I ain't giving it up, but I was really impressed with my limited experience with AT boots and a snowboard with hard bindings I borrowed. You can buy some really light AT boots that are better for climbing. Have you tried regular mountaineering boots, or is there too little ankle support? Those Spantiks look good

Too bad the Guvernator can't run for president. Republicans suck, but every once in a while one stands out and deserves some respect. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/10/fword_schwarzenegger_ammiano.html?sc=fb&cc=fp]Source Veto Message Maybe Arnold will start a new political party. The Spray Party ?

I believe we got a drawing of the approach route to the hut at the visitor/ranger station at the base. When we were up there we found a few ropes left as hand-lines in a couple steep bits. Basically take the trail just past Kinney Lake then go straight uphill. Contact the rangers and see if they have a drawing they hand out. From here all I can tell you is we figured out how to descend the route from the summit back to the hut with only some vague route descriptions. Your first goal is the top of Little Robson. I don't think there's a set route. Take the path of least resistance. From Little Robson head up a bit to the Black Ledges. This is where you head to your left on ledges under an icefall. Here's a picture from our descent. From there it's straight up the glacier to the summit ridge. Keep in mind all my info is from '86 Also Robson is a magnet for sucky weather. That's why you'll see a bunch of western red cedars hiking in.

I don't know the southern approaches to the Wallowas, but the NE side in from Enterprise has some rad stuff. There are cabins near Aneroid Lake that are good for multi-day trips. Here's an image from the UI Outdoor Program [img:center]http://www.campusrec.uidaho.edu/UserFiles/Image/Outdoor/wallowas.jpg[/img] Yep that area of the state has a lot of old school two lane highways, so driving times are longer.

You're in Central Oregon? How far away are the Wallowas? I'm sure you have to drive a bit, but there should be some good skiing somewhat nearby.

Back to the most important topic! FLOOD WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 358 PM PDT TUE OCT 27 2009 .HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY TO DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND COASTAL REGIONS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON THURSDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY. MANY RIVERS ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON MAY GO TO FLOOD STAGE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. The chicks will all be wearing stuff like this [img:center]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3472/3894976647_dc54f34b08.jpg[/img]

Don't mess with the rain

Ahh my favorite LP from jr high days. I think this Rush may have to be 100 years early. Unless scientists hurry up and allow you to download your brain onto a chip then buy a new body.

Rush will be the republican front runner for president in 2012

Source So the USGS is part of the liberal media? Aspen Death Apparently the USDA, USFS, Colorado State University, and the Colorado State Forest Service are part of the liberal media too. Even George Bushes staff were part of the liberal media. Of course they weren't addressing aspen trees. Bush Era Documents

The majority of the reroute is done, but they haven't officially linked it up.

Trip: Mount Rainier - Inter Glacier Date: 10/22/2009 Trip Report: I keep hearing reports of snow up in yonder hills, so I figured I better check out the rumors. Good weather doesn't always fit with work schedules, but I had time on Thursday. The only real question I had was where to go. The Inter Glacier ended up at the top of my list. The only problem was a need to be in Seattle Thursday evening. Set turn around times really suck, and I hate looking at watches, but them's the breaks. Headlamp starts are always a bit sucky, but being closer to the mountain early is a good payback. Morning The trail had some icy bits, but I had to look carefully at the ground to see snow. Eventually once I got to Starbow I could really see new white stuff. A bit below the base of the Inter Glacier I wasn't sure if the base of the glacier was just a dusting of freshiez on top of slick icy stuff, but at the base of the glacier I could put on skis and skins to ski up. At about two thirds height of the glacier my watch told me it was turn around time, so I stopped my upward direction and switched to downhill mode. Sun with clouds is always nice Here's an early ski report for Crystal Mountain. I wouldn't get too psyched for lift skiing just yet Anyhow the skiing was nice. I found fresh powder in pillows on top of a nice old layer of corn Fun stuff You have to know when to say when though A long hike out got me to the car. More skiing and less walking would be better, but the skiing was fun. Approach Notes: The trail in is a bit funky due to a shifting river

Living and working with trees in Boulder in the early 90s you could see how temperature changes influenced them. Folks would plant aspen around their houses in the flatlands of Boulder. I'd here them say, "aspens are native to Colorado. Why are mine dying?" I'd have to explain that while they are a native tree they are accustomed to mountain climates and respond poorly to the higher temperatures of the flatlands east of the mountains. If average temperatures in the mountains go up then those aspen meet the same fate. A lot of white bark pines in this area naturally grow in the mountains around here. There is a trend of decline due to temperatures. The wb pines have been growing higher and higher on the mountains recently and dying off at lower altitudes. Once they reach the summit though they get pushed off the top.

Ha!

Is there a button saying, "I can't stop posting in Spray."

My Spray Ascent.... to be continued Page 4

Spray is more like bs talk around the campfire. The only difference is you might have folks at the campfire that you normally wouldn't have at or invite to the campfire. TRs are usually stories about climbing. Yep writing styles can vary with users. At the very least they provide interested people with: route information, current conditions, or a source to questions about those things. Really good TRs have pictures too. If you don't have time or don't like the writing you can just look at pictures. Perhaps Kevbone would be happier if there was a way to post TRs in Spray searchable like the real TRs. Of course if I'm searching real TRs I want to exclude the Spray TRs. I'd really like to exclude Spray TRs by Kevbone.

I got a message from a friend in North Idaho saying one of the tiny ski areas there recently had 19 inches of snow on the ground. In a worst case scenerio you'll either climb higher or travel a bit more to find what you're looking for.

It's superiority in mine shafts that's the key to our survival. [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C10NA3sPuU&feature=related