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twodogdad
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PostMon Apr 09, 2012 9:15 pm 
I spent Easter weekend at Whistler. Saturday I skied Husume and Corona, marveling at the vast glacier terrain up to Pattison and Tremor.
As it happened, on Sunday a party of Canadian skiers suffered me to trudge along and we trekked to Mt Pattison (8146’). The RT to Pattison is about 1/3 of the Spearhead traverse: traverse Decker Glacier, drop into and traverse the Trorey, climb Pattison from the S shoulder, ski the NW Face (a 40-degree joy run—especially if you have any leg left after going up and down for several miles), then traverse back via the W side of Decker, ski the N face of Decker (7943), and glide home via 7th Heaven via some trees and lower Bodybag Bowl (manageable crust on S faces). Thank you, Canadian friends, for choosing a good route and providing a margin of safety to a solo skier. Niko

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Apr 09, 2012 9:43 pm 
twodogdad wrote:
Are those the same kind of bird? The beaks look different and definitely the wing and head coloration. I'm thinking one is a camprobber (aka gray jay) and the other is a Clark's nutcracker. Hard to tell their size relative to each other from the photo. Nutcrackers are definitely bigger.

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Apr 09, 2012 9:44 pm 
Great pictures by the way, looks like a fun trip.

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twodogdad
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PostMon Apr 09, 2012 9:54 pm 
olderthanIusedtobe wrote:
twodogdad wrote:
Are those the same kind of bird? The beaks look different and definitely the wing and head coloration. I'm thinking one is a camprobber (aka gray jay) and the other is a Clark's nutcracker. Hard to tell their size relative to each other from the photo. Nutcrackers are definitely bigger.
I'm glad you saw that. I'm not a bird watcher but I did notice that two of the birds had different plumage; I thought one was male, the other one female; or one mature, the other one immature. They are very inquisitive and will perch on your ski pole--or extended hand, for that matter. What bird can resist crumbs from energy bars? N

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Apr 09, 2012 10:08 pm 
Yeah the camprobbers are very bold and readily approach people with food and will take it right out of your hand. Some of them do a quick touch down, take the food and fly off. Others will just sit on your hand and wait for more food. I'm guessing whiskey jack is another name for camprobber. The nutcrackers aren't nearly as bold as far as I've experienced. Nutcrackers are NOISY and make some funky sounds.

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Apr 09, 2012 10:12 pm 
olderthanIusedtobe wrote:
twodogdad wrote:
I just googled some images real quick. Definitely the guy on the left is your whiskey jack and the guy on the right is a nutcracker.

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RichP
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PostMon Apr 09, 2012 11:01 pm 
Incredible mountain scenery eek.gif

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Roald
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PostMon Apr 09, 2012 11:13 pm 
So that's what the backcountry looks like. I was beginning to forget.

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John Morrow
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PostTue Apr 10, 2012 6:27 am 
Roald wrote:
So that's what the backcountry looks like. I was beginning to forget.
Sounds like an intervention is needed! Perhaps when I get back from Utah for some May corn. I know exactly who to recruit for this mission....

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” ― MLK Jr.
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twodogdad
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PostTue Apr 10, 2012 10:56 am 
Amigo, we have to invent a backcountry rig with pedals for you, and you'll leave all of us ancient skinners in the dust hockeygrin.gif N

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twodogdad
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PostTue Apr 10, 2012 11:00 am 
Sounds like an intervention is needed! How about a Dark intervention? (And we can fly in style, the way Roald travels to obscure destinations reachable by boat only.) N

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