pix

New route up Mt Russell for me, went back down via the east ridge. Fun day, the wind blew the smoke out of the area fortunately.

Nice pix Jim! Looks like you were solo? One way to lighten your pack would be to dump those pointless Gator stickers - pure dead weight!

Maybe you're right, they might "hog" the space in my pack

Everybody wants the blonde, but her sister is more fun.

Nice sunrise over the Inyo Mountains!



And I think the two of Tulainyo Lake are cool. Any chance you could stitch them together? Tulainyo is such an amazing high-elevation "bathtub"!

Point taken - but don't be too quick to judge. The Arkansas game against Bama Saturday might be interesting. Either way, it's already a crappy year and I'm thinking of changing my screen name to Trembling Chihuahua 34 . . .

And yeah, sweet sunrise.

Gary, in all honesty neither of our teams has the look of a world beater this year. Ark/Bama should be an interesting game.

If my Gators get beat I head to the Sierra to lick my wounds....

Wish I had that option . . .

BD and SG -- I hereby induct you (for this year only) as honorary members of Buckeye Nation, so you'll have something to feel good about this year.

Really great pics, by the way! Loved the ones of the early morning alpenglow at the beginning of the album. And, the very last pic in the album is now my newest computer background pic.

CaT

Don't take this wrong David - I know you mean well - but I can probably speak for both Jim and I that a dyed-in-the-wool SEC fan would rather shoot him/herself than suffer through Big Ten (Eleven? Twelve?) football. Roll through the Big Ten schedule like a lion then get slapped silly by some SEC team or other in a BCS bowl? Just sayin' . . .

Time will tell, this year.

Word.

David, thanks for the props on the pics. As much as I dislike UGA, I would actually pull for them vs the buckeyes (much as I would expect that Gary would temporarily set aside his disdain for the Gators if they were playing the buckeyes)..it's an SEC thing. That being said the 2006 team had a great defense and a so so offense and things turned out very well indeed that season. We will see.....

True dat. Had plenty of experience pulling for the Gators in BCS games the past few years, dammit. Most other parts of the country may not really get it, but it's a regional football pride thing - sort'a like a big family. All the brothers in the house may continuously kick the crap out of each other, but let the kid from up the street get in a fight with one of the brothers and it's a totally different story.

Please note: this temporary brotherhood-of-football warm fuzzy does not extend to the ACC, or anywhere else in the South - just the SEC. The kid from up the street can kick the crap outta the boys next door all day long, and we won't care. Actually, that seems to be exactly what's happening the past couple of years. The ACC's performance recently makes the Big Ten's out-of-conference results look positively inspiring - if you ignore those annual SEC bushwhackings in the bowls . . .

And David, you're a native SoCaler - where'd this Buckeye/BigTen voodoo come from, man? I would have pegged you as a Trojan or a Bruin.

How is the descent from the Russell-Carillon saddle to Tulianyo? Any tricky spots to downclimb or mostly scree and boulders? I would like to head over that way and get Morgenson, Tunnabora and the Cleaver.

That descent is not bad at all. Ledges near the top give way to talus down lower. I prefer that saddle to the cleaver col route.

OK, we need to return this thread to its regularly scheduled programming. So one final answer. When I lived in California, I could have cared less about football of any kind. When I married my Columbus-born wife in California (who went to the same college in California as I did), and then three years later, she dragged me back to Columbus to live, she also got me interested in the Buckeyes, which once that fire got lit, extended to the rest of college football. Now she sometimes regrets having gotten me interested in it. I always knew the SEC was different -- both of your answers were certainly enlightening in that regard. If Alabama stays No. 1 and Ohio State stays No. 2 until the end of the regular season, it should be an interesting NC game!

CaT

Great pics, shows the route well. Does look like a great day. Thanks for posting those.

I'm thinking about heading to the east ridge this Saturday if anyone wants to go. Weather looks awesome.