Rodchester

Wrong time of year to be seloing ski set ups. Try it again in the fall when everyone is gearing up for winter. Good Luck...

Anyone heard anything about the opening? Thier web page says that they have connected to east and west sides as of April 3, 2003, but doesn;t say if the road is open to traffic. Anyone know anything about when the road is going to open? Is it open now? Thanks in advance... NC Highway

Patagonia Blackhole bags rock. I have two and have been very happy with them, overseas third world travel as well as stateside. Very durable and simple. Be careful on getting one that is too big. Airlines are now enforcing rules about weight and size. You may want to call around to the airlines to see what restrictions are being enforced. Good luck.

I saw that one a couple of times. My recollection was that there was minor but noticeable difference shown on brain scans...but that they were not positive that it was caused by the altitude...but that it likely was. Also they did a follow up cognitive skills test and found no effect. The final analysis....as I recall....was something like it does have an effect, but it is totally unclear if the effect on the brain shows up in cognative abilities. Sure at some point it will negativley effect you, but I doubt many actually have brain damage that effects the way they live or think.

Does anyone know if they have started to plow the road yet? Any beta on the road is appreciated.

I agree.......nothing wrong with asking in that situation.

If your not hearing anything about Afghanistan I have to wonder what media / news sources you are looking to for your news. I hear a lot about it quite regularly. 8000 troops surrounding Kabul? Man, you missed the boat on that one. Those are international troops. (Germans and others). US troops are active in the rest of the country and are patrolling to round up Taliban and Alqeda (SP?) as well as assert some law. They often work with war lords to accomplish thier goals. This is based on tradition and is not always evil. Such simple-simon-assumptions as simply incorrect. Further, there are certain logistical relalities that dictate how situations are handled. In the American West law enforcement was often manned by men that would be hung today. Corrupt and petty thieves, sometimes worse. America suffered through that roughly 50 year period for the better. Also, you seem to imply that the war is over in Afganhistan...I wouldn't say that, nor has the US Army or the Government. It is an ongoing battle that will take coniderable time to play out. At least 20 years until it has a chance to be a truely stable government/country (multi-national state). Your statement about not existing if it wasn't protected...well no shit. Same thing with any country, any country. Do you think an infant can be left on the ground and survive if it was unprotected? Just becuase something needs protection...does that make it wrong? Afghanistan has problems and it will take a lot of time, money, and effort to fix it. I suppose you would leave the baby to die. Great policy. Why aren't you a politician?

This weekend? Stick to the lifts and stay alive...I'll be in the bar, on a stool, with a beer.

Send me a PM and I'll forward my mailing adress on to you, you can then mail it to me and I'll test it for the next few years to see if it is all right.

Are you guys serious about going to the sloop? What time?

I'm opposed to carying one for myself...but I don't care what others do. Too many issues with these types of things to be efective, at least in my mind.

I heard somewhere that Saddam is sport climber. Apparently he loves to clip bolts.

I've got gas...just ask my wife. She says that if we could harness it, we'd be rich. But then there might be a war over me, and I would hate to see people go to war over my ass. Beer + my gastrointestinal system = gas

Actually Mickey Mouse boots are quite different from what climber s call plastics. They hold air in chambers to insulate. They are also a "single" boot not a "double" boot. They have a rubber feel to them, as opposed to a plastic feel. But you are right that they are not leather and are a synthetic material. They are damn warm and were often used in Alsaka through the 50s, 60s, and 70s. They were still around during a good part of the 1980s too. Denali = plastics...at least for my fat ass. Remember to open the air valuve during airborne operations.

You mean France?

Update from Erden: _______________________________ Finally, I am able to borrow a computer from the owner of the Windy Point Inn to write a memo... I am north of Prince George, just 20 miles or so south of the Pine Pass that is getting pummeled with snow right now, so I may have to wait again. Dawson Creek is within two days of riding, which is mile 0 on the Alcan Hwy. Beyond that is the prairie: fast, flat and cold riding. I am already at 696 miles on my odometer, which leaves me 2000 miles to go, I am almost there ;-) I left Prince George on the 16th after checking the wheather report yet again that morning: 1 cm of snow in PG in the morning -5C, occasional flurries in the afternoon -3C. These are balmy conditions if they hold, so I hit the road heading north. As I left PG, the flurries were of the larger kind, and gradually this got worse. The 1 cm was grossly inaccurate for where I was, and I was in a snow storm out of PG with headwinds, within reach of Bear Lake. The plan that day was to reach for McLeod Lake... I got into Bear Lake and I was told that I was creating a dangerous situation on the road, riding in conditions like that, and that they had heard about me on the CB radio with one trucker telling the other that he almost hit me... Well, I am glad he did not! Just south of Bear Lake is Summit Lake, and that is the Arctic Divide - meaning all precipitation on this side of Summit Lake will flow to Peace River and McKenzie to end up in the Arctic Ocean. Precipitation south of Summit Lake is picked up by Fraser River heading for the Pacific... I stayed in Bear Lake two nights, waiting for the snowplows and the sun to do their magic. Yesterday was a rest day out of necessity, and this morning I took off for another 50 miles to arrive at the Windy Point, near the McKenzie junction. The pavement was wet but clear of snow, not a bit of rain or wind to worry about. I had switched to my studded winter tires in the morning, so I was enjoying the safety of the added traction on the shoulder. When I passed by McLeod Lake, I saw that it was shut down for the season, and I am glad that I did not brave the weather to go past Bear Lake the other day! So, here I am, staying in a bunk house with logging crews for $20 a night, Canadian. Great deal, and I can afford to wait out another storm at that rate ;-) I am in good spirits, in good shape and the odometer is ticking ever closer to the mountain where I will meet my friends. This thought is a very compelling one during the rides and it energizes me, it gives me something to look forward to on the long rides. Gvran is always in my mind, and he comes up in conversations regularly when I try to explain to strangers why I am doing this journey. The rig is a magnet, and it is very easy to make friends for me... Strangers do not stay so for long - you all should try it some day! All the best from the road... Your friend, Erden. ___________________________________

"Currently IFMGA guides from other countries are not allowed to work in the United States. " Actually this is partly correct....but not completely. Any guide from anywhere that has a work permit and a job can guide in the USA. His foregin certifications don't mean much. US certifcations don't mean much. All you need is permission to guide from the relevant gov't agency and a proper INS work permit. Now that is certainly easier said than done. But RMI, MMI, AAI, can hire foregin guides so long as they can get a work visa. Yes easier said than done.

I agree...Erden's journey is a good recurring event...int he sense that it is a good story that can be tracked over time.

"What is the french government getting out of all of this?" Its about business and oil. France has many contracts with Iraq and others int he region. While the French people may have good intentions, I would assume the French Govt does. They (French business interests) stand to loose big if there is a new power in Iraq and or in the region. I love the"oh its only about oil" cries against the US. What about the French? Too funy.

Just a note to S.C. and some others here. "Actually, I think we have to disagree on this one. You mentioned totalitarian regimes, and Hugo was democratically elected. I think the opposition should simply wait 'til the legally mandated recall election in August. And you seem to keep forgetting he was elected?" You seem to place great emphasis on the fact that he was elected. Remember: democracy has given the world many wrongs. In the USA we were given slavery...democratic elections kept it in place for nearly 100 years after the crown was removed. War on a democracy erased slavery, not an election. Adolph Hitler was democratically elected and took all steps within the frame work of the German constitution, and only through the constitution and democratic elections did he gain full military/authoritarian dictatorship, founded securely on socialist principals. Chavez also tried to overthrow the government in coup some ten years ago. While I do agree in the tyranny of the majority is better than the tyranny of the minority...it isn't always right just because the masses say it is right. We do not draw our rights or powers from the constitution, we draw them from our creator (to each his/her own creator). Just a note to consider..... Many have also expressed concern over the US trying to push itself onto others... Well in looking at Europe I couldn't disagree more. The US is doing its thing. It has many, in fact most in Europe agreeing wioth it. France ont he other hand is using dirty tactics and a heavy hand to bully new Europe into to line behind old Europe. "It is not really responsible behavior. It is not well brought-up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to keep quiet." Chriac is quoted as saying about the eastern Euros that agree with the US and supplied letters of support: "I felt they acted frivolously because entry into the European Union implies a minimum of understanding for the others," Chirac said. Chirac called the letters "infantile" and "dangerous," adding: "They missed a great opportunity to shut up." Not exactly a one time slip of the lip: "It is not really responsible behavior. It is not well brought-up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to keep quiet." Strikes me as France is trying to bully Europe into submission?

King County Recorders office will have the definate answer

Yeah... 18 inch pickets really are great in spring and summer cascade concrete. Light weight and low bulk. I'm sure smoeone will say they have studied the effect of reducing the surface area blah blah blah...but I've tested them and I am happy with their performance.

"Canadians don't kill -- they don't even use the word kill; that's the problem," he said. "I think the military is not sure that the government is prepared to accept the fact, let alone celebrate the fact ... that Canadian soldiers do sometimes end up killing people." What is the army supposed to do then? I thought Carlos Hathcok (sp?) had a confirmed kill of 2500 meters in Vietnam?

Soft snow = Deadman/flukes (That is Cascade Concrete soft) Regular snow = 24 in picket Hard snow = 18 inch picket (Cut a 36 in half with a pointed end...they rock)

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