sobo

Sounds like the same story I got years ago. Nothing's changed, then. Can't climb there, no rule says so, just them. Oh well. So where have you been putting up new stuff? Goose Egg? Or not in the Tieton?

I understood the question to be "what is your favorite kind of climbing", not "what kind of climbing excites you the most". There is a subtle difference. To be sure, being scared while climbing is certainly exciting. And to always climb within your comfort zone would, indeed, over time, get to be quite boring. Why even go, for that matter, one would ask? OTOH, why would one want to continually climb above their level of competence or threshold of serious fear? That, to me at least, doesn't seem like it would be much fun over time, either. Why place yourself into a "do or die" situation every time out? Seems to me like that would become oppressive over time as well. So, to answer the question, as I understood it, is to climb at a level that is just below the threshold of serious fear (remember the previous comment about thrutching up something and being scared shitless? >> not fun to be doing every time you go out climbing, I dare say), yet something that is within one's grasp that will allow one to have continuous and significant fun all along the route. After all, isn't that what climbing's all about, having fun? QED.

For me, it's multi-pitch 5.9-10-ish slabs, multi-pitch 5.8-5.9-ish trad, and multi-pitch WI-3+/4 water ice. Shite, anything multi-pitch gives me a hard-on... I like the time spent on a single route during the day, morning to dusk (the occasional bivy); finding and constructing belay stations; and the fact that at these grades, I'm really having a lot more fun really climbing, instead of thrutching up something a grade harder and being scared shitless. The Fright Factor is distinctly lower, and the Fun Factor is inversely proportional to the Fright Factor. QED. But what the hell, it's all good at one time or another. My $0.02

Anybody seen this shizz?

I just look at the pictures. BTW, "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. The times that coffee spurted out of my nose or I laughed out loud are too numerous to count. Simply fuckin' hilarious book!

Hi Paul, I've always been told that climbing along Tim Pond wall was "strictly verbotten" even without the falcon closure. Got that some time ago from John, the resource manager there at Oak Creek Game Station (it's been a number of years, like 10 or so.... things change...?). He couldn't ever give me a real reason why, and I gave up befoire I pissed him off so that he'd go easy on me later during the falcon closures. You planning on doing something up there? huh? ...sobo PS: My bank statement sez that you haven't cashed my check for the FCCC yet. Didja get it?

Rescuing some clown(s) an Mt. Adams. Just got the call-out a few minutes ago; leaving in a coupla hours. And so begins my last holiday weekend of the summer...

I'm still here. Grant application deadline is Friday, and I've got eleven applications to write.

I have taken, and keep a current certification, in the WFA course offered by NOLS. It is a 3-day course, but they compress it to 2 days at my club's request. Certification is good for 2 years, and I require it in order to keep current in my mountain rescue unit, although I originally signed up for the same reasons as you, b-rock. It is a good starter course, and, unless you are going to become part of a guide service or be out for extended periods, should do you just fine in the "typical" backcountry accident. Others have said many accidents require evac, and they're right. If you aren't prepared for an evac, either by training or in manpower, the guy's pretty much toast anyway, even if you know why. I could list several times it's come in handy, but three biggies were when I reduced a dislocated shoulder, closed a nice knife slice into the inside of a guy's leg (whittling injury), and readied an anaphylactic shock (bees) victim for evac. I know, nothing real tragic, but it was handy to be the one to know what to do AND how to do it. Skip the Red Cross class; it's just about CPR and calling 911 (unless you don't know CPR, then at least learn that). Go here instead and see if this is more of what you're looking for. Good luck, and good on you for thinking ahead.

Don't know if this shizz has already been posted, but Christ! what was this guy thinking (or not)?

mascot Now ban me, I guess...

And VA Tech also uses The Fighting Gobblers as the official school mascot, but everyone who's anyone calls them Hokies! yah yah yah, I know what you're all gonna say, "WTF is a Hokie anyway?"

Yeah, I've pissed on my fair share of toothbrushes, but those days are way behind me. You never know. Maybe we know each other. Maybe I have been to a bunch of your parties I shudder at the thought...

Note to self: Never invite bird over to the house for a visit.

You piss and shit in a bidet?? Ewwwwwwwe!

blah blah blah As long as you didn't "gun it" to get into the intersection before the light turned red, blah blah blah I gunned it. I saw it turn yellow and I hit the gas... Well, then, by your own admission, you lose. Sorry. Don't be angry with me! It's my problem, not yours. Where do you get that I'm angry with you? The "anger" graemlin was to signify that I'm angry for you, not at or with you. Yeeesh!

I was raised to put the seat down after use, so I do. So does my wife. We have a great relationship because of this mutual understanding and respect.

blah blah blah As long as you didn't "gun it" to get into the intersection before the light turned red, blah blah blah I gunned it. I saw it turn yellow and I hit the gas... Well, then, by your own admission, you lose. Sorry.

she still got her handcuffs and gun and nightstick dont she you sick fuck. Wellllllll, the nightstick is gone... I was never much into the beatings.

Place (and therefore, buy) the longest screw that the ice will take without "lifting up" the ice or the screw bottoming out against rock. FYI, my ice rack contains about five 17 cm screws, one 22 cm screw, two Snarg hammer-ins at 13 cm (panic pro), and two 10 cm screws for the thin shit. And a coupla of Russian Ti screws for "leavers" on bail-outs.

Not necessarily so, MissNormandy. Do you know the law? My wife, a former Seattle area LEO, quotes the law to me as follows: "If you cross the stop bar (the white crossbar at the front of the line of the intersection) on the leading (closest) side of the intersection before the light turns red, without accelerating to beat the light, you are within your rights to occupy the intersection while in transit." As long as you didn't "gun it" to get into the intersection before the light turned red, or stop in the intersection after the light turned red, the officer has no right to ticket you for "not clearing the intersection" if you entered during the yellow phase of the signal cycle. While I don't know the exact circumstance of your particular situation, you may certainly have recourse in this regard. I would research the RCW and find that law, make a copy of it, and go to court armed with that fact, and plead your case and you'll get your fine reduced, and possibly even have the case dismissed. YMMV.

selfdelusional Some would argue that it's being comfortable in your own skin. BTW, you failed to capitalize on your apparent

I dress myself, and that's how I do it. Case closed. And I DO do quite a bit of walking for my job when I'm in the field, which is about 50% of the time. Sometimes as much as 4 or 5 miles a day, just walking a highway lookin' at shit.

Well, as an n-gin-ear, I have to deal with "mildly conservative" people on a day-in, day-out basis (clients, politicians, contractors, etc.). Polo shirts work well cuz they're casual; not a T-shirt with tobacco spittle down the front, yet not a dress shirt from Nordie's either. It hits a middle road that everyone feels comfortable with, least of which is me. The one suit I do have is hand-tailored, so when I do wear it, it looks great. Every suit I've ever owned since leaving high school has been hand-tailored, but there's only been three. I'm too fat to fit in the first two, so they went the way of Goodwill a while back. My average week wardrobe consists of a silk "polo shirt", although mine are a full button-down front (does that still qualify as a polo shirt?), long or short sleeve dependent upon the weather, Levi's blue jeans (501s button fly, of course), and summer style leather hiking boots (full shank, of course). Add a Gore-Tex shell for inclement winter weather outdoors, and I'm set. I don't think any of that's gay.

Agreed. Don't own any of those, at least.