TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles

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#59992 - 10/28/02 09:26 AM TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
COL._Von_Spanker COL._Von_Spanker old hand Registered: 10/03/02 Posts: 1050 Loc: Phinney Ridge, USA	Observation Rock: thelawgoddess and I departed from ballard Saturday morning and made our way to MRNP. The skies were clear and the weather was rather chilly, perfect conditions for Ice Climbing! The approach was mellow and went by quickly with the exception of the portion that connected the trail to the base of the climb, which we were told was "across meadows and stuff for about another mile or so to Observation Rock". We were on the Ice later than expected, but we weren't too worried because the climb seemed pretty straight forward. The climbing went smoothly, though the impending darkness started to worry me as we were approaching the final pitches. As I was topping out in the dark I started contemplating the virtues of a 60m meter rope. Under cover of a moonless night and total darkness we casually went down the 'obvious descent gully' which at times seemed like rock, but was actually Ice with a candycoating of rock on top. We arrived at the car around midnight, hurting hungry and tired, let's just say that the semi-frozen can of baked beans tasted very good. High Caliber Rifles: (12:00) So I'm driving down highway 165, when the rocks on the road started looking like leaves and vice-versa, I thought it would be a good idea to take my nap stopped on the side of the road instead of while driving on it, a decision I would soon learn to regret. At around 3:00 AM, I was woken by the sound of a truck driving by at high speed, and then heard the truck slam on the brakes, throw it in reverse and moments later I was peering through the iced over windows wondering if it was a cop there to tell us to 'move along' or some hicks wanting to relive the end of "Easy Rider". I realized it was the latter when I saw silhoette of a gun through the window. I ducked and immediately the air was filled with the smell of gunsmoke, the sound of a high power rifle being discharged, glass breaking, and the truck speeding away. I knew immediatly that we had been shot at, and when the truck was out of sight I started up hte car and raced to the nearest sign of civilization to contact the local authorities, which as we would later find out were not so local. (3:30) Carbonado had no payphones or police for that matter, so we went to the next town, all the while worried that the shooters would drive back by, see the that car they had shot was gone and start looking for us. (3:45) So I hid the car behind the post office in Wilkeson, and hid behind the payphone, which was right on the road, as I called the police. I soon learned that there is no law enforcement in the area, and we would have to wait until a state trooper arrived from Tacoma. (4:30) State Trooper Sleighter arrived on the scene, inspected the bullet holes to verify that they were indeed bullet holes. Trooper Slater determined that the hole in the driver side rear window and corresponding exits holes through the frame of the car on the passenger side were a positive match for a gunshot, probably a high caliber rifle. (5:00) We sat in the car as the trooper contacted whomever he needed to contact, all the while trying to keep warm 'cause it was f'in cold out. (5:30) The trooper informed us that we had to go back to show him the scene of the crime, where he then informed us that we had to accompany him back to the State Patrol Office in Tacoma to fill out paperwork and meet with an investigator. (6:40) Detective Orf arrives and he takes taped statement. (7:15) I am informed that they will have to keep the car for ballistics testing. (7:20) I start making phone calls to find someone who will come pick us up in tacoma. After reaching my sister we are dropped off by officer Sleighter at the nearby McDonalds where we proceeded to wait for 3 hours to get a lift home. Needless to say the employees of McDonalds were starting to give funny looks to the people who were dropped off in a police car, and had been sitting around for a few hours. Finally our ride arrived and we made it back to seattle safe and alive. The moral of the story is shoot first lest you be shot yourself, it probably doesn't hurt to have NRA stickers on the car as opposed to climber stickers, and stay the fuck away from carbonado. I will post photo's of the damage as soon as I have them. _________________________ I am a little bit rusty
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#59993 - 10/28/02 09:27 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
thelawgoddess thelawgoddess professional sprayer Registered: 04/06/01 Posts: 6044 Loc: seattle, wa	needless to say, climbing with the colonel is exciting. _________________________ "life without passion is life without depth."~j.hollis http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelawgoddess
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#59994 - 10/28/02 09:29 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
bobinc bobinc addicted to cc.com Registered: 05/14/01 Posts: 437 Loc: yoyoingonI-5	Geez, what an epic. So much for a harmless day in the mountains, eh? Sorry to hear about the bizarre and (nearly) lethal end to a good climb. I hope you get some satisfaction out of this.
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#59995 - 10/28/02 09:34 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
matt_warfield matt_warfield addicted to cc.com Registered: 07/17/02 Posts: 493 Loc: seattle	I always knew ice climbing was dangerous! Seriously, glad you two were unharmed. I always wondered about the locals in them there parts!
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#59996 - 10/28/02 09:42 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
pope pope spray'prentice Registered: 02/24/01 Posts: 2533 Loc: iso	We can only hope those bumpkins didn't realize you guys were in the car. _________________________ Wisdom is the domain of the Wiz, which is extinct. -FZ
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#59997 - 10/28/02 10:14 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
vegetablebelay vegetablebelay Pooh-Bah Registered: 12/31/69 Posts: 1633 Loc: around here	As mentioned before, Obs Rock has some serious objective hazards!
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#59998 - 10/28/02 10:22 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
erik erik sprayer Registered: 12/07/00 Posts: 9010	you know what makes me kinda wonder...is that the only other reported activity in the area was...Steve Firebaugh.....hmmmmmm after meeting him at the rope up, i wouldnt imagine him being the type to drive his vw vanagon around shooting into vehicles along side the road....but now i wonder?????hmmmmmm he seems strangly silent on the gun topic too...... steve are there secrets??? [ 10-28-2002, 10:41 AM: Message edited by: erik ] _________________________ there has got to be a god; the world could not have become so fucked up by chance alone -abbey
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#59999 - 10/28/02 10:35 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
Greg_W Greg_W sprayer Registered: 03/29/02 Posts: 6736 Loc: Between Bliss & Madness	Actually, I have to admit that the good Colonel asked Trask and I to stage this shooting in an effort to score some "cuddle & consolation" time with TLG. _________________________ "...and on the eighth day/God created the art of war" - Nevermore
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#60000 - 10/28/02 10:40 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
chucK chucK sprayer Registered: 01/12/01 Posts: 5898 Loc: the ruthless 9 to 5	You guys crack me up! What a hilarious shooting incident that was! [ 10-28-2002, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: chucK ]
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#60001 - 10/28/02 10:44 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
snoboy snoboy spray'prentice Registered: 09/11/02 Posts: 3975 Loc: Here, right here.	quote: Originally posted by matt warfield: I always knew ice climbing was dangerous! They say that driving is more dangerous than climbing!!! _________________________ "Attention, the white zone is for weighting and unweighting only!"
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#60002 - 10/28/02 10:48 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
jkrueger jkrueger old hand Registered: 10/16/01 Posts: 818	quote: Originally posted by snoboy: quote: Originally posted by matt warfield: I always knew ice climbing was dangerous! They say that driving is more dangerous than climbing!!! Apparently, parking is even more dangerous than driving! _________________________ "It's not what your therapist would recommend, but it works." ~ C. Palahniuk
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#60003 - 10/28/02 11:01 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
philfort philfort old hand Registered: 10/05/00 Posts: 1172 Loc: Seattle	The area around Mowich Lake Road/Carbonado/Wilkeson is very scary. On a Saturday afternoon, half of all drivers will be drunk. Everytime I've been in that area, I've experienced freaky shit. Last time, a couple of months ago 1) another truck tried to run me off the Mowich Lk road, and 2) while driving through Wilkeson, the car behind me keep veering off the road and driving over people's lawns.
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#60004 - 10/28/02 11:02 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
matt_warfield matt_warfield addicted to cc.com Registered: 07/17/02 Posts: 493 Loc: seattle	quote: They say that driving is more dangerous than climbing!!! Apparently, parking is even more dangerous than driving! Perhaps it's WHERE you drive and park that's important in this case! Nod off in WA, wake up in Appalachia.....
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#60005 - 10/28/02 11:34 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
thelawgoddess thelawgoddess professional sprayer Registered: 04/06/01 Posts: 6044 Loc: seattle, wa	quote: Originally posted by philfort: The area around Mowich Lake Road/Carbonado/Wilkeson is very scary. well, thanks for the warning, dude! _________________________ "life without passion is life without depth."~j.hollis http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelawgoddess
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#60006 - 10/28/02 11:49 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
SEF SEF addicted to cc.com Registered: 12/05/01 Posts: 533 Loc: Seattle	quote: Originally posted by erik: you know what makes me kinda wonder...is that the only other reported activity in the area was...Steve Firebaugh.....hmmmmmm after meeting him at the rope up, i wouldnt imagine him being the type to drive his vw vanagon around shooting into vehicles along side the road....but now i wonder?????hmmmmmm he seems strangly silent on the gun topic too...... steve are there secrets??? detective erik, I agree that the Col’s TR is a rather curious and elaborate story. Notice the timing of the trip, the seemingly a long drawn out defense for the need for midnight roadside R&R, and LG’s own references to the trip using terms “spanked” and “exciting”? Hmmm..... I think you can draw your own conclusions. While I had soloed the same route earlier in the day, I never saw another party I could identify as our two climbers desperate for a roadside wink. I had exited the TH around 1:45 (PM, not AM), and stopped in Carbonado in an unsuccessful search for a good latte. I was at home eating pizza, drinking beer, and watching a bad Bruce Willis movie around the time the Col says they topped out. The only “high caliber” ammunition I own are 22cm ice screws. _________________________ Steve Firebaugh
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#60007 - 10/28/02 11:54 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
erik erik sprayer Registered: 12/07/00 Posts: 9010	hmmm interresting points there mr firebaugh...maybe your evidence of the perculier activites does incriminate the COl...wanting to give up the spanker surname...... was this a setup??? hmmmm whos story do we believe?? was there a in-the-know 3rd party??? more and more questions arise!!! who is trask and why does gregw love dfa soo much??? _________________________ there has got to be a god; the world could not have become so fucked up by chance alone -abbey
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#60008 - 10/29/02 12:14 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
Greg_W Greg_W sprayer Registered: 03/29/02 Posts: 6736 Loc: Between Bliss & Madness	quote: Originally posted by erik: why does gregw love dfa soo much??? WTF??? Dr. Foul Anus is a symbol for everything abhorrent in my world!!! _________________________ "...and on the eighth day/God created the art of war" - Nevermore
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#60009 - 10/29/02 12:14 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
Rick_Sharpless Rick_Sharpless journeyman Registered: 07/01/02 Posts: 98 Loc: North Carolina	Oldest trick in the world. Ask a lady out to do some sort of innocent and enjoyable activity. Stretch it out all day into the night. Get tires or have car trouble. pull over. Have something scary happen. Jack Dupree said: ............All you need is a good woman and you ......................... Sorry Colonel - looks like a setup.
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#60010 - 10/29/02 12:41 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
COL._Von_Spanker COL._Von_Spanker old hand Registered: 10/03/02 Posts: 1050 Loc: Phinney Ridge, USA	Ok, you're all on to me. The old pull over and have someone shoot at the car trick. It works every time. _________________________ I am a little bit rusty
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#60011 - 10/29/02 12:56 AM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
chucK chucK sprayer Registered: 01/12/01 Posts: 5898 Loc: the ruthless 9 to 5	quote: Originally posted by COL. Von Spanker: It works every time. Ah HA! So you DID spank her!
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#60012 - 10/28/02 01:00 PM Re: TR: Observation Rock/High Caliber Rifles
matt_warfield matt_warfield addicted to cc.com Registered: 07/17/02 Posts: 493 Loc: seattle	quote: Ah HA! So you DID spank her! I think the only spanking and other sexual activity allowed in those parts is between family members.
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#60013 - 10/28/02