The Meat President

So we go to the MSFT Christmas party. The pre-party dinner was @ the Metropolitan Grill in downtown. Nice place. Best place in Seattle for Steak. I decide I'm gonna order the big boy of the selection. 50 ounces of bone in Rib Eye. It came on it's own platter, fit for a king!

There were some table skeptics, however I proved them wrong by completely devouring the steak and I also wiped out the potato, AND a spinach salad before! Wait staff shook my hand. Head waiter said it was impressive. More impressive? I ate about 10 desserts @ the Xmas party 1 hour later.

HOWEVER, I AM NOT READY FOR THIS...

http://www.bigtexan.com/

What will you change?

Are you the best person you can be?

.

1361 days, 9 hours, 58 minutes and 10 seconds ago, cancer changed many aspects of my life.

.

What would you change, what will you change?

.

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw

.

Think about it.

Duke Did It

Very good friends of mine who live in San Fran have had a very sick dog. His kidneys aren't great and they don't function so well. He's been in poor health for quite a while and they weren't sure he was gonna make it through Xmas. Well son of a bitch, he did.

Duke essentially rallied back quite a bit. In fact he rallied, had a little bit of a relapse over the last few weeks, and has been better again since the end of last week. His levels are down, he eats, and he's put some of his weigh back on. So his quality of life is pretty good really, definitely worth continuing on.

Way to go Duke!!!

Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam

My friend Michelle is off her rocker once again...

(Adapted from Jimmy Cliff Tune)

Hey

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam.

Yesterday I got a letter

from my friend racing in Vietnam

and this is what she had to say:

'tell all my friends

that I'll be coming home soon

....

Good Luck Michelle. Race Hard. Have Fun. Don't Get Lost.

Happy Birthday Bob

You are the natural mystic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VRGANguGQE&feature=related

Give thanks and praises!

My Friend Tom Sent me This

A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The Professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

Now, said the Professor as the laughter subsided. I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take up a hobby or special interest.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, he continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The Professor smiled. I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

J and Y in town

Our friends J and Y are in town this weekend. I've known J since 1990.....Good God, we've been friends for 17 years. Amazing. Anyhoooo...This is J and I at Discovery Park! We did much more than this, but I didn't take any photos. We did all sorts of random things.

1. The Tap House in Bellevue. I had not been there before. 160 beers on tap? Amazing. I loved it. We called Blood Clot Brian and he joined us.
2. We also went wine touring of some of the local boutique wines. Nice. J has a collection of 700+ wines. I have one bottle and Mrs Dirtbagger drinks that, so I guess it's not really mine is it?
3. Had dinner @ Il Fornia. Hadn't been there, and it was pretty damned decent, even for a chain restaurant. Awesome. Possum.

Veg-Ass

We travel to Vegas to meet friends Matt, Stephanie, Tim and Kirsten for a weekend of fun. Since none of us really gamble, we'd planned to just see what interesting things we could find. We find a giant beer We find an awesome Apple Strudel
We find a giant guitarWe find Chihuly

Matt and Tim find Pink Taco, and I take a picture of them @ the discovery of pink tacos. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, including pink tacos.

Is that a hole in yer ass?

Since we downclimbed with so few protection pieces, on many occasions it was just as easy to sit on our butts and slide down the rock, slow and easy. Well for Michelle, that came @ a price since she was wearing some lightweight adventure racing tights. I think these went into the trash bin after our little adventure, didn't they Michelle?

Wild Blueberries!

So we make our way back to camp. Safe and sound we decide to stop and feast on some of the millions (no kidding) wild blueberries that have ripened in the September sun. These things could not taste any better. Many are too perfect for words.

Up, Up, Up and Down, Down, Down

The route description clearly states that little to no protection is necessary for the route through the Fisher chimneys. Just to be safe, I bring 3 smallish cams. Cams are not the lightest pro you can carry, but frankly they are in my mind, clearly the most versatile, hence they reason they were invented.

As we continue to move upward, I get crammed in a small crack with some moss and grass that needs some protection. Michelle gets herself sketched out scrambling up a piece of rock and needs my help to get her down. Hmmm...I thought this route didn't need any pro???? What is up with that....Stupidly, we climb on.

Three small pitches and 4 plus hours later, we're pinched. Climbed ourselves into a rock canyon that I CANNOT climb up. Son of a Bitch. Rat Bastard. Muther Fuck Fucker. The route I THINK we need to be on, is not our route. We're blocked. Shit all mighty, now we need to downclimb this bastard!!!

With very little pro, we get resourceful. I use slip knots and solid knob's to guide us down. We find a picket with a couple of 'biners on it. We use that. I sacrifice a brand new yates picket and Michelle offers up several runners during the course of our decent.

After our scramble down, we hit the safety of the talus slopes a little before noon. Time to get back to camp.

In the dark of the night....

We make our way along the trail head. As we approach the Fisher chimneys, they appear COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than when we reconned them just 8 hours earlier. We placed marker rocks near our suggested entrance point, but without my GPS, they were nearly impossible to find in the dark, even with a good headlamp. Hmmmm...I'm not for one who likes to wander around in the dark especially if you A) don't know where you are, and more importantly B) don't know where you need to go.

So, we decided to wait a couple hours until morning to get a better handle on things.

We have a plan!

I'd suggested we be on the summit no later than 10am, which was kinda pushing the outer limits of where I wanted to be on late summer melting snow. It was pretty consolidated and firm, but melting pretty fast and crevases were opening up on the lower portions. Michelle seemed to be good with my plan. We leave @ 1am.

Shuksan Recon

Michelle and I decide since we have some daylight and energy, we'll do some recon on the route through the Shuksan chimneys to ensure we get on the right track. Having limited confidence in the description in the Beckey book (hard to interpret for me) we sketch out a proposed route based upon what we've read.

We try to pick a route through the chimneys that appears the easiest. We later learned this was MUCH easier to say, than to actually do.

Based upon what we investifgated, we determined going AROUND the rock was easier than trying to climb up one of the cully faces.

Ah Fuck son, it's Shuksan

Before I head off for 2 months, Michelle and I decide to climb Mount Shuksan, via the Fisher chimneys. Here we are on the trail head, near the Lake Ann parking lot @ Baker National Forest.

What?

So a week before we're scheduled to leave, Brian leaves me a voice mail. It goes something like this.

Play Messages
Brian: Dude this is Brian, give me a call when you get a chance.
Me: Hmmm...Doesn't sound that urgent....I'll call him later.

Delete Message...Next Message
Brian: Hey, man, it's me, give me a call when you have time.
Me: I need to call him and see what's going on.

Delete Message....Next Message
Brian: Hey, I have some news about my doctor visit.
Me: What the hell is going on? I better call him.

Conversation:
Me: Hey, what is happening?
Brian: Uh...I'm in the hospital.
Me: What? Why? (sounding very surprised)
Brian: Remember that pain in my calf? It's a blood clot...
Me: What? (huh.....)
Brian: Yea, deep vein thombosis, and the scan they did shows I have several in my lungs.
Me: No...f*cking way.... (Now I can't believe it.)
Brian: Yep...so the trip is over for me.
Me: No....You're shitting me right? A week before we're supposed to leave?
Brian: Yep, paid for and everything.
Me: Jesus H Christ....What would have happened if you didn't go to the Doc?
Brian: I'm not sure, but it might have been pretty bad, especially @ 20K feet.
Me: Uh, yea, I guess so.

Mt Baker

So, it's time to climb Baker. Mid-morning departure @ the Heliopolis Parking Lot.
Baker and wildflowers on the way up.

Brian really struggling to make it to Hogsback ridge. As a result, we have to abandon our quest for the top. Later that week, we find out why. I considerd going solo, but thought it was better to stay @ camp. Sunset with Mt. Baker in the background.

I am scarfing the Starbucks Pumpkin Scone I left in my truck the day before. I thought about it, the entire way down, hoping it wasn't too dried out to eat. Man I was prepared for a major bum out if it was hard as a rock. It wasn't, and I ate it in 2 bites.

BTW, in my opinion, Mt Baker area is MUCH prettier (more trees, better scenery, more mountains in the distance) and nicer (not as many people, more rustic) as Rainier.

Rainier Climb

I get asked quite frequently (by folks who know I climb a little) "Have you climbed Rainier...Have you climbed Rainier? Have you"....enough already. Time to do something about it.

Departure @ the parking lot. I am sporting my newly purchased top of the line, state of the art, Arc'teryx Naos 55 backpack. I've used it a couple times, and have been very impressed. OK, on with the climb.

So, since they are rebuilding Paradise Lodge, most of the parking lot is closed down, so they have to shuttle people in and out. What a zoo! When they get done, Paradise will be FANTASTIC!

Me @ Camp Muir, mid-day. It was warm (hot?) there on the snow field in the sun.

We left camp Muir @ 10K feet @ midnight, and basically made the slog to the top. Went non-stop at a good moderate, steady pace, and got to the top @ about 7am. We passed all sorts of people sitting in the snow, right next to trail. What were they doing?

Anyway...Brian did really well, I neglected to eat anything all night so I pretty much bonked @ 5am in the morning about 13K in elevation. Somehow I was able to push on, and get to the top. We stayed for a couple of hours eating and drinking some water, and headed down @ 9am. Got back to Muir 1pm, and back to the car @ 4pm Sunday. Overall, Rainier is a good conditioning climb, but so much more of the Cascades have so much to offer.

Vesper Peak

For weekend fun, Brian and I decide to scramble Vesper Peak.
Awesome!

Silver Peak

Michelle and I take the dogs to scramble up Silver Peak.

Michelle was very popular since she had dog cookies. See how we all gather around? They generated such interest, that I even wanted one.

This photo makes me laugh.