Ticks
Sunday Jessica and i spent an enjoyable afternoon climbing the Bear's Hump but when we arrived back at the truck we found we were both packing a lot of ticks. So be aware.....they are out and the tick season is only starting. Wait 'till May!!
posted by Blair Piggot @ 3/07/2005 09:30:00 AM
11 Comments
11 Comments:
It is nice to hear about the possible park study on ticks. With the cases of Lyme disease that have appeared among some people, it seems like a good idea. Of course, finding a possible small population that could house it may be tough. This would be even more ture if the infected population only lived for a season or two (long enough to infect those that got it). For more tick info canlyme.com is apparently the best resource by far in Canada. For instance, the standard test used only catches the disease 30% of the time or something ridiculously low like that.
Posted by chris goble
How was the wind, I thought that it would have been howling out there....
Cheers
Posted by scott harms
i don't know if this is the right post to put this under but anyways, I was climbing in waterton last weekend and one the the routes on the south side of crandell was missing most of it's hangers. are bolted routes frowned upon in the park or did someone just take off with the hangers?
just wondering thanks
Posted by nathan
Hi Nathan. I was talking to Mark Kadjik last night at the pool and he said you found a bunch of missing hangers. I am assuming it was one of the slab routes above the government compound. I think Kevin Nehmeth found the same thing last year. I remember leaving not having enough hangers after bolting it. I went back and put the extra hangers on, but again, I was short one, perhaps two. I believe it should be the right hand route (whatever that is called). If any others are missing, someone snuck off with them.
As for the Park policy, obviously I can't speak for them. I think one of the big concerns they probably have is the change in historical use accompanied by an increase in use. Once popular sport areas start appearing, impact probably necessitates a response. After all that is, I beieve, one of the mandates of the park. I think things like easily accessed sport climbs, proliferation of routes that draw numerous people, impact that can be seen by other users are all things that are frowned on. Because of this, I think thought should be given about how much routes on the hump get made unaturally accesible and impacted.
Having said that, things obviously get grey when more remote routes that have no available natural protection get put up. Expert's choice, and the south side of Crandell are good examples. Over the years I have personally debated whether or not a bolted route should be put up through the first band of dolomite at Expert's choice mainly to make the great stuff above more accessible. I haven't done so, because I am still unsure what long term impact that would have. As for routes in question on the slab, I doubt that the half dozen routes in the area (only two of which have, or really could have bolts) would ever qualify for the type of impact that is most likely the park's concern. I believe the routes in question, while well protected, don't have an overabundance of bolts. While they may not be as run out as some of the routes that Brent Mosley put up on the right side of the Reservation Slab at the Gap (specifically because of the concern of over bolting), usually you are only one bolt away from the ground if you fall.
Because of this, I doubt very much the park removed the hangers. It was probably a combination of me forgetting to head back up there and bring up a missing one, and a scrambler getting up a few feet and taking off the first one. From y experience with large organization once something has to be done to the situation large, time consuming policies have to be worked out. Usually these have a heavy hand as they can't meet every exception and individualized situation. So if it was me, I would sit back monitor the situation as needed, hope that people are responisble in not pushing impact in negative ways, and hope that the community is responsible enough to work things out, and use venues like Drywood, Wedge, and Blairmoe as the popular sport venues.
But thanks for the post. If you or anyone else is heading up there again, grab some hangers from me in waterton. Duncan Mackey and Blair Piggot have bought a number of hangers in the past out of their own pocket. I have some in my basement.
Any chance of getting you to post the conditions you found up at Drywood the other week?
Posted by chris goble
last weekend there was still lots of ice in drywood. climbed the gasser on saturday it was wet from when we got there at 8:30. earlier in the week it hadn't started getting wet until the afternoon. really windy so communication was pretty difficult.
Posted by nahan
Thanks for the info nathan. I think I am going to the wall this Monday and Wednesday if you are interested.
Posted by chris goble
i can't make it this week, work is just a little too busy right now. let me know if you are going next week and i can meet you there.
Posted by nathan
sorry for taking so long to get back to you chris. this week has been really busy with work. are you heading to the climbing wall next week?
Posted by nathan
ok. I am going to try to get out on Monday and Wednesday next week.
Posted by chris goble
i am going to go climbing with my wife on wednesday this week. so if you can make it that would be great. do you know anyone with a guide book to skaha that would be willing to lend it out for the weekend?
Posted by nathan
I will be at the wall Wednesday too. I should be there at 7:00 or so. Sorry, no Skaha guide. Are you sure it is going to be warm enough out there? I was thinking of city of rocks for the week, but the group I was going to go with figures it will be too cold. As a result I am thinking of heading down to the desert in Utah instead. I am thinking of some easy boating through Cataract Canyon and then a return hike back to the car.
Posted by chris goble
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