Discussion Topic |
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 14, 2018 - 11:47am PT
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The tourism motto for West Virginia used to be Almost Heaven . . . West Virginia. When I started climbing some Washington D.C. climbers argued that the motto should be Almost Haiti . . . West Virginia.
I thought that was grossly unfair until a local at the New poked a gun in my face because he thought I was trespassing on his land (I wasn't).
The motto is now Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 14, 2018 - 12:30pm PT
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When my mother was researching her Swedish ancestors, she found out that some of them were Sami. Remember the Sami girlfriend in Lilyhammer and her reindeer-herding relatives? Anyway, some of our (putatively) non-Sami Swedish relatives were deeply upset and said that the research could not possibly be true. Our family has never had anything like that. In other words, fake news...
So I doubt whether we should admit those Sami-hating Scandinavian bigots to our union.
By the way, if you were wondering what a Sami looks like, I believe Renee Zellweger is at least part Sami.
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 14, 2018 - 12:42pm PT
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What I meant to say, BJ, is that in 1948 and before, the Norwegian population may have been white but it wasn't uniform. There was the germanic-descended majority and there were the Sami, who were not of germanic descent and who were in some sense indigenous. The treatment of the Sami population by the Norwegian and Swedish governments has parallels to the United States treatment of Native Americans -- attempted eradication of the language, forced education of the young in the majority culture, etc.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 14, 2018 - 02:57pm PT
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I have been living in West-by-God-Virginia for more than 15 years. Married a local girl. My friend call the state West Pennsyltucky.
The state is quite diverse. The southern part of the state is where most of the coal fields are located. Unemployment is very high, as is heroin addiction. The people there are very poor and very, very dumb. The #1 career aspiration down there is to get on disability and collect a government check for the rest of their lives. It's classic Trump country.
The northern part of the state reminds me of Northern California in the 1970s. It's where I live. Very liberal. Lots of hippies and money.
The thumb of WV is more like Virginia and has a lot of the Washington DC crowd.
WV is an outdoor paradise. The skiing isn't so good, but the rock-climbing, whitewater kayaking, and caving are world class. The cost of living is very reasonable. I make more money here than I would in California, and I live in a much bigger house than I could ever afford out west. Crime is quite low. These are the reason that I moved here.
But I do grow tired of dealing with all of the stupid Trump rednecks.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Jan 14, 2018 - 03:01pm PT
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Agreed, I have family there that fought against each other in the civil war.
Please tell me what’s so good about Merryland,er , Baltimore,really.
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Send
Trad climber
Central Sierra
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Jan 14, 2018 - 03:18pm PT
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Probably making shine, meth, growing weed or he was sick and tired of folks poaching ginseng or making shine on his land.
What happened?
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 14, 2018 - 03:35pm PT
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It turns out he was notorious for pointing his gun at climbers. He had a long-standing dispute with the government -- I don't remember whether state or federal -- as to where the boundaries of his land were. Or perhaps part of his land had been taken by eminent domain for building a road. I am not sure of the details. Anyway, he was still convinced it was his land even though everybody else thought it was not. I apologized and went back the way I came.
I understood his point but wished he could have found another way of making it.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 14, 2018 - 09:17pm PT
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Apologies to Sierra Ledge Rat, I was being facetious No apologies necessary! WV is a bit of shithole, but you gotta find your corner of paradise. Yosemite is awesome, but driving through Modesto to get there???? EEEK!
WV is not so backwards. There's a new law - when a couple gets divorced they can still remain brother and sister.
WV has a new state family tree - the telephone pole.
The WV governor's mansion burned down and the governor died. But his wife will not go penniless - she gets his pension as soon as she turns 13.
I actually met a woman who married her brother. I asked her why she married her brother. Her answer (no lie):
I'm kinda shy, and I don't date, so when it came time to get married I thought that I should marry someone I already knew and loved. And besides, I already knew the sex was good.
Once I asked a 4 year old boy what he wanted to do when he grew up. His answer (no lie):
I wanna collect a welfare check just like daddy.
Of course, dad was 400 pounds and had a Trump ballcap.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 14, 2018 - 10:26pm PT
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The northern part of the state reminds me of Northern California in the 1970s. It's where I live. Relatively liberal compared to the rest of the state. More hippies and money than the rest of the state.
Fixed it
I live in Monongahela county, one of the two lightest pink counties in your first image
Logan, Mingo, and Wyoming (darkest red) are in the heart of the southern coal fields, and full of the dumbest people on the planet, i.e., Trump supporters.
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Lituya
Mountain climber
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Jan 14, 2018 - 10:37pm PT
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Just flipping you sh#t. I guess the good people of WV were never rewarded for their Union participation post-1861. Ditto Kentucky. Northern snobbery?
Can't speak for WV, but try to remember that many (most) votes for Trump were anti-Hillary. Given the same two choices today, I'd still vote for him. The other choice was untenable.
Usually not a Wiki guy, but some great breakdowns of the 2016 election here. By state/county chart with links halfway down.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2016
FWIW, NorCal looks pretty pro-Trump too. Except Humbolt County.
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Jan 14, 2018 - 11:16pm PT
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Mountain mama...spent 5 years in Mo’town trying to juggle college and climbing and an unplanned whitewater fix. The place sucks! Please don’t move there! There is zero awesome deep water soloing, just slab climbing, even the backside, bouldering is non-exsistant, and the swimming holes are cold. The whitewater sucks too. If you find yourself there be sure to bring a North Jersey attitude and you’ll fit right in. ;-)
S.....
SLR: you squirt boat?
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Jan 15, 2018 - 12:28am PT
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Sharing jeans is southern hospitality.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 15, 2018 - 01:14am PT
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SLR: you squirt boat? Is there anything else? I live near the infamous Jim Snyder, who taught me squirt boating. (Another reason I moved to WV). Jim and I went squirt boating together in Japan a couple of years ago.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
There is zero awesome deep water soloing, just slab climbing, even the backside, bouldering is non-exsistant, and the swimming holes are cold. The whitewater sucks too. If you find yourself there be sure to bring a North Jersey attitude and you’ll fit right in. ;-)
THAT'S RIGHT! This state sucks. Don't come here. STAY AWAY!
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 15, 2018 - 04:49am PT
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Saw a guy in WVa flying a Confederate flag from his truck. He told me his family had always lived in WVa and that the flag was to honor his heritage. Seemed oblivious to what happened during the Civil War in WVa and how the state came into being.
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EdwardT
Trad climber
Retired
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Jan 15, 2018 - 09:13am PT
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Did someone say West Virginia slogans?
"West Virginia: One Big Happy Family, Really!"
"West Virginia: Safe Sex, We Mark the Sheep that Kick"
"It's All Relative in West Virginia"
"West Virginia is for Loving Your Sister"
"West Virginia is Better If You're Drunk"
"West Virginia: Life is Full of Decisions ... Goat ... Sister ..."
"West Virginia: Now with Sckools"
Hey Bethesda, while we're talking about sh*tholes, how's life in Baltimore?
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 15, 2018 - 09:35am PT
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Bethesda is actually a suburb of DC, and located to the northwest of DC, while Baltimore is to the northeast. DC is between me and Baltimore (I can see DC from my window). So you can ask me questions about DC if you want, although the part nearest to me, northwest DC, also known as Ward 3, is pretty boring.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Outside the Asylum
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Jan 15, 2018 - 10:04am PT
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Bethesda is a village in North Wales.
And Royal Robbins came from West Virginia.
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 15, 2018 - 10:28am PT
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I can give you one shithole story about DC.
There is a wealthy neighborhood (3 m $ houses) near American University named Spring Valley. A hundred years ago the area was undeveloped farmland. The U.S. Army used American University to develop chemical weapons during WWI and when the war was over someone decided to dispose of extra gas weapons by digging a trench near American University and dumping the weapons in. Everyone forgot about the trench and the area was eventually developed with expensive houses. Sometime in the 80s or 90s the gas canisters started leaking and people in the neighborhood started getting sick. The issue was eventually discovered and U.S. Army assumed responsibility for remediation. For the last twenty years, U.S. Army engineers have been removing soil and in some cases houses. There is still a gas alarm system in place; when I ride my bike through the neighborhood, I see a sign saying, if the siren goes off, shelter in place, do not go outdoors. As recently as a month ago, workers at one of the sights were taken to the hospital for suspected gas exposure.
I don't know what remedies homeowners in the area had for loss of property value. U.S. Army did buy the most severely affected houses.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 15, 2018 - 01:18pm PT
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Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye...
The New is freakin' stellar climbing and gorgeous...scuz the pun. Think Endless Wall.............................................................................................$$$
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Jan 16, 2018 - 12:47am PT
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SLR,
That video is rad thanks! That boat is BOSS! Watched many on the New (was a video boater) its definitely 3D boating. You squirt folks...y'all are weird. I like to float a little higher! LOL.
I once saw Jim pass me on the Upper Yough as if he was on a lake, meanwhile I was catching my breath. and I was terrified.:-) I felt very humble. Don't know him personally but I've heard campfire stories....
Cheers!
S...
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Jan 16, 2018 - 07:47am PT
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Finally got out there last year. The New was like paradise. I can't comment on the rest of the state.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jan 16, 2018 - 08:08am PT
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You people in California have absolutely no idea
HaHaHa! Yeah, West Virginny has it all over the Sierras, Yosemite, Josh, Castle Crags, etc. And JTM’s pics don’t show the bugs!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jan 16, 2018 - 09:07am PT
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^^^^ Dood, you crack me up, ABSOLUTELY!
But on the whole I feel sorry for you.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 16, 2018 - 12:46pm PT
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Jan 16, 2018 - 03:58pm PT
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Beauty pics SLR!
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Jan 16, 2018 - 04:01pm PT
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Nice pics,love the Sods.
Reilly,you forgot horny toads,lol. Had one attack my hand on Triple S once.
Blackwater River,Spruce Knob,Seneca Creek Canyon,Whitegrass,Elkins,The Big Sandy,North Fork Trail,the Cheat,Gauley ,Potomac Highlands,Coopers Rock,yep,move along ,nothing to see or do in WV
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EdwardT
Trad climber
Retired
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Jan 16, 2018 - 05:02pm PT
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Yep. Almost Haiti, indeed.
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 16, 2018 - 07:22pm PT
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Haiti is actually supposed to have some stunningly gorgeous areas. At least those that haven't been deforested. But I suppose with our mountain top removal policies we can't criticize.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 17, 2018 - 03:28am PT
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West Virginia is also known for its mountain music festivals - 3 and 4 days of camping and music by jam bands like The String Cheese Incident, Galactic, and West Virginia's home-grown jam band The Recipe.
One of the best music fests was held on the property of the Universal Church of Love & Music (until the church was raided by the DEA and shut down).
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
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Jan 17, 2018 - 06:44am PT
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SLR...Is your sister still single...?
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Jan 17, 2018 - 08:48am PT
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asked the clerk at harpers if they had a real butter as all I could find on display after checking both stores was the fake sh#t that tastes horrible and stops your heart. " real butter? yall got to go to Elkins for real butter" we usually get down there in mid April. They are an easy month ahead of us with the growing season and certainly could run hot houses most of the winter yet there is NEVER any local produce to be had. We see some meat farms but no local meat or dairy in the stores and no local produce. If you can find a tomatoe it is grey,tough and from south America. still love the place :)
The best Tomato you will find in west Virginia. great camping and music killer climbing dumb as fck locals
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California, now Ireland
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Jan 18, 2018 - 10:05am PT
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Bethesda is a village in North Wales.
Anders, when I lived outside Tregarth (small colliery cottage) and worked in Beaumaris (Anglesey) as a press officer for a outdoor management development company (Cornelyn Manor) I used to do my laundry and shopping in Bethesda.
Some great climbing in north Wales.
My mom is from West Virginia, family farm "Twilight" near Wheeling, though Papa Casey was a judge. A large family and most were liberal, after retiring from the bench my grandfather gave his time for free to help the coal miners and steelworkers fight the bosses, and as I have mentioned before, there is a statue of him in Pittsburgh.
I have only been in the Wheeling area and the last time was in 1981 for a cousin's wedding (and not to a relative, hah hah), and most of my cousins are liberal. So I do not know what the rest of the state is like.
Seneca Rocks has a bit of history, correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the 10th Mountain Division of the US Army use the area for training in preparation for fighting in mountainous areas in WW2? And I think perhaps Raffi Bedayn (RIP, a real nice guy) was an instructor or something.
I alway wonder what Seneca Rocks would be like to climb at. And the New River Gorge apparently has some great rock.
Montani semper liberi
EDIT ran across my first copperhead on the farm, at least rattlers warn you, sometimes.
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2018 - 12:11pm PT
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Seneca, for location, has some of the airiest-feeling climbing in the country. And the pitches, though short, are excellent. Not to be missed, although, as I said, not a multi-pitch area. Particularly excellent for moderate trad 7s and 8s, which, IMHO, are worth doing even if you climb at much higher grades. My personal favorite is Sixths Sense, a soft 10 that actually protects much better at the overhang crux than it feels.
Seneca is also excellent for rope-soloing, because of the many snchors at the bases of routes. In contrast, I have found the Gunks to be a poor area for rope-soloing.
By the way, Seneca is mostly a trad area; very few bolted routes.
My wife once stepped on a copperhead on the Seneca trail, near the river (copperheads like to be near the water, I have observed, unlike rattlers -- this may not be true). She was tired, it was the end of the day, she was not looking what she was doing. The snake went one direction, she went in another. So in this instance the copperhead lived up to its reputation for being a timid snake. I doubt a rattler would have reacted in the same way. Although plenty of Virginia climbers have been bitten by copperheads, esp. at Great Falls, Va.
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MarkGrubb
climber
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Jan 18, 2018 - 01:18pm PT
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Having lived a long time in both SoCal and in WV, the size and number of shitholes in CA far exceeds the number size and number of shitholes in WV. Tehachapi, my current home is a close approximation of my similarly-sized sized Appalachian hometowntown, Bluefield.
Same could be said for the relative number of as#@&%es in both places.
If I could pick between socialist CA.gov and Free WV.gov it would be the latter.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 19, 2018 - 05:12am PT
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I alway wonder what Seneca Rocks would be like to climb at. Slick as ice when it's wet
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2018 - 06:05am PT
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You seem to speak from personal experience.
Vulnerable to lightening strikes during thunderstorms too. And if you are climbing on the east side, you can't see the weather approaching from the west.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jan 19, 2018 - 08:23am PT
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And if you are climbing on the east side, you can't see the weather approaching from the west.
Boy, howdy! That’s just like being on the N Face of the Piz Badile and not being able to see the boomers moving up from the Italian plains to the south, with the minor difference being the Badile is a 4000’ face. 🤓
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2018 - 11:01am PT
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Yes, well the Seneca east face is only about one hundred feet high but there is a valley off to the west that funnels storms straight at the formation. And they can move in very quickly and then you are in for a frightening time if there is lightning.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Jan 19, 2018 - 02:03pm PT
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east face definatly more than 100ft.. lost of 2 pitch routes on that side.
seems like the 2nd (good pitches) are 30m but there is some 4th class and then a 10m pitch to get to that long belay ledge....
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Jan 19, 2018 - 03:55pm PT
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That valley to the west is the Seneca Creek Canyon,winding down from Spruce Knob,well known by class 4-5 steep creekers and some climbers.
Up on the ridge behind that east face ,which is awesome,is the North Fork Trail ,a cool knifes edge,that was home of The Knarly North Fork,a MTB race that used to take place yearly.It ran from rt 33 at Judy Gap to the Smoke Hole Caverns.
One had to bring 3-4 spare tubes just to finish that race.
All very cool stuff.Look at all them bugs,lol.
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Gail Hightower
climber
SE
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Jan 19, 2018 - 05:31pm PT
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Southern Appalachia has a crazy amount of climbing in it, and lots of it is stellar.
And the people are usually some of the friendliest you will meet even if the occasional one wants you off their land.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Jan 19, 2018 - 08:16pm PT
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Only had one weird experience down there. Two Fat Podunk greasy sherriff deputys in a filthy ford explorer followed us and pulled us over for driving slow and being tourists. Both of them creepy as fck with sex offender written on their foreheads right between their beady eyes... Have had bear hunters with dogs and guns come through camp at 3am and it was totally cool but these LEO's gave me the creeps.....
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 20, 2018 - 04:47am PT
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One of the yet hidden metoo stories is abuse by law enforcement. A friend of mine had her purse stolen, reported it at the police station, an officer offered to drive her home, followed her into her apartment, tried to assault her. She resisted and he then left. She didn't report the matter because she was terrified, rationally or not, not only of the officer in question but of what other officers on the force might do to her if they thought she had tattled on their colleague. This was not, by the way, in West Virginia.
I believe that a lot of officers know that this kind of abuse of authority goes on but choose to look the other way, most likely out of fear what will happen to them if they are perceived as disloyal to the force.
I myself knew of Harvey Weinstein-type behavior when I worked at various law firms but kept my mouth shut because I thought speaking up would hurt me and not do any good.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Jan 25, 2018 - 10:30am PT
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First time climbing at Seneca I was 8 yrs old. Pretty much grew up there. WV has tons of rock and other great outdoor activities
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Lollie
Social climber
I'm Lolli.
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Jan 25, 2018 - 03:16pm PT
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BJ,
Norway isn't EU. That be like if you'd trade away Canada... :-D
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