CascadeClimber

Steve- I appreciate the nature of your post and see it as somewhat of a departure from the usual high-horse Mountaineers attitude. So I'll share with you some thoughts and observations, many of which I shared with Sue Weckerly after I was kicked out. As you may or may not know, I was asked to "no longer participate" in the climbing outings after my patella was severly dislocated on the snow 1 course. This injury happened the day after an instrutor led us into Edelweiss Bowl in very high avalanche conditions, despite the advice of *many* students, and about six weeks before I was nearly killed at the snow II course when an instructor set us up under the rocky cliffs along the Nisqually glacier. When we pointed out that it seemed to be an extraordinarily unsafe place to spend a hot, sunny, early-summer day, he responded by informing me that, "we've been watching for days and nothing has fallen, so we know nothing will." 15 minutes later a rock the size of a small car fell off the cliff and slid down the slope, passing within 15 feet of two separate "rope teams". People get killed in your club because of things like this. You call them accidents. I call them incidents. They result from negligence and arrogance. The avalanche deaths on Red a few years ago happened after leaders poopooed the warnings of students, as I recall. When I shared this thought with Sue she told me that the Mountaineers have an accident rate that is comparable to other similar organizations: She was resigned to and accepting of the current rate of injury and death at your outings. That didn't seem good enough to me, how about you? Though you may not agree, suggesting that this community encourage the repair of Schurman Rock is also arrogant: We should help you get your fake-crag fixed so that you won't swarm all over some real crag where we might actually want to climb? I think that part of the problem is the conscription of the Climbing II students as Climbing I instructors (at least it used to be this way). If they don't want to teach they should not be forced to. Among other reasons, most people don't do well something they dislike but are required to do, especially on their free time. Example: I had an instructor and the knots night tell me that I should never tie a bowline, that it was an obsolete knot, but that he had to teach it because it was required. Ultimately, I think the size of a group exponentially impacts solitude: A group of six is nine times more impactful than a group of two. But it seems like many Mountaineers parties cut an even bigger swath through the solitude. Though I've encountered some that were polite and thoughtful, I've experienced and witnessed many incidents where your climb leaders were intrusive and offensive to other groups. While they may simply intend to help other parties or protect the experience of their students, it frequently comes across as arrogant and righteous. I personally disagree with the installations on Lundin Peak. I understand the reasoning and I disagree. I feel the same way about the bolts and giant rap anchors on Ingalls, though I don't know who put them there. Lastly, I am horrified that your organization has come out in support of the Trail Park permit system. It, and your support of it, is a travesty. I am glad that you have capped the climbing course size and I appreciate you for soliciting feedback and offering an "Olive Branch" here. I hope that you will read and consider the feedback you get and resist the urge to quickly write it off for one of the many tempting reasons.

True, but then we miss out on the that lovely and scenic country road from Lytton to Lillooet. And what about the incessant drizzle, and bevy of tractor-trailer rigs screaming out of the fog on Canada 1? Squamish may be fun, but the drive to Lillooet is an adventure unto itself.

[ 03-28-2002: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

Great story, well told. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who has misadventures like that.

Right on! Give him our best and let him know he is in our thoughts and prayers.

That is the chute you drop down from Camp Hazard, right? It has changed since I was there in 95. We camped at Hazard, which was bad enough, but a crew came through, dropped into the chute, and set up camp just below where you make the U-turn to head back up. Yikes.

March 18, 2002, 11:02 AM. It is snowing and sticking at my house in Issaquah, and has been all morning. I'm at 480 feet. This is bizarre. Don't put those ice tools away yet...

I've twice had Neutrinos come unclipped from the rope: Once extended with a single, once with a double. Neither of us saw it happen, but we agreed that it had essentially unclipped itself. I've since switched over to using the Omega JC. Anyone else have this happen?

Someone please help Trask. He appears to be partly lodged in a temporal rift.

quote: Originally posted by greenfork: Neutrinos unclipping: Perhaps you didn't completely clip them? Seems a possibility considering how small they are... Not. In one case I saw my partner clip the rope and saw the rope in the biner. The second time was the same, 'cept I was climbing and he was belaying. I think they have an issue with the spring constant of the gate.

Dru- Did you see the Nat. Geo. special on those monks? Each year in Feb they trek from their monastary at 16,000 up to 18k and sleep outside all night with nothing more than their robes. Many make the trek barefoot. No frostbite, no shivering. Now there is a mountaineering skill to have.

Okay, you sprayers, here is the location for Pub Club next week: http://skyscraper.paregos.com/swf/index.htm The "Lovemates" level. No one has to drive...

It was a rough drive home, all three blocks, but Pub Club was worth it. Thanks all who showed up out here in the boonies, especially Victoria for being the only climber-chick to brave the long drive. It sure is nice to put a face to some of the avatars. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard, "That is Captain Caveman???" Per the completely unofficial and undocumented rules, we voted and it is the Owl and the something or the other (Thistle?) next week. Right. So now I'm done, but still buzzed. Peace out.

Two hints: Drive time from Seattle: About two hours. Approach time: 30-60 minutes, depending on conditions. I'm working on a TR which will have more pics and tell all.

It has a real name, cool. I was afraid the naming scheme would be as inventive as "Alpental 1", "Alpental 2", etc. Got FA info on any of that stuff, Jason?

Maybe we need Judge Judy to straighten this all out. Or perhaps we could pull Wapner out of retirement... What time for the Issaquah Brewhouse crew? Off that subject, is anyone else on a cable modem having problems today?? Damn AT&T.

The Issaquah Brewhouse is cool for beer, though the food isn't the best. They have the Rogue beer on tap and have recently started brewing some of their own again. It is non-smoking, which I like (further qualifying me as a 'robot'), though others clearly won't. I'd be game for Pub Club there tomorrow, provided I can get 'clearance from the tower'. I think I could cajole my trusty alpine buddy into it, too.

Shit. Oh, yeah. I was wrong. It sucked. Don't go there. Those pics are actually of, uh, Drury Falls. Yeah, Drury. Go there, it's in.

Ding ding! Erik got it. As a prize he has gets to reveal the other stashes in the area. TR and some additional pics here, for those who are interested. Local Ice

We managed to find some local, uncrowded ice on Sunday. 55 meters. WI3+ at the bottom on decent ice. WI2 at the top on slurpee-like material. Estimate 55 meters. WI5. Looked fun for a TR, but not much pro for leading (unless your name is Dale). We looked at it, then went back and TR'd the other one again. The area is well known. Can anyone name it?

"Canada Warship Seizes Tanker in Arabian Sea" -- Reuters, Feb. 8, 2002 CANADIAN WARSHIP SEIZES TANKER IN... WAIT...CANADA HAS A WARSHIP?Oh Right, and Switzerland Has Nuclear Weapons Arabian Sea (SatireWire.com) — Canadian television reported Friday that a Canadian warship in the Arabian Sea had seized a tanker suspected of smuggling oil from Iraq, leading many to suspect that the report was a hoax. The Halifax Class frigate Vancouver.Honest. "You're kidding, right? Canada has a warship?" asked U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "Like for war? "Does Canada know?" he added. "Nobody was more stunned than we were," said Kali Omari, first mate of the seized vessel. "We saw this frigate steaming toward us, and we were worried, but then we saw the maple leaf on the flag, and we thought, 'Oh, Canadians. What the hell do they want?'" When an officer of the HMCS Vancouver announced that the tanker was about to be boarded, the crew of the detained ship was confused, said Omari, but their confusion quickly turned to anger when they saw what the Canadians sailors were carrying. "They were armed. With guns," said Omari. "Canadians. With guns. And a warship. What is this world coming to?" "They were pretty rude, too," Omari added. "They started asking us all sorts of questions, like 'Where did that oil come from?' But first we wanted to know who gave them the damn warship." According to Canadian defense officials, the Vancouver is one of four frigates deployed in the region to assist in the U.S.-led Afghanistan conflict. The tanker was stopped, officials said, because its cargo of crude oil violated United Nations sanctions, which prohibit Iraq from selling oil unless in exchange for food and medicine. The U.N. said the incident is already under investigation, and promised swift action against those found responsible for giving the Canadians guns. Initial findings indicate that the Vancouver crew may have been watching too many American television shows. Copyright © 2002, SatireWire. From SatireWire.com. Original here: http://satirewire.com/news/feb02/warship.shtml

What about Oregon Mountain Community? Other that being a pain to find amidst the one-way streets and no-turn intersections of downtown Portland, I found the shop to be well-stocked and staffed with knowedgable people who use the gear they sell.

The parking lot is a winter snow-park, it is open year-round. I climbed Casaval a few years ago in two days. It is doable in a day, though I'd take skis for a speedy, fun descent down the Avalanche Gulch route. March is springtime for real down there. When I skied it two years ago in March we had delicious corn most of the way. Casaval is pretty mellow. About like the Coleman-Deming on Baker without the crevasses. The Fifth Season is the local gear shop. Nice folks. Call them for conditions. (916) 926-5555. The area code may have changed to 530...

Those of you who know Jim- Is there something that we could do for him, collectively? I'd be willing to pony up a few bucks. Something to encourage him to get better, like a new piece of gear, or something that he needs while he is recovering?