Plucky
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Posts posted by Plucky
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Sorry, I don't get the chance to check the site much from work. I was supposed to have internet at home last Friday but it was discovered that the 40 year old wiring in my apartment needs to be replaced before it will function. Ughhhh.....
To be technical, a lot of what people are calling mini-glaciers or small glaciers aren't actually glaciers at all. Those are simply remnants of glaciers or 'dead ice' as we always called it. An actual glacier must exhibit some form of motion either through internal processes or basal sliding. For this to occur the general rule of thumb is that the ice must be at least 50 meters thick for internal deformation to occur. Below 50 meters, the ice tends to take on a state of plasticity where the deformation occurs. Above 50 meters is the brittle zone where crevasses reside. That's a general summary at least.
It can be hard to tell what a true rock glacier is. The term is fairly ambiguous and the criteria for classification varied. I know that a lot of them do exist in the Alps, however, but they are usually pretty large and quite noticeable. To be termed a rock glacier, down slope movement and deformation must be present the same as a regular glacier although occurring at a much slower pace.
I've been on this rock glacier across from Atlin, BC. Pretty damn cool!
It's on Atlin Mountain (wow, it's actually sunny there in this pic - rare!)
So, in summary, just because ice is present does not mean that you are looking at a glacier. Generally, if no firn is present late in the summer, you are looking at dead ice. With rock glaciers, you generally want to look for small ridges (similar to how cooling lava looks) which are telltale signs of down slope movement.
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I was browsing through google maps today looking at some of the peaks in the NW US and was a bit disheartened by what I saw. Many of the glaciers I used to ski on in the summer are disappearing very, very, very, very, very, very, very fast. Very fast. The glacier I fell/slid down for 300 meters on the South Sister in Oregon 7 years ago is now nothing but a tiny patch of firn (it's shaded). It saddens me.
Humans have almost surely impacted the climate on Earth. In the 70's in Los Angeles, for example, the air was almost unbreathable and blue sky days almost unheard of. With the advent of cleaner burning fuels and toughening of enviro regulations, drastic changes for the better have ocurred even with double the population in the area.
Okay, I've rambled on enough
Great pics spud - looks like it was a great trip! Only 10 days until I head down to Austria!!! Also, we're expecting some snow over here starting Thursday. I highly doubt it will stick but it will be nice to see the white stuff again. I got an email the other day from a friend in Alaska - they just had a 12" dump the other night. Of course, I leave and they have the beginnings of a bomber winter. Man, same thing happened when I left Japan
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Quote:Originally posted by cal:
...on which one of The Internets is The Google?
I forgot which one of those is a series of tubes?
Ted Stevens - one of the bigger douche bags in politics. I always got chills when I had to fly in to or out of Anchorage's "Ted Stevens International Airport."
The basic premise of politics in Alaska: "If you vote democrat, they gonna take all ya alls guns away. Vote republican! There's plenty of land to hide the meth labs and pot fields from them bible thumpers!"
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I was looking for a good "fish on!" picture but couldn't locate one. I suspected your words were chosen with the same care as a fly fisherman rifling through his tackle searching for the perfect fly for the conditionsQuote:Originally posted by Ocean11:
Hi Ocean!
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Ocean is correct. You can't trust ANY Americans.Quote:Originally posted by Ocean11:
You can't trust Americans. They say they don't torture people either.
By the way, I thought I'd share a picture of my bedroom. The Germans seem to dig it!
SerreChe - any time on the glacier stuff - as long as it doesn't involve the math related to internal deformation processes
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I'm headed down to either Stubai or Kaprun in two weeks for 3 days on the snow! Two weeks after that it's back down to Austria at either Stubai or Kaprun (can't remember which trip is which) for 5 days of skiing. Any trips planned yourself? I can't wait to ski in weather warmer than -30c!Quote:Originally posted by db le spud:
Plucky - the season is slowly approaching, some snow on the Austrian glaciers. I don't think you have been nationalistic for ages, what's up there? What did Alaska do to you?
I've never been all that nationalistic. I was simply defending the 50% of Americans who didn't vote for the moron currently running the country. Okay, so I got a little out of hand at times, but I just blame that on me being an Arschloch also Maybe Alaska froze that out of me? I did have to use an outhouse for 4 months last winter due to a frozen septic system. I think I found inner peace and tranquility on those pitch black mornings sitting on a plastic toilet seat chilled by the -40 degree air. Ahhh, memories......
SerreChe - are you bucking for Don King's position?
He is right, though. German isn't all that difficult once you get the basics down. I had somewhat of a background in the language so it's been easy for me to pick up again. A great program that I'm using is "Instant Immersion German Deluxe." It's only 40 dollars and is pretty good. Great for vocab building and sentence structure. You should check it out spud.
To keep this trainwreck on topic - can I get Vegemite in Germany? It's been almost two decades since I tried the stuff. It's gotta taste good on at least one of the thousands of types of bread over here! -
Hi Ocean!Quote:Originally posted by Ocean11:
> Our resident kneejerk American nationalist Plucky.....
Gut zu sehen, dass Sie noch ein Arschloch sind!
(Hey, at least I used the formal 'you', purely out of respect) -
Emo music is worse than rap. But not as bad as country. However, Cowboys and Gangsters are both more fun to hang out with than Emo people.
On the contrary spudo. Look at America's infatuation with movies such as 'Revenge of the Nerds I/II/III', characters such as Flounder and Pinto from 'Animal House', the lovable nerds from 'Old School', the TV show 'Freaks and Geeks', The Shermanator from 'American Pie', Jerry Lewis - wait, that's the French. You get the drift. Americans better start embracing geeks even more in the future, however. A lot of them seem to be shooting up schools lately.Quote:I don't hate highschool geeks like American's doPS - I was a straight-A geek in high school myself. I just also played sports year-round. I was a jeek - or gock - something like that.
Here's one Emo definition:
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What do you mean? There are great waves in Germany! (Taken a week and a half ago in Munich)Quote:Originally posted by le spud:
I'm not a surfer because I live in Germany
I still haven't tried it but can't wait to. I was with friends in Munich for Oktoberfest and we were pressed for time. Next go around I'm taking a board down.
I don't know if I would consider myself a surfer but I sure lived the life for 7 straight years and got more waves than you can shake a stick at (Coastal Oregon, North Shore of Oahu and then living on the beach in Japan).
As for Japan, I lived on the Pacific way up in Northern Honshu. The waves were nothing special but we were out in them as much as possible. Loved the summers and the 3:45am sunrises - now that's a dawn patrol! 'My' beach, like most Japanese beaches I visited, was disgusting. Concrete, jetties that served no purpose, garbage from the fishing boats, etc.... It really is a shame that the beaches aren't treated with more respect, but I digress.
Oh, and give me that perfect powder day, sun shining, nobody else around, not a sound to be heard except the tree tops rustling in a light breeze, a 360 degree view of snow-capped peaks, two feet of fresh snow and a 10 foot drop in to a sun-kissed tree-lined chute...............
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Well, we couldn't get the proper tickets booked to make the trip happen. I spent hours on different online sites trying to make it work but it just wasn't in the cards. I was even checking connections through Rome, Madrid, Paris, Brussels, etc.. Lisbon is a popular destination this weekend me thinks. Instead, we're just going to meet up in Prague like originally planned and then head down to Oktoberfest after that. I could think of worse trips
I really was looking forward to surfing, however. I guess I'll have to wait until Christmas when I'm planning to head to Portugal with my neighbors.Thanks for the tips and advice! One thing I've learned is that even if a trip doesn't pan out, you sure do gather a lot of information about an area by at least trying to plan it! This will make the next time much easier.
PS - it was Faro, not Fora. Sometimes I get dyslexic with the vowels......
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I'm planning on meeting some friends down there at the end of next week (big swell coming in!). I know you recently did a trip down there and was wondering if you could offer up some advice.
My buddy, who is currently in Ireland, thinks that heading down to Fora would be best while I think sticking around the area north of Lisbon would work out better.
Some considerations; we would need to rent boards. He didn't bring any from the states and I'm not going to lug mine down there. Also, we need to be in Munich on the 20th in the early evening to check in to our hotel. I think this would be easier if we were near Lisbon as Fora has no direct flights to Munich that I can find. However, my friend is concerned that the area around Lisbon (about an hour north actually) will be too busy with the new swell and all of the holiday makers enjoying the end of summer.
Any advice? Thanks!
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Oktoberfest should be interesting. I'm actually glad that I'll be going during the week instead of on a weekend. I've been to a couple of Volksfests in the area already and they can get quite crazy! I'm sure the craziness is a few magnitudes higher at Oktoberfest. I've heard some wild stories.....
I still have not made it in to the Alps since I've been here. I really, really need to get down there before the snow starts flying to do some biking and hiking. I've just been too damn busy with the move and entertaining visitors. Things should quiet down after this last round of friends comes out in 3 weeks.
A co-worker and I drove back from Munich 3 weeks ago on A-9 and were consistently doing over 200 kmh. He has one of those new-fangled Mustangs that hauls ass. It also helps that the A-9 runs through the backwoods of Germany so traffic really isn't that bad. Over by Frankfurt.... fugetaboudit! I could only manage 130 in my Jeep last weekend - whoopee!
Yeah, because I only had a months notice from the company to move they let me ship the Jeep over. It's slow but I love having my own vehicle over here!Okay, back on topic (what the hell, eh?) - I'm going to hit up the dune again tomorrow. I'll try to get some pics from the top this time. I'm actually looking forward to sliding on the sand again - and the complimentary leg burn that will no doubt come with it! Is it winter yet? I'm jonesing over here......
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Are you planning on hitting up Oktoberfest? I'm going to be there with some friends from the States on Sept 20th and 21st.Quote:Originally posted by le spud:
I will be renting a car some time in the next 2 months and exploring down around Munich for a weekend, so I'll let you know. Hopefully it will have cooled down by then. cheers
Let me know when you do head down this way. Munich is a very easy 2.5 hour train ride and an even shorter drive. I'm a little tentative to drive the Jeep on the Autobahn for that distance, however. It would be great to hookup for a beer in Munich. I've gotten to know the city quite well in the past few months and really enjoy it down there.
I'll PM you my handy number as the time gets closer.
Are you planning on doing much skiing/boarding in the German/Austrian area this winter? I can probably get you in on some very cheap package deals. I'll send you the details once the trips are published in a month or two. -
You pretty much have total control once you figure out the right way to distribute your weight over the skis or board. The hardest thing to get used to was using the short skis that they had as rentals. The longest they had were 150's and I usually ski on 185's to 192's.Quote:Originally posted by snosurf:
That looks like fun..... I used to do a bit of sandboarding at the beach here. All I remember is that it was nothing like snowboarding. You have far less control, in fact i'd go as far as saying you are completely out of control!
However this looks different, as long as you are on a real snowboard or skiis I suppose it must have definite similarities to sliding around on snow....
As Markie alluded to, the sand is very tough on the bases of the skis/board. I won't be taking any of my personal sets of skis there anytime soon! However, I am going to use my own backup pair of boots next time. The ones they had as rentals absolutely sucked and were quite disgusting.
le spud - You were looking for a good way to get your legs in shape? C'mon down! What, it's only about an 8 hour roundtrip for you
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It was somewhere between 26 and 28 and not a cloud in the sky. 'Bout time too - this has been one crappy August for weather over here.Quote:Originally posted by Markie:
That looks like a bit of fun. What was the temperatures when you were there and what altitude is that at?
I'm not sure how high the thing is. I plan on taking my gps next week to find out. I'll also get some pics from the top as it is steeper than these pictures indicate. It's probably around 28 or 30 degrees (angle of repose of sand). -
Okay, so falling down hurts a bit more than on the snow, you tend to get very, very dirty and the skiing isn't what I would call top-notch. However, this place is a great way to stay in ski shape during the no-snow months providing turns akin to skiing in the wettest, heaviest snow imagineable.
Many moons ago I did some dune skiing in Oregon and thought of it as purely novelty. Fun, but not something I'd be doing all of the time. Little did I know that 14 years later I'd move to a place where there existed the largest dune in all of Europe complete with a lift to the top.
I 'discovered' Mt. Kaolino in Hirschau, Germany this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised. It's approximately a 30 minute drive from my place and is relatively inexpensive to experience (8 Euros for one hour of lift rides AND board/ski/boots rental). Getting used to skiing in the silica-rich sand didn't take long - about 1/2 a run and a bit of elbow blood were all that were needed to get used to making quick and decisive turns.
I plan on going back many times over the next couple of months. I can't think of a better way to get my legs in shape for the upcoming snow season. Between a couple of gnarly mt bike rides and the skiing this past weekend, my legs are wasted on this fine Monday morning
On hot days (like Saturday) they water the dune with sprinklers to keep the dust down and the sand somewhat 'fast'. The 'lift' is in the bottom right corner.
Some obstacles I'd like to try out one of these days (closed this past weekend unfortunately).
A dual slalom course was set up which some of the more experienced people were ripping up.
Link to an article I found on the place: http://www.peruboarding.com/Sandboarding/Germany/germany.html
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You should never rely on anything battery powered in the wilderness. Always have a map and a compass if trekking off in to the unknown and know how to use them!Quote:Originally posted by Toque:
Before you get a GPS read some good books on map reading. You'll get a lot more out of your new GPS if you really understand how to read maps. Understanding contour lines isn't enough.Quote:Originally posted by Kumapix:
Any good recommendations for a gps for the mountains?
any experience with Garmin?
I've used garmin gpss quite a lot. But not in the past 3 years. I stopped using gps units just as they were coming out with the ones where you could see the topo map on the screen. Those are interesting but they don't compare to having a much larger map in front of you
As far as recreational GPS units go, I'm sold on the Garmin 60 series. I personally have a 60CS and love it. If I would have waited a bit longer I could have gotten the 60CSx (removable memory) and am kicking myself for not doing so. The units are virtually bulletproof. In Alaska I would strap mine on to my snowmachine to map trails when it was -35C out and it never died as long as I was using the Energizer lithium batteries.
I've used a lot of different GPS units in my time and I've found the Garmins to be the best for recreational purposes. When your talking feature to feature and monetary comparison, it's hard to beat the 60CS or CSx. -
Very nice! I share a lot of the same sentiments as you and have noticed things to be quite similar where I am at. The people here are generally the nicest I've ever met as far as strangers go. Since I speak German moderately, they really seem to appreciate it when I try, even if I have to stumble around a bit with the words. It opens them up to speak what English they know and they seem to like to practice it on me once they know they can revert back to German if necessary.Quote:Originally posted by le spud:
Is Bavaria treating you well?
I'm really digging the city I live in also. It's nowhere near the size of Dusseldorf, but to me it's quite large and there always seems to be something going on. Completely different from any other place I've lived in the past 10 years. It's very centerally located so getting to places like Regensburg, Munich, Nurnberg, Prague, Bayreuth, etc... is very easy. Berlin is pretty much a straight shot up the Autobahn also. Having the train station only a 5 minute walk from my apartment is a huge bonus. I've already taken advantage of that a few times. With the daily Bavaria rail pass, train travel is super cheap (especially compared to Japan).
And yes, the food and drink here is fantastic! The food is just so damn fresh and for the most part, it's all natural. The market across from my place mainly sells Bio products which are great. I love the saturday market in front of the Alt Rathaus (old courthouse) - fresh meats, fresh fruits and veggies, flowers, crafts, wines, etc.. and it's all very reasonably priced.
I think my biggest gripe so far is the business hours most places hold. It makes it very tough to get any shopping done after work. This usually leaves Saturdays for shopping and getting my errands completed. The city is just an absolute madhouse on this day, however, which means doing anything takes twice or three times as long. I am getting used to it, however and learning how to somewhat avoid the crowds.
Once I get settled in and get my goods from AK in a couple of weeks, I'll PM you. I may be up in your area next month. If you ever find yourself down this way, let me know.
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Okay, back to the world cup!
Saturday is going to be fun! It will be interesting watching my upstairs neighbors during the Germany/Portugal game. He's German and his fiance is Portugese. I bet they'll both be bummed when I speak with them tonight. They went down to Munich to watch the games at the Fan Fest and both are coming back this evening after watching their teams lose.
I kind of hope Italy wins on Sunday. Their are a lot of Italian restaurants in my area and maybe the pizza will be extra good (or possibly free!) if the Italians can pull off a victory! -
a 24 pack of Miller Lite 12oz cans on an American base in Germany = 22 dollars
a crate (20 bottles) of .5L local Pils or Helles at the market across from my apartment = 12 Euros
Hmmm, which is the better deal?
I love love love the German beer! However, for each half liter I drink I must do one of the following: play basketball for 30 minutes / ride 5km on my bike / lift weights for 30 minutes
After last Fridays German football match I spent the weekend riding 30km (some tough hill climbs), lifted weights for 2 hours and played ball for 4 hours. The celebratory Germans would have kept me up until 4am anyway so it was best to join in on the party!
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I've had basically the same discussion about this topic with my upstairs neighbor. He said he's never seen anything like this in the country before.Quote:Originally posted by le spud:
I know this isn't the thread for long posts that are indirectly related to the actual matches, but too bad................
How did the people on your side of the country handle the loss last night? I've never seen such a dejected mass of people in my life. Thousands were filing out of the downtown area and all you could hear was the shuffling of feet and the occassional I-tal-ia...oohhhhh oh. It was a great game, however and I really enjoyed it considering I was sitting with 1,000 complete strangers.
spud - how ya adjusting to Deutschland? I'm really liking it here so far. Now, if only my stuff from Alaska would show up I could do some camping, fishing, biking and hiking! The slowness of the shipment is getting a tad ridiculous! -
LOL - I hope so! I don't get 50 holidays a year like the Germans so it's important I get my work-week sleep!Quote:Originally posted by scouser:
England will beat Germany in the next round. They will get much quieter then
This is what it was like when Germany won last week. Pictures taken from my upstairs neighbors balcony.
(This is a great pic at it's original size of 42"x38" )
The girl's shirt said "Not everything is flat in HOLLAND" PS - all of these cars were honking and people were screaming for about 3 hours after the game was over. They just kept driving by and driving by and....... I was really wishing I had a paintball gun by 1am......
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Hey all
The World Cup has been an absolute blast this year. Although I haven't made it to a game, I've had so much fun watching games with the locals in the city I live in (Weiden id OPf). There is definitely a noticeable difference between the WC here in Germany compared to when it was in Japan. The entire country, from the biggest city to the smallest village, is completely in to this tournament. The Germans went absolutely bonkers the other night when they won in stopage time. I was kept up until 3am which made getting up at 6am for work rather difficult!
This past Saturday I went to Nurnberg for a day trip and to check out the WC festivities. It just happened that Croatia and Japan were playing the next day there. I had a lot of fun talking with some of the many, many Japanese tourists and supporters in Nurnberg. The Croatians were more in to getting drunk by noon while the Japanese were taking in the sites. However, there were some early Japanese revelers and they looked to be having a great time with some of the Croatian fans.
Even the gnomes were posing for pictures Japanese-stylee!
I can't believe this is still in fashion
A fantastic WC so far! I'm leaving work early today to BBQ with my German neighbors and their friends and watch the Germany game. If they win, I hope it's a tad quieter than last time but somehow I doubt it!
Next, the US just needs to beat Ghana on Thursday and Italy needs to whoop the Czechs for the US to advance.
Good times indeed!
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Hey Ocean,Quote:Originally posted by Ocean11:
What are you doing in Germany Plucky?
I'll be doing 3D terrain mapping, basic GIS and GPS surveying for the Grafenwoehr/Hohenfels Army training areas. That's my niche (the 3D terrain stuff). Maybe I can learn something from the Swiss cartographers while I'm there. They are the best.
Hey, at least I'm seeing the world at the US government's expense This should be my last stint with the military, however. I plan on coming back to AK and setting up my own mapping/surveying bizzness.
I'm so stoked to live in Germany, though! If you remember, I've been trying to get over there for 3 years now.
spud - I'll contact you through the SJ board when I get set up. Only two more weeks until I leave!
PS - I'm going skiing tomorrow
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Sounds like a plan! I'll be in the Grafenwoehr area which is around Regensburg and Nuremberg. You'll have to come my way to do any skiingQuote:Originally posted by le spud:
Plucky - I'll be in Dusseldorf. Lets have a beer, my shout. You can teach me how to ski over the summer.
I'll be there on May 1 and it will take me a month or two to get settled in. I'll PM you when I get set up. The thing I love about Germany is how easy it is to get around on the trains - even easier than Japan!
Great pictures!
Injuries:
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
Two broken wrists
One broken thumb (probably hurt the most)
Two broken collar bones
Two torn meniscuseseses (menisci?) in right knee
Stress fracture in left ankle
lots of bumps, bruises and scrapes.......but I've never impaled myself on a fence!
Gee, I wonder why it is I'm suffering from arthritis at the tender age of 32?
Don't get me started on team sport related injuries........