Sometimes everything just works out. You get good weather, manage not to screw up the approach and have a perfect day. This weekend the stars aligned, so to speak, and a great day was had climbing Mount Conness.
Typical to any outing, I did my research, read up about the Harding Route as much as possible and shot emails to friends who might know about the route. A recent thread provided a bunch of information and on Friday we were off. A bunch of traffic put us at Tioga pass after 10 pm, taking more than 7 hours from San Diego.
Psyched that we are not lost and that it is light outside.
A long approach prompted a 4:30 am wake-up and we hoped our timing would land us at the cross country travel section just after the sun rose. I gulped down some NyQuil to reduce the effects of a cold I was fighting and passed out. The dark morning came too soon and after applying sunscreen in the dark, ( a new favorite activity) eating some food and repacking we were on our way. We re-parked the car near the Sawmill Campground on the side of the road, hoping the lack of No Parking signs was adequate permission. Finally we were on the trail by 5:30 am.
The start of the approach is on big trails before we had to cut off across more rugged terrain. Since the approach seems a bit confusing I made an earlier post with photos showing how we hiked in. In no time we had passed the Carnegie Institute and were trying to figure out when to leave the trail. An alternate approach, shown in the Supertopo for the North Ridge, requires a few more miles of hiking but goes past the Conness Lakes seen in the photo above. It seems that if time was not an issue this approach would be very pretty alternative.
Goofing around as the sun rises.
At the end of the steep switchbacks, that I am hiking up in the photo below, we took a break to catch our breath in the thin air. We were in no rush and I was trying to be careful with my exertion due to being sick. All of a sudden two more climbers came up the trail, who we hadn't seen, and passed us on their way to the South West face. Our attitudes dropped a little since we wouldn't be first on the route but we took it in stride and relaxed even longer to give them some space.
A little while later we were on our own again since we had to stop and rack up for the decent. Meanwhile the other party, who had slept near by and already had their harness on, continued down to find the descent gully. The wind was howling across the plateau below the summit so we both decided to bring an extra warm layer on the climb. In an attempt to stay light and fast we decided against a back pack and stuffed food in our pockets. With a liter of water on each of our harnesses Robb and I switched into our light weight shoes. Robb in his Deascents and I in my Sanuks made our way to the base of the route via a steep but reasonable gully. We looked for the other party but they were no where in sight and I assumed they were hidden by some rock feature.
The first few pitches, as we climbed them, on the Harding route of Mt Conness.
Leading up the first pitch. Luckily it was not too wet.
Despite wicked cold on the first part of the descent the route was warm and we quickly peeled off fleeces and tied them to our waists. We both cursed our over preparation since added weight = less speed. Robb, giving me his shoes, fleece and jacket now took over the lead for the crux offwidth pitch. This was the physical crux of the route even though it was graded lower than the second pitch. Robb made good progress figuring out a tricky stem that allowed him past the first 7″ crack. Our #6 C4 was very useful for this section and Robb also clipped the many ancient star drive bolts that Warren Harding had placed on the First Ascent. You can check out the crazy ring pin hangers in the photo below.
A psyched Robb after sending the famous offwidth pitch.
After we had both sent the offwidth Robb had another exciting lead with a tenuous face traverse and a steep section of climbing before entering the final chimney. I was happy not to have a pack when I followed this pitch and even put all of my jackets on since the wind had picked up. At the top of this long pitch we switched leads and I led the last 5.9 pitch. With Robb's long chimney lead, which linked two pitches, we had finally speed up a little and were distancing our selves from the other party who had been making good time.
My favorite photo from the weekend which captures a bit of the alpine splendor.
I really enjoyed what was our 5th pitch, photo above, with many crazy flared cracks that demanded balance and good footwork. The wind really started blowing as I got higher on the pitch and communication was impossible. Finally I reached the 3rd class ramp listed on the topo and set up a very exposed belay, constantly buffed by wind. Thankfully Robb followed super fast as I struggled to pull up the rope at the same pace. Robb moved the belay to the top of the 3rd class ramp to escape the wind a bit more and I climbed the final corner to the super easy summit ridge. I likely could have belayed higher on the ramp but couldn't hear Robb to know how much rope was left.
We un-roped on the easy terrain at the top and made our way to the summit. Moving quickly over the low angle rock, we could both feel the elevation, a first for the day. Amazingly two other teams showed up at the 12,500 foot summit at the same time for a little party. A couple had just done the West ridge and a soloist had climbed the North Ridge. Congratulations were exchanged all around, at a summit photo was taken and we signed the register. 3:30pm was the current time and we had been on route for about 6 hours. A quick decent down the summit ridge put us at our packs and in no time we were descending back to the car.
Robb at the Carnegie Institute realizing we were going to make it sub 12 hours C2C.
Somewhere along the hike down Robb got really excited when he noticed that it had been less than 11 hours since we left the car. A bit of calculation later and we placed bets for total Car to Car time. We managed not to get lost on the cross country decent and hit the main trail around 4:20pm which put us back at the car just before 5pm for an amazing 11:35 hour time. Despite being slow on the first three pitches we did a good job using as much of the 70 meter rope as possible and did the route in 6.5 pitches which includes a half pitch for moving the belay up the 3rd class ramp. We likely could have simuled the last 2.5 pitches but Robb was moving so fast as a second that we might not have gained much time. Overall an amazing day and a super classic route!
Getting ready for Pratt's Crack!
Way too many cams since the crack grows larger than a #6.
Having three #6 C4's was pretty novel but way overkill. A single #5 and #6 along with some finger sized cams and a bunch of slings is all you really need, as I noted on MP.com. The crack starts out #6 size but eventually gets too big and you must depend on your technique, the occasional chock stone, and a few small pieces in the back wall. I learned a bunch of squeeze chimney techniques and my TC Pros really worked well for the many heel toe jams that were required.
Gear, what gear… I'm going up!
The main reason Pratt's Crack clocks in at 5.9 is the many face hold and occational hands free rest. It was a such a fun climb that I decided to do it again. After getting to the top I pulled up a second rope and rapped cleaning the gear. This gave Robb a chance to lead it, which he did in great style and with a reduced rack thanks to my experience.
Are we excited for the wide?
I seconded Robb's lead, so I could practice my chimney technique, and then we moved around the corner to the classic Sheila. While this climb may look a bit awkward it was super fun and had a very long, and awesome, section of #2 camalots in a corner. These bomber hands were so good that Robb just kept running it out and ended up with a single set of .5 camalot and above on his harness when he reached the anchor. Both layback cruxes were protected by little gear and he placed five cams green alien sized and smaller.
Robb at the first crux on the hyper classic Sheila.
Sheila was a great way to finish off the weekend and we were happy with all of the awesome climbing and near perfect weather. It had been a bit windy the day before but Pine Creek was amazing in the shade with a nice cooling breeze. Hopefully I'll return to Conness for the West and North ridges but it was great to tick off the Harding route. This trip also tempted me to start planning a trip up Keeler Needle to climb yet another classic Harding route. Some day!
It seems that the approach for Mt Conness can be a bit confusing so here are some photos with the route we took on our way to climb the Harding Route on the Southwest Face. This is the more direct of the two approaches from Saddlebag Lake and supposedly is about 4.5 miles long with 2,500 feet of elevation gain. It took us around 3.5 hours a moderate pace with a few rests. It took another 30 minutes to descend from the summit plateau to the base of the route. On our way back it took less than two hours from the true summit to the car.
This approach starts at the Sawmill Campground (near Saddlebag Lake) and I believe is the shortest distance to the top of Conness. From the parking lot hike out the good trail/road through the campground passing sites for a while. At some point the trail will narrow a little but stays quite good all the way to the Carnegie Institute.
Looking up hill where we left the trail.
About 15 to 20 minutes past the Carnegie Wooden Shed we left the trail and started the cross country travel. There were a bunch of cairns on the right side of the trail marking the general area you leave the trail. The basic idea is to head up hill taking the easiest path towards the peak seen in the photo above and below. A bit of hiking will lead to a clearing and you should be able to see something similar to the first photo below.
Looking up at the ledges from the first flat spot.
Looking back at the approach before going up the ledges.
Once you reach the large flattish clearing you will be need to go up and over a set of ledges on the left side. There should be a faint trail and possibly the occasional cairn. This set of ledges will lead you to another large flat area that should have a small lake (size depends on season). From here there seemed to be two options to gain the steep slope that leads to the summit plateau. On the way in we stayed north (the right side looking uphill) of the second and bigger lake and followed the red path in the photo below. This had us going along the ridge which was fine. On the way back we went on the other side of the big lake seen in blue below. Both paths met up in the meadow near the smaller lake and went over the 3rd class ledges in a photo seen above.
Our approach followed the ridge seen below to some steep switchbacks which ended at an obvious notch. While the switchback section was a bit steep there was a trail most of the way and you could tell this section had seen a bunch of traffic. It is pretty hard to get lost if you aim for the notch in the photo below.
The very pretty ridge line with a steep drop on the right.
Below is another view of the ridge approach from the steep switchbacks. After gaining the notch at the top of the steep switchbacks you will be at a large plateau below the summit. This was the first time we could see the summit of Mount Conness from the approach. We had only previously seen the lower section of the North Ridge. Cross the sandy plateau and you should see a large cemented cairn and a few wind breaks with more cement and some USGS circular markers. This is where we left our packs and racked up for the climb.
Almost to the notch after a bunch of sandy switchbacks.
From this point continue down to either the second or third gully (I don't remember which). As noted in the Supertopo don't go down too early since the first gullies cliff out. Also you should be able to see the SW face in full view from the top of the gully. There is a trail, that should not be followed, that keeps going down past the correct gully so if you go more than 5-10 mins from the edge of the sandy plateau you have gone too far. A few 3rd class sections lead to scree surfing and talus walking towards the Southwest face. The photo below was taken from the approach.
As described in the Supertopo the route starts just right of a section of black rock which is often wet.
As the summer heat reached near record highs two weekends ago I found myself shivering in the cold shade of the Northeast Face of Langley Peak. This summer I have taken a bit more time to explore the Eastern Sierra and this weekend was one of the most adventurous yet. The goal was to establish a new route on the massive Northeast face of Mount Langley. Currently there is only one other technical route to the summit of this 14,054 foot peak.
Langley would be my first 14er so I was super excited to try to climb it via a new route. Shay had a handful of maps and semi-useful descriptions that would guide us to our first bivy. The start of the approach was a familiar jaunt up to the Stone House. This trail was nice and Lizzy and I had been there about a month earlier. We were apprehensive about water so we both packed maximum capacity, carrying almost 2 gallons each.
The stone house complete with new prayer flags to honor the passing of Bruce Binder.
Reaching the stone house we could tell that Tuttle Creek was still flowing strong so we dumped a bunch of water and set out to the unknown. Shay and I had been to the Lone Pine Peak side of the Tuttle Creek drainage but never up towards Mt Langley. A bit of guess work lead us up to a trail behind the metal shack above the stone house. We took this across a big slope and eventually ran into a bigger trail. This well cairn-ed trail continued up hill for many miles and brought us to the Keyhole wall.
Really happy that we were able to follow a trail all the way from the stone house to the Keyhole Wall.
Following the advice from previous ascensionists of Mt Langley, we crossed the stream and headed up the talus making sure that our water source was still flowing. Eventually the sound of the gurgling stream died out and we bivyed 10 minutes or so above where the creek went underground. On our descent we realized that we could have camped over an hour further but likely at the cost of a good nights sleep. The stream had gone underground for a half mile or so and appeared in full force higher up the drainage.
Shay looks sharp as we trek on past the Keyhole wall.
Leaving from Pasadena by 10:30 am we made great time to Lone Pine and up the trail to our bivy. There was still daylight but it seemed prudent not to go too far above 10,000 feet. Fresh stream water was easily retrieved unfiltered due to our remote location. A dinner of packet food was sufficient and we opted for an early bed time due to our impending pre-dawn start.
Looking back down canyon from our bivy.
The ridge in the following photo was visible from camp and our information led us to believe the north face was just around the corner. Hiking up endless talus warmed me up but as soon as dawn broke the wind started and chilled me to the bone. I had to layer up, very unusual for me while hiking, and we made our way up trying our best to guess the right way. We second guessed our decisions and likely lost a bit of time traversing a steep slope instead of staying low in the main gully.
Beyond finding the NE face we needed to spot a doable climb and get to it as fast as possible. There was only so much day light and this 2000 foot face would require a lot of pitches. Around the right of the prominent ridge we spotted what looked like a 500 foot long crack system that would give us access to a higher ridge line. At the time I assumed all of the towers connected to the top and when this route looked too chossy we too easily decided to climb another line.
The wind was killer and I was happy to have a jacket.
We found an easy looking crack system that appeared less choss-tastic and I started up the pretty green and yellow granite. Leading in my jacket with a pack was a bit tricky at first but once I got a few pieces in the climbing started to be fun. I had to be careful of small foot holds since they often were barely attached but I slowly made my way up to the ledge below a wide crack seen in the upper right of the photo below.
The start of the tower we chose to climb.
Shay had the next pitch and decided not to go up the wide crack. We only had a single #3 and the largest BD hex. His lead followed a chossy pair of seams which took the occasional gear and then traversed right to the crack above the offwidth. This was low end 5.10 but very scary and insecure especially with cold fingers on even colder rock. The next pitch was mine and featured the hardest climbing of the route. I was faced with splitter finger crack providing the only passage to the top of the next tower.
Heading up the fun first pitch in chilly weather.
I did a bit of cleaning to get out the lichen and loose rock, down climbing to the ledge each time, before committing to the finger splitter. The locks were excellent and the feet exciting (i.e. a bit loose) as I slowly made my way up. It was over before I knew it and I was hugging a leaning pillar making my way past many loose blocks to the next ledge. I saw a scary looking next pitch and happily belayed to give Shay the next lead.
Shay gets bonus points for the next lead with crazy exposure on both sides of the ridge. He climbed about a 60 meter pitch requiring a bit of simul-climbing on our short 48 meter rope. I took the next pitch and downclimbed into a chimney, which was semi bottomless with 300 feet of air on my left. Squeezing behind a leaning flake our Nuts somehow detached from my harness and fell into the void. I continued with some easy downclimbing into the gully below.
Shay on top of our tower before downclimbing into the gully.
From this position we could see choss and snow going up towards the summit. Our tower had not connected to a main ridge line and the rock above didn't look to inviting. We decided that it would be best to descend since the gully we were in seemed reasonable. In retrospect we could have climbed back up on to the ridge line but it would have been at least another 15 pitches to reach the summit. We had gotten a bit of a late start (climbing wise) and it was already noon so we took the safe option, not wanting to get benighted.
Luke descends back to the base.
With 5 new pitches established it wasn't a waste of a day and we took our time back to camp. We found the upper part of the stream and hiked down past pretty waterfalls and surprisingly lush vegetation for the area. After some more rest at camp we packed up and relocated to the Keyhole wall. Our next bivy site was not as spacious and level but was a bit closer to the stream and had a beautiful boulder with sculpted holds that I happily climbed.
The NE face of Langley showing our route, Unstoppable Tower Tango, on a disconnected ridge.
We hoped to do a bit more new route action on Sunday and choose the obvious splitter on the left side of Keyhole wall. We knew it had most likely been climbed but hoped to find otherwise. Shay lead the first pitch following good rock to a nice belay. There were just enough loose blocks and lichen to make us think we were in FA mode. We swapped leads and I headed up towards the roof, the feature that drew me to this climb.
After trundling a few blocks I got into a very nice hand crack and motored up to the roof, running it out a little to save my single #3. At the bottom of the roof I was able to place a small cam and then wiggle the #3 deep into the fissure. A #4 would have fit perfectly on the outside (which had better rock) but we didn't have one.
Some how there were some jugs on the right side of the crack and I was able to pull over without OW technique. I heel hooked and then mantled the ledge to get established, taking time to bump along my #3. I had cleaned sand out of the holds and fully believed I was the first one up this crack!! To my great disappointment after the next few moves I saw a pair of bolts. This made things much easier for belaying but ended the possibility of an FA.
Psyched to pull over the #4 camalot roof. 5.8+ ??
Shay lead the next pitch, a long fun splitter, to another bolted belay where we considered rappelling. I did not want to lose any gear, since we didn't have the required 2nd rope, and opted to keep going into unknown territory. I incorrectly choose to go left and had a sketchy loose lead on really bad popcorn granite. I had to excavate placements and wasn't sure anything would hold. This lead and the next were most likely new pitches but forgettable. Fortunately they allowed us to reach a nice shady belay below the upper head wall. It was my lead again and I was in for some adventure. The next pitch was the the best on our finish variation and the rock quality was awesome. I followed a nice splitter for 20+ meters before it pinched off and I traversed right onto a knobby face. A bit of creative climbing put me into a wide crack and a few moves past trees had me starting to think about a belay.
Climbing the excellent 6th pitch on the upper headwall.
My gear was running out and I had to downclimb a little to back clean and re-place a piece. The cracks on the right side were pinching out and I didn't know what to do. There were a handful of large bushes/trees about 20 feet above me and I knew that should be my belay. With a solid piece above me I stepped down and left to get my feet in a wide crack, crimping on nothing with my hands. I spotted a line of knobs for my feet and slowly traversed left, hoping they would hold my weight. Gaining a tree I made a few more easy moves and then was able to get in a good anchor. An amazing set of exciting traverses made this a standout pitch. Shay followed clean without the security of the last piece that had essentially given me a TR for the traverse.
Another pitch, some simuling and a bit of soloing led us to the summit and a long grueling descent. After following the gully down we took a risk and choose the left fork. This went down a ways and we did some sketchy downclimbing (we could and should have rappelled using a tree) before another split. Faced with a 30 foot drop we rappelled this time, missing an easy looking downclimb that we saw once we were down. A bit more down climbing put us at another split which we went right. This was our last gully and put us back to the ground. The descent took us between two and three hours and put two very tired climbers back at the base.
Amazing Indian Food filled us back with energy, courtesy of TastyBites, and we packed up and made a quick descent taking less than two hours to get back to the car.
I was impressed with the rock quality on the Keyhole wall and would like to go back with a bit more equipment and check out some of the lines on the face. Even if most of the crack lines have been established there are still many routes to do!
The last few weeks of July were particularly hot in SoCal and Lizzy and I have escaped to the higher altitudes for a bit of fresh air.
Many weeks back, the day before Lizzy returned to Cali, I took a short trip up to Keller peek with Josh. It was pretty hot but we got a bit of bouldering in and did some exploring around Dinosaur rock. Josh had been waiting at the campsite while I battled traffic and informed me that the middle of the day was HOT.
As the sun fell low in the sky I got excited to take advantage of the cool temps for a possible first ascent of a dirty finger crack on the side of lower dinosaur rock. We ran back to the car and got headlamps and gear and I proceeded to make my way up the crack covering Josh with dirt and granite in the process. The light faded but luckily I had borrowed Josh's head lamp and made it to the top bleeding, covered in dirt, but happy.
My headlamp, which I had given Josh, had almost run out of batteries and as I struggled on the climb Josh was slowly slipping into darkness. Once off belay I set up a rappel to clean the gear and Josh walked around the back to clean my rap anchor. I was psyched to have done a climb already as we quickly drove to town to get pizza.
Josh had looked at a very pretty line on the back wall that followed a series of crescents past 4 bolts. I rapped down it to place the QD's and Josh gave it a go from the ground. He managed to figure out the first section but got stuck at the crux between the 2nd and 3rd bolts. I struggled much more on the first section but found some hidden crimps and made it to the top. After a rest, where Josh tried a few other routes, and another try on TR I was able to redpoint this fun route just barely sticking the crux bump and keeping my weight low on the following sloper traverse. This was our last route and a great end to the day!
Looking up from the base at the crazy knobs on Boney Fingers.
Fresh off getting her wisdom teeth out, Lizzy wanted to take it easy, the Sunday she returned from Seattle, so she brought her bike to San Diego so we could go for a long ride. I had recently been convinced to start triathlon training by a friend and I was excited to do a bit of extra biking with Lizzy.
The following weekend we were to go to Whitney Portal to climb Boney Fingers, MSMR, and Ghost Rider. This was a lot of pitches but they all seemed doable. I had recently started campus training with my friend Stein and got in a workout before we got on the road Friday morning. This was a bad idea, since my body did not have any time to recover. I felt fine on the hike in to Boney Fingers, but my body shut down as soon as I started climbing. The 5.11 direct start was beyond me and I pulled on the bolts to get established in the crack. It seemed odd that there were only 3 bolts since there was serious ground fall potential before you get in your first piece. I managed to work my way up the crack, feeling way out of shape, but didn't fall and made it to the knob anchor.
Looking out from the stone House as described in our directions.
The 2nd pitch was much more fun and was a staggering 70 meters!! I didn't have nearly enough quickdraws and placed all but one of my cams. The last many feet were protected by small nuts and thankfully I didn't feel too much rope drag with my Sterling Ion. I would suggest the following rack: 1 blue alien, 3 green aliens, 5 yellow aliens (or more!), 3 grey aliens, 1 or 2 – .5 camalot, 2 – .75 camalot. Also bring many small nuts, at least 10 qds and a handful of slings. 70 meters is a long way! We followed the advice on MP.com and I rapped first, fetched the 2nd rope which Lizzy pulled up and then double rope rapped.
We did this in time to get back before dark and got ready for an early-ish departure the next morning. I was very excited for SuperDike (aka MSMR) since I knew all the first ascentionists. After an exciting drive (narrow road with steep dropoff on one side) we made it to the "trail head" and made good time to the stone house on a very steep but decent trail. After leaving the stone house we followed a very good trail of cairns for a long way until they disappeared. We had notes from two friends but the approach photos had somehow not printed. Despite this we continued cross country up the hill hoping to rediscover the trail. About an hour and a few false cairns later we found the correct trail much further uphill than we had been.
We had been hiking for over 2.5 hours at this point and were not quite sure of our destination. We feared that it was a far off wall (1st photo above) since we could not see a large dike on the face closest to us (photo directly above). We had spotted something similar to the "sea of knobs" noted in the topo but could not at the time figure out how the route would lead to this feature. With much doubt we continued until a large talus field noted in the directions at which point we had reached the 3 hour mark. The day had been getting progressively hotter and we were still over an hour from our objective.
The less obvious upper trail.
The well traveled but incorrect lower trail with a misleading HUGE cairn.
Lizzy and I made the hard decision to turn around, which was the right one, since we had lost so much time already and likely would run out of water and be hiking back in the dark. Determined not to lose our way we managed to take the high trail all the way back to the stone house. We found that we had made an initial error (going low on the good trail past the huge cairn) versus staying high on a worse trail. Hopefully these photos will help the next party choose the right trail.
Once we hiked out and drove back to Whitney Portal (with a stop at McDonalds for a McFlurry!) we had many hours left in the day. With a single small pack of water and food Lizzy and I decided to go as far as we could up the Meysan Lake trail. It was so nice to know where we were going after being lost for over an hour approaching Lone Pine Peak. It was so chill to have such a small pack and we had a much better time chatting instead of the constant, "AH, we are lost where do we go" from before. The hike was pretty and while we did not make it to the lake we saw some pretty rocks on the way up. We had forgotten our watch and headlamps so we turned around early to make sure we were back before dark.
A happy Lizzy and Luke, no longer lost!
Motivation was a bit low after being lost for a while so we drove back early for some relaxation on Sunday. Overall it was a bunch of drivingnd not much climbing abut it was still very cool to see Whitney Portal. There is so much granite and it makes me want to go back to try and put up some new routes. Now that we figured out where MSMR is I will have to go back for another attempt!
I thought I knew what alpine climbing was about. I thought that Dark Star would be a walk in the park surrounded by hours of hiking. Boy was I wrong!!
The description for Dark Star includes around 17 pitches with a bunch of 4th class and only two pitches of 5.10. While the base of Temple Crag sits just above 11,000 feet I was confident that we could make good time by simuling much of the climb and soloing the easiest pitches. The goal was a sub 24 hour which was a pace our friends had done the year before.
Rushing to Big Pine to get as much sleep as possible.
After a five pm departure from San Diego we made fairly good time and were at the trail head in big pine by 10:30. We set our alarms for a mind blowing 2:15 am and went to sleep as fast as possible. After 3+ restless hours we awoke filled with psyche and were met with a practically full moon. Konstantin had been to Temple Crag before and lead the way as we hit the trail at 2:50am. The next 6 or so miles passed fairly easily as we gained a few thousand feet of elevation towards a set of three alpine lakes.
We crossed the river on a crappy log bridge just below Third lake and hopped across the talus field towards the base of the very imposing Dark Star. It was getting light out and I was happy with our timing thus far. However I forgot to fill a water bottle at the stream crossing which stung us later on.
After a bit more hiking and a scree approach we dropped our packs and went in search of the spring that usually runs all the way down to the base of Dark Star. With no sign of flowing water we mixed snow in with the water in our nalgenes and set off with two liters of slush and a half liter of Gatorade. Looking up at the first pitch I noticed the obvious difference in the granite from the weekend before. As I had read the rock was much more featured and was filled with bands of Quartz. I felt the crux of the entire route was about midway up the first pitch. Some tricky stemming and use of poor face holds gave way to a good fingerlock and then better foot holds. Following with the full pack was a bit tricky and was a harsh warmup.
A successful onsight for Konstantin of the first two pitches!
Konstantin lead the first two pitches and then I lead the next three. The third pitch was my favorite of the route with exciting step across to a hollow flaked followed by cool moves up to a lazer cut thin fingers crack in a left facing corner. The rock was perfect and the crack was just thin enough to make it exciting. The end of my three pitch block put us at a chockstone belay inside the "intimidating" chimney.
Second (closer) and first lakes. Such pretty water!
It seemed that the best thing to do was tunnel through the chimney and Konstantin made his way up and after no gear for the first 15 feet he placed a cam and stepped out around the corner into the light. He made it a long pitch and ended on a very comfy belay in the sun. After exiting the cold chimney it seemed we may have been a bit off route but we continued on very easy ground up the ridge. After reaching the belay and snapping a few photos Konstantin set off again and we simuled a long block to the top of the first tower over fairly easy ground.
Sun is shining life is good!
Konstantin searches for pro as he exits the chimney.
After a downclimbing and making an exposed traverse we were at a set of ledges below the next tower. We couldn't quite figure out what the topo mean for the first pitch on the upper tower and nothing seemed obvious. There was a bit of a trail further across a ledge so Konstantin and I moved the belay and set off into the unknown. Konstantin followed some chalk up the next loose pitch doing an excellent job by not dropping any rocks on my head. It was a long lead and I was happy to rest since I had not had enough sleep the night before.
I lead another loose pitch to reach the ridge which hopefully got us back on route. The altitude had not been too bad thus far as we approached 12,000 feet and I had been able to eat enough food only feeling like I wanted to vomit once. Back on the ridge we simulated until the ropedrag became really bad. In retrospect we should have either been soloing or have tied back in at the halfway point to simul on 30 meters of rope. I lead another block of simuling along the ridge that ended in a rap anchor. We tried to line up this with the topo and guessed we were near "pitch" 14 meaning we would be rappelling again shortly, however the next bit of climbing convinced us otherwise.
The weather for the day had been amazing so far and I could see my arms burning in the sun since I had been expecting to be wearing more than my T-Shirt. I tried best to keep my Buff up over my neck and ears to keep off the sun. There was practically no wind and few clouds and we had only seen one other party at Temple.
Celebrating the perfect day and the six amazing pitches so far!
I was getting worn down by my belief that we were lost and it was eating into my psyche. The climbing was not hard but it was just challenging to have no idea where to go. I suppose my lack of alpine experience made it seem that the obvious route (the easiest line) was not the right way. I am far more comfortable when there is only one "possible" line.
After rappelling Konstantin started off around the next tower on the right side on a set of 3rd class ledges. The climbing became 4th class and we simuled a little until having to stop again due to bad rope drag. This belay was on top of a very pretty tower and a jagged line of spires were between us and a large red tower shown in the topo.
Riding the spire! How could it be so warm above 11,000 feet?!?
Konstantin lead off again on easy terrain only to find a rap station about 150 feet later. I thought this meant we were back on track and told him to stop. After find the belay and the kind of odd rap station I was not so sure so I kept going and downclimbed about 50 feet (5th class for sure) and did a bit of traversing to reach a better looking rap station.
The Big Red Tower from the topo can be seen in the back left of this photo.
This rap put is in a gully that I believe is described in the Croft topo. We opted for the easy and obvious 3rd class way on the left side of the next tower. This took us past a bit of snow which we happily ate to stay hydrated. 16 pitches completed the next belay put us back on track with a very obvious rightward ledge traverse following yellow lichen. This was at the base of the large red tower and concluded the technical section of the climb. I was mentally exhausted and wanted to be moving as fast as possible. I was worried about time it would take to climb the remaining 500 feet to the summit. Konstantin kept good spirits and helped me calm down and stay safe.
Konstantin makes his way across a ridge of chossy spires.
Turning the corner we saw a large section of ledgy terrain that I insisted we solo. I wanted to be moving faster and was confident that we would save time (speed = safety in alpine climbing) by moving at the same time. At above 12,00 feet there was no way I could move too quickly but putting away the rope sped us up and we were in the top in no time. The temps quickly shifted as we entered the shade and the wind picked up. We both happily donned our jackets for the first time since the chimney belay.
5 Hour Energy Summit Celebration!
At the summit it was 6:30 pm and we had been on the go for over 15 hours. Konstantin had brought a couple of the 5-hour energy drinks which we happily finished hoping they would keep us energized all the way to the car. A few summit shots later we started working our way down the talus to the final rappel. With the summit in the bag I was feeling better since the way down was obvious. Konstantin, having found the way down in much worse conditions, led the way and in no time we were in Contact Pass hiking towards our packs.
Good thing it only took us 4 hours to get back to the car!!
I chose to take the faster, yet more exciting, way down the snow filed while Konstantin stuck to the talus. I got a bit wet but was down in time to find the spring (which was still running but just didn't make it all the way down to the base of Dark Star), fill up our water bottles, and sort all of the gear I had. The mosquitoes were out in full force and despite putting my Buff over my head I got many bites on my scalp. Once Konstantin arrived it was 8:15 and we still had 7 miles to go!
To Dark Star and its many loose pitches with breathtaking views.
Racing against dusk we slid and ran down the gravely talus as fast as possible. By crossing near the second lake we could hopefully cut off some time on the decent and we would be able to get back to the car sooner. Reaching the old road and the two nice bridges we were back on the main trail and Konstantin surged with energy. I had been keeping up so far on the uneven ground but I was no match on the main trail. With headlamps illuminating the trail and my trekking poles swinging furiously we tried to make up as much time as possible. Almost running at times we made it back to the car by 10:30!! This gave us a sub 20 hour time (19:40) and we were psyched at our success. Despite our 12 hours on route (which seemed slow to me despite 17 pitches or ~2500 feet of "climbing") we had done the approach and decent quite quickly. I had never hiked so fast and Konstantin made 7+ mile summit to car push in a speedy 4 hours.
Luke celebrates his first time to 13,000 feet!
Doing longer routes car to car is an interesting experience and so far I have felt fairly good the day of only to have the fatigue hit me later in the week. On Dark Star I felt the need to rush and was not so sure of where we were going beyond "up". I think it would have been a bit more fun if I had relaxed but it was hard due to all of the loose rock. I usually enjoy long granite routes because of the crack climbing which was sadly absent on Dark Star. It was wild to find so many incut holds on granite but the gear placement was trickier and there were many sections where you just couldn't fall.
Committing to a C2C adventure adds a new twist to any long climb and makes one think about how best to utilize sunlight and good temperatures. As well going for 12+ hours changes the mental game as the mind struggles with decision making while exhausted. So far Dark Star took the longest of any climb I had done to date which is strange since it had the least amount of "technical" climbing. On Positive Vibrations our 12+ hour time was due mainly to slow leading on the harder pitches not the length of the climb. On the Red Dihedral our 16.5 hour C2C time was slow mainly due to the wind and cold. One thing I find similar between Positive Vibs and Dark Star was the confusion and slowness due to tricky routefinding.
Dark Star was an important learning experience for me and makes me wonder about how far I am really interested in taking Alpine climbing. Possible I was spoiled by the splitter cracks on the Incredible Hulk and was expecting a longer version of the same thing on Dark Star. Regardless the climbing was beyond beautiful and it was a good challenge to climb at altitude.


Wool + Flax is the coming together of three dear friends with the simple philosophy that savory, visually pleasing, and grandiose (unnecessarily complicated) cakes, make things better. We believe that though our cakes in their final forms are short-lived, the mirth that they bring to any occasion leaves a permanent feeling of goodness. Our cakes are more than eggs, butter, and flour. We put thought, heart, and earnest hands to each cake order. It is our desire to accommodate all with the highest-quality of taste and appearance; a cake that will woo your stomach and eyes (y'know the same things that we look for in a fella).
Alyssa is one of our top-notch bakers. She is quick-witted, quick-talking, and even quicker with a whisk. She bakes just as she lives; with passion and whole-heartedness. Alyssa began baking at a young age; always eager to treat those that she loves with something sweet. Food is her love language. She has grown in skill and know-how thanks to her willingness to try new recipes. She does not rest until she perfects each one. Alyssa also has a keen eye for detail. Her cakes are beautifully designed and put together with the utmost care. You could say that her work is all done in good taste (ba dum tss). She has recently relocated to Decatur, Texas so if you're a Texan in need of some life changing cake, she's your gal! She also can whip up a yummy latte or cocktail at her daytime job at Trinity Street Coffee Bar. Her favourite cake of ours is "chai a little tenderness" (chai cake, apple cider cinnamon glaze filling and honey buttercream).
Dani is another one of our brilliant bakers and nonchalant typographer. She has a steady hand for lovely hand lettering and a steady temperament (she's the coolest and collected-est). Danielle exceeds at everything that she puts her hands to; baking, hand lettering, decorating, nursing (she does it all). She's also quite the friend of food and drink, which makes her friendship to Alyssa quite natural. Located in Riverside, California, Dani is currently finishing up her bachelors degree in nursing all whilst planning to marry the love of her life this coming June. You can find her in scrubs or thrifted clothes 90% of the time (she doesn't play around when it comes to a good bargain). Dani spends her self care time doing yoga, being outdoors, cuddling babies or creating just about anything she can get her hands on. Danielle is the sweetest thing in Wool + Flax, and that's saying a lot, because we make cakes. Her favourite cake of ours is black tea paired with a rosemary buttercream.
Melissa is the creative spearhead. She is behind our aesthetic and bon mot. Melissa studied visual communications and deeply appreciates attention to detail. She is a gatherer of lovely things and maker of installations. She goes to great lengths to beautifully present our cakes and make you laugh with a pun or humorous cake name (yes, we name our cakes.) Her favourite cake of ours is called "Big Fudge," a chocolate on chocolate ode to Marshall from HIMYM.


text:
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) Makes Me Ashamed to Be an American and Proud to Be Descended From Immigrants
Nick Gillespie | 7.26.2013 3:42 PM
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has never been shy about discussing immigrants in the crudest, most vile terms possible. Back in 2006, for instance, in a discussion of a border fence, he talked up the benefits of electrifying it, because we "do that with livestock all the time."
As noted at Fox News Latino via Reason 24/7, he's up to old tricks, admitting that, sure, some immigrants—even illegal ones!—aren't born criminals. But "for every one who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."
Mmm, cantaloupe.
The original interview is with Newsmax and here's the longer passage:
"Some of them are valedictorians — and their parents brought them in. It wasn't their fault. It's true in some cases, but they aren't all valedictorians. They weren't all brought in by their parents.
"For everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds — and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert," King tells Newsmax. "Those people would be legalized with the same act."
courtesy Georgetown Book Shop
He also goes on to argue
"There isn't anyone that can fairly characterize me as anti-immigrant," the Iowa Republican tells Newsmax. "That's a label that the open-borders people have tossed around. They're conflating the terms anti-illegal immigrant and anti-immigrant as if it were the terms healthcare and health insurance."
Hmm, so how many legal immigrants does he want then? Curiously, he doesn't talk so much about creating new venues for legal immigration. He has managed to rack up 100 percent ratings from anti-immigration (legal and illegal) groups FAIR and USBC, got an A+ rating from another closed-borders group ALI, and has pushed legislation making English the official language of the United States and ending birthright citizenship.
He's also insisted, "My comments are anything but ignorant. They may have been the best informed in the entire United States Congress."
I think there are many legitimate reasons to be against the comprehensive immigration reform bill kicking around the Senate these days. But it is not worth having discussions with elected officials who talk about immigrants the way that King does.
To call him a moron is really an insult to morons and simpletons everywhere. Some of them can't help themselves—they were just born dumb. I suspect that King doesn't want to help himself. Are you really supposed to take a congressman seriously who makes such wild and erroneous claims about criminality among illegals and also makes bizarre physiognomic comments? I don't think so.
Not that the facts seem to matter much in discussions of immigration, but if you're interested, pick up a copy of Humane and Pro-Growth: A Reason Guide to Immigration Reform. It's full of our best coverage over the past few years and shows how open borders greatly benefit all of us.
Watch the recent interview with Grover Norquist we just posted today for a refreshing alternative perspective. And watch this great talk about immigration policy and history by the Wall Street Journal's Jason Riley. It's from a 2009 Reason conference.
NEXT: Couple Challenges Kentucky Gay Marriage Ban
Show Comments (151)
Nazdrakke
So I didn't even get to the piece yet because what kind of bullshit headline is that? Seriously, dude.
kinnath
He is a fucking embarrassment to Iowa.
Steve King is a fucking moron, but I'd point out that America is far more welcoming to immigrants even today than almost any other country in the world.
Saying you're 'ashamed to be an American' because of his idiotic stance seems a bit ridiculous to me considering that his idiotic stance is basically the norm in almost every other country.
I honestly don't think there is any country where it is easy to migrate to. Canada maybe. Israel certainly, but only if you are Jewish.
And if Nick thinks xenophobia is an American phenomenon or actually pretty benign here when compared to the rest of the world, he is dumber than I thought he was.
Canada Singapore and some other countries are much easier to get into.
But the list is pretty short.
The US is actually better than I thought, but we're no Qatar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L…..ation_rate
Heroic Mulatto
Easy for whom? For the wealthy, it's quite easy to relocate anywhere you want. Many countries will even give you a visa intended just for the rich who want to immigrate.
The poor? Fuhgedaboutit.
July.28.2013 at 12:27 am
So because other countries suck at immigration, we have to suck at it too?
Hugh Akston
I agree. There are many more compelling reasons to be ashamed to be an American.
For example, people like you, Episiarch, Warty, and SugarFree all live here. Now that says something fucked up about our country.
Zakalwe
I wouldn't call what Epi does "living."
He exists. We'll leave it at that.
Neoliberal Kochtopus
Oh Jimbo please. None of them are avaricious consumers of tentacle porn…unlike you.
Well, at least it's gay tentacle porn. I'm not a yokeltarian monster.
Awe, Epi has a new fanboy.
Nigga please.
I'm not sure why that posted under you, I was referring to Zakalwe.
Ahh. Dammit, I burned one the three times I get to use the word "nigga" on a mistake?!
Now you're down to one.
That one doesn't count!
The Immaculate Trouser
Personally, I find it obnoxious when someone feels the need to repudiate his country or region based on something that a politician says. Politicians have been saying stupid things since Ur was founded, and will never stop. If you're going to be "ashamed" of your country for such a quotidian reason, then you were never really invested in it in the first place.
Yeah, it's one of Nick's more annoying habits. I get that he's sort of the angry, super serious libertarian guy but come on.
Dweebston
Any chance at all he's being glib, a smack in the face to King's brand of vulgar nationalism?
Maybe, but when Nick is offended he tends to crank it up to 11.
OldMexican
Re: Irish,
Why don't you ask someone who is actually seeking to emigrate, for a change, instead of guessing?
I can tell you that things have not been as difficult as they are right now, with the exception of the Progressive Era.
Whether or not America is less welcoming relative to itself 100 years ago is irrelevant. The question is whether it is more welcoming compared to other nations.
For everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds ? and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert," King tells Newsmax. "Those people would be legalized with the same act."
Hyperbole aside, that probably is somewhat true. How many valedictorians are there? And I am quite sure more than a few illegals smuggled some drugs in for a little starter money when they got here. And to that I say, so what? King considers that an insult to immigrants because he is no doubt a drug warrior. I am not really sure why Nick does. It would seem to me that proper response here is, damn straight they smuggled drugs in and the only reason they did that is our idiotic drug laws. Since when is bringing drugs into the country some kind of immoral act? It isn't to me.
Saying 'many illegals smuggle drugs' is different than saying there's a 100-1 differential between valedictorians and cantaloupe legged pot smugglers.
I said hyperbole aside. The overall point was that illegals often smuggle drugs. And that is most certainly true. But hardly an insult, at least not from Reason's perspective. And even if it were not true, since when is drug smuggling immoral?
There's just no reason to speak so glibly. Sure, some immigrants smuggle drugs. So do some Americans. So what?
Exactly. The proper response to this statement is "So what?". Being offended grants the assumption that there is something wrong with smuggling drugs.
Just don't John.
"…there's another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."
That's great news. I'm looking for some field workers at my future hemp farm.
Nikkis enthusiastic dissent
WTF is "who weigh 130 pounds ? and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes" even supposed to mean? That they're small but freakishly strong? I mean what a fucking weird thing to say regardless of everything else horrendous about it.
Stormy Dragon
Obviously the Mexicans are planning to sneak into American and crush our heads between their freakishly huge leg muscles.
TheLuchadorMenace!
Nick, to put things in perspective: as stupid as Steve King is, I would donate money and campaign on his behalf if it would get Pelosi out of office.
Hmm, to vote for Dumb or Dumber…
"B-b-but there are a couple of news stories about illegals smuggling drugs so King is 100% right!"-gist of actual article on Breitbart.
Ah, Breitbart, it's like the raw material liberals use to construct their strawmen.
It really is. Half the time I call a progtard out on his ridiculous bullshit statement about what "conservatives" believe, he can pull up a Breitbart article to show where he got it from. It's quite deflating.
In terms of sites with a Team Red bent, I think Townhall and Hot Air are pretty good. They don't go the dipshit route of Breitbart, and Townhall actually has people like Thomas Sowell write for them periodically.
Also, Katie Pavlich is pretty hot. That's another positive for Townhall.
Thanks. I really need to just visit better sites instead of Bb.
RightNut
Ya you post there alot….not stalking you or anything.
Stop stalking me!
It was a phase.
For Team Red I go to HotAir sometimes, but Ace of Spades can be alright as well. They tend to go nutz about some things, but at least they are frequently entertaining about it. Plus the frequent changing position of: those commie libertarians suck vs libertarians are sorta alright, I guess, is fun to track.
Gozer the Gozerian
It's weapons-grade straw material, really.
I'll hand this to Rep. King: He's the least xenophobic, racist representative with the last name of "King" in the House.
It's good to be the King.
Ted S.
Peter King likes immigrants if they're Micks.
You just can't trust those damn Catholics.
The Late P Brooks
FUCK YOU, IOWA.
well, at least Harkin is retiring after the 2014 election 😉
Eduard van Haalen
I still prefer the other Steve King.
Not as scary.
Ken Shultz
Some of these people in the older generation still haven't read the memo.
Now that all the computers come with the interwebs preinstalled?
Everything you say in public is accessible to everyone–even the people who don't like you.
…and everything you say can and will be used against you by your enemies in the court of public opinion.
…and all that stupid shit you say now has a shelf life of forever.
creech
Depends on how gerry-mandered your congressional district is.
American, under his new handle, will be coming along any minute now to tell us that we should enact protectionist economic policies because, and this is a direct quote from the Norquist article earlier, "It's called patriotism."
Don't forget about racial intelligence — we can't let *those* kind of people come here, ya know!
American has a view of the economy that approaches feudalism — where the economy grows linearly depending solely on how many smart people and thus how much science is undertaken by the economy. Last time I asked him how that worked out for the Soviets and 14th-century China, he vanished without a trace.
That sounds less like feudalism and more like Platonic "aristocracy" — so, in other words, feudalism from the perspective of the aristocrats.
I meant in terms of base understanding of economic concepts, not structural similarity.
I mean, that's a level of economic understanding that serfs would have had.
I still think you're on to something, with American identifying as one of The Best.
I can kinda get being so fucking dumb you are incapable of shedding your actual racism, but why grown adults in public office can't figure out how at least not to sound like a racist moron when speaking in public completely escapes me. Unless of course Republican representatives have no incentive not to talk like xenophobic douchebags since their gerrymandered districts expect just that from them.
It's adorable you attribute gerrymandering to one side only.
Of course only the Republicans gerrymander, Neolib.
Just look at this totally normal, not at all bizarre district from Democrat controlled Illinois.
only the Republicans gerrymander
Strawman police, where are you when I need you?
That talking point has really come to life in the last year, hasn't it?
I guess it makes sense since how else is Team Blue going to explain the beating they will likely take in 2014? It sure as shit can't be the failure of the Anointed One in the White House.
How gleeful you sound at the prospect of Republicans running all of Congress. Because they've done such a bang-up job at governing, I suppose?
We're gleeful for your tears, Bluetard. We'll gladly turn on them like we did from 2001-2008 AND be able to enjoy you crying in the corner and masturbating to your own sense of smug self-satisfaction.
While it's disturbing how well you know my masturbation habits, I'm almost to the point where I welcome at least a couple years of total Republican control. Sure, lots of people will die, starve, and otherwise be put into misery, but at least it will be the last time they're ever put in charge for generations.
July.27.2013 at 6:10 am
Tony's got a point here. If only the boom years of 2006 to 2009 could have lasted forever…
"Confounding conventional wisdom, partisan redistricting is not symmetrical between the political parties. By my seat-discrepancy criterion, 10 states are out of whack: the five I have mentioned, plus Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Illinois and Texas. Arizona was redistricted by an independent commission, Texas was a combination of Republican and federal court efforts, and Illinois was controlled by Democrats. Republicans designed the other seven maps. Both sides may do it, but one side does it more often."
The fact that more people voted for Democrats yet Republicans retained the House suggests, at least, that Republicans are better at it.
False equivalence is not independent thinking. It's poor thinking.
Uh, no it doesn't. Not at all.
That's poor thinking on your part.
wareagle
ah, an opinion piece. Who wouldn't take that as unvarnished fact.
There is a method presented. But you don't care, do you? You believe whatever the fuck you want to believe, despite evidence, because you are immune to normal standards of rational thought. And what you want to believe just so happens to be whatever Hannity tells you to believe.
self-aware much? You take this as gospel because it confirms your beliefs. And as a bonus, we get a Hannity non-sequitur.
WTF do you care if the parties are not exactly balanced in their gerrymandering perpetration?
Nothing gets you idiots riled up more than criticizing Republicans.
I care because it's not the truth. It is, in fact, a lie. What's worse it's a lie perpetrated to cover up the worst kinds of partisanship: the kind that says your TEAM is all goodness and light But Ahh If Only X, where X is gerrymandering/the population is stupid/Republican obstructionism/whatever.
On almost any shady exploitation of the rules or cronyism, Republicans are the worse actor. Sorry, but it's just reality. It would be rather something if they were equal, actually. Anyone claiming they are is carrying water.
Seriously. Kinda cute how most of the posters here so quickly come to mama-team red's defense. Pavlovian almost.
Read my notes about his method. His method ignores the fact that Democrat votes actually ARE more compact, a fact which means a fairly drawn map could easily result in a bizarre delegation which differs wildly from the overall percentage of votes.
His method is bad. The only way to see gerrymandering is to actually look at a map and see what districts look like. Doing it numerically the way he does is virtually impossible.
The adjectival form of "Democrat" is "Democratic."
Yes obviously Democratic voters live more densely. All that means is that any map, no matter how clean, will have a bias in favor of Republicans. Add gerrymandering to that, and we get a House with a majority party in charge that a minority of voters actually voted for.
Holy shit you're obvs retarded.
Add gerrymandering to that, and we get a House with a majority party in charge that a minority of voters actually voted for.
Except you'd be likely to get that even without gerrymandering, just with that factor plus majority minority district encouragement from the VRA.
Yes, obviously Republicans did more gerrymandering after 2010, simply because in 2010 they won an enormous victory in state legislatures.
1990 was entirely the reverse, since it was a good Democratic year (Bush midterm.)
What the Republicans were more successful in was winning the state legislatures in 2010. They won a clear strong majority of the vote (Congressional and state) in 2010.
Yes obviously Democratic voters live more densely. All that means is that any map, no matter how clean, will have a bias in favor of Republicans.
You just admitted that a fairly drawn map will favor Republicans. So you now admit that the Times article you just posted had bad methodology and that there's no proof Republicans do it more frequently than Democrats.
This is awesome. You basically just gave me the entire argument. You are the worst debater I have ever seen.
And the adjectival form of Republic is Republican. Since a mixed Republic is a far better form of government than a Democracy, a fact which has been proven dating all the way back to Cicero's Republic, I'm not sure what your point is.
A shitty method.
Go read Scott Trende's piece on Republican control of the House of Reps, and then get back to us. I even linked it for you.
But that would require him to read a piece with decent methodology instead of an atrocious bit of partisan slander.
He can't do that!
From 1942 — the last time a party won the popular vote but failed to win the House (the Republicans won the popular vote by 5 percent that year) — through 1992, the Democrats had a huge advantage in seats won vs. their popular vote share, averaging 5 percent. The discrepancy was less than 3 percent on just five occasions. The gap at times dwarfed the 4.5 percent difference between seats and popular vote share the Republicans currently enjoy.
Wow. That pretty much shits on Tony's argument, doesn't it.
His way of looking this up is fucking stupid.
I have developed approaches to detect such shenanigans by looking only at election returns. To see how the sleuthing works, start with the na?ve standard that the party that wins more than half the votes should get at least half the seats. In November, five states failed to clear even this low bar: Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
He then creates a 'mock delegation' in which he doesn't bother looking at the geography of the state. Guess what, Tony? Republican votes actually are naturally more diffuse than Democrat votes. The reason you'd expect weirder numbers from Republican states is because the compaction of Democrat votes into cities means that even in a fairly drawn map Democrats are likely to be forced into only a few districts that are hyper Democrat.
If you actually read his reasoning, he hasn't proven gerrymandering at all.
Partisan redistricting was not symmetrical this cycle, because the Republicans won 2010 so heavily, thanks to Obamacare backlash.
The NC map was just as partisan the other way every single redistricting prior to 2010, for example.
Republicans just had more opportunity this year.
Suggests, perhaps, but as Nate Silver and others have demonstrated, sheer packing of Democratic voters into urban areas at the moment makes it difficult to draw lines that don't give the Republicans an advantage. Add to that Section Two of the VRA encouraging majority-minority districts, and it's even harder.
OTOH, as Silver also showed, the current trends in Electoral Votes and Presidential Votes means that a Democrat would win the Electoral College and the Presidency even if a Republican won 52% of the vote (using uniform swings from both of Obama's victories.)
These things happen.
For example, NC Republicans won 57 percent of the aggregate vote for Congress in 2010– and a minority of the NC Congressional seats.
You make a point I can agree with – that King is a fucking dumb racist – but then you insinuate that only Republicans have gerrymandered districts.
Can't you make a point without being a partisan shithead?
No I don't, although recently they are the worse offenders. You're the one being partisan by jumping to their defense.
Repubs are the worst offenders recently because they are the more recent majority. You get how gerrymandering works, right? Look up NC 12 for Congress; there's some find Dem gerryrigging right there, a model for future line drawers to emulate.
I guess the Republicans have 30 governorships because of redistricting too, right? Or is that ALEC? I can't keep my Bluetard Dance Card straight.
You're the one who singed out Republicans, so you started the partisan thread.
But I never said they were the only ones who gerrymandered. Just like they aren't the only ones who function by corporate bribery. Republicans are just better at that stuff. Also, they're racist idiots.
Democrats are just as good, when they win a majority. Go look at the NC districts from 1990 or 2000– look at how the Democrats won a majority of the US House seats from NC with 43% of the vote in NC, thanks to the 2000 map. Look at Martin Frost's 1990 Texas Democratic gerrymander, that also allowed the Democrats to win 70% of the seats with 50% of the vote.
And Maryland's gerrymander is an amazing work of art that doesn't even make it in that partisan article you linked, thanks to his arbitrary criterion– Maryland Republicans will always get a minority of votes, but it takes some very special district lines to hold them to the one seat. (Carving up Anne Arundel and Annapolis, making sure the rural and mountain counties are separated.)
On the topic of stupid politicians, you have to wonder how Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein retain their seats with all the dumb shit they spew each day. But I guess that's what their gerrymandered congressional districts want!
You mean the state of California was somehow Gerrymandered for a senate seat?
Jesus Christ…seriously?…
Fuck, I fucked up there. Well, I guess I have egg on my face.
Also, they're racist idiots.
It's worth pointing out here that the last surviving KKK member to serve in the United States congress was a Democrat.
Also, Tony beats off at night to his eugenicist fantasies and can't get enough affirmative action. Pots, kettles, something something.
Inigo M.
LOL, dems are just a likely to be racist idiots. Ever since Gov. Wallace, however, they've learned to play the race card in a way that lets them fool more chumps in the general public.
Because he is a Congressman, and he is actually speaking only to his district (regardless of what audience he was in front of when he made the remarks).
His district is primarily rural. The local economy is agricultural (corn, beans, and pigs) that is all mechanical (so no one needs wetbacks to harvest crops) and has a rapidly growing wind-energy sector. It is socially very conservative (Santorum wiped Romney's butt in Northwest IA on caucus night).
While he says incredibly stupid shit in public, he was apparently smart enough to figure out he couldn't carry the eastern half of IA, so he announced very early that he would not run for Harkin's open Senate seat in 2014 (much to my delight).
Iowa has some of the cleanest district lines you'll see in any state. The east half goes for the Dems, and the west half goes for Repubs.
BLEEDINELL
You can say that again
At least we know what happened to HeWhoShallNotBeNamed.
Lucy?
"He" Derp. Nevermind.
Have you ever seen Lucy with his pants off?
I thought Lucy was XXY?
You forgot the "SE."
The irony is that in a free(ish) country, some individuals will say nasty things. So I don't really see the point in saying "I'm ashamed to be an American." Shouldn't you be glad that everyone is free to say anything he wants without state reprisal?
Well there's an entry for Dumbest Thing I've Heard Today.
I don't think so. If someone saying something stupid makes Nick ashamed to be an American, then he really ought to be ashamed to be a human being, since someone is saying something stupid all of the time.
What makes you say that? I was just trying to say that it's good one can say dumb shit without being hauled to the gallows.
It would be far better to say that you are ashamed of American public policy on the issue, American public opinion on the issue, ashamed of how Americans react to asshats like King, etc. Of course, I'm not exactly down with the whole "shame" thing to begin with…
Take, for example, us. I assume we're all Americans. But we think what King believes is stupid, and by extension, U.S. immigration policy. So what's the point in saying "I'm ashamed to be an American" if there are other Americans who agree wholeheartedly with you? It really makes no sense.
it doesn't have to make sense; it only has to make you feel morally superior.
"""Are you really supposed to take a congressman seriously who makes such wild and erroneous claims about criminality among illegals """
Are you saying that there are not more criminal illegal's aliens then valedictorian illegal aliens?
There are no criminal illegal aliens in Reason land.
Are there more? Yes.
Is there a 100-1 ratio of canteloupe calved, drug smuggling illegals? I'd love to see Rep. King prove that.
There are more drug-smuggling Americans than there are valedictorian Americans.
And no doubt the great Rep. King would like to round them up and surround them with some surplus electrified border fence for the rest of their days. After all, he's got to keep the kiddies safe from that evil reefer.
On today's episode of 'Conflate the Statement…"
Homple
Representative King is an idiot, but so are those who think that conditions in the country today are anything like those in the day of the magnet cartoon on the ancient Punch cover.
I know that some of the more conservative libertarians here believe U.S. immigration policy should not be open borders because all the immigrants would swell the welfare roles, so that we should first dismantle the welfare state before even considering open borders. But if that were true – that so many new immigrants would get on the dole – wouldn't that accelerate the welfare state's collapse and allow major reform?
your statement assumes that Congress has an interest in reform, would not print more money to prevent said collapse, or do something else totally inconsistent with rational behavior. Which is why those folks are in Congress.
Yes, I'm actually linking to a Reason piece.
I have seen collapsed countries and its not pretty and nothing says that a collapsed country will turn into anything I would like.
Yup. How many collapsed countries have emerged as liberal states?
The only example that comes to mind off the top of my head is Sweden after the Great Northern War.
This question cannot be answered without more specific parameters.
One fundamental problem with such thinking comes up when addressing endogeneity: Cultural, ethnic, and racial differences undermine support for the welfare state. You cannot just take current outlays, benefits, programs, etc. and extrapolate.
Maybe, but if I were a betting man I'd bet the other way.
How easy is it to reform government schemes that benefit a large proportion of the population, in the context of a constitutional democracy?
The notion that immigration = more welfare is simply false anyway, so bust.
Not really. Because of the nature of our welfare apparatus, more people = more welfare. Their origin is irrelevant. If 10 million babies were born tomorrow or 10 million people were granted legal status tomorrow, the result is pretty well the same.
Shouldn't you be glad that everyone is free to say anything he wants without state reprisal?
Not when that person is in a position to affect federal law.
So, when someone's in a position of power, they should hide their feelings?
I would much rather get a little more honesty from the scumbags.
RagingAlbino
Everyone's giving Nick crap for saying he's ashamed to be an American. For starters, it's probably a hyperbole. And I want someone to explain to me why any person-or even better 'HOW' most person can be proud to be an American? It's the same as saying I'm proud to be white. It's a ridiculous idea. I have accomplished nothing to be white just as I have accomplished nothing by being born hereso there is nothing to be proud of.
I came through a vagina! Nick makes the same mistake by saying he's ashamed to be an American but so do all of you who seem to be proud to be one.
Sorry for the typos. Autocorrect and slow internet is a bitch.
I agree that the very statement is silly. But there's still something irksome about being singled out for being a part of something (even if that something barely makes up your identity). I get that Nick's statement is really more a turn of phrase than a literal feeling he has, but I still find it annoying. It's like he's lumping all of us in for something some asshole politco said since we both share American citizenship.
And I want someone to explain to me why any person-or even better 'HOW' most person can be proud to be an American? It's the same as saying I'm proud to be white. It's a ridiculous idea.
No, it isn't. The US is a propositional, not an ethnic, nation; thousands of immigrants from all around the world make the decision to become American every year and have every right to be proud of what their adopted nation stands for.
Besides, who said that sentiment had to correspond to reason?
That's really what I was getting at though. People who are born as Americans have done nothing to be Americans, yet have nothing to be proud of.
Wow, this politico should mate with the rep on the left who wondered if the combined weight of the military personnel on Guam might cause the island to capsize. Their offspring would probably be so stupid, he'd be a shoe-in to be elected President.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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We all know that healthy eating and exercise are important for the way we feel and look. But, did you know that our hormones also play an absolutely fundamental role in about every aspect of our life.
Hormones affect our body, metabolism, how much fat we have, and our weight. They control our appetite, they affect our energy level, and they influence our mood and emotions.
If your hormones are in balance, your metabolism will improve and your energy level will improve. Hormones regulate metabolism. That's why there are people with fast metabolisms who burn off calories quickly. And there are people who have a slow metabolism which applies calories directly to the stomach or hips. A slow metabolism makes you feel tired all the time. When you have fast metabolism, you burn calories faster and your energy level raises.
What are hormones? Hormones are chemicals released by cells that affect cells in other parts of the body.
All our organs make hormones. Hormones go through the blood and other fluids in our body. Food affects our hormones.
One hormone responsible for blood sugar - insulin stands out above all the other hormones which are affected with the food we eat.
Insulin is critical for hormonal balance. Insulin hormone is made by the pancreas. Medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, and strokes could be caused by insulin. Insulin has a big effect on weight regulation.
Insulin is one of the most important hormones in our body. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats affect insulin. Carbohydrates such as sugar, wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables and grains are primary source of energy in our diet and are necessary for hormonal balance.
The best carbohydrates that you can eat are vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits are extremely low in calories and high in fiber. If you eat these healthy foods, you won't be hungry for bad or junk foods. To achieve hormonal balance and healthy level of insulin, eat fruits, vegetables and healthy carbohydrates.
Eat Are Fruits And Vegetables.
Eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day is a great way to balance your blood sugar and insulin levels.
If you skip meals and then you have huge meals once or twice a day your body will do everything to store the food. Metabolism slows down, you get sleepy and insulin allows the food to be stored as fat instead of burning the food as energy. If you want to lower your insulin levels eat food reach in fiber. Fiber makes you feel full.
The best way to get fiber from food is to eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. High fiber foods can help you lose weight. Proteins are essential for a balanced diet and hormones. Make sure you eat enough protein throughout the day. Eat protein such as egg whites, lean meat, chicken, turkey, and fish.
Eat foods low in fat and eat healthy fats. Good sources of healthy fat include olive oil, avocados and nuts. If we do not have right and healthy eating habits, we can have problems with insulin hormone.
. Physically inactive people are more at risk of developing hormonal problems.
and anxiety cause insulin resistance. By treating these mental conditions, you will lessen insulin resistance.
To prevent problems with insulin and to achieve hormonal balance you need to change poor dietary choices and sedentary lifestyle into healthy diet and fitness lifestyle. Physical activity and exercise is one of the best and natural ways to improve your hormonal balance. Weight training reduces insulin resistance, because it builds muscle and burns fat.
. Low testosterone can result in the growth of male breast tissue known as gynecomastia.
Testosterone deficiency can result in loss of body hair. Alcohol, drugs and smoke have negative effect on normal production and functions of testosterone.
To boost testosterone levels, we come again to the importance of physical activity. Exercise makes muscles physically stronger. To improve your muscle mass you should do weight training. The more muscle you have, the better your metabolism. For a healthy level of testosterone get the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat.
. Growth hormone has effect on increasing muscle mass and decreasing fat. Growth hormone is made in our body, and if you eat healthy and exercise your growth hormone level will naturally improve.
Growth hormone helps you gain muscle and lose fat, improve mood and gives you more energy. Growth hormone is produced while you sleep. Get healthy sleep and your growth hormone level will rise. Growth hormone slowly declines after 30's. Stress is one of the many other factors which can disrupt hormonal balance.
Growth Hormone Is Produced While You Sleep.
. Protein builds muscle. The best physical activity for your growth hormone would be weight training.
Estrogen hormone for women - Estrogen hormone helps development of breast, thighs, hips and buttocks. Estrogen is also responsible for bone health.
Another important female hormone is progesterone which effects fluid retention and weight gain. When the progesterone level is high - usually occurs before menstrual cycle - many women suffer from fluid retention and bloating. The hormone progesterone is responsible for preparing a woman's body for pregnancy.
Avoid salt because salt makes you retain water.
Exercise - physical activity is important for reducing fluid retention.
Progesterone can increase your hunger and appetite; it can make you feel sleepy, tired, and depressed. And this all happens before the menstrual cycle.
Estrogen deficiency in women can cause bone problems. To prevent deficiency of estrogen and bone loss take vitamin D and calcium supplements. Weight training exercises are great for women especially as they age because they prevent bone loss and help you build lean body and lose fat. Fruits and vegetables can help regulate hormones and your weight. Less stress and more rest = better health.
and mood. If your thyroid hormone is under active, your energy level will be lowered, metabolism will slow down and you will feel tired.
Endocrine Glands In The Body.
as fat. Reduced metabolism leads to low energy levels.
People with low thyroid levels are tired all the time. Sometimes thyroid hormone problems can cause your joints and muscles to feel stiff and sore. With low thyroid hormone, skin becomes dry and itchy, hair grows slower of falls out. Low thyroid hormone causes fluid retention resulting in puffiness in the face or around the eyes, swelling of the hands, feet and legs. The lower the thyroid levels, the higher the cholesterol. Abnormal thyroid levels, either high or low, can cause high blood pressure.
To improve or maintain a healthy level of the thyroid hormone do some exercise. Physical activity will help you get more energetic and less tired. If you want healthy thyroid hormone, eat healthy nutritious food.
. This leads to health problems, slower metabolism and weight gain. Cortisol influences the amount of muscle, strength and fat.
The stress that we experience most of the time is psychological stress. Any type of stress can raise cortisol levels. High cortisol levels can cause muscle breakdown, accumulation of fat and metabolism slow down. Cortisol can influence your appetite and increase your hunger for food. This hormone also influences our mood and can be linked to depression and anxiety.
Some stress is normal and we can deal with it. But the stress that never goes away is the one which causes cortisol level to climb.
, cut it down. Reduce stress as much as you can.
Many people use food as a way of coping with stress. Food is comforting, but it may not make the stress go away. Here is what happens a most of the time - you get stressed, you eat and then you gain weight. Use the food because of its nutritional value, not for its ability to make you feel good.
Exercise - Physical activity helps your body to better handle stress. Exercises make your body stronger and healthier. That way your body will be able to withstand the physical drain of stress. Incorporate physical activity and exercise into your daily routine by making it priority.
Control Your Appetite - Do not overeat while you are dealing with stress. Do not use food to comfort you and relieve stress. Comfort foods are usually high in fat, carbohydrates and calories and can make you gain weight.
Meditate - Meditation relaxes your mind.
Massage - Massage decreases tension in your muscle and body.
Sleep And Rest - Giving your body optimal rest is the best way to get new fresh flow of energy.
Establish new healthy eating habits and make exercise your regular habit. Move toward a healthier lifestyle. Changing your lifestyle for the better requires commitment and persistence. The key to success is that the lifestyle change becomes a habit. The key to healthy lifestyle is hormonal balance, healthy mind, body and spirit.


text:
Насловна > Вести > Closing in on measles and rubella in Europe
Achieving sustainable and healthy environments for all: Celebrating 30 years of the European Environment and Health Process
Извор: WUNRN – 12.12.2019
At the First Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in Frankfurt, Germany, held 7–8 December 1989, Member States of the WHO European Region initiated the first ever process to eliminate the most significant environmental threats to human health. That same European Environment and Health Process (EHP) is now marking 30 years since its establishment, with a birthday celebration during the ninth meeting of the European Environment and Health Task Force (EHTF) on 9–10 December 2019 in Bonn, Germany.
In 2017, the declaration of the sixth and most recent ministerial conference on environment and health, held in Ostrava, Czechia, identified seven key priority areas for action, and committed to enhance action at the national level through the development of national portfolios for action on environment and health. Notwithstanding the important progress that has been achieved over the past three decades, six of the seven priorities identified in Ostrava still closely reflect the regional priorities identified 30 years ago in Frankfurt. This indicates that there is no room for complacency and that there is a need for additional efforts to overcome the challenges in environment and health that persist in the Region in terms of:
improved indoor and outdoor air quality;
ensuring universal, equitable and sustainable access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene;
minimizing the adverse effects of chemicals on human health and the environment;
preventing and eliminating the adverse environmental and health effects, costs and inequalities related to waste management and contaminated sites;
strengthening adaptive capacity and resilience to health risks related to climate change and supporting measures to mitigate climate change;
supporting the efforts of European cities and regions to become healthier and more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; and
building the environmental sustainability of health systems.
http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and-health/pages/news/news/2019/12/achieving-sustainable-and-healthy-environments-for-all-celebrating-30-years-of-the-european-environment-and-health-process


text:
geodash.controllers["controller_modal_edit_field"] = function($scope, $element, $controller)
{

  angular.extend(this, $controller('GeoDashControllerModal', {$element: $element, $scope: $scope}));
  //////////////////////////////////
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  $scope.ui = m.ui;
  //////////////////////////////////
  $scope.html5data = geodashserver.html5data;
  $scope.updateValue = geodash.api.updateValue;
  $scope.setValue = geodash.api.setValue;
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  //////////////////////////////////
  $scope.showOptions = geodash.ui.showOptions;
  /////////////////////////////////

  $scope.validateModalField = function()
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    $scope.value_edit_field = $("#modal-edit-field-"+$scope.path_flat).val();

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        $scope.setValue($scope.path_flat, newValue, $scope.workspace);  // field, value, target
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      $scope.workspace_flat[$scope.path_flat] = $scope.stack.head.workspace_flat[$scope.path_flat] = currentValue + 1;
      $scope.setValue($scope.path_flat, $scope.workspace_flat[$scope.path_flat], $scope.workspace);  // field, value, target
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    var currentValue = extract($scope.path_array, $scope.workspace);
    var t = extract(($scope.schemapath_array || $scope.basepath_array), $scope.schema).type;
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    $("#editor-field-"+$scope.path_flat).val(null);
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    try{
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};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub