Sink study

When it comes to household projects, Americans are hard core Do-it-yourself (DIY) people. After attending a few hours of DIY classes at the Mecca of DIYers, The Home Depot, people who earlier had a hard time figuring out which end of the screwdriver is meant to screw and which end is the driver, come out brimming with complete confidence that they will be able to handle everything from building one's own house to construction of a backyard nuclear reactor. Initial ignition of DIY spirit needs a small spark, buying a few small tools, before the DIY engine really revs up. And then fairly soon, one of the cars has to be moved out of the garage to make space for additional tools. And when Garage runs out of space, it is not time to re-contemplate or stop. Au contraire, it is time to tackle the problem head on with...well, a DIY project : Tool Shed. Yes, Tool Shed is a small, Hong Kong family apartment sized dwelling, for an American garage over-flow of tools. And if your tool shed is over-flowing too, then also fear not ! America has a solution for that too : Rental Storage shed. A willing (for a fee of course) receiver of over-flow of the over-flow.

Contrary to the popular adage, not all the things which start well, end well. Many DIYers, who persisted in spirit ended up with constructing houses, which defied all known laws of trigonometry. And then there are many, whose ebullient DIY spirits were nipped in the infancy by court orders, for letting their favorite chain saw make an unsupervised entry through the bedroom wall ; a minor oversight, overly misconstrued by their startled spouses and the legal community.

I have prided myself on being among the ranks of the minority called the minimalists. Borrow, not buy is their credo. Their commandment : Be kind and friendly to the fellow man, especially the one who has a tool shed and a rental storage unit. Occasionally though, I do get an urge to tool-ify myself and that is when I frequent Harbor Freight. If Home Depot is the Mecca, then Harbor Freight, for lack of other proper description, is Mecca-Lite ! A chapel for budget-minded worshippers. For believers, who seek DIY-ine blessings, but has a major gripe with the "Tithe" clause. Seek without tithe and ye shall find, plentiful of Made in China blessings. Cheap beyond belief Tools manufactured without the encumbrance of a Quality control department.

Every once in a while, life throws you a curveball, catches you in weak moments and you underestimate that DIY project. Event and descriptions below are completely imagined, a point by point theoretical case study related in this manner for clarity and impact. It is to be used solely as an educational tool.

Water Water ! In the morning, such noise often emanates from bathroom where children, unaware of world's struggle with fresh water shortage, are engaged in some liquidity frolic. However, if the words are unusually high pitched with hints of surprise and anguish, then pay immediate attention or the water might come to you, while you are still in the bed.

A quick investigation of the "Watergate" could bring you face to face with the fact that entire Kitchen floor is covered with water. At this point, rest of the panicky household will expect you to take charge and act with the rapidity of a SWAT team. Wade in, determine that it is only the darn faucet which has developed a leak, shut off the supply line and rapidly move to the problem of newly formed kitchen pool.

Don't think, act reflexively. Large swathes of absorbent material with great water soaking capability? May I suggest that quilt, gifted to you by your well meaning but legally color/aesthetics blind in-laws. Swoosh, Swoosh and voila ! Kitchen floor is back in business before your spouse may say What the....!! Prove that you are a non-discriminating, equal opportunity employer of any ready resources by using your favorite football team jersey to wipe the underside of kitchen sink.

At this point, a short breather and then let the SWAT team morph into a nobel prize winning scientist and start thinking about replacing the Faucet.

"I always disliked that faucet. I also dislike that old coated sink. Coating is coming off at some many places. I want you to put in a modern faucet and a modern sink", says your spouse. In retrospect, this sentence will be remembered as the curveball.

"Most kitchen sinks come in standard 33x22 size, so this should be a 1-2 hour max drop-in DIY job, but ++++ wow credits in the spousal credit union, take morning off work and go out for beer in the afternoon", one runs the gamut of positive scenarios through clouded mind. That in retrospect will be called a weak moment.

"OK. Why don't you come with me to the hardware store and please help select the new sink and faucet", you might say to your spouse.
Now ladies take note here for this one is for the ages. This sentence is heavier than a man declaring his undying love + Til death (his death, likely during a DIY) do us part, put together.

At this point let's take a short detour of other introspective and persistent questions of life. Now many of us have accompanied our spouses on shopping trips and watched her walk through the aisles and aisles of clothing, touching and feeling every piece, and having the same telepathic conversation with all of them, "Will you make my derriere look big"? Do we really have to follow the same model when buying a kitchen sink? Do we really have to go to three different hardware stores in fifteen mile vicinity to check every 33x22 steel receptacle of food waste and dirty dishes? Do we really have to ask the store attendants to climb that 3 storey ladder and get down Sink Model A2+ so that we can figure out why it is superior to Sink Model A2?

And then there is Faucet. It is not included with the Kitchen sink. To the engineers among you, it is nothing more than a valve. The ones with high GPA will add precision with "one way valve". The word Faucet comes from its french/latin root, "Falsare", to falsify, and that is apparent in the price tags of these Faucets. Folks, if price is no object for you, then please go out today and impress your spouse with the shape, size, sleekness and an incredible turn on, turn off capability of your new eh....one way valve.

During the course of this DIY, many other theoretical possibilities may arise, which may or may not be covered by the following list

1) Dismantling things are easier and quicker, by nature. However, if you have not had any practice lying on your back in the cramped area underneath kitchen sink, surprises might come to you in form of head bumps, fumbles with flash light, slipped screwdriver missing your eye by an inch and an inability to drag yourself out.
2) Removing multiple clips from the perimeter is a lesson in patience, an underrated virtue. Later, you will re-install the same clips and feel like repeating your graduate thesis with same advisor, who did not approve of your intellect the first time.
3) Your spouse did a good thoughtful job picking up a sink with a lip to contain side splashes. You forgot to make sure that its backside is not compatible with margin from the back wall. Please return to the hardware store for an exchange.
4) Picking another kitchen sink. Yes, sinks do come with 33x22 size but they come with different Z axis dimensions, and one your spouse picked second time is deeper and will interfere with that hitherto un-noticed odor vent in the corner.
"Just go back and pick whatever you want", your spouse might say, a dash testily.
Return to hardware store alone for another exchange.
5) They say third time is a charm. But you may discover that even though you picked the correct sink in broad dimensions (X, Y and Z), but it still is not sitting flush with the counter top for some reason. That is because of the corners. Your Sink counter top opening may have the rounded corners, a tad disagreement with new straight sink. Return to the hardware store determined (not to exchange sink) but to buy a hand Saw and proceed on to straightening out those rounded corners.
Note : This is also the point where "Glass Half Full" kind of people will thank God that your kitchen counter tops are made of wood and not stone. The ones with Stone kitchen counter tops will proudly add a brand new stone grinder to their tool shed inventory.
6) After epoxying in the new sink, you may discover that new sink outlet is incompatible with your existing garbage disposal (in-sink-erator) attachment. Run out and pry the old one out of trash bin before trash service had the chance to take it for a burial service at the local land fill.
7) And lastly the "New Faucet" (it had to be) may be a little two high and old flex lines may not be long enough to attach to the water lines. Return to the hardware store, where by now, they know what that middle initial of your name truly stand for.

At this point, day is over and Beer will provide no succor. One is definitely ready for strong stuff.

As signs of summer show up, I dread for an old problem with sprinkler system is bound to seep into conversation again. In the middle of the night, when sprinkler system starts and changes zones, it emanates a very distinctive Noise. A casual unbiased observer might get the impression that NRA is having a meeting in the basement of my house, and disagreements are being settled the only old fashioned way, they know of. Problem seems to be a "valve" attached in the wrong line. I am thinking of calling the professionals to handle this one but then a friend of mine tells me that this is a simple two hour max job. I am tempted because my friend owns a tool shed, a rental unit and a brand new welding machine to boot.

Siasi Mazmoon (Political Topics)

There was a time, when in certain areas of current Pakistan, barbers would hang a notice in their shops : "Siasi guftgu se takalluff karen" (Please refrain from having any political discussions here). Intent of this reminder is still applied though enforcement of adage now has been passed from gentle and gregarious barbers to some not so serious NGOs like Taliban. My venture into a little bit of "Siasi Guftgu" is not because my faith in barber-ic wisdom has mellowed, but because of the fact that I have reached that stage of life, where duration between visits to a barber can be measured accurately, only by employing scientific units of light years. And my hair grooming need though still growing, but has shifted its venue from my head to my nose and my ears, particularly latter.

Democracy Sham-o-cracy

Democracy : An elaborate and expensive process by which slightly more than half of the participating population, are made to think that they have earned the right to enforce their views on the others. Considered better than Plutocracy, Autocracy and Theocracy, where view enforcement ratio is decidedly < 1.

India and the US consider themselves world's largest democracies. India, on the basis of its Reproductive power and US, on the basis of its eh...Power. Latter has even tried to export Democracy using its military power. Though US is big on the idea of Democracy, but grown men in the US still tremble, when asked about details of electoral college system of electing the president. Even some recent contenders for the US presidential post came close to being Trumped, when it dawned upon them that Democracy is Of the People, For the People and By the Delegates !

Indian President on the other hand, after imposing President's rule in one of the states, has returned to prime Presidential responsibility : Foreign Tour. Though lately, Indian Prime Minister has competed vigorously with President in the foreign tour category. As US makes advances in realizing democratic idea of gender and race equality in elected offices, awaiting possibility of bringing a feminine touch to Executive office, I am reminded by a proud friend that India (and even Pakistan) has had a woman at the helm before. And if that does happen, then US will be overjoyed to have its very first "FIRST DUDE", who, just like many First Ladies, will have a say in 'domestic' policy but will be completely excluded from any say in hiring process for white house interns.

Money and Politics
I remember the time from my youth when elections in India were a festive affair. To an un-trained eye, the charged atmosphere was almost indistinguishable from release of a new Amitabh Bachan movie. And then Indian election commission woke up from its Kumbhkarni slumber and threw water on festivities. Now you may disagree with me but as well intentioned as Indian election commission was, limiting all that election advertisement only hurt the common man....as always. Money still changes hands in bundles but Indian Election commission put out of business, that Poster-wala, that Rickshaw-wala, that Paint-wala, and my personal favorite, that loud speaker - wala, who went out everyday reminding electorate.

Keeping up with Supreme Court decision on campaign financing, I propose that US should completely free up the high bundlers, folks who pump over a few billion dollars into election. In their own words, they are not trying to put their candidate into presidential seat but simply trying to influence the policy....for greater public good....which explains why some of them qualify as Tax exempt organizations......ah, such do-gooders and such a shabby treatment.

But why let these good people spend money on media organizations with their statistically muddled effectiveness. We should let them impact the policy directly and get a clear feedback for their expenses. Now your moral compass may go berserk with the idea but with secret ballot, I see no harm or surprise, if I see Geroge Soros and Koch brothers standing outside the voting booth handing out their policy ideas to voters......policy papers stapled to a crisp hundred dollar bill could go a long way in educating voters.

Blessed are thee...
"God bless the United States of America".
Allow me to clarify the fine print.

Blessing of course is not limited to unites states only. It does extend to friends and allies of the USA. But the blessing will be immediately put in abeyance, if incidents of disagreement on foreign policy matters increases beyond US dictated flexible threshold limit. Countries which have vital assets feeding into consumption economy of USA will continue to receive blessing with certain quid pro quo stipulations, which includes but not limited to supply of any hardware needed to maintain a stable Banana republic. All other nations, who have no such assets....well, we will definitely pray for your soul. Within the USA, blessings will continue to be distributed without any seeming preference for color, creed, gender etc., though it will remain subject to influence of electoral results, and the delicate balance of sentiment within supreme court bench. Blessing to all Native Indians must come pre-approved by both houses of congress and the executive. And that is why they are highly encouraged to enlist the services of a good lobbyist, who can expedite the application for blessing, which will be distributed to them in denominations of casino chips. Counsels have further sought the clarification on matters of original sins e.g. thou shall not kill...directly or indirectly? Thou shall not covet....thy office intern's ass or cannabis? Until such clarifications are available, all US Presidents and wannabes can continue to use the expression in national interest. However, all those sinners, who have been invoking someone else's God's blessing on Par 3 holes and sand bunkers on cheap public golf courses, be warned. Such actions clearly violates "His name in vain" clause of sin code. Lightning strike could be much closer than they think.

Gay right to marry
'Are you feeling gay today?'
"Yes, but yesterday, I was not gay. I had an altercation with my spouse on some credit card items. Not gay at all".

My good friend, who is always gay, and who has disagreed with me on almost everything continues to disagrees with me on this one too. Here is that conversation to best of my re-collection

Me : "I do not know why gay community wants a right to marry. They should stay with Civil Union. Trust me on this one, but there is no other union more uncivil than marriage".
She : "Hmmm..."
Me : "OK. I will fully support Gay right to marry as long as there is stipulation that they will not be allowed to divorce for at least ten years. I want them to fully experience the same marital bliss that their hetro brethren have experienced."
She : "Bartender, Hold that next drink and call a cab for him."

Now my arguments have logic but the true opposition block on this one cites God, backing of that omnipotent pious power.

Women's right to choose
My unwavering support to women's right  to choose is no secret. Over time, only a few women have chosen to be seen with me in public, without a multi-layered veil. And no one else has been more surprised at their choice than I, myself. And in time, all of these women have rued their choice and chosen to re-exercise their right to choose, and proceeded on to suspend my privileges. And I have always bowed down for I always have wholeheartedly supported women's right to choose.

Now, reason most cited by anti-women's right to choose lobby : GOD !
Yes, God himself told them so. If you have had any doubt about omnipresence of God, it should have been addressed by now. By the way, States which are leading the charge against Women's right to chose, are also the same States, which are topping the charts for unwed Teen Pregnancies. Hmmm....but God told them to do so too.

Immigration and Fences
"Illegal immigration has always been a problem in the United States. If you don't believe me, ask any Native Indian" - Robert Orben

History has not been able to kill the irresistibility of the idea of building a fence. A colossal example of such expense is the The Great Fence of China. However, after almost two millennia, government of China has a plan to recover that expenditure.....one western tourist at a time. And that recovered money will be used wisely in building a Great electronic fence of China, which will keep the tourist coming but stop any incoming ideology at the fence itself. Folks, if you ever use the expression "Fences within Fences", be sure to cite my name in bibliography.

Torture
Question "Does water boarding constitutes torture" just refuses to die down.

In ancient times, judges got tired of cops, who were always claiming that prisoner is in medical care because he fell down the stairs, but just before falling, prisoner was able to give this detailed written confessional statement. And hence "Habeas Corpus" (You may have the body or Show me the body) came into being. We have not made much progress since then. Being a person, who passed his Design of Experiments course with a borderline honorable B-, I am fully qualified to propose that we conduct a social experiment, which will answer the question "Does water boarding constitutes torture?" once and for all.

Experiment is simple : We subject ex Vice President Dick Cheney to a few sessions of water boarding. In interest of advancement of scientific inquiry, we should have no trouble getting ex-VP to acquiesce.

Now let me first address the first wave of criticism to this experiment. These are people who don't care about ex-VP but are extremely worried about what he will reveal about national security when water boarded. Fear not folks. Ex-VP will be asked only the questions, which he has already answered in public before.

Second kind of criticism is from the folks who think that anyone, including ex-VP, will admit to anything under water boarding. Again, fear not folks, because this is where we, the experimentalists shine. We will have a "Control Question", which will be asked of ex-VP at the beginning and at the end of the experiment, plus periodically in between and the answer will be monitored for subtle changes in his responses. Beauty of this Control Question is that it can be something silly like "Mr. Cheney, did you ever have, or are planning to have any JF Edgar Hoover themed Brokeback Mountain parties in your basement?"....admit to anything ?....let's see about that.

I know that Social Scientists among you are tickled to a point slightly short of death, at the simplicity of this idea. Success of this experiment will immediately launch a large scale scientific verification by subjecting officials from all states to Water Boarding, except officials of California. California is undergoing a prolonged drought and water must be preserved for critical Golf Courses and Big medical needs (Saline water breast implants). However that does not mean that California is exempt. Officials of California will be flown to another city for Water Boarding, a city where water is available in plenty. Yes you guessed this one right : Flint, Michigan.

And now I must go attend to my aural grooming needs, lest I miss the finer points of weekend discourse by blocking those sound waves enumerating my ever declining contribution to domestic polity.

Passage of Time

And just like that, fall season is over. It was like an Indian wedding. Nature bursting with bright colors, and visual feast lasted almost a week, like an Indian wedding. Nature and humans absorb from each other and pretty soon start reflecting each other. That is why perhaps, residents of Republica de California, where weather never changes, do everything to stem the passage of time with a little help from Botox infusions and surgical enhancements. City of Los Angeles may not have natural beauty, but it sure has lot of man made beauty, if you know what I mean ! 

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring again. A time be born and learn, a time to grow and be fruitful, a time to slow down and colorfully wither away, a time to stop and depart & a time to be reborn. Or if you prefer an analogy from animal kingdom , time to enjoy like naughty monkey, time to work like an overloaded donkey, time to bark like a bite-less dog & time to stare like a toothless hog.  And someone please cancel that re-birth program....too expensive ! 

There is an inexplicable joy and comfort in experiencing all the seasons. Every change opens a small window and lets one witness the phenomenon of Passage of Time. The person in the mirror reminds us of the passage of time too, arguably more so for the fairer gender than "los hombres". But the act doesn't bring much joy.  In this electronic age, where every instant is recorded with enough gratification to fill any gap in between, passage of time has become dimensionally diminutive . We read the teabag wisdom, which exhorts us to stop, smell the flowers, enjoy the season. And then we wring the extra tea out, discard the teabag and go back to our desks....witness passage of time....got no time to spare. Perhaps time passes, perhaps it doesn't but we all sure will pass. Time is the greatest teacher, but we sure make one sorry group of student body. Some worse than others, but none living up to the expectations of this great teacher. No wonder, that The greatest teacher has killed each and every one of its pupils.

Physicists are the arguably the only group of people who believe that they can see the passage of time. But trust a physicist to bring the unaesthetic language to describe the phenomenon........Big Bang is best they came up with, which is better than space-time continuum. They came up with a catchy "Light years", but dietitians started using it as euphemism for the yester-years of their clients. Theoretically Einstein-ian time is bendable. My famous experiment of "Treadmill running" proved that time does indeed slows down considerably when speed increases, but alas! In real life, it is the newton-ian principle of gravity which comes alive with passage of time. Stand in the front of the mirror and person opposite you will remind you of gravitational pull, and once again the fairer gender is more prone to scientific shock. As my friend's father, senior senor Ortiz says," be warned!  First the hair turn grey, and then they turn loose". And just when the follicle shedding is about to make the Newtonian principle come alive, they get stuck to your back and Darwin's theories don't seem like theories anymore.

Since time immemorable, passage of time has been on our minds and in our words. Some times, time hangs heavy on hands and sometimes Passage of time becomes a race against time. We teach young ones to put their pants on, one leg at a time. Benjamin franklin told us that Time is money but I know of no one, who has been able to make withdrawl from this ATM. Unfortunate delinquents of the society do time, many return for another time. Delinquents of wall street who avoid time, can take note because attorney general assures us that it is just a matter of time. Does the Time rejoices every friday evening and look forward to beer pressure? Concept of months was invented by a research grant from Julius Caesar, who was probably trying to impress a lady with funny hat ,"Hey, Can I see you in July? btw, July is named after me...Julius, July.....just letting you know". We ring bells on arrival of a new year to remind us that we are living on borrowed time.

What is your favorite time?

"Breakfast time, Lunchtime and dinnertime"

"Do you have the time?"

No sir, I wasted mine before you did.

"If you waste time, then doth time wastes you - W. Shakespeare"

You are right Sheikh Pir. That is why I stopped reading classics and concentrated on math and science.

"Qué pocos días son necesarios para que pase un siglo - Bram Stoker"

(How few days it takes to pass a century)

These are profound words from Dracula. Can't mess around with him.

"And then there is a concept called Daylight Savings Time".

Can the daylight be saved? "No, unless you can run faster than speed of light", a physicist will argue. At one time DST provided temporary employment to clock re-setters and now a temporary nuisance to general populace. Legal minds at ACLU take note that with this dubious premise, government is clearly infringing on our personal liberties by forcing many of us to reschedule our hour of bowel movement....liberty can't be any more personal. It is said that concept of Daylight Saving Time when once explained to an old native Indian, he replied "Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top off a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket".

My first rumination about passage of time started with a conversation with my grandmother many years back, when I found that she didn't know how to read the time on the wall clock. For her, tick-tock of clock held no more meaning then a dull lullaby, inducing siesta at pre-determined time. Passage of time was simple, and perhaps key to her longevity. Sun is rising, sun is up, sun is down is all she needed to know to get through the day. Lunar calendar is what was needed for monthly scale, just to remember the religious events. And after the seasonal divisions, things got a little complicated on the annual scale. Folks from my grandmother's generation divided the passage of time by events. They could recall the birth of certain child relative to the year, when brown buffalo had a calf and milk was plenty, or the year of the great floods (which by the way, happened often), or in rare moments of sadness, the year the country was divided, the year of Partition. 

 With concept of mortality eventually beginning to dawn upon me, Passage of time is no more that seemingly infinite series of fleeting moments. There are times now when I wish that fleeting moments would slow down, slow down just a little bit. And then, just like that, fall season is over.

Tall Tales from Mt. Adams

Reaching the Summit is optional, Getting down is mandatory - Edmund Viesturs

Our caliber (or lack thereof) in physical activities have always conformed to good old Clint Eastwood axiom : A man has got to know his limitations. Only reason Edmund Viesturs appears up here because my well wishing friends, who never miss a chance to drop hints, presented me with this book called "English Writing for Dummies". As the book tells dummies, and I quote, "Open with a quote, and end with a Quote". Strange thing is that all three copies of book I have received say the same thing.....what a co-incidence !

It was that time of the year again. Time, when some of us let the members of fairer gender know, "I am doing this to raise money for Breast Cancer Research.......and when it comes to shopping, I still BEG to differ".

Begging : An art, which dogs and men have been trying to perfect since Adam asked Eve out.

This year, our team had picked beautiful Mt. Adams on the southern end of Washington, as our symbolic fight in the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer. It was also going to a sort of re-union of the old Mt. Olympus crew.......Your Honor Marybeth Dingledy, David "mangler" Kendall, Jeff Hazeltine, Steve Bley & and last but not the least, soon to be domesticated animal Chris Awad, who after benefiting from our valuable advice on various methodologies on "How to Propose" in previous years, was now planning on some continuing education in the area of animal husband(ry).....A high altitude Bachelor Party !

We were also joined by Chris, Chris and Kris. Yes, there were four people with acoustically indistinguishable nomenclature on this climb. For Chris' sake, why can't parents name their kids something unique....like Satnam. And one of these, Kris, happened to be very charming intellectual Kristina. What is this american obsession with shortening perfect names?

No Smooth Sailing this year !....
There were signs that it is not going to be smooth sailing this year. First, I tore my soleus and calf muscles (bending down and reaching for that dropped glazed doughnut is not a good idea at this age) which severely abbreviated my training routine. And then, the flight to Seattle was marked with a four hour delay, two of which were spent inside the plane sitting on the tarmac. Steve was kind enough to come around again for pick up. Chris Awad and I have been beginning to be known as Steve's annual friends. One friend who looks a like a terrorist, and the other who talks like one. Mrs. Bley makes great food, as always, and we have been known to attack food and wine supply lines with some Italian+Indian gusto.

Drive to Trout Lake....
Trout lake is a small place, where we had decided to spend the night before the climb. Drive from Seattle is scenic I-5, as always and it turns even more scenic as one turns on hwy. 84 along the Columbia river, which divides Washington from Oregon. The Oregon side of the drive is lined with many waterfalls. I highly recommend stopping, even if for a few minutes at Multnomah Falls. And Hood river, OR is where the team got together for some usual pre-climb libations at a place called Everybody's Brewing. Libations continued well into the night at Trout Lake inn.

Did I say, there was to be no smooth sailing!....
After a latish start to gear check and the nearby ranger's station, we were told by the guides (Mark, Sondra & Cliff) that trail head to our chosen route (glacier route as opposed to much trampled south spur route) is good 45 minutes drive on a reservation. After negotiating the dusty road for about 45 minutes, suddenly the caravan stopped. One of the guides in leading car came out and informed us that we have to turn around and we are on the wrong road for 45 minutes.....another sign that there was to be no smooth sailing this year!

He claimed that Guides are pretty solid on finding directions on the mountain but their record is mixed on the roads. I am sure that this timely interruption was perhaps brought around by the Lady guide Sondra. As you know, we have all been there.....Man driving the vehicle, misses the right exit and ends up in a different State or Canada.....and a woman sitting next to him with a frown of the size of minor moons of Jupiter.

Finally we reached the correct trail head, put on backpacks and were on our way. Initial part of the trail passes through a forest, which got burned in a forest fire recently.....nature's fury. We were chugging along but due to late start, things were not looking well. Guides decided that pace is a little below par and decided to take a direct short-cut by whacking our way through the short brush. We followed and some two hours later, ended up in a large gulch, with snow on the base, but lined with over 20 ft. of almost straight scree on both sides. Apparently, this gulch is usually snow-filled to the brim and crossing it is a child's play but not that day........another sign that there was to be no smooth sailing this year! After finding a part of the scree, which seemed negotiable on one side without rope and with rope on the other side, everyone crossed over and we made to the base camp by almost seven.

We are Pro-Choice but....
As we found the place to set up the tents, there arose a Choice issue. I will go on the record here to let women know that I have always been, and always will be a Pro-Choice person. With all the tents being three person tents, Kristina, the charming intellectual, had to make a choice...who to tent with. Chris Awad & I or other Chris & Chris. She chose latter and we sought from Kristina, what in corporate lingo is called, self-improvement feedback. Apparently, the underlying reason for her choice was an information of un-sound quality, she had received in Seattle....our reputation for flatulence ! I will admit that Chris and I have a certain predilection for excessive off-color mirth, but flatulence?.....a cathartic Joy, which God in his medical wisdom, distributed equally to both genders, but empowered only one to admit to exercising the blessing with regularity.

Ladies, I will go on the record here once again. If you are looking for a flatulence-less man, then your only option is to pray hard for significant advances in Genetic Engineering. Short of that, all other temporary options you have, involve use of a wine bottle cork.....& I will not delve into that subject for it opens a whole new passageway to a new chapter of off-color mirth.

Kristina's choice meant that our good friend Steve Bley was tenting with us and with three amigos, it meant un-restricted flatulence complemented by a complete linguistic liberty. As the forefathers said through US constitution : All men..........in pursuit of flatulence, liberty and resulting happiness.

It was a wind-wind situation...
Flatulence inside aside, night wind outside was also howling and fluttering sound of tent fly was really loud but we got some sleep. In the morning, when guides came to wake us up, we noticed that all our sleeping bags and other stuff were covered with thin layer of dirt. And that is when we asked each other with gentlemanly politeness :

" Who the &%$# went out to take a #$%^&* leak last night and forgot to zip up the #$%^&* side? What the &%$# ? "

And a check revealed that everything was in order. Nothing wrong with side zip. The fine dust, which happened to be in the air, apparently was getting through the vents of tent. Which explained why the food was tasting pretty gritty !

After breakfast, Snow school was in first item of order on second day. Guides believed that instead of preparing you for self-arrest, better to train you so that you never get to self-arrest situation. Snow school was a lot more elaborate than anything I have done in the past and I personally thought it was pretty good. After snow school, rope teams were divided, and we geared up (with crampons) and in spite of weather forecast and picking winds, it was decided to give summit a shot.

A matter of Degree...
Somewhat gentle slope turned soon into a relent-less 40 degree slope, and the real climb was on. It didn't matter how much distance we covered, every time I looked up, the destination seemed to be at the same distance as before. And we were looking up pretty often because every now and then a loose rock will come hurling down the slope. Safety rule for loose rock hurling down is to stop and watch. Most of the time it will be on a different trajectory, like an adjacent railway line, but every now and then we found ourselves on the same track as the train is. Guess what, we had to move.

As we got higher, wind picked up and even though it was manageable, but every now and then a wind gust of 40+ miles/hours would come through. And many a times it brought lot frozen moisture with hitting like little stones. We hunkered down with ice axes dug in. Guides started worrying about the situation as it was beginning to get unsafe and could get worse at higher altitudes. We were still a good 1500 ft. below the summit, when we decided to call it off and return to base camp.

Due to lose rock situation, turning back is not so simple as no one is watching the falling rock. So belay device was put on we were lowered down backwards about 400 ft. before it was decided to climb down normally. During the climb down, a hurling down loose rock came too close for comfort twice. One of them, which seemingly came out of nowhere as it came diagonally was big and spine-shattering scary.

Looking forward to a drink.....
Once outside the danger zone, we stopped by to take some pictures and Your Honor told me that she is looking forward to be at base camp and have a drink. She had packed some Bourbon with her. And I, ever the gentleman, told her and she doesn't have to wait till the base camp. I was carrying my stock of Scotch in my back pack for I had planned an intoxicating celebration for the summit !

Now I don't want to say that people of this team were carrying a lot of alcohol but I think there was enough for a small Bachelor party. Here is the synopsis

Person #1 : Bourbon
Person #2 : Scotch (Johnie Walker double black)
Person #3 : Bourbon (High end brand)
Person #4 : Single malt Scotch
Person #5 : Bourbon
Person #6 : God bless this guy because not often, someone carries a six pack of Beer

What happened to the Animal Husband(ry).....
I can let all the gory details out but this is a respectable blog, which is meant to be read aloud to young children of impressionable minds, distinguished guests and lady friends on Friday evenings. Let me just say that consumption of alcohol was accompanied by a very nice looking blow up Sheep..........I am sure you get the idea.

And in the end......a quote....
On last day, we all got down the mountain to a much needed shower and then began our personal wine and beer fest in Hood River, OR. Strange stories from the past and laughter rising from the bottom of the soul.

On the day of judgment, this blog will be used against me to justify what has already been decided and just waiting to be pronounced. I hope that some leniency will be exercised on the grounds that I am personally documenting the truthful evidence ! Here is A link to the Climb Pictures



There are a few reasons why we do this. Primary reason is that we want to raise money for breast cancer research. Second reason is that we want to spend time climbing a mountain with people, whose company we really enjoy. And after that, if we can reach the summit some times, then that is good too. - Steve Bley

Me Talk Sweet Today

Some people eat to live and some live to eat. We Punjabi folks have often been relegated to the latter, and for a good reason. Every city in Punjab has its claim to a niche product in category of snacks and sweets. Hoshiarpur has its Samose wala, Phagwara has its Gajrele wala, and Jalandhar has its Cheese-Chili wala. If gluttony is a sin then try committing the sin ( and ask immediately for forgiveness) in holy city of Amritsar, whose claim to fame in edible category is for certain perishable goods….and they perish very fast, when my brother is in town. Some of these Vendors are a hole in the wall places and some a little bigger but almost none elaborate. No wonder that one invariably needs a local connoisseur to guide you to such places.

Every product is designed to hit very specific nodes on your taste buds with precision of a laser guided missile. And I should know, for I come from a family where at least four generations have been known to pride themselves on their fondness and prolific consumption of snacks and sweets, especially the latter. My grandmother, may god rest her soul, once requested my father that even though she intends to depart this world abruptly, but in case God wills to keep her on this earth in an unconscious state for some time then make sure not to hold back the sweets from her diet. And my father like a duty bound son, promised solemnly that if situation ever calls for it, he will puree her favorite sweets and add them directly to the I-V line. And why not? Before we decided to suspend his driving privileges on grounds of public safety, my father used to ride his scooter over an hour to an obscure place to get ਬੇਸੱਣ (Besan). Our tastes in Besan have differed but he claims that this particular one brought him many kilos of joy.

My brother and I happen to be chips off the old block. The thing is woven into our DNA, which incidentally also explains the double Helix structure around our waists. Scientific principle is much clearly illustrated by my brother though. We have been known to skip the service at the Temple to explore and pay obeisance to these chapels of gastronomic nirvana. And this December, I was told of ਬਿਰਜੂ ਬਰਫੀਵਾਲਾ (Birju Burfi-wala) in town of ਗੌਰਾਇਆ (Goraya).

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is Burfi and then there is Burfi of Birju Burfi-wala. Birju apparently started making Burfi in 1952, so he had a good half a century to perfect the recipe and perfection in simplistic form is what he has done. In this modern era of flashy commercialization, where vendors treat Burfi as nothing but another sugar delivery device, trying to fool our overloaded senses with an odor of cardamom, a silver foil and unscrupulous use of milk powder, this Burfi is in a class of its own for simplicity and taste. Milk thickened over slow heat to the right point, and just the right amount of sugar. A good Burfi is not to be chewed. Just take a bite and keep it there to let the outer layers melt and fill the nooks and crannies of your palate, before letting the inner ਖੋਆ (Khoa) crumble with a minor implosion.

Today I am having the last piece from the box of Burfi, which I brought back. To the multitude of reasons to visit India, I have just added another few sweet Kilos more.

Irreverent Letters

March 23, 2013

Senor Pope
I know God is omniscient but it seems that He has completely forgotten that snow belongs in winter and not in spring. Could someone shoot a memo to Him?

April 18, 2013
Senor Pope
OK I get it. You are the chief lobbyist with connections to the Big guy. All I asked (nicely) was why there is snow in the spring. Do you really have to rub it in by sending it down three days in row…a foot of it? I was looking forward to gardening, not shoveling. You and I have our differences but poor bunnies in the backyard ain’t looking happy either. Guilty by association, I guess. I hope we are done now showing off. Btw, how is your new gig going? The job sure has its perks. A fancy bulletproof Pope-mobile, a personal posse of Swiss fighters. Talk to those Swiss guards, they will tell you all about the importance of precision…especially in weather patterns. And what is up with that big Hat ? Who designed it, Don King? You fix this snow thing and we will get together to celebrate, talk a little politics, over, shall I say, a few Chalices of wine. My treat. And I know a great bar, right by the Basilica !

May 1st, 2013

Senor Pope
It is May here and I am enjoying the 10 inches of snow which came down this morning. Buried my garlic crop, but what is couple of cloves between friends. People are saying, Lord acts in mysterious ways but you and I know there is no mystery. Earlier in the season, when moisture was needed, one of you was goofing off and other was busy preparing for an important “Conclave” thing. And now you are fixing the water shortage by making up the average. I get it. Btw, we just call it election these days. If we start calling it a Conclave, the voting percentage will drop to just a few "Cardinal" offenders. But I like the White Smoke thing, very stylish indeed. Someday, we may announce the election results with White Smoke too, if Willie Nelson gets “conclaved”, or maybe we need a leader who wouldn't inhale. Please disregard all my earlier complaints. You know how we humans are. We like to blame others for our misery. But I must admit that you guys are good. Just a few millennia of practice, and you already know how to take credit for all the good stuff and ward off the blame for anything negative. Corporate America will be lucky to have you in their management cadres. My spouse is the same too. Only yesterday morning, she couldn’t find her Cell Phone, and lo and behold, that too was my fault. Well, summer is rolling around and you guys should drop by in July, when tomatoes are ripe and peppers are hot. My home made hot salsa is served with killer Margaritas. Now I don’t want to brag here but a few sips of my scotch spiked Margarita, and even you will be forced to describe the concoction as nothing but Divine.

October 27th, 2013
Senor Pope
Fall is wrapping up and I marvel at nature. Changing colors reminds me of passage of time, and I am not just talking about the color of my beard. We even had a little taste of winter with a few inches of snow, which melted on its own.....just the way we lazy humans like it. Anyway, I would like to thank you for straightening the weather thing earlier. A fabulous salsa and Margarita season we had this year. It does not matter if it was my incessant complaining or that "anonymous" check I sent to help defray the legal costs. I wonder if you have considered some public de-frocking. It could be more effective. Der aayed, Durust aayed (Corrections to one's mistakes often come late) is what wise men say in my land.

And talking of mistakes, I heard that a serious mistake has been detected on the coins issued by the Vatican to commemorate your favorite motto "Miserando atque eligendo" (Lowly but Chosen)....you folks spelled JESUS wrong ? You spelled him LESUS ! As my english teacher who had the misfortune of grading my high school term papers was known to say,"For the love of LESUS, can't you do a little Spell-check"?

And talking of Spell-check, would it be possible to send a warning thunderbolt of lightning by the Microsoft Office. Every time I write a report, their Spell-check software changes my overtly pious name "Satnam" to either "Satan" or "Santa'. If you are not familiar, latter is just a capitalist version of the former. Come December, and a Beer-fed one will be seen at every temple of Capitalism aka The Mall.

And talking of thunderbolts of lightning, it might be good idea to send a really high voltage one by the House of Representatives, Senate & White House.....and perhaps on a regular basis. Trust me, it will be a single act, which could convert agnostics into believers en masse.

Well, you do all this, and I promise to stop using HIS name in vain, except at all the PAR 3 holes, for post-life flagellation which I am sure to receive, would be worth the divine help I am trying to invoke to score another Hole in One..........FORE......I mean AMEN.

A Capital Experience : Mt. Rainier

It was time for that annual good deed and to test the boundaries of Clint Eastwood axiom : A man has got to know his limitations. Do good deeds really require a motivation? Why do people ask Why? Why can't some deeds be done just for the sake of deeds? Why do I drink only local beers, you ask? I can satisfy your curiosity by saying that it is to intoxicate the local economy but the fact is that good deeds are to be done for sake of good deeds.

Annual Climb to Fight Breast Cancer is one such deed. For 2013, it was fundraising and a symbolic show of struggle and a very possible victory against the malady with a climb to the crown jewel of pacific northwest : The Rainier.

Fundraising Blues

Fundraising : The act of asking donations mostly from same people again and again. Pestering near and distant family members is a must. Co-workers and friends are on the hook and complete strangers are not off-limits either. A good avenue outside Golf courses to invoke God's name in vain, unless the fund-raising is for a church.

What makes fundraising a really "capital" experience is the friendly banter, which takes place to complement the annoyance. Besides the usual good lucks and be safe, here are some chosen comments received this year and relevant commentary.

Mt Rainier?  aren't you getting a little ambitious? It is good of you to climb for charity but don't add to my tax bill by becoming yet another guy, the emergency rescue workers need to fly in from the glacier....

Spoken like a short term thinker there. Imagine all the long term savings to the taxpayer, not to mention the immense joy it will bring to the masses, if I don't return at all. In fact, the latter logic is so compelling that even my own spouse is thinking of making a donation....which if it does occur, would be rated at same probability level as church conferring Sainthood upon me. Now that I think about it, Saint Satnam does have a kind of nice ring to it. I will be the patron Saint of scotch drinkers.

I hope one day I do at least a fraction!
Gracias pero cuidado. When it comes to beer and scotch, I sincerely hope you stick to the fraction. 


Don't hurt yourself - we need you on our ping pong team ;-)
So there we have it folks. The great American plan to beat the Chinese at their own game with help of a transplanted Indian! Really Capital !

Doad Sahib! This should get you off my back for another year at least :) 
Aren't you glad you know someone, who gets off so cheap :-)))

May the views at the top be clear and breath restoring!
E....L....O....Q....U....E....N.....T

Go Satnam and team Goat! Once again, I will miss climbing with you.
I must make it clear to my friends from state of Wyoming. The "Goat" simply refers to Goat tavern where we have been known to gather for pre and post-climb libations.....nothing more ! What happens at the Goat stays at the Goat.

How many more years you are planning on doing this *-+%$? I am dipping into my Children's college fund this year for you.
I do not know how long but Takao Arayama climbed Everest at seventy one years of age. I talked to both my nephews (your sons) about this college thing. Younger one is sure that he can manage a scholarship. The older one told me,"Even without this, Dad should start planning on delaying his retirement by at least ten years".

Climbing for charity? This is a brilliant concept! I guess drinking for charity hasn't caught on yet....
And if drinking for charity does come to pass, you and I will be the front runners and we better be, because we definitely need to get to the serving table before my brother does. More alcohol has been known to pass through my brother than many of the breweries.


People and Gear
Team of eight gathered in Seattle for gear check on August 7th. Some new faces (Rowena, Mark, Kate, Lisa) and some whose trails have crossed before (Carol, Chris, Steve and I). Some first timers and some have endured it before. Some young and some a little advanced. Steve Bley has been a motivator to us, since we met him first time as a Pentagenarian on Mt. Olympus. He is now officially over 60 years. Being a gentleman he is, he does not prefer numerical association.....he prefers a venerable term : Sextarian !

Gear check is mostly a check, check, check, until we arrive at the item in the list known as Pee Bottle and a serious discussion ensues. This is an item which remains optional until you find yourself hunkered down in a tent at 11000 ft., with pee pressure building, and nature awaits you outside in form of thunder and snow storm. For males, the item is nothing but an emptied bottle of Gatorade. For females, things are a little eh...complicated. There is an accessory involved : Pee Funnel. Mechanics are a little fuzzy to me but apparently the mantra is "Practice, Practice, Practice". As they say in old country, "Practice makes a woman perfect, and a man over-confident". 

In a moment of Gear induced sincerity, our very accomplished amiga, an extraordinarily charming specimen of fairer gender, who has trampled many a mountains, admitted to us, "Satnam, I like Pee funnel, but I am sure I want a Penis".

At this point. I will let readers take a pause here to let the momentousness of these historical words sink in. Not often, a desire for this part of male anatomy has been expressed purely for its ease of liquid discharge utility. With these words, "this king of anatomy", who since era of Adam and Eve, has prided himself on being the eternal provider of entertainment in spite of some recent loss of evolutionary ground to artificial insemination, was finally relegated to a lowly part time job in the department of sanitation.

Climb Day 1
An early morning drive to the trailhead with packed backpack. Even without tents, it still added up to over 40 lbs. Guides gave us the gist of first day schedule. We marinaded ourselves with some sunscreen and got on the way. Trail upto Muir camp is well trampled by climbers and day hikers alike. Mount Rainier is visible in all its glory right at the trailhead itself.....like a big old tree looking down at you. It was a clear calm day and Mt. Adams was clearly visible in the distance. Snow line began after pebble creek and some of us changed from regular hiking shoes to climbing boots aka Frankenstein footwear. Camp Muir is pretty impressive with stone shelters and pit toilets. As expected, it was very crowded. We had one shelter to ourselves. Bunks were there with foam pads and we made ourselves at home. Steve shared his Bourbon stock and dinner of Bean Burritos was incredibly good. Sunset from camp Muir is a beautiful sight.

After dinner we all tried to get some sleep and best way to break ice when eight people are trying to sleep in close quarters on a snowfield is to tell some dirty jokes. And yes, one of us, who shall remain unnamed, asked for advice and ideas on how to propose....and got a sackful of it.

I hardly ever sleep up there. Just lie down straight and let at least the muscles recover.

Altitude Gained : ~4500 ft.
Miles covered : ~ 4.5 miles

Climb Day 2
Wake up and 7 AM to clear out the bunks for next team, which was due to arrive later. Get ready, pack up and head to the kitchen tent, where pancakes were on the menu, bacon and eggs for carnivores. After breakfast and tea, it was time for snow school. Brush up on proper footwork, crampon walking techniques, self arrest. And then it was time to pickup the backpacks again and head to Ingraham flats camp at ~11100 ft. From then onward, it was to be all crampon, all rope team climb. 

It took us just slightly over an hour to get to Ingraham flats camp, where another team was clearing up the tents for their downward journey. Original plan was to rest at the second camp, wake up in the middle of the night and do a sunrise climb to the summit. However guides proposed a sunset climb to the summit on the same afternoon, which has its own advantages (no traffic, lazy short third day etc.) and a vote was taken. It was to be Sunset climb. Looking back at it, perhaps we should have stuck to the sunrise climb plan. It might have given a better shot at summit attempt for everyone in the team, and maybe somewhat easier pace too. But it wasn't meant to be.

One gets a really great view of Yakima peak from Ingraham flats....seems as if you can touch it by just reaching right across a large crevasse.

Anyway, six of us decided to give sunset attempt a shot. We packed only the essentials (clothing and just enough food and water) and by 12:30PM, we started our summit attempt in three rope teams of two climbers and one guide each. From here to the summit was to be done in three pitches only. 11100 ft. to ~12300 ft., from 12300 ft. to ~13300 ft. and then a final push to the summit.

First Pitch
Due to constantly present danger of ice and rockfall, first pitch to the top of disappointment cleaver has to be completed as fast as possible. We were told ~2 hours. Part of the first pitch is on snow and part of it is on loose rock. You don't want to know, what it is like to climb on loose rock while fully attired (boots and crampons) for a snow climb. At the end of first pitch, one more climber decided to head back and one more returned during second pitch. Now we were only two rope teams.

Second Pitch
Second pitch has a portion which is extra technical. Path is extremely narrow and grade steep, so rope has to be periodically clipped into and un-clipped from fixed anchors. This portion of climb also has about one 12 ft. vertical climb, half of which is fixed ladder. This vertical scramble is immediately followed by a 12 ft crevasse crossing over a ladder, covered with a plank. This crevasse bridge which is at ~12500 ft, is actually visible from Ingraham flats camp (~11100 ft.). Crevasse crossing over ladder plank is actually much easier than one thinks. Rope is clipped into fixed anchor, hold ice axe securely in one hand, hold the support rope in other....and walk across as if it was a zebra crossing......Simple !

Later, when I asked Carol if she managed to get some photos or video footage of ladder and crevasse crossing with Helmet cam, her reply was, " Heck no. I was busy trying not to DIE !!!"

After this technical section, there are a series of switchbacks and some steep sections leading to the summit. At this point we noticed that weather was beginning to turn bad. Visibility was degrading, wind was beginning to howl louder.

Final Push
After a short break on the glacier to put on our wind gear, we made a final push for the summit. Perhaps weather had spooked the guides or perhaps we were too tired but pace was ratcheted up. Carol is in extremely good shape but I am sure that Mark, Lisa and I were operating in a gear, which until then we didn't know existed. This  is the time when one falls back on Psych tricks to keep one going....my favorite (and a really stupid one) is - These legs and feet are not mine, they are someone else's. And sometimes you think about people who have endured worse things, like Cancer....and that gets you another thirty minutes.

As guides often drill into you that getting to the top of the mountain is only half the battle. One has to be sure at all moments that one has enough juice left to get oneself down too, which is not easy. Anything less than full honesty puts not only oneself in danger but also jeopardize the rest of the team.

I think that if up climb pace was any higher than what we did there that day, my lungs would have exploded, but they held on. We had climbed the last ~900 ft. of vertical gain in about 45 minutes.....and then all of a sudden at 5:14 PM, we walked on to the Mt. Rainier summit crater. There was no sunset. With visibility no more than 30 ft. and howling wind, we somehow got the banner shot and a few pictures. We thought we will take 20 minute walk to the summit rim but exhaustion and weather was against us. Some 20 minutes later, we started our descent.

Worse part about descents is one can see where the camp is and yet one knows it will take a while. At ~9 PM, we walked back into the Ingraham flats camp. Utterly exhausted, and then the worse happens....and I knew it was coming. After burning so many calories, you would think that you need food and I had lost it. Jhangbu had prepared a delicious soup, which on any other day would be gone in no time but that night was different. A few gulps of Bourbon didn't help much either. I somehow shoved down half of soup down my throat.

This is not uncommon and my friend Steve Ortiz and I have come up with a theory. Your body's CPU, which is running a frequent systems check, after this grueling ordeal, checks the vitals and infers that this body is pretty close to heaven (in my case Hell) so it figures out : No need for food. And it shuts down the App called Appetite. Next it figures out that you don't want to walk into heaven (or hell) with your eyes closed, so it shuts off the App called Sleep. So there, you have perfectly logical explanation for the phenomenon.

And that night, while lying awake with lost appetite, we were also hit by a heavy duty thunderstorm.......remember that optional Pee Bottle !

Altitude Gained and Lost : ~3200 ft.

Climb Day 3
A sweet deal was offered for day 3. Get up early (6:30 AM), get down to Muir Camp, and have a breakfast of fresh pancakes. I was still groggy and appetite-less but seemed better than shoving down granola. Plus no blue bagging.....Pit Toilets are heaven. 

After lazy breakfast and tea, we headed down. After some futile glissading attempts, we just walked down finally we saw a welcoming sight : The Parking Lot ! It was about 12:50PM. I looked back at Mt. Rainier and issued a quiet Thank You note to the mountain for considering me worthy enough.

None of this would have been possible without our superb guides. A quietly determined Lauren Edwards, who has a few Denali summits under her belt. Though when you look at her slender petite form, you see hardly anything under her belt. Efficient Garrett, who has been up at Mt. Everest a few times, and hold your breath....it was his 177th time on Mt Rainier. Jhangbu....the man is from Nepal, need I say more. Plus I got to practice my Hindi with him after a very long time. And last but not the least, Devin the enforcer......Devin holds a dubious distinction of guiding us to the top of two most beautiful mountains, Mt. Olympus and Mt. Rainier....on days when visibility is low, winds are harsh and frozen rain is giving company. Is the correlation between bad weather and Devin a co-incidence....we don't think so !.....And we may complete the mathematical proof by doing another climb with him.

This team of eight gave their best....ordinary people brought together by a cosmic confluence of luck and extraordinary circumstances. I, the desk jockey, just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

Most often asked question after such a climb is "So, what is your next climb"?

And my answer is the same, "This is it. I am done. I want to walk into the sunset with a beer bottle and a Golf bag. Not with a 45 lb. backpack, pee bottle and a Blue Bag".

Enjoy the Mt. Rainier Pictures.

And here is short video of climb put together by Kate Roll