Climber summits Mount Rainier for 500th time

I saw this on The Adventure Guys blog. Pretty amazing.

At 6:10 this morning George Dunn stepped onto the 14,411-foot summit of Mount Rainier and into the record books.

The 56-year-old guide and director of Ashford’s International Mountain Guides became the first person to successfully climb the mountain 500 times.

Dunn and the six other members of his party left Ingraham Flats at about 11,000 feet shortly after midnight and battled less-than-optimal weather conditions on the way to the summit.

Completing the summit with Dunn was his 16 year-old son, his wife and Phil Ershler. This was Ershler's 440th time summiting Mount Rainier.

Dunn holds the record for the most summits of Mount Rainier and becomes the first to reach 500. Ershler, who completed this summit with Dunn, is number two with 400.

Only eight people have ever made it more than 300 times. The other five people are:

Brent Okita, 405
Craig Van Hoy, 378
Paul Maier, 371
Jason Edwards, 314
Gary Talcott, 304
Robert Link, 301

You can read the full story over at The Adventure Guys blog through The Tacoma News Tribune.

Epic Photo: Casey's car

Note the ICP bumper stickers... yeah, Casey is rolling dirty.

Oh North Korea, you're so North Korean

Showing why they're still the strict, totalitarian country that everyone loves to hate, North Korea put its soccer team from the World Cup on stage for a six-hour shaming.

The entire squad was forced onto a stage at the People's Palace of Culture and subjected to criticism from Pak Myong-chol, the sports minister, as 400 government officials, students and journalists watched.

The players were subjected to a "grand debate" on July 2 because they failed in their "ideological struggle" to succeed in South Africa, Radio Free Asia and South Korean media reported.

The team's coach, Kim Jong-hun, was reportedly forced to become a builder and has been expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea.

The coach was punished for "betraying" Kim Jong-un - one of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il's sons and heir apparent.

The country, in its first World Cup since 1966, lost all three group games – including a 7-0 defeat to Portugal.

North Korea! Where we love doing things that everybody expects us to do! Now lets going shoot some people who were talking about free speech around the corner.

The Spokane Indians keep on rolling

The Spokane Indians won the first half championship for the Northwest League East Division, and kicked their feet up for some a day's rest. Then they lost their second-half season opener against the Eugene Emeralds on the 28th.

The 29th though? Well that game was pretty much a one-man show for the Indians. 

The Indians Bullpen must get bored when Chad Bell is pitching, for the second straight start Be went 7 innings, tonight allowing only 1 run on 3 hits. The Indians look to take the series advantage tomorrow in the third game of the five game series with the Emeralds.

This evens their record to 1-1. Remember though, they're already guaranteed a spot in the NWL League divisional match up for the postseason.

Morning coffee... July 30, 2010

Are the Boston Red Sox and baseball in general... boring? Bill Simmons thinks so.

National News

Albert Haynesworth fails physical conditioning test
And just happens to be the highest paid Redskins player. Hooray!

Oswalt to the Phillies
Or they could have just kept Cliff Lee, but whatev.

Local News

Mission Valley Mariners win state tournament opener.
In convincing fashion, they knocked around the Outlaws 18-6

Pug sings Batman

This made me laugh. He sings about as good if not better than Brandon.

Man gets pierced by steel rod, survives

This... is what I would classify as a "bad day."

This is from the Austria Times (I found it from the Tosh.O website).

Carpenter Lu Jiang, 43, is recovering after surviving this incredible accident where his body was pierced from top to bottom by a solid steel rod. He told docs he had been working on the second floor of a new building at Sichuan in South East China when he had slipped and fallen onto the steel bar protruding from a concrete slab. It had pierced his body just below the waist and came out on the other side of his body by his neck.

He said: "I hit the ground pretty hard but my first thought was 'God I am still alive'. I could see my hands and my feet and nothing seemed to be broken but then I found I couldn't move and I thought my back was broken. It was then that I felt a steel rod coming out of my back - and then realised it had gone in through the bottom of my body. "

I was terrified - everyone was looking at me and some had covered their faces in horror - I was pinned like that for more than an hour until emergency services could cut me free."

Lu is the luckiest son of a gun on earth or unluckiest... I really can't decide. And now, I'm going to go vomit.

Nickname for Eastern's Red Turf

Eastern Athletics are running a fan vote contest to help find a nickname for the new red turf the debuts this fall.

And I must say. All the choices are terrible. Just awful.

Now I'm a huge fan of the red turf. I think it will be sweet. But these nicknames are just horrible.

Here's the list and why each choice is bad:

Red Sea - Red Sea, Sea of Red. These are Nebraska. Everyone knows that. Don't use it.

Red Zone - No. This is from the 20 yard-line to the goal line. Not a nickname for a field.

Inferno - Really?!?! I didn't know we were choosing a nickname for a WNBA team.

Big Red - Like the gum.

"So kiss a little longer, Make it last a little longer, Longer with Big Red! That Big Red freshness lasts right through it, Your fresh breath goes on and on, While you chew it! So say goodbye a little longer, Make it last a little longer, Give your breath long lasting freshness with Big Red!"

Red Carpet - Please tell me you're not serious! Can you say bad porno.

Ring of Fire - Like Johnny Cash. I went down, down, down into a burning ring of fire...or bad nicknames.

Lava Pit - Look out for dinosaurs!!!

You can vote at goeags.com.

I hope none of these win. I'd rather see Grizzly Blood Rug.

At the time I wrote this there were 31 total votes with Ring of Fire in first with 10, Red Zone with 7, and Inferno and Big Red tied with 5.

Dancing kid

While watching the Flathead Lake Hoopfest, this kid came out to show his moves. Watch out B.O.B!

Glacier National Park: Part Two

Here is Part Two of mine and Brandon's trip to Glacier National Park.

This is our hike to Hidden Lake.

Part Two includes: hiking to Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park, Logan Pass, Brandon chased by a goat and beautiful views.



Watch Part One here.

Miami extends former Griz players' contract

The Miami Dolphins just extended the contract of former University of Montana kicker Dan Carpenter. The new three-year deal will be worth $6 million.

It comes on the heels of Carpenter's first Pro Bowl selection in just his second year in the league. The 24-year-old made 25-of-28 field goals and all but one of his 38 extra point attempts in 2009.

Carpenter has been Miami's full-time kicker the past two seasons.

Morning coffee... July 29, 2010

The Mission Valley Mariners had their bus break down on their way to the district tournament in Hamilton. The bus broke down again this week on their way to the state tournament. Good omen? The Mariners won districts. Read the full story here.

College News

MSU steer wrestler looking to be tops in at the Last Chance Stampede PRCA Rodeo
I was unaware that the Big Sky Conference had rodeo as a sport, but it's true.

National News

Orioles hire Buck Showalter as manager
Making ESPN the best farm system for prospective managers.

Strasburg on 15-day DL
What happened to that awesome shoulder that wasn't supposed to break down?

Terrell Owens already screws up
Owens misses plan to Bengals camp. Awesome.

Thank A Ranger Day

Today, July 29, is Thank A Ranger Day.

Thank A Ranger Day was initiated back in 2006 by RMNPforums.com and RMNPguide.com in memory of Jeff Christensen, a ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park who died in a fall on July 29, 2005, while on a backcountry patrol.

Many National Park travelers use this day to thank rangers that they come across in the park. But you don't need a special day to thank them for what they do.

Rangers provide a number of rolls within the parks that tourists visit. They answer questions, provide information and maps, offer suggestions on hikes or destinations, host campfire activities for children and also know first-aid and respond in emergency situations.

So the next time you see a Ranger in a park. Thank them. For if it wasn't for the work they did, you wouldn't have the parks that you love to visit.

Good Morning! Glacier Park Edition

Glacier Park is...

1. Is where I've seen the biggest concentration of people in the entire state of Montana. It's also the only place in the state where I've seen a traffic jam.

2. The one place in the United States where bears can get drivers licenses. They also have a labor union.

3. Is only slightly smaller than the outfield for Safeco Field. Good thing the M's built their team around pitching and no offense whatsoever.

4. Is like Canada without hockey, Canadians, poorly maintained roads and a terrible health care system.

5. Is the only place where Starr Jones could go to feel small.

The pope likes baseball!

All of a sudden it's cool to be Catholic.

Jack Hanna is pretty awesome

So I spent roughly half an hour last night surfing the internet looking for a way to survive a bear attack. None of them were very helpful.

You’d think the people writing the articles would try to be helpful and somewhat optimistic. Things like “By doing these actions, you too can survive a bear attack” would be nice. However, their tone was more like a goth kid trying to explain the meaning of life to you. “You probably made the bear angry and unless there’s a hill you can run up too with a Sherman tank waiting for you, you’re pretty much screwed.”

Thanks, Internet.

However, zookeeper and all around nature stud Jack Hanna has given us all new hope. Remember when he would bring snakes on the Late Night show to eat Jay Leno. Along with hoping the snakes would actually eat Leno, I always marveled at how calm Hanna was when handling the animals.

“This snake it the most poisonous in North America… and I’m going to put it in my armpit.”

He was just as calm two weeks ago hiking in Glacier Park with his wife Suzi and three other hikers. Walking on the Grinnell Glacier Trail, he encountered a Grizzly Bear and her two cubs.

Hanna had the group back track and get about 30 feet above the trail to let the Grizzlies walk by. One of the snotty cubs decided to stop and get fussy.

“The one youngster stops… and the hair starts going on its back and I said, ‘Oh shoot’,” Hanna told the Daily Interlake.

At this point, I would have done two things.

1. Wet my pants.
2. Pushed my fellow hikers down on the trail and make a run for it.

Hanna is not that kind of guy though, which makes sense. He’s the Chuck Norris of outdoor people and I’m the Kevin Federline of journalists.

He busted out the bear spray and laid down a cloud of smack down to ward of the bear. It came within ten feet before getting a wiff of the stuff, shook its head and bugged out.

Say hello to Jack Hanna, professional zoo person and grizzly bear enforcer. How many famous people can say they’ve came face-to-face with a large furry bear and survived?

Except for perhaps any guest stars on “Care Bears” nobody can really make that claim except for Hanna. I mean we can only imagine if the likes of Danny Bonaduce and Snooki were on that Glacier Park trail.

Boise State... where we judge people

God I hate Boise State. What a lame school. What a lame color of turf. What an uppity president that should probably learn how to run the whole PR stance thing a little bit better.

BOISE, Idaho -- Boise State University president Bob Kustra says his remarks about a bitter football rivalry with the University of Idaho, in which he called Vandal culture "nasty" and "inebriated," came out harsher than he intended.

But Kustra is defending his stance that there's no reason for the Broncos to continue traveling to northern Idaho to play the Vandals on their home turf in Moscow.

Kustra's criticisms of the Vandals came during an interview with the Idaho Statesman editorial board Tuesday. Kustra later said in a prepared statement to Idaho media that questions about the rivalry "hit a sore spot" after someone sent him a recent opinion piece entitled "Reasons to Hate Boise State" from the University of Idaho student newspaper.

"It troubles me that the occasion of an annual football game causes the air waves and Internet to be full of disparagement of Boise State's students, faculty and programs, year after year," Kustra said.

I hope the Mountain West puts Boise State in its place and the Broncos get five wins next year. Five wins! That would be awesome. Oh and I've made a few slogans for Boise State...

Boise state...

1. We've been running off the same BCS Bowl win for years now.
2. Remember that win we had agianst Oklahoma?
3. We have cool turf too.
4. Other small schools aren't as cool as us. Oh and we're not a small school. Yep wait... yeah we're a small school.
5. Idaho, go drink your beers.. we're a college, it's not like we have any drinking going on here.

Glacier National Park: Part One

Here is Part One of mine and Brandon's trip to Glacier National Park.

This is our journey there.

Part One includes: our road trip to Glacier National Park, our attempt to find a campsite for the night, and driving up the Going To The Sun Road.




Tune in tomorrow for Part Two: Hike to Hidden Lake.

Morning coffee... July 28, 2010

Montana will play the University of Tennessee next season and play potentially in front of the biggest crowd in school history. They'll also receive a nice big fat paycheck for their time.

While the Griz probably wont win this game and it shows you just how college athletics works (read: money), I applaud Montana for actually scheduling somebody tough in their non-conference schedule.

Coming from Eastern, I watched my Eagles play plenty of play-up (FCS to FBS) games because we're a poor school and we need the money. It's honestly nothing to be proud of since it would usually hurt our record and we'd always start Big Sky play with two losses on our record right out of the gate. However, I'd always use that as ammo when talking to Montana fans since it seemed they'd schedule the "North Dakota school for the kids that are really talented" and "North South East West Canada University" for their pre-conf. schedule.

I can't say anything bad about Tennessee though. Read the full story here.

College News

MSU Women's Basketball Team to take on Baylor
I know it's a ways off but Baylor was a Final Four participant last year.

EWU's red turf ahead of schedule
As much as Montana fans hate it... it's coming!

National News

The Pope rocking a baseball cap
And thank god he's not a Yankees fan.

NASCAR owner Jack Roush injured in plane crash
Which begs the question, why wasn't his butler flying the airplane?

Bosh slammed by Raptors
... and everyone is shocked there is still a basketball team in Toronto.

New PAC 10 logo

The PAC 10 is gaining momentum across the nation. To help with their goal of not being overshadowed by the East coast schools the PAC 10 added two more schools and almost caused the destruction of the Big 12.

Once Colorado and Utah join, the Conference announced the name will change to the PAC 12.
And sticking with the theme of change, the PAC 10 unveiled a new logo.

Here's the old logo:


And the new:

What do you think about the change? I really like it. The new logo is crisp and sharp. It features the mountains of the northwest, the ocean waves of the coast and the desert sun. Pretty sweet.

Also what's pretty sweet is that it's almost football season. Check out this preview for PAC 10 football.

MC Spandex is at it again

If you're into cycling, you might have heard about Robin Moore aka MC Spandex. He's the guy who made the music video last year about Performance.

Well he's at it again. This time he's off the road and hitting the woods. And it's awesome.

Here's his first video from 2009. Performance:



And now...Get Dirty:

Spokane Chiefs on EA Sports NHL 11

I am. So excited. Check out :50 of the video.

Behold the power of Megazord!

You can rest easy tonight citizens of Spokane, the evil menace "Megazord" has been apprehended by Spokane Police. Thank god, I was about to call the Power Rangers.

SPOKANE, Wash. - Alleged graffiti artist Zakk M. Holder, aka Megazord, has been arrested. Spokane Police say that just after 5pm Monday night, Officer Shaney Redmon arrested and booked Holder into the Spokane County Jail on a City Malicious Mischief misdemeanor charge.

Holder's past criminal history is full of similar charges of malicious mischief. Police say Holder prides himself on tagging any piece of property located in downtown Spokane with "Megazord" and similar monikers. According to police Holder spray paints "Megazord" or "OSN" or "MZ" in different variations. He has allegedly caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to downtown business properties over the past four years.

Anytime somebody is named "Zakk" you know you're going to have some serious issues. Luckily, we no long have to worry about him going all sharpie on our bar bathroom bulletin boards.

Bear steals car

Bears do steal cars. And they are willing to do it for anything. Even a peanut butter sandwich.

Brandon vs. The Goat

The last few days I've spent out in Montana. One day Brandon and I went hiking around Glacier National Park.

And while there Brandon met his arch nemesis.

Peter Griffin of Family Guy has The Chicken. Brandon of Just South of North has The Goat.



I'll get the video from our whole trip to Glacier National Park up soon.

Indians clinch playoff spot

After starting the season 1-7, the Spokane Indians have clinched the first half championship in the east division of the NWL. That gives them a playoff spot regardless of how they finish in the second half of the season.

SPOKANE, WA - The Spokane Indians were able to lock up a NWL playoff spot tonight by clinching the first half championship in a 7-0 victory over the Tri-City Dust Devils.

The Indians needed a victory in one of the two doubleheader games, and a Boise Hawks loss to clinch the playoff spot. Game one did not go the way that Spokane had hoped losing 10-3. In this game, Left fielder Jared Hoying hit his sixth home run of the season tying him for the NWL lead. The home run was also Hoying third consecutive game with a home run.

Before the second game began, the official score was reported from Yakima; the Bears beat the Boise Hawks 8-2. That was all the motivation the Indians needed for game two.

After a scoreless first, the Indians got the train to the playoff rolling in the second inning when designated hitter Andrew Clark scored on first baseman Clark Murphy's sacrifice fly. The Indians added two more runs in the fourth inning when Clark scored again, this time on a second baseman Santiago Chirino double. Murphy would later score while Chirino was caught in a run down between third base and home plate. Hoying scored another run in the fifth to give the Indians a 4-0 advantage.

The Indians locked up the victory when they added three more runs in the sixth inning from Murphy, catcher Kevin Torres and Chirino. 

This is great but what the heck do they do for the rest of the season?

Morning coffee... July 26, 2010

The St. Louis Rams are reportedly interested in Terrell Owens since they have no one on the depth chart at wide receiver except for a bag of Skittles. Read the full story here.

National News

Hornets not taking offers for Chris Paul
Which would defeat the whole purpose of him asking for a raise.

Soccer player thought to be dead is alive
Mistaken identity case... really weird.

Local News

The Mission Valley Mariners won the Legion district tournament this weekend, they'll get the west's No. 1 seed in the state tournament starting next Thursday.

Morning coffee... July 22, 2010

Ty Wiggington wasn't happy last night. You can click here to see why.

College News

Montana Tech women's basketball signs JC transfer
Quanessa Batiste of Mansura, La., has signed a letter of intent to join the Lady Orediggers.

Eastern edges Montana for Big Sky Conference President's Cup
For the first time in that school's history, they're the most successful school in the conference on the field and in the classroom.

National News

Stephen Jackson gets robbed
The Charlotte Bobcats player lives in a gated community in a two-million dollar house and got robbed. Kind of scary stuff for pro athletes. Look for his stuff to pop up on Ebay.

Chris Paul has asked to be traded
Uh-oh New Orleans is in trouble. And... let the rumors of him going to Miami begin!

Local News

Your Mission Valley Mariners won their opening game during the Legion Baseball District Tournament, defeating Glacier 13-9

Former Bobcats QB to start in CFL

Former Montana State QB Travis Lulay will be suiting up for the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League

VANCOVUER, British Columbia — Former Montana State quarterback Travis Lulay will make his first start of the season for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League when they visit the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night.

Lulay replaces Casey Printers, who suffered a knee injury two weeks ago, as the Lions (1-2) try to end a two-game losing streak.

“It’s unfortunate for Casey that he is dinged up. That’s the nature of the business sometimes,” Lulay told the Canadian Press. “I have been preparing myself mentally to be ready whenever I got the call. It’s this week and it’s time to go.”

Lulay’s last professional start was June 3, 2007, when he played for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe. The Thunder lost and Lulay was injured during the game and didn’t play for the rest of the season.

I remember Lulay playing against Eastern and us hating him a lot. But hey, sounds like he's doing pretty good for himself. I will say that it kind of sucks for these FCS players now that NFL Europe is no longer in business. At least there you were one step away from the NFL, the CFL and AFL are considerable more isolated and separated from the big time.

He's a good QB though, I expect him to do well.

Rafting down the Flathead

Since today is Thursday, all our articles get published online. Here's my experience rafting down the Flathead River and through the Wild Buffalo Rapids. Here's a little snippet...

"I love 15,000, I love 15,000!" he sang.

Matt Bishop, a rafting guide for the Flathead Rafting Co. located in Polson, was adding a melody during the bus ride to the launching point about the current cubic pounds per second that the Lower Flathead River was flowing.

I'm not the most adventurous of people. I don't wear socks two days in a row, I drive five miles below the speed limit and have nightmares about spiders. I'd much rather have heard "I love slow flowing water with nary a bump," or "We're going to the laundromat instead."

You can read the full story here.

Morning coffee... July 22, 2010

What the heck Pete Rose? What the heck?

College News

Bobcats have five players named to preseason All-Big Sky
I'm just saying... Montana State will be a force to be reckoned with this year.
 
National News

Baseball player's wife pleads guilty to kidnapping
She stole a baby and told the player that he was the father... parent of the year!

Contador set for title
I have no idea how the Tour de France works but they say he's got it in hand.

Local News

The Missoula Osprey fell to the Orem Owlz last night 2-0 on the road.

Man in trouble for mailing letters to wife's cat

This man is in trouble for sending letter's to his wife's cat. What would have happened if he mailed their dog?

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah man is accused of violating a protective order because he allegedly sent letters to his estranged wife's cat.

Authorities say 32-year-old Ronald Charles Dallas, of South Salt Lake, was ordered not to contact his wife, who is the alleged victim in a domestic violence case against him.

Prosecutors allege Dallas mailed 11 letters from jail that were addressed to her cat Molly Judge and a neighbor, but were intended for his wife. They say the letters asked her not to testify against him.

Does the cat have a little cat mailbox?

Spokane Indians drop out of first place

The Spokane Indians have dropped two straight against the Boise Hawks and have fallen out of first place in the Northwest League East Division. They've been close games, 11-10 on Monday and 3-0 on Tuesday. Tonight they'll kick off a six game homestand at Avista Stadium. Well make that seven games as they'll play a double header on Sunday against Tri-Cities to make up for a rain out.

Preseason poll for Big Sky out...

College football is coming! College football is coming! WOOOOOO! And the Big Sky Conference just released their latest coaches and media polls. The Montana Grizzlies were picked (big suprise) to repeat as conference champions. The No. 2 team?

The Eastern Washington University. You'd better watch out Montana! My Eagles are on your coattails! Although, I have to say that I'm approaching this season with guarded optimism as the Eagles are starting a new quarterback this year. Remember the last time that happened? Chris Peerboom... bleech.

Montana loses a lot of starters too, so even though the coaches and media seem convinced (I mean, what do they know anyways) that they're a shoe-in this year. I'm going to again be guarded with that selection because Montana State and the rest of the Big Sky look pretty competitive this year.

Coaches Poll
1. Montana

2. Eastern Washington <---- GO EAGS!

3. Montana State
4. Weber State
5. Northern Arizona
6. Sacramento State
7. Northern Colorado
8. Portland State
9. Idaho State

Media Poll
1. Montana

2. Eastern Washington <-- We'll get you some year, Montana!

3. Montana State
4. Weber State
5. Northern Arizona
6. Sacramento State
7. Northern Colorado
8. Portland State
9. Idaho State

In the Media Poll, Eastern Washington got one first-place vote, so did Northern Arizona. Montana got the other 40. I'm guessing the Spokane and Flagstaff beat writers decided to stick their tongues at the Griz.

In the Coaches Poll, Montana got eight first-place votes and Northern Arizona got one. Beau Baldwin is probably the one, that's my hunch.

Mount Rainier Wonderland Trail Preview 3

It's time for preview number three of the Wonderland Trail.

The Northern Rangers take off on our great Wonderland Trail adventure tomorrow.

The last two days I've previewed the history and facts about the Wonderland Trail and about wilderness permits and campgrounds on the trail.

Today I'll cover the gear that we'll be packing on the trip.

Gear for the trip

Like any mountain, the weather on Mount Rainier can change very quickly. And storms are a normal occurrence. Because of this, we have to plan ahead and use the Boy Scout motto. Be Prepared.

Here's what we will be bringing on the trip:

BACKPACK

• 1 backpack
• 1 backpack rain cover

CLOTHING (this includes what I will be wearing)

• 2 long sleeved shirts (synthetic, polyester material)
• 1 pair of hiking pants (Bear Grylls style)
• 1 pair of hiking shorts
  
• 3 pairs of underwear
• 4 pairs of smart wool socks
• 3 pairs of liner socks
  
• 1 pair of hiking boots (pre-broken in)
• 1 pair of sandals (or camp shoes)
• 1 brimmed hat
• 1 fleece
• 1 raincoat
• 1 stocking hat
• fleece gloves
  

OUTDOOR GEAR

• 1 pocket knife
• 1 first aid kit
• 1 stainless steel water bottle
• 1 headlamp (spare battery)
• 1 compass
• emergency blanket
• 1 canister bear spray
• trekking polls
• map
• small journal and pencil
• wallet-sized waterproof container (put in cash, credit card and photo ID)
• 1 roll duct tape
  

COOKING

• 1 camp stove
• gas for stove
• waterproof matches
• food (enough for trip, plus two emergency meals)
• water filter
• 1 heavy duty plastic spork
• snacks
• Gatorade powder
• 1 cooking pot
  

BED/SHELTER

• 1 tent (mine is REI quarter-dome three backpacking tent)
• 1 sleeping bag (temperature according to area)
• 1 sleeping pad (foam inside for insulation)
• 1 travel pillow

PERSONAL HYGIENE

• 1 tube toothpaste
• 1 toothbrush
• 1 roll toilet paper
• 1 stick deodorant
• 1 container dental floss
• 1 bottle fashwash
• hand sanitizer
  
• quick-dry towel
• 1 bottle sunscreen
• 1 bug spray
  

Lady Gaga says no love for her dancers

I'm going to state something that everyone already knew. Lady Gaga is crazy. (see the Kermit outfit to the right) But apparently she is very serious on her current summer tour. Very serious.

Lady Gaga allegedly banned all her dancers from having sex while they’re on tour. “She wants them to give 100 percent on stage so she doesn’t want them wasting energy on bedtime action,” the source said. “In saucy routines during the show she pretends to have sex with some of the dancers and wants these bits to look as real as possible. She’s a perfectionist and wants every aspect of the tour just right.”

The question is did she ban herself? Because she certainly didn't ban herself from acting out at baseball games.

Mount Rainier Wonderland Trail Preview 2

Welcome to the second preview of the Wonderland Trail.

The Northern Rangers set off on our adventure later this week.

Until then, here's today's preview about how to obtain permits for the hike, as well as the campgrounds on the trail.

Wilderness Permits and Campgrounds

Wilderness permits are required for overnight camping year-round. These permits help to disperse traffic and keep track of users of the trail.

To obtain your permit, you must submit your application early. The first day the park starts accepting them is March 15 each year. However, the rangers don't begin processing permits until April 1. The way it works is all of the permits received between March 15 and April 1 are processed first, then the permits are gone through by date received after April 1.

For more information on how to apply for a permit visit the Mount Rainier National Park Wonderland Trail permit web site.

The Wonderland Trail has eighteen wilderness camps and three non-wilderness camps. Each campsite has designated tent sites, a vault toilet and water nearby (aka creek, river, stream).

The Mount Rainier National Park site lists each of the campsites and their elevation.

Hiking from Longmire in a clockwise direction, they are:

• Pyramid Creek- (no group site) 3,765 feet
• Devil's Dream- 5,060 feet
• South Puyallup River- 4,000 feet
• Klapatche Park- (no group site) 5,515 feet
• North Puyallup River- 3,750 feet
• Golden Lakes- 5,130 feet
• South Mowich River- 2,605 feet
• *Mowich Lake Campground- 4,929 feet
• Ipsut Creek Campground- 2,330 feet
• Carbon River- 3,195 feet
• Dick Creek- (no group site) 4,185 feet
• Mystic Camp- 5,570 feet
• Granite Creek- 5,765
• Sunrise Camp- 6,245
• *White River Campground- 4,280 feet
• Summerland- 5,940 feet
• Indian Bar- 5,120 feet
• Nickel Creek- 3,385 feet
• Maple Creek- 2,815 feet
• Paradise River- 3,805 feet
• *Cougar Rock Campground- 3,180 feet

* denotes non-wilderness campground

For the hike, we planned our route based on distance, as well as our own personal abilities in hiking. Since we are in hiking shape, this is how our trip itinerary turned out for campgrounds:

Day 1 - We'll leave the Mowich Lake Trailhead and set up camp at Carbon River Camp. Distance- 9 miles.

Day 2- Carbon River Camp to Granite Creek Camp. Distance- 9 miles.

Day 3- Granite Creek Camp to White River Camp. Distance- 9 miles.

Day 4- White River Camp to Indian Bar Camp. Distance- 9 miles.

Day 5- Indian Bar Camp to Maple Creek Camp. Distance- 13 miles.

Day 6- Maple Creek Camp to Pyramid Creek Camp. Distance- 14 miles.

Day 7- Pyramid Creek Camp to South Puyallup River Camp. Distance- 8 miles.

Day 8- South Puyallup River Camp to Golden Lakes Camp. Distance- 12 miles.

Day 9- Golden Lakes Camp to South Mowich River Camp. Distance- 7 miles

Day 10- South Mowich River Camp to Mowich Lake Trailheads. Distance- 3 miles

Total is 93 miles. Man am I excited.

Check back in tomorrow for another preview of the Wonderland Trail, with the gear to pack on the trip.

History of American Cycling: Part 8

Versus has been running an awesome series of videos throughout the Tour de France on the history of American cycling. Today's feature was very touching even if you know about the story of Fabio Casartelli.

Here's Part 8:

Mount Rainier Wonderland Trail Preview 1

Thursday the Northern Rangers will set off on our great adventure of 2010, the Wonderland Trail.

Our trip will last from July 22 - August 1. Each day this week, I'll be previewing the Wonderland Trail in preparing the readers for our trip.

On Thursday we'll head up to Mowich Lake and camp. Getting up early on Friday we'll hit the trail.

(And you can bet that there will be some great Northern Rangers videos when we get back)

History of American Cycling: Part 7

Versus has been running an awesome series of videos throughout the Tour de France on the history of American cycling.

Here's Part 7:

Indians sweep Canadians

Let's hope that the Oakland Athletics aren't looking to their farm system for some bullpen pitchers. The short-season Single A affiliate Vancouver Canadians have been terrible in their series against the Spokane Indians. Oh yeah, and they got swept.

SPOKANE, WA - It's rare that a five-game series is swept by one team, but the Indians accomplished that feat tonight in front of 6,111 faithful fans by beating the Vancouver Canadians 8-1. The victory also gave the Indians the season head-to-head win against the Canadians six games to four.

Indians starting pitcher Juan Grullon left the game with a undisclosed injury after just 1.1 innings, making way for relief pitcher Tim Stanford to pick up his first win of the season. Stanford pitched four innings, allowing only one run on four hits. Pitchers Jimmy Reyes and Justin Earls finished off the five hit pitching gem. Indians pitcher held Vancouver to just nine runs for the entire series.

Indians hitters did what they have done all series, beating up the Canadians starting pitcher early and built a big lead against the bullpen afterwards. The Indians new second baseman Santiago Chirino provided an early run, hitting a line drive single in the first, and later scored on a single by designated hitter Andrew Clark. In the second, catcher Brett Nicholas and right fielder Josh Richmond scored and by the third inning the Indians had knocked out Vancouver starting pitcher Nathan Long. The Indians then scored four runs in the fourth inning, giving them 25 runs against the Canadians bullpen in the series. 

At 16-12, the Spokane Indians are a half game up on the Boise Hawks for the lead of the Northwest League East Division. 

Morning coffee... July 18, 2010

Just shortly after USC got slammed with massive NCAA sanctions, new Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has been plugging his new book on being the coach of the Trojans. Is that right? Read the full story here.

National News

Big Ten hold championship game at Lambeau Field?
Wouldn't that be interesting? Lets see you top that SEC.

Charles Woodson saves man from house fire
More awesome Green Bay Packers news.

"Major League" dies at age 70
Best on screen manager ever. May he rest in peace.

Spokane Indians back in first place

How about that boys? These Canadians have some pretty terrible pitching. The win puts Spokane in first place of the Northwest League East Division.

SPOKANE, WA - While a sold-out crowd of 6,845 feasted on $1 hot dogs, Pepsi products and ice cream sandwiches thanks to Yoke's Fresh Markets and 92.9 ZZU, the Indians feasted on the Vancouver bullpen for seven runs in the last two innings to win 9-5.

Indians starting pitcher Nicholas McBride was up and down all night, giving up three runs on six hits. The Indians infield defense helped McBride, keeping six runs from scoring. The Canadians stranded a total of 15 base runners tonight. After McBride turned the game over in the fifth, the Indians bullpen combined for six strike outs, and allowed only one run.

After Vancouver pulled Joseph in the sixth, the Indians bats went to work. Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, shortstop Jurkison Profar hit a hard double to center field, followed by a walk by third baseman Michael Olt. First baseman Clark Murphy drove them both in on a double to center field. Murphy lit up the IHOP Sign tonight, giving everyone free pancakes by going 4-4 with four RBIs. The Indians went on to score three more runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to win the game.

Have you been to these feast nights? Some people bring bread bags and fill them with hot dogs... probably to feed themselves until the next Family Feast Night that the Indians put on.

Speed Racer passes away

Sad day for Racer fans.

Peter Fernandez, who voiced the iconic character in the American import of the 1960s Japanese cartoon and who also wrote the lyrics to the indelible theme song, has died.

He succumbed to lung cancer at 83, according to the Anime News Network .

And of course, who could forget that theme song?

Go Speed Racer Go!

Shock still Arena Football's best

Still the most underappreciated story of Washington sports this year is how awesome Spokane is playing. They won another game, and they're a league-best 12-2 on the season.

The Spokane Shock didn’t play perfect football Friday, but they managed to keep their unblemished road record intact.

The second-ranked Shock built a big early lead, and then weathered a rough patch late in the second quarter and early in the third before subduing Iowa 48-42 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Spokane won its 10th straight to improve to an Arena Football League-best 12-2. The Shock are 7-0 in road games. Iowa, which handed Spokane its lone defeat in the 2009 arenafootball2 season, dropped to 6-8.

Spokane can clinch hosting rights throughout the playoffs with a home victory against Chicago next Friday.

Do you think the Seattle Seahawks will win half as many games as the Shock this year?

Sharktopus trailer

Brandon loves bad monster movies. Therefore he's been waiting for Sharktopus for years. Oh boy.

Spokane blows out Canadians

USA! USA! USA! The Spokane Indians started out the season as the whipping dogs, now they're in second place of the division, just a half game out from the lead. They've hit their stride, knocking the Canadians around yesterday.

SPOKANE, WA - The Indians may never have an easier win this season, scoring 10 runs in the first three innings to cruise past Vancouver 10-0 in front of 4,200 Indians fans.

Left fielder Jared Hoying started the scoring quickly for the Indians, turning a 4-0 walk into a run when first baseman Andrew Clark hit a line drive single. Hoying had another fantastic evening at the plate, safely getting on base three times, scoring each time. Hoying has raised his batting average from .158 to .258 in the last seven games.

Third baseman Michael Olt had a break out night for the Indians. After a first inning full count strike out that Olt questioned, he stepped up in the second inning and crushed a home run over the Gus Johnson Ford truck sign in right field. The home run was his third of the season. Olt stepped up again in the third inning and hit a line drive double into center field that scored another two runs. He finished the night with five runs batted in on two hits.

Look for more updates throughout the season, I'll try to cover this team pretty hard on the blog. Casey might cover the Everett AquaSox, or the Seattle Mariners. Both aren't as good as the Indians.

Epic Photo: Adventures in Montana

See the terrified guy not paddling? Yeah that's me.

Morning coffee... July 16, 2010

Russell Branyon will be out for two days for the Seattle Mariners after stubbing his toe opening curtains in his hotel room. READ THE STORY HERE.

College News

MSU adds junior transfer to football team.
Is anyone pumped for football season?

National News

US Olympians get their gold medals back
From the 2000 Olympics... wow OIC, way to move so quickly.

NCAA Football for EA Sports is released
WOO!!! Remember when I asked if anyone is pumped for football season?

Penny Hardaway to join the Miami Heat
I really wasn't expecting them to go to NBA Jam for their players.

Local News

Don't forget that it's the last home game of the year for the Mission Valley Mariners. They'll take on the Bitterroot Bucs today at 4 p.m. in Polson. Be there at Legion Field for sure!

Bicycle ride today

Any town that has a market is awesome in my book. This is the Ravensdale Market in Ravensdale, Washington. Please note the inner tube tied to the post, the logo of lanterns and the DUEL satellites.

The reason I post this is I went on a 50 mile ride today and wound up in Ravensdale. Now I'd been through there as a kid, but I had no idea that the roads connected to Issaquah. Until today.

I took off down the road this morning just going to ride an out and back. In my opinion out and backs are the WORST types of rides. I hate them. They are nice for the fact that you know to make 50 miles, ride 25. Then turn around.

But they stink in the fact that you have to see everything twice. I prefer a loop. A giant loop is more fun in my opinion. But since I didn't know a 50 mile loop I figured I'd just ride for 25 miles then turn around. Boring.

But I did find that the winding and hilly road out of town lead me to Ravensdale.

That's the best part about these training rides. Is just riding and exploring. Going places I would never just get into my car and drive too.

For the ride itself I did 50 miles. Averaged 16.2 mph and it took just about 3 hours exactly. I was excited with the results and the whole ride my legs felt really strong. Hopefully this training is working so I'll be ready for the People's Coast Classic.

The Rockies are evil!

The smooth voice of "Sunday Night Baseball" on ESPN thinks those dastardly Colorado Rockies are up to no good. He thinks they've been smuggling in baseballs not put in a humidor that negate the thin air of Coors Field. Scandal! I say. No word yet on if Joe Morgan has taken credit for inventing the humidor yet.

Thank you Jon Miller for keeping the integrity of the game intact. How dare they mess around with baseballs. Really in the 100+ years of baseball, when has anyone messed with the balls? Nope never. NEVER! They never scuffed those things up or added some sort of abrasive to them...

Renshaw disqualified from Tour de France

It was a strange finish in today's stage of the Tour de France. Mark Cavendish got his 3rd stage win of the Tour, but his teammate Mark Renshaw got thrown out of the Tour after the stage thanks to some unsportsmanlike conduct on the final stretch.

Check out the finish and the questionable move by Renshaw. (BTW that's Garmin-Transitions rider Julian Dean he's headbutting.)



Renshaw also rode across the path of American Tyler Farrar, preventing Farrar from challenging Cavendish for the win. Here's what Farrar had to say after the stage.



Tour director Jean-Francois Pescheux reviewed video of the incident and decided that Renshaw's questionable actions and poor sportsmanship should result in his disqualification of this year's Tour.

I agree and think that he deserved to be thrown out. The contact he made with Dean was not incidental and he could have caused a serious crash at the finish. It was the right decision by Pescheux.

What do you think? Was his disqualification justified?

Morning coffee... July 15, 2010

John Daly tees off during the British Open. Really, there's no explanation needed here.

College News

Wilson to play for Montana after getting aquitted for murder charges
He was one of the best corner's in Montana history, but he'll need to return to old form after a long, long layoff.

Montana adds four transfers to the roster
Two kids from junior college and two kids from Pac-10 schools.

National News

Iroquois lacrosse team defaults on world championships game
If you've been following this, it's utterly ridiculous. The games are being held in the UK and the British wont recognize the Iroquois passports. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.

Titans' Chris Johnson wouldn't mind a short-term deal
I'm not dogging on Johnson but he's got to realize that running backs are less important these days. 

Local News

The Mission Valley Mariners will take on the Bitterroot Bucs tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Polso

Mike Tyson likes soccer

Mike Tyson is apparently now a soccer fan, which makes the sport about ten times more interesting. I would, however, be worried for big-eared english fans on the opposing team that Tyson is rooting for.

Tyson's been poking around Europe doing some speaking engagements, but for some reason this took him to the town of Peterborough. After surprising diners at a curry house by showing up and ordering six custom vegan dishes (he's a vegan now, apparently), he took in a soccer game.

Wearing a Peterborough uniform, he gave a rousing halftime speech. Just see if you're not inspired:

I've never heard of Peterborough before but as soon as I heard it was West Ham I thought, we've got to really give it to them."

It didn't work; Peterborough lost 2-1. But all was not lost. Tyson happily posed for photos with players after the game. And, as unconfirmed rumors have it, he only charged them £30.

Oh he's vegan? Nevermind about the ear comments then.

Bear commercial

Brandon saw this commercial when he was little. He's been afraid of bears ever since.

John Daly, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Here's a photo of John Daly from the British Open. Apparently, he was thinking it was being held in the Bahamas.

Reasons why you're still single... You love Cheetos

"Our state GIS guy sent me these pictures. They’re of his coworker’s chair. Apparently he likes to eat Cheetos at work and then wipe his hands on his chair. This is what happens after years and years of eating Cheetos. I do not recommend this."

... and that is why, Mr. Cheetos Man, you're still single.

Harsh words for the AFL

A staff writer for ArenaFan.com has basically written off this new league, in one sense or another. 

The AFL doesn't care about its statistics or fielding good refs that have a clue how to read a rulebook. So many teams could care less about fielding competitive teams and are just going through the motions of playing the season out. Enough of the players don't care that it is really starting to show.

So why should I, or any of the other hundreds of thousands of fans of this league care anymore? Yes, I'm still going to find myself going to games for the rest of this season and into next year, if for no other reason, it is a social outlet for myself with a lot of the friends that I have built through this league through the years.

But no, I'm not amused anymore. If I was sitting down and watching this crazy indoor game for the first time this season, I'd be turning off the television set and forgetting that it ever existed. In fact, even knowing my history and having the love for the game, it seems to me as though all of the fun that used to exist in the AFL is quickly leaving.

Hopefully when next season rolls around, the game won't be this painful to watch or ultimately, it won't just be the fun that is a thing of the past. The Arena Football League as a whole will probably be a thing of the past as well.

I'll agree that the refs in the league are terrible, but wasn't it understood from the start as being a hyrbid of the af2 and the AFL. And also keep in mind that the af2 was financially viable whereas the AFL wasn't. It's also a very big presumption to say that the players don't care. Sounds like a kid crying to mommy. It really does. 

History of American Cycling: Part 6

Versus has been running an awesome series of videos throughout the Tour de France on the history of American cycling.

Here's Part 6:

Boise St. gets new turf

Apparently the blue turf wasn't blue enough for the Boise St. Broncos as their installing new turf of... GASP!... the same color.

This marks the only thing interesting about the state of Idaho. Well that and Wallace, Id. which is the center of the universe and the most interesting town I've ever driven through.

Also don't forget that Boise State is about to get upstaged by the Eastern Washington Eagles and their red turf. Coming this fall! Whoot!

Redhead Festival and Irish Festival

I'm thinking that JustSON's very own Brandon Hansen should check this out.

It's the World's Largest Redhead Gathering and Irish Festival will be held in Dublin, Ohio on August 6, 7, 8 2010.

There will be such contests as "most freckles", "greenest eyes", and "reddest hair."

As for the Irish Festival, offers loads of Irish entertainment, information and celebrations.

Photos from Casey's camping trip

Thanks to the modern marvel of Facebook, I ran across these photos of Casey camping this weekend in the state of Washington. Judging from them, I would assume there were no survivors.

"That fire looks like it needs a poke, no need to get a normal sized poker, let me get a small California Redwood to poke at it."

"The fire is dying! Here, let me use this WSU chair as fuel. This should go up into thin air quicker than Paul Wulff's coaching career."

"You know that forest fire they're having in Wenatchee right now? Yep, that's not me. Nope, not me. Nope. Not me.... NOOOOOPE...."

UCLA WR transfers to Montana

And the rest of the Big Sky Conference thinks to themselves "oh crap."

MISSOULA — UCLA wide receiver Antwan Moutra is transferring to Montana.

First-year Grizzlies coach Robin Pflugrad offered Moutra a scholarship when Pflugrad was an assistant at Oregon.

Moutra’s high school coach, Greg Goodyear, said Pflugrad told Moutra he had a chance to play the slot position on the right and could catch 50 to 80 passes.

Goodyear said Moutra liked the college-town atmosphere of Missoula and how the fans embrace the team.

I'm not one to freak out over the chances of my Eagles, but EWU gets transfers from places like SMU. Montana? Freakin' UCLA. When is Lebron James going to become a Griz and announce it on TV?

Epic Photo: Now that's a pizza

Saw this on Huckleberries...

Pizza chefs cut pieces from a large pizza in Sao Paulo, Brazil, earlier today. Sao Paulo’s Tourism Office celebrated World Pizza Day on Saturday. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

History of American Cycling: Part 5

Versus has been running an awesome series of videos throughout the Tour de France on the history of American cycling.

Here's Part 5:

History of American Cycling: Part 4

Versus has been running an awesome series of videos throughout the Tour de France on the history of American cycling.

Here's Part 4:

History of American Cycling: Part 3

Versus has been running an awesome series of videos throughout the Tour de France on the history of American cycling.

Here's Part 3:

History of American Cycling: Part 2

Versus has been running an awesome series of videos throughout the Tour de France on the history of American cycling.

Here's Part 2: